I pine for enamelware

Over the years, many very kind people have given me a range of remarkable kitchen gadgets. I am a known kitchen gadget afficianado. I have two drawers and two jars full of such things, so I have a lot more stuff than I can ever possible use or need. I also have a decent collection of pans, including a poor old cast iron pan that needs some serious re-seasoning. One piece of kitchenware I’d love to get my hands on is a cast iron enamel-coated pot. I have a dutch oven–a solid piece of revere wear–but the enamels pots are so….pretty. Le Creuset makes the standard of enamel pots, pots you can buy when you’re 20 (or 30, but who’s counting?) and keep until you’re 85. And then pass it down. But they are very, very expensive. A year or two ago Martha Stewart began a line of kitchen stuff at Macy’s, and among the insane number of pieces were a couple of enamel pots. The bigger one was a 6 quart, ideal for pots of stew, or the original no-knead bread, except that the pesky handle on the lid can’t go in a 500 degree oven without melting. I like the aqua blue color it comes in, too. As much as I can envision one lazily stewing on my stovetop, it’s probably going to have to remain a vision for a while….at least until I can get my hands on a Le Creuset!