Descoware is a discontinued brand of porcelain- or enamel-coated cast iron

cookware Cookware and bakeware is food preparation equipment, such as cooking pots, pans, baking sheets etc. used in kitchens. Cookware is used on a stove or range cooktop, while bakeware is used in an oven. Some utensils are considered both cookware ...

Among notable Descoware pots are

dutch oven A Dutch oven (not to be confused with masonry oven) is a thick-walled cooking pot with a tight-fitting lid. Dutch ovens are usually made of seasoned cast iron; however, some Dutch ovens are instead made of cast aluminium, or ceramic. Some metal ...

s. Although Descoware is now little-remembered, specialist sources hold that it was the favorite cooking ware of legendary American cooking instructor and television personality

Julia Child Julia Carolyn Child (née McWilliams; August 15, 1912 – August 13, 2004) was an American cooking teacher, author, and television personality. She is recognized for bringing French cuisine to the American public with her debut cookbook, '' ...

, more so than Le Creuset whose association with the chef has been widely reported. Child regularly used Descoware on her television show The French Chef. The

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's installation about Child's kitchen featured a large orange Descoware pot on top of Child's own stove. It was created by David E. Sanford of the D.E. Sanford Company, later known as Desco Corporation. Sanford purchased the manufacturing rights to the Bruxelles Ware process from General Housewares Corporation in the 1940s, giving him the right to sell the products in the United States. Bruxelles Ware was originally manufactured in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. Sanford changed the brand name, and contracted to have Descoware manufactured in the 1950s. After forging in

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, the wares were sent to be porcelainized in updated colors in

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

. Descoware weighed about 35 percent less than competing brands of cast-iron cookware, giving it a decided advantage. Descoware also offered matching porcelain-coated aluminum accessories. The economic growth that Descoware helped generate helped both the Belgian and Japanese economies recover from

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, and Sanford was Knighted in the name of Belgium's King Baudouin I in 1958 for his role in trade relations. Descoware remains a sought-after brand of cookware and has a loyal fanbase; single pieces are often found in thrift stores, and may fetch from $20 to over $150.00 USD on

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. Two of the original colors were originally called cherry flame and citron, but are referred to as orange flame and yellow today. While yellow and orange were common, there were pieces made in other colors, including blue, as well.

References

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External links

Descoware
Belgian brands Kitchenware brands Cookware and bakeware

See also

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External links