The holiday season is a time for gathering, celebrating, and, most importantly, savoring unforgettable meals with those that matter the most. And what better way to celebrate the year that was than by experimenting with the cookware and food trends it had to offer?
From root-to-stem cooking and comfort fusion cuisine to eco-friendly nonstick cookware and the rise of bold, earthy colour palettes, 2024 was a year of significant change in the kitchen. Le Creuset’s timeless cookware is built to withstand these evolving food and cookware trends, while adding a touch of elegance to every meal.
Whether you’re looking to explore new cooking techniques with our versatile Dutch Ovens, or need a reliable Saucepan or Saucier for flavour-infused oils and butters, our premium cookware has you covered. Join us as we delve into 2024's most memorable cookware trends and food trends, helping you transform your holiday meals into cherished moments filled with warmth and innovation.
2024 Memorable Food Trends
The culinary world embraced innovation and sustainability like never before in 2024, offering fresh inspiration ahead of the holiday season. Discover the standout food trends that redefined kitchens and the cooking experience, from root-to-stem cooking, comfort fusion cuisine, hyper-local sourcing, and more.
Put simply, root-to-stem cooking is a food trend that seeks to minimize food waste while maximizing flavor. From carrot tops in pestos to broccoli stems in stir-fries, this food trend transforms leftover ingredients that would otherwise be thrown away into creative, nutritious dishes.
Our versatile cookware simplifies root-to-stem cooking, helping you experiment with this sustainable food trend. Our Dutch Ovens and Stockpots, for example, are particularly ideal for slow-cooking vegetable stocks, ensuring all the rich flavours gradually infuse themselves throughout every layer of your dish. Alternatively, our Covered Casseroles can also be used for baking root-to-stem gratins, offering even heat distribution and superior heat retention.
Flavor-infused oils and butters have established themselves as creative ways to add depth and richness to your favourite recipes. From garlic-infused olive oil for drizzling over roasted veggies to herb-infused butter for baked goods, these versatile condiments bring gourmet flavor to everyday meals.
Our Saucepans, including our Toughened Nonstick Pro Saucepan and Stainless Steel Saucepan, are perfectly suited for gently heating oils and melting butter without scorching, ensuring flavors infuse evenly. Featuring interior capacity markings and tall sides, our Saucepans make whisking ingredients a breeze while preventing splatters. This food trend is ultimately a great way to incorporate new flavours into daily meal prep.
Comfort fusion cuisine, as its name suggests, combines familiar comfort foods with bold, global flavors, creating dishes that feel equally nostalgic as they are delicious. This food trend inspires home cooks and professional chefs alike to rethink traditional recipes, without sacrificing the cozy appeal of comfort foods.
Whether you are experimenting with a unique twist on Mac and Cheese, or Shepherd’s Pie, our cookware makes for the perfect partner for exploring this food trend. Our Dutch Ovens, Braisers, and Stockpots excel at preparing comfort foods, offering unparalleled versatility to simmer, sauté, and braise your favorite ingredients to perfection.
Hyper-local sourcing is yet another key food trend in 2024, as more home cooks become conscious of their carbon footprint while enjoying the freshest ingredients all-year round. In simple terms, this food trend emphasizes sourcing produce, meats, and dairy from nearby farms or community gardens, ensuring a direct connection to the food’s origin.
Our Stockpots are the ideal piece of cookware to take full advantage of hyper-local ingredients by canning and preserving seasonal produce. Once the jars are filled, simply pre-heat your Stockpot and boil the jars. This will essentially create a tight seal on the lid, ensuring longer-lasting preserves.
Gut-health boosting foods emerged as a significant food trend in 2024, driven by growing awareness of the gut’s vital role in digestion, immunity, and overall wellness. These foods, including kimchi, sauerkraut, and yogurt, as well as ingredients like garlic, onions, and bananas are packed with probiotics and nutrients that support a healthy microbiome.
Featuring a durable, non-reactive surface, our Stainless Steel cookware is ideal for preparing these gut-friendly recipes. Our Dutch Ovens are equally suited for incorporating gut-health boosting foods into daily meal prep, slow-cooking hearty stews and broths rich in gut-nourishing ingredients effortlessly.
