The Sarpaneva casserole was designed in 1960 by Timo Sarpaneva. I saw it for the first time today, and I’m blown away by the features it packs into such a minimal, simple design. Sarpaneva is Finnish, and designed this cook-pot for iittala (for whom he also designed a logo). The casserole is made from cast iron and the handle is beechwood. Then things start to get interesitng.
The pot can be lifted by the two cat-ear-like handles cast into the body, and this is how you’d heft it into a hot oven. Slide the elegantly-curved beech stick through these hoops, though, and you have a cool handle which can be used one handed.
Want to remove the flat lid? The same handle does the job, one slotted end hooking firmly under the lid’s own small handle. Neat, but there’s more. Inside, the pot is enameled in a handsomely contrasting white, so you can cook anything in there without it sticking, and it holds 3-liters, or just over 3-quarts.
This Finnish classic is apparently so well respected in its homeland that it even made it onto a postage-stamp. It’s easy to see why. Even the fanciest of kitchen gizmos today aren’t so well thought out. I want one of these now, although I’m a little scared by the price: $260.
Sarpaneva [Littala]
See Also:
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- Bang Bang, Your Egg: Kitchen Uni-Tasker Is No Yolk
- Mix Stix Make Bad Cooks Even More Annoying
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