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This is Highly Recommend, a column dedicated to what people in the food industry are eating, drinking, and buying right now. Here, Kat Thompson writes about the flower-shaped cocotte that brings her endless joy.
As an enthusiastic home cook, I’m obsessed with growing a collection of timeless kitchen pieces I can eventually pass down to my family—like my mom’s blue cornflower Corningware casserole dish or the rows of Lenox spice villages that are experiencing a resurgence on TikTok. Functionality is important, sure, but like the aforementioned items, I also want something adorable.
This is why I was determined to get my hands on Le Creuset’s 2.25 quart Flower Cocotte. I first caught a glimpse of this flower-shaped Dutch oven on the Instagram feed of jelly cake maker Eat Nunchi, a.k.a. Lexie Park. Although Park specializes in eye-catching sweets, she’ll frequently share snapshots of her home cooking where her purple flower cocotte—carrying bubbling soondubu or fluffy rice—steals the show.
I became enamored. Because the cocotte was part of a sold out limited spring collection, I set alerts for the enameled cast-iron pot on eBay and Mercari. I lustfully browsed photos of it daily. I drove hours to Le Creuset outlets to see if I could find one waiting patiently for me to take home at a discount. I dreamed of all the things I’d make in it: stews, soups, rice, perhaps a flower-shaped loaf of bread?
Thankfully, at the peak of my obsession, I found it—and in pink, no less. I opted for a set that arrived with two mini flower cocottes, which I use as salt and sugar crocks that live next to my stove, while the larger Dutch oven has become a fixture in my day-to-day cooking. It is the ideal size to feed one to three people, and in my years of use, the pink enamel has yet to chip or become discolored.
Although the flower cocotte is limited edition and a bit tricky to find in certain colorways, there is a set available on Amazon in the color Caribbean. Additionally, Le Creuset’s new spring collection includes mini cocottes with floral motifs, as well as a flower spoon rest and tulip-like vase; these items may just be enough to satiate a desire for all things in bloom after a cold winter.
My one gripe (aside from the price, which is a steep but worthy investment in my opinion) is that with its scalloped edges, this pot can be a pain to clean. In the same way a stainless-steel pan isn’t my go-to for scrambling eggs, I am selective about what I prepare in this cocotte. From my experiences, it’s best to avoid anything sticky and crusty, like scorched rice dishes and braised pork belly. I primarily make soups, pasta, and congee—although I still dream about one day making a flower-shaped loaf of bread.