Where are Staub Cocottes made?
Staub began its journey in Alsace, France, a historical region that celebrates delectable food and culinary tradition. They specialise in producing high quality cast iron cookware that marries traditional craftsmanship with innovative technology. A household name in France, both professional and home cooks appreciate thefunctionality of cooking with cookware from Staub. One of their highly sought after cast iron cookware pieces is the Staub Cocotte Cast Iron Casserole.
Staub's Cocotte Cast Iron Casserole comes in a wide array of eye-catching colours and sizes. The mini cocotte is great for individual portions such as a pot pie or single-serving desserts like a soufflé, whereas the larger cocotte is perfect for batch cooking, saving you heaps of time and money with early preparation. The cocotte is also known for its versatility as you can sear, braise, bake, and even roast a variety of dishes, all within a single cookware piece!
How are Staub Cocottes made?
Each cast iron piece is uniquely handcrafted, keeping true to its traditional production process. State of the art technology is introduced into the process to optimise the benefits of cast iron, producing a new innovation that transports classic cookware into the modern culinary world. During the production process, each piece undergoes thorough inspection following Staub’s strict quality standards. You can rest assured that your Staub cookware is crafted with precision and care beforemaking its way to you.
There are three unique highlights in the production process of Staub’s cast iron cookware: the sturdy core, the glossy enamel colours and Staub’s signature “Aroma Rain”.
The process begins by melting raw materials and pouring it into individual single-use sand moulds. It then undergoes thorough blast cleaning to remove excess metal before deburring which prepares it for the next stage: Enamelling.
Staub uses a unique colouring technique termed "Majolica" which purely consists of glass. This technique features three enamelled layers which give each Staub piece its eye-catching glossy enamel finish.The first layer is applied to smoothen the raw iron, which is then followed by the second layer for a glossy effect. The third and final layer is what gives the cookware piece the deep intense shades that we see.
The most prominent highlight of Staub’s creations is the self-basting lid. It is specially designed to capture and retain moisture as your food cooks to keep the dish juicy and seal in the flavours. The lid of Staub's cocotte has been tested vigorously and is proven to retain 10% more moisture in your dish, even after cooking it for over 55 minutes.
What is unique about Staub's lids to other French casseroles?
The secret to that is the Aroma Rain. A signature feature in Staub’s cocotte lids, the Aroma Rain refers to the continuous cycle of moisture that takes place when your dish is cooking. The tight-fitting lid seals all moisture generated from cooking within the cocotte, causing it to rise to the lid. It then condenses before falling back on the dish like raindrops thanks to the evenly distributed rounded spikes under the lid.
This self-basting process ensures that the perfect balance of moisture is retained, creating a succulent, tender, and flavourful dish. Your hands will also be free to perform other tasks as you no longer need to continuously baste your dishes.
What is the difference between Staub's matte interior versus other enamelled interiors?
Staub’s exclusive matte black interior makes it great for even roasting and searing. Heat is distributed much more evenly, preventing hot spots that may potentially burn your cooking. The slightly porous surface of the cooking interior develops a non-stick patina over time, making it a better cookware piece with age. It also prevents any food from sticking to the base, which may happen with lighter enamelled interior cookware.
The unique qualities of a Staub Cocotte
The power of cast iron cookware: Cast iron cookware pieces have been around for centuries and are valued for their durability, making them ideal heirloom pieces. When cooking with cast iron cookware, the nutritional values and flavours of your ingredients are retained as they cook. Cast iron cookware distributes and retains heat effectively and efficiently, enabling you to use it on low to medium heat while also keeping your dish hot for longer after the cooking process is completed.
Self-basting lid: The rounded spikes underneath the heavy lid creates a rainfall effect to continuously baste your food as it cooks. This process ensures that your dish remains flavourful and moist throughout. Staub is proud to note that their cocotte retains 10% more moisture when cooking compared to other enamelled cast iron cookware.
Versatility: The Staub Cocotte is a versatile cookware piece that you can use to sear, braise, simmer, and sauté on any stovetop, including induction. Furthermore, you can use the cocotte to bake bread or roast a whole chicken in the oven as it can withstand searing heat up to 250°C. It also makes for a great oven to table piece thanks to the beautiful array of colours it comes in.
Cooking interior: The slightly porous matte black enamelled interior is seasoned by the fats and natural juices of your dish over the cooking process. This creates a natural non-stick patina over time and will give you a better sear compared to its lighter counterparts.
Steamer insert: The steamer insert accessory is akin to wonderful icing on an already beautiful cake. It adds to the versatility of being the perfect cookware piece for one-pot recipes as it allows you to cook and steam simultaneously.Steam vegetables while simmering meat with a classic red wine reduction for a complete meal with only one cookware piece needed.
And the above are just some of the many great benefits of owning a Staub cocotte. Staub cookware pieces are not only highly sought after by famous restauranteurs, but many home cooks appreciate the quality of the results that come with cooking in a Staub cast iron cookware. Get yours now at Kitchenware and be blown away by fantastic results every time you cook. We recommend trying out these recipes to get you started!
Next Read:Our Favourite Cast Iron Casseroles and Why We Love them
