Le Creuset Braiser in Marsielle ($250), French Press in Oyster ($75), and Signature Square Skillet Grill in Flame ($195)

Le Creuset is a time-honored French brand known for making quality cast-iron cookware. The Dutch ovens made by the company are pretty enough to put on display and sturdy enough to be handed down as heirlooms.

Le Creuset’s cult following has built an empire — its pop-up factory-to-table sales and outlets are coveted, while its collaborations with franchises like Star Wars (featuring a Han Solo carbonite Dutch oven, natch) and Harry Potter inspire bidding showdowns on eBay and elsewhere. The brand also boasts some iconic fans (Marilyn Monroe’s 12-piece set of Elysees Yellow famously sold in 1999 for over $25,000, and Julia Child was known to use Le Creuset for soups).

Le Creuset cookware might be a status symbol, but it’s also functional — the most basic recipe is “throw it in the oven and fuggedaboutit,” after all. The brand’s most popular items are, unsurprisingly, Dutch ovens in all shapes and sizes, but it also makes skillets, pans, griddles, stockpots, tableware, and saucepans.

One of the best parts about Le Creuset is that its cookware comes in a spectrum of colors that span the rainbow. Some people collect various colors of the cookware for a mix-and-match effect, while others choose one shade and get the complete set.

Over the years, Le Creuset has introduced around 200 colors. Le Creuset unveils at least one new color each year (discontinued colors only become more collectible, as with Monroe’s set), though some colors are always available as classics. 

Le Creuset’s signature look is that the enamel has variegated tones on the cookware surface from darker to lighter. Each shade is named to reflect something associated with food or nature: Think licorice, cayenne, and artichaut; or azure, flame, and indigo. 

We checked in with the brand recently to learn the most popular colors in the collection, and these are the five that buyers love most as of fall 2021, according to the cookware giant:

This cherry-red color (its name actually translates to “cherry”), which ranges from a burnt red to a brighter hue throughout its surface, is hands-down Le Creuset’s most popular color around the world. Psychological studies have concluded that the color red stimulates the appetite, so maybe that explains its popularity.

This luxurious blue shade was inspired by the waters on the coast of the French Riviera and was named after the port city that’s been used for trade since the time of the ancient Greeks. Le Creuset’s Marseille blue cookware looks especially chic with a gold knob, which can be purchased online.

A white Le Creuset is an easy-to-match — and clearly popular — choice. It can be used as an accent piece or it can go with an all-white theme. And unlike rugs and upholstery, white Le Creuset cookware is easy to clean and doesn't stain, so displaying it on open shelving will give your kitchen a crisp look.

Like the multi-tonal swirl of gray and white that is reflected inside of an oyster shell, it’s pretty obvious where the inspiration for this color comes from. Gray has been a go-to neutral for over a decade, so the popularity of this shade isn’t too surprising.

The original Le Creuset color, first offered in 1925, was inspired by the color of the molten cast iron used to create the cookware. Called “volcanique” in French, the orange-red color is still a favorite nearly a century later.

Rebecca Treon is a freelance food, travel and lifestyles writer whose work has appeared in BBC Travel, Hemispheres, the Huff Post and Thrillist. Peep her adventures on her Instagram @RebeccaTreon.