French Cast Iron Cookware, Le Creuset to Lunch More Stores in India

The brand that has glamorized and redefined kitchens all over the world for close to 90 years is now all set to wow Indians with their entire range of cookware at store –in-store outlets across India.

            Le creuset-A global legend with a history of re-inventions From enameled cast iron pot in 1925 at its foundry in fresnoy le Grand, the French company had the recipe of success down pat.

            The brainchild of Belgian industrialists, Armand Desaegher and octave aubecq, the brand was a culmination of their respective casting and enameling expertise.

            After the 2^nd world war, le creuset became a pioneer in enameled cast iron cookware, innovating with and new and exciting styles and pieces. This was when the company’s signature item, the cocotte or French Oven flaming volcanic (orange) shade, it became a classic that is still being re-modeled in bright retro colors, even to date.

            The Fifties and Sixties saw the brand launch several new products, including: the Tostador, the Doufeu – a cocotte with a water lid, its first Fondue Set and first Barbecue. Tomers with more products over the decades, le creuset has continued to use the hand-crafted techniques along with the attention paid to its heritage.

The globalization of French chic

            The noughties saw le creuset take its modernization and international expansion to new heights. Already established in the USA Australia, United kingdom, Germany and Belgium, this decade saw it reach out via subsidiaries to Hong-kong, Switzerland, South Africa, Brazil, Spain, Scandinavia Italy and Canada, as well as establish a sourcing office in china.

            With the global presence came unique product inventions, like the Spanish Pueblo range in 1995, Japanese Sukiyaki Cocotte in 2002, the Italian Risotto Pot in 2004, and last but not least-the Indian Karahi and Balti dishes, in eye-popping new colours like chocolate, pistachio, satin Blue and Kiwi.

            After establishing itself in india over the past 10 years in the form of cash and carry business model, le creuset is poised to open their own stores through SIS, exponentially increasing their reach across the length and breadth of the country.

            Following their first outlet on Lavelle road in Bangalore, which opened early this year, the brand plans to get its colourful range of cast iron and ceramic cookware to 29 new stores more stores across the country, starting with Mumbai and new delhi.

            Following up with Chennai, Hyderabad, pune and other cities, the company is looking at a very optimistic phase of growth. The brand has already garnered curiosity and respect amongst india’s growing urban breed of well-heeled, well-travelled and aspirational women in the age bracket of 25 to 45, as well as metrosexual men.

            Be getting its entire global range of cookware to their own stores, le creuset is looking at satisfying the style and quality conscious urban Indian home-owner.

            As a privately held concern in india, the company will work on a B2b model in the retail domain. The company is also on the cusp of finalizing their five-year business projections and will announce an investment plane declaration very soon.

            With a high-quality, stylized and globally-leading product line-a newsweek poll ranked it as the NO 1 French brand-, le creuset is looking at an aggressive for into the cookware segment urban India.

            Appealing to the tic pragmatic Indian customer with its blend of tradition and modernity as well as lifetime warranty on products, the brand is looking at creating an exclusive space in the well-heeled young Indian’s kitchen.

            Optimizing the appeal of its French aesthetic heritage, le creuset aims to be a leading lifestyle brand in the country. It was selected by a special selection committee comprising of professional associations from france to exhibit at the prestigious art de vivre a la franchise lifestyle  show held in Delhi this year.

            With the imminent expansion to metro and tier ll cities, the brand is looking at consolidating its position as a global cookware brand for young, urban Indians.   

Modern day Kitchen Chimney care

A kitchen is one of the most important rooms in a house and a lady of the house is known by how beautiful the kitchen she keeps. Moreover the food in India is very aromatic. Just a simple cooking leads to the spread of fumes in all the rooms.

The electric chimney have answer to this problem by making kitchen and then home a smokeless one. So among other appliances chimney are very important ad make a home complete.

Most of the people think that kitchen chimney are only for the show but they are unaware of the fact that everything is this world has some advantages and some disadvantages as well. Likewise kitchen chimney also have some advantages in our kitchen work. Undoubtedly, they tend to keep your kitchen clean with the various latest functionality they have in them.

Electric chimneys are an efficient way of removing smoke and odor compared to exhaust fans from a kitchen. For one thing, an exhaust fan will remove the fumes from your kitchen but not before it goes to your eyes. An electric chimney, on the other hand, is your ticket to cooking wholesome tadka meals without suffering from watery eyes.

The order advantage is that it will save the ceiling (area right above the gas) from being marked with everything you’ve cooked in the week. There are two types of chimneys that you can choose from traditional and designer. The traditional is for the utilitarian users, who want a chimney purely for their smoke absorbing abilities, while the designer chimney are for those who along with the utilitarian aspect want a chimney that enhances the décor of their kitchen. In other words, Traditional chimney is for those users who basically focus on performance with looks that makes your kitchen look elegant.

