A Love Letter to Staub

I have been that friend that has asked for kitchen equipment or unique ingredients for every

birthday and holiday gift since I was a young child. As I get older the gifts get more advanced as my friends and family know I can care and love for the products as they deserve.

A few Christmases ago I was gifted my first ever Staub from ‘Santa’ herself. My mum is known to reuse boxes from previous purchases to use for new gifts so when the wrapping paper was off, and I saw the infamous Staub box my heart jumped but I quickly reset my expectations to minimize heartbreak.

I like to believe that I was the only 21-year-old that Christmas morning sitting on my family home's living room floor with tear-filled eyes when I realized the box did in fact contain a Staub Cocotte 4 Qt Dutch Oven. Since then the collection has grown but that feeling has never left. With each use, I get excited, inspired, and confident knowing my Staubs are going to improve both the process and final product of whatever dish I'm making at the time.

Now for why this pot elicited such a strong reaction.

The STAUB adventure started 1974 in Alsace, a part of eastern France renowned for its rich history and more importantly its gastronomic tradition. While quality and design are the first and foremost important parts of this company it is not all there is to it. Staub has an elegant and timeless look that allows it to go from oven to table without ruining your dinner party décor.

In my opinion, the reason this brand is the choice of chefs is the “La Pluie d’Arômes”, in English, aroma rain. This is a result of the specially crafted lids included with Staub’s casseroles, pots, and pans. When the cooking vapors rise they make contact with the small bumps under the lid, condensing and evenly falling back down on the meat and/or vegetables nestled below. This design guarantees moist meat, tender vegetables, and preserved flavours within the pot.

Quality over quantity, this rule applies beyond meats and produce and well into your kitchen collection. While budget is a restraint in all homes I chose to buy less and buy better. Quality kitchen equipment is an investment, and in my opinion, a very valuable one. The pots and pans I bought on a whim to use for a particular dish now sit pretty on a goodwill shelf with a not so pretty 4.99 label attached. My treasured Staub’s on the other hand are placed proudly on display in my extended kitchen cupboards and in time will sit proudly on my children’s and then grandchildren’s.

While this won’t be a common theme around here we are going to get into some statistics. In France, nearly half of their Michelin-starred chefs work with Staub and in Japan over three quarters. While becoming a Michelin-starred chef is not a dream of mine or most, it is exciting to know we can get one step closer by sharing the same brand of cooking equipment at home.

My mum has run her own communications company longer than I have been alive and has had the privilege of working alongside many world-renowned chefs. The thing that stuck with me more than anything else is when Michelin-starred chef Daniel Boulud said to her that if she should remember just one thing from their years spent working together is that above all else, what you cook in and with is as important as what you cook. He cooked with Staub.

x mads