Daphne’s message said, “We’re going to send you a new pot!” I had shipped our beloved Le Creuset dutch oven to South Carolina to see if they meant what they said about a lifetime warranty. It turns out they did!

Our replacement pot

The pot, a dark blue enameled cast iron 7.25 quart dutch oven, had been with us since our wedding. Heavy duty, it’s a serious pot that weighs in at over six pounds. With forty four years plus of regular use, it had earned a few dings and divots in the enamel at the bottom. The formerly café-au-lait colored interior was blackened from years of high heat. Otherwise, the pot was in great shape, its deep blue exterior still vivid and in like-new condition. I wouldn’t have blamed Le Creuset if they told me we’d had our money’s worth out of this one.

I heard about the Le Creuset lifetime warranty policy years ago, but was reluctant to send off this cherished pot. It was our partner in countless memorable meals: well-marbled chuck slow-simmered into meltingly tender pot roast; braised chicken and rice – our favorite – with garlicky kielbasa and olives; batches of fudge; warming potages and soups – cauliflower cheddar, butternut squash, lentil, and more; New Year’s Day black-eyed peas; braised pork shoulder, with apples and cider or apricots; and crusty loaves of no-knead bread.

What if I send off the pot – never to see it again? It’s hard to let go of a treasured and useful kitchen tool. There’s a battered aluminum pressure cooker where Marsha’s grandmother kept cookies in her Georgia kitchen. Now it’s passed from grandaughter to granddaughter each having a turn. Our blue dutch oven has almost achieved the same significance in our family.

On our way south after New Years, we stopped at the Le Creuset outlet at Exit 38 on I-95 in Yemassee, South Carolina. Yes, I know there’s an outlet in Connecticut at Clinton Crossing, but we seem to pass the one in Yemassee more often than Clinton. I had my eye on a smaller version of the dutch oven, one properly sized for baking the No Knead Bread.

I couldn’t help but brag a little about our dutch oven and its years of service. The hospitable store staff assured me that it would likely be replaced under the warranty, and if not, a replacement would be offered for half price. I was skeptical. These kinds of things usually don’t go well for me. I was given a form to include when I sent the pot back to the Le Creuset North American distribution center, just down the road from the Yemassee outlet.

Lifetime warranty right on the box

I’ve always been skeptical about lifetime warranties. These days, who really has that much faith in their product? Only LL Bean, that I know of, will take merchandise back, no questions asked. They’ve famously replaced generations of their iconic Bean Boots to anyone who sent back the old ones. Now I can add Le Creuset to the list. As long as you don’t do something crazy or stupid to your pot, they’ll take care of any problem.

Cast iron cookware is essential for certain kinds of cooking. A heavy cast iron pot can be heated hot enough to sear or set low enough to simmer, all the while providing even steady heat. Put one in a hot oven for baking bread or a low oven for an hours-long simmer, the results are equally satisfying. The only problem is that cast iron will rust until years of use season the pot with a layer of carbon that seals the metal with a natural non-stick surface.

Le Crueset at The Cook’s Nook

When the cast iron pot is coated with colorful enamel, perfection is near. The enamel, in addition to being attractive and easier to clean, banishes the tendency to rust.

Enameled cast iron pots don’t come cheap, and Le Creuset is the cream of the crop. But, as I now know, you only need to buy one. The lifetime warranty will cover you for normal use the rest of your life.

Le Creuset cookware comes is an overwhelming array of sizes and shapes and a rainbow of colors. They have a wide selection at The Cook’s Nook in Wilton. Round or oval,

Unpacking the new pot.

tall or squat, a size for every use and a color for every decor, they’re stacked high on the shelves.

Sure enough, our new pot arrived about a month after the old one had been sent off, the smooth and gleaming interior a world away from the well-worn surface of our old favorite. After some consideration, we’ve picked Mark Bittman’s Chicken with Olives and Capers to be the inaugural dish for our newest heirloom.

Chicken with capers and olives.