Kinds of Chimneys

There are number of brands in the Indian market which offer a grate variety of Kitchen chimneys. Two kinds of chimneys which are usually found in the India are Baffle Filters are considered to be better than the metal grease filters in terms of Indian cooking style as baffle filters contain overlapped filters which suck the grease out with their sucking capacity. Metal grease filters have the tendency to suck the grease in proportions.

Feature to keep in mind while going for Electric Chimney

Air Suction Capacity: This refers to the motors capacity to suck the odor and oily vapor and is measured as m3 per hour. An electric chimney with a higher air suction capacity is ideal for an Indian home as the cooking involves a lot of frying. For heavy cooking such as non vegetarian food or deep frying go for HIGH SUCTION above 401 m3/hr. for normal cooking go for MEDIUM air suction capacity at 400 m3/hr and below.

Number of blowers: The blowers run simultaneously with the motors to provide effective exhaust of unwanted smells and oil vapours at different speeds, thus providing better operation at lower noise levels. Higher numbers of blowers ensure more effective removal of unwanted smells, oil and grease. If your cooking largely involves deep frying, than going in for more number of blowers is a better option.

Size: Consider the size of Electric Chimneys before buying, generally they are available in two sizes – 60 cms and 90 cms.

Modes/Fitting

Ducting

In the ducting mode, heavier particles of Oil/grease/spice are trapped in the baffle / mesh filter, and the smoke/fumes are ducted out of the house. Ducting requires PVC pipes. Since this is a permanent fixture, it also requires some carpentry work. But this is a good solution for those who don’t want to spend time and money on changing their charcoal filters every now and then. It is a one-time investment unlike the charcoal filters.

For ducting check details like pipe diameter, ducting length, maximum number of bends your ducting pipe can have from your manufacturer to ensure reliability.

Recycling

In recycling mode, heavier particles of Oil/grease/spice are trapped in the baffle / mesh filter, and the smoke/fumes are filtered through the activated charcoal filter. The clean, deodorized air is then recalculated into the room.

 A few tips to remember

While Cleaning: Cleaning is easier depending upon the filter design of the chimney – mesh filters should be washed in warm detergent water every 8-10 days. Baffle filters need to be cleaned in warm detergent water every 2-3 weeks., charcoal filters need to be changed every 3-4 months. These time period are for regular use.

Install the chimney at a lower heights so that you can easily reach to clean. And also be effective in getting the smoke out.

It is recommended that the chimney should be at least 4 feet above the appliance cooking surface.

Innovative Cabinet Accents for the Kitchen

The kitchen is the heart of any home, and like all things pertaining to the heart it’s the little things that make the difference. Whether it’s intricately detailed glass inserts, decorative molding, creative lighting, designer hardware of innovative storage solutions, choosing the right finishing touches can truly make the room your own.

Whether your style is traditional or contemporary, glass cabinetry inserts will add an element of sophistication and style to your kitchen design. From classic to textured, etched or camed, glass inserts create a feeling of open space within the cabinetry while showcasing your serving ware.

Interior cabinet lighting helps you easily locate cooking essentials or elegantly showcase stemware. Make food prep easier by illuminating counter space with under cabinet task lighting. If  you want to create a soft light above or below your cabinets, you’ll want to consider linkable puck lighting and strip sets. Look for interior cabinet lighting, which automatically illuminates the space each time you open a door or cabinet drawer. For a more elegant statement, mount decorative task lighting over your cabinets and shelves.

Very few decorative accents can transform a room quite like moldings. Decorative moldings provide your cabinetry and furniture with style and structure to create an overall graceful balance throughout the room. Here are some molding ideas to consider when designing your new cabinets:

● Above cabinet molding evokes a certain style and creates height in your kitchen by carrying the beauty of the cabinetry to the ceiling.

● Elegant at-ceiling molding gives your cabinetry a traditional feel with a contemporary twist.

● Don’t forget to dress up the bottom of your cabinets with decorative molding.

● Ornaments, onlays and corbels add decorative detail to wall hoods, cabinet fronts, ceiling treatments and above cabinet moldings.

The kitchen’s wall hood creates a focal point in your kitchen, whether it’s over the island where the family gathers or above the range where the cook prepares a meal. Today’s style trends call for wall hoods in beautiful wood or streamlined stainless steel.

If you want your wine collections to be incorporated into your kitchen design, you should check the specialty storage options of your cabinet manufacturer. They are known for creating custom wine racks and cabinets so you can properly store and showcase your wine collections.

When it comes to storage options, the list is endless for food, tableware, preparation, cooking and clean up. You’ll find a wide range of cabinet and drawer sizes when it comes to roll-out trays, rotating shelves, drawer dividers and organizers.

Streamlined and refined or elegantly detailed, most cabinet manufacturers offer a wide selection of decorative knobs, pills and coordinating accents to add the finishing touch to your cabinetry selection. You can also choose from materials like stainless steel, brass, pewter, iron, ceramic or hardwood stained to match your cabinetry.