Somewhere in the Middle: Another visit to Le Creuset

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Yesterday Numeracy Grrrl & I took a trip to the Le Creuset outlet. I wasn't too thrilled about having to drive all the way back to France to exchange my Dutch oven but the small indentation on the handle was worrying me. Would it eventually lead to a chip? And since these dutch ovens come with a hefty price tag I felt even more compelled to exchange it and I needed to do it fast. The outlet has a limited supply so I was taking my chances. Which surprises me a bit since the factory is right behind the store. You'd think it would be easy for them to just make a quick call and get another one piece. But then again if I remember the Le Creuset tour I took a few years back I suppose it's understandable.

The Le Creuset outlet is in a small little french town called Fresnoy-Le-Grand; the area looks very similar to Northern Belgium. It's a tiny shop but the selection of cookware is pretty good if you're not particular about the color. The outlet carries a range of colors like the popular Cerise, Matte Onyx, Azure, Flame, Dune, Black, and the new Terre. I also spotted a few pieces in purple. Along with the cookware, the outlet also carries stoneware casseroles and baking dishes.

Luckily, I was able to exchange my dutch oven. At first I thought I'd have to choose another color since they didn't have any more cerise in the back room but there were two on the shelves so I snagged one. I also bought two silicone loaf pans. Slowly, I'm transitioning all my baking pans to silicone which I find so much easier to cook with. And on the way home we stopped at La Brasserie de l'Abbaye du Cateau for lunch and still had some time for a quick trip to Auchan to pick up some of my favorite yogurt, Sel d'Guerande & Fleur de Sel.

For those interested in visiting the Le Creuset Outlet here is the address & hours as of today's date:

Rue Olivier Deguise, 02230 Fresnoy-Le-Grand, France. Tel 03.23.06.22.45

Hours: Closed Monday & Sunday. Tuesday-Saturday 10-12:30 & 2:15-6:30

My South African girlfriend asked me to jot down the prices for some of the Dutch ovens so in case you're interested here is the information. The sizes in the outlet shop are in centimeters and online Le Creuset also listed the sizes in liters. A few of the pots had the American measurements on the lid while others did not so I did my best with the conversion. They measurements may be slightly off but you'll get the general idea.

Prices for Oval & Round Dutch Ovens (as of 23 March 2010) :