In And Outlet

In my blatant paean to commercialism, I ended up asking a friend where I could get a Le Creuset dutch oven. For those who don't know, a dutch oven is typically a cast iron pot (doesn't have to be) that can sit on the stovetop as well as go in the oven.

Did I mention that cast iron is heavy? Think bowling ball.

Cast iron pans come in two varieties. Those meant for shepherds and cowboys and campers on the range that want a heavy pot to do their cooking over the campfire. And those meant for people who want to show off at home.

I fit in the second category. Those who fit in the first can find a pretty good cast iron pot for 40-60 dollars from a company called Lodge. These cast iron pots look the part. They are heavy, rough, rugged and black. Those who fit in the second have one name that is the Rolls Royce of pots: Le Creuset. A mediumish to tiny pot might be 5 quarts and typically goes for a shade under 200 dollars.

A largish pot at 13 quarts costs 350 dollars. When you can get a pot of that size at IKEA for 60 dollars, it makes you wonder why you would shell 6 times that amount for a pot that weighs a ton.

So the claim goes like this. A cast iron pot is so heavy that the pot doesn't really have hot or cold spots. The entire pot radiates at the same heat (once it heats up, that is). And the enamel coating on Le Creuset gives it a shimmering beauty. You don't want to do any cooking that is sticky, like eggs. Instead, it's better for stews and casseroles.

I was looking for a cheap alternative, but nothing seemed to shine as a good alternative. Back when people used film in their cameras, many found the excessive prices of Leica and Hasselblad, German makers of film cameras with superior optics, whose prices ran into 4 digits, far too steep for their pocketbook. Instead, they opted for Japanese makes which could give you pretty decent optics with great electronics at less than half the price. Many pros relied on its precision to do their work. Only classic portrait photographers opted for the pricier German models.

Much like the car industry.

Le Creuset doesn't have a particular challenger. There's at least one other brand that sells in their price range. Chausseur also makes similarly priced pots. Even Lodge, the guys I said made rugged pots have gotten into the swing of things, offering their version of enamel pots, priced similarly to Le Creuset.

Even so, I resigned myself to the fact that were I to find a pot, even at an outlet store, it would still maybe be 20 to 30 percent cheaper, which, while a relative bargain, still cost a lot.

A coworker recommened I go to Leesburg Premium Outlet Shops out on Leesburg Pike, which is kinda in the middle of nowhere. You head to Tyson's Corner, get on Leesburg Pike, and head out about 20 miles. It's off on US 15 North. You could also head to Frederick and come in from the north. Frederick, Tyson's Corner, and Rockville form a kind of triangle from which you can access the other two points via parts of 270, 495, and Leesburg Pike.

Let me just say that these outlet malls are like Disneyland for the shopper. Shops are lined up everywhere. There are some drawbacks. For one, the food court is pitiful, geared primarily to fast food eaters. Places like Burger King and Sbarro's abound. Abound is too generous a word. There's maybe 5 fast food places, and none too great. The better not to distract you from your shopping.

The prices aren't tremendously great. Some places do have reasonably good discounts. The Williams-Sonoma store seems to have fewer items than their main stores, but has more seasonal items they want to get rid of. They have a "professional" ice crusher, for instance. Feed in ice cubes. Get out crushed ice. I was tempted, but ended up saying no.

What is cool are the specialty shops, from the Nike only shop, to the Adidas only shop, to Ralph Lauren, to Seiko, to yes, Le Creuset. Unlike, say, the Gap, which was packed with people looking for bargains, Le Creuset isn't packed. Let's face it. Selling pots at 5 times the going price doesn't attract lots of customers. But I went in looking for a Dutch Oven.

The only key was how big and whether I picked round or oval. I eventually decided on oval, because I thought I might be able to put a small bird in their (like a chicken). This was suggested by the young man with the bizarre accent. Furthermore, the oval one was 5 quarts as opposed to 5.5 quarts for the round one. That half a quart meant 10 dollars, and 5 quarts seemed plenty big for what I needed.

I picked from the second choice pile which was about 20% cheaper than the normal pile, which is "discounted". That discount is pretty much the same everywhere. You're an idiot if you buy Le Creuset full price, at least, the price they claim is full price (one could argue you're an idiot buying Le Creuset, but let's not indulge in this point, shall we?).

I decided to shop their last because I was going to be carrying the equivalent of a bowling ball (albeit a light one) home, and I wanted to postpone that as late as I could. I went to shop at various clothing places, one where I didn't really get a discount, but the prices seemed OK, so I bought it anyway, and two others which had good prices.

I'm not sure I would make the journey down there too often. It's quite a far trek. It is nice to visit, but the savings aren't so ridiculous that I would go there all the time.

Even so, going to my first outlet mall, and getting my first Le Creuset was something of an adventure.

Now to do some cookin'.