Here are the best French kitchen utensils and cookware to cook like a chef! If you’re looking to become a better cook and master the French classic recipes, then you need the right equipment. And unsurprisingly, the French don’t mess around when it comes to kitchenware. From Le Creuset to copper to enameled cast iron, French cookware and utensils are built to last. In this article, I’ve listed the French utensils and cookware that every professional kitchen relies on.
With those cocotte, pans, pots, and knives, you’ll have everything you need to cook the perfect coq au vin, omelet, crepe, or gratin dauphinois. Stock up on these French kitchen essentials to master the art of French cuisine. And, create your dream French kitchen with these most-have French utensils and cookware, which will bring a little bit of that je ne sais quoi into your home.
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1. Le Creuset Signature Round Dutch Ovens
is definitely one of the French cookware essentials to have in your kitchen! Revered by both professional chefs and home cooks since its 1925 debut, Le Creuset’s classic French cookware is prized for its utilitarian good looks and unsurpassed heat retention. Topped with gleaming gold knobs, the lidded Dutch ovens go beautifully from stove to oven to table and clean up easily in the dishwasher.
Le Creuset is an iconic brand with plenty of styles, so their pots can go from the stovetop to the oven to the table. The 6-quart is a good standard size if you’re often cooking for four people or less. You can buy Le Creuset , at , or at .
2. De Buyer Crepe Pan
If you want to cook French crepes, you definitely need the De Buyer’s Crepe Pan in your kitchen! This French crepe pan offers the perfect cooking surface for creating, flipping, and plating perfectly thin, crisp, and delicate crepes every time. Made in France from blue steel, its nonstick quality improves as natural patina builds up with use over time. This French crepe pan is perfect for crepes, but also pancakes and fried eggs, pan-searing meats, fish, and more. You can shop De Buyer’s crepe pan here at Amazon or at .
3. All-Clad Stainless Steel Gratin Pans
The All-Clad Gratin Pans are elegant, highly versatile pieces of cookware, ideal for entertaining and serving a variety of dishes. Gratin Pans are ideal for savory dishes like French gratin dauphinois, roasted meats, and vegetables, or for serving desserts such as fruit cobbler. Those professional-grade gratin pans have a hand-polished 18/10 stainless interior that won’t react with food and a magnetic stainless exterior polished to a high shine. Double handles are convenient for transferring baked sides and individual entrée presentations from oven to table. You can shop All-Clad’s Gratins Pans here at Amazon or at .
4. Emile Henry Modern Classic Pie Dish
Made of Burgundian clay, Emile Henry’s ceramic pie dish cooks slowly to prevent pies and baked desserts from drying out. Detailed with a charming ruffled rim and cheerful red exterior, the pie dish can go directly from oven to table. This is the perfect dish to cook: a quiche Lorraine, an apple pie, a tarte Tatin, or any other salty or sweet pie.
Handmade in France since 1850, Emile Henry Ceramics embraces modern technology to deliver products that can withstand all oven cooking temperatures, absorbing, distributing, and retaining heat evenly. You can buy Emile Henry’s Pie Dish here at Amazon, at , or at .
5. Laguiole Knives
Laguiole’s knives are definitely one of the French utensils you need to have in your kitchen. Each high-quality knife is handmade by La Forge de Laguiole in Laguiole, France. They are all crafted in the traditional Laguiole style that dates back to 1829.
However, make sure to buy real Laguiole, as there are a lot of counterfeits out there. Indeed, some knives feature the bee symbol and the name Laguiole, but they are made in China. The real and traditional Laguiole knife measures 23 cm in length and is made by one knife-maker, taking six weeks to produce. You can buy Laguiole’s knives at , at , or at .
6. Mauviel 1830 Copper Triply Saucepan
If you want copper cookware, is your brand! The family-owned company was founded in 1830 in a Normandy village called Villedieu-les-Poêles. Crafted in Normandy, France, Mauviel copper cookware is legendary for its performance and beauty.
The makes the most of copper’s natural ability to transfer and distribute heat. It’s crafted with a three-layer construction that combines a stainless-steel interior, heat-responsive aluminum core, and copper exterior. Use it for everything from simmering sauces to cooking grains.
7. Gobel Traditional Finish Madeleine Plaques Pan
If you love baking madeleines you definitely need a French Madeleine Pan! And the best one is from Gobel: the choice of professional pastry chefs. Indeed, the Gobel Traditional Madeleine plaques pan is designed for superb heat distribution to ensure that the delicate little cakes are baked evenly and gently.
Gobel is a French company created by Etienne Gobel in 1887 and has been making molds for more than five generations. All their bakewares are made in France. In addition to the Madeleine Pan, you can shop the Tart Pan, the Brioche Mold, or the Financier Baking Tray Tin Plate.
8. Peugeot Paris Salt & Pepper Mills
are known among some as the Rolls Royce of pepper mills. Indeed, you’ll often see them used in fancy restaurants. Peugeot’s pepper mills are beloved for their looks and because the stainless steel grinding mechanisms have been perfected to resist corrosion and churn out the perfect grind. The patented u’Select feature lets you choose the grind from six settings with a simple turn of the base.
In 1810, the brothers converted a family mill into a steel mill and tink with coffee mills and bikes. It wasn’t until 1874 that the company launched the first model of the Peugeot pepper mill. Today, Peugeot’s pepper mills are still made in France. You can buy Peugeot pepper mills here at Amazon, at , and at .
9. Staub Round Cocotte
Preferred by some of the world’s greatest chefs, French-made Staub cookware is renowned for its superior heat retention and oven-to-table good looks. Made of enameled cast iron, the cooks evenly and efficiently and has an attractive enamel coating that resists chipping. Its signature matte-black enamel interior excels at braising, roasting, and caramelizing, and it is scratch-resistant and easy to clean. The round cocotte is ideal for cooking fish, braising and browning meats, and preparing soups and stews. You can shop the Staub Round Cocotte at and at .
10. Opinel Knives
Opinel, among the most loved heritage brands in France, has been producing handcrafted pocketknives in Savoie since 1890. Back in the 1890s, Joseph Opinel worked in his father’s workshop and spent all of his free time trying to create the most perfect pocket knife. He ended up making what’s now known as the Opinel No. 8, which is so popular around the French Alps! Opinel also makes table knives, cheese knife sets, bread knives, and more.
