A while back a customer came in and was certain he’d hit the jackpot. In the back of his truck he had several large totes filled with door knockers, candlestick holders and the like. “Solid Brass!” he exclaimed.
We hated to burst his bubble, but we were quickly able to show him that while he did have some solid brass pieces, much of his haul was alloy or brass plated. He certainly made a few bucks, but his trip wasn’t as lucrative as he’d anticipated.
Brass, you see, is like many metals. The purity of the material is the important thing. Depending on the intended use, just the right level of purity or mix of materials is a make-or-break proposition.
We were reminded of this recently when we came across this YouTube video about Le Creuset pots. If you’ve known someone who’s a serious cook, they probably have one in their kitchen. They’re heavy as all get-out, and come in a host of fantastic colors. Depending on the size, people will pay as much as $800 for a single pot. There’s a Le Creuset pot in the Smithsonian as part of their Julia Child exhibit.
Le Creuset has been making their pots in the same factory since 1925. And they’ve developed a process for cast iron that leaves no room for error. To apply the colored enamel that makes them so attractive, they created a proprietary mixture of paint, colors, and glass. You can put one of these things on your stove, pop it into the oven, and then drop it in the sink, and it will never crack or chip. They’re so durable that some families have a pot that’s been in the family kitchen for generations.
They put each piece of cookware through a comprehensive inspection process to make certain that each one meets their standard and will end up being worth the pretty penny consumers are willing to fork over for one. And for Le Creuset, it all starts with the quality of the raw materials.
Check out the video below.
The post The Quality is the Thing appeared first on Bee Green Recycling.
