A striking kitchen shot from one of Friday's Smallest, Coolest Apartment Contest entries at Apartment Therapy sparked a lot of discussion