2024 Memorable Cookware Trends
Kitchen design and cookware trends are constantly evolving, blending style, sustainability, and functionality ––– and 2024 was no exception. From the emergence of induction-compatible cookware to home cooks turning to versatile options, these cookware trends redefined convenience and aesthetics, making cooking not only more practical, but more enjoyable.
Versatile, multifunctional cookware is appreciated by home cooks and professional chefs alike, particularly as they seek efficient, space-saving solutions that cater to diverse recipes. These pieces of cookware ultimately streamline meal preparation, minimize cleanup, and adapt to various cooking techniques, from baking and pan-frying to simmering and searing.
Le Creuset’s premium cookware is at the heart of this trend, offering a number of versatile options. Dubbed the kitchen workhorse, our Iron Handle Skillet can be used for a number of different purposes, including stovetop cooking, baking, searing, and frying. Our Dutch Ovens and Stockpots, by contrast, are equally versatile, opening endless culinary possibilities. In many ways, no Le Creuset collection is complete without these essentials.
Kitchen design trends regularly change from year to year, and 2024 has seen the resurgence of bold, earthy tones. This cookware trend celebrates the growing appreciation for nature-inspired tones that bring warmth and harmony to the kitchen. Equally timeless as they are sophisticated, these rich, grounding hues fit perfectly into both modern and traditional aesthetics.
Le Creuset has continuously challenged how cookware is viewed, introducing innovative colours for every kitchen design. From Oyster and Artichaut to Sage and Meringue, the return of these bold, earthy colour palettes signals a shift towards embracing nature's calming influence and authenticity in the home.
As more home chefs turned to energy-efficient cooking, induction-compatible cookware emerged as yet another key trend in 2024. Put simply, induction cooking refers to a type of electric cooking appliance that uses electromagnets to generate heat. Induction-compatible cookware, includes but is not limited to, materials like stainless steel, cast iron, hard anodized aluminum, and enamelled cast iron.
Le Creuset offers a wide range of induction-compatible cookware, delivering faster heat-up times and precise temperature control. In fact, all of Le Creuset’s cookware is induction-compatible, offering home cooks the ability to easily experiment with this trend during the holiday season.
Compact cookware options have established themselves as another key trend in 2024 and are essential for maximizing kitchen functionality without sacrificing quality. Designed to save space while delivering consistently delicious results, compact cookware includes versatile pieces that can be used for different recipes and cooking techniques.
Our iconic Dutch Ovens, for example, are available in a range of compact sizes, including 0.9 L and 1.8L, making them ideal for single servings and side dishes. Our Set of 4 Mini Round Cocottes are also perfectly suited for making the most of this trend, catering to diverse recipes while saving space.
The rise of eco-conscious cooking has propelled “green” nonstick cookware into the spotlight. Notably, home cooks and professional chefs alike are now turning to PFOA-free, durable nonstick options. Versatile and easy to use, our Toughened Nonstick Pro cookware ensures effortless food release and quick cleanup.
Le Creuset’s Toughened Nonstick Pro Cookware exemplifies this trend, featuring a proprietary, triple-layered reinforced coating that’s PFOA-free. This hot-forging process prevents warping over time and facilitates consistent heat distribution. Le Creuset nonstick essentials include our Toughened Nonstick Pro Fry Pan, Toughened Nonstick Pro Saucepan, as well as our Toughened Nonstick Pro Sauté Pan, to name a few.
Looking Ahead to 2025 with Le Creuset
The holidays are a great time to reflect on the year that was and experiment with new cooking and food trends alongside your loved ones. After all, the kitchen remains a place of constant innovation, creativity, and connection.
Our premium cookware and bakeware has been carefully designed to withstand the test of time and evolve with these constantly changing trends from one year to the next. Whether you want to upgrade your collection with versatile and compact cookware, or try your hand at comfort fusion cuisine, Le Creuset’s timeless pieces offer everything you need.
These were just 10 of our favourite, standout cookware and food trends in 2024, but for more inspiration, be sure to check out our Blog or Le Creuset’s Cooking School! Ready to ring in the new year in style? Discover our full collection and transform your kitchen into a space where memories are made and celebrated for years to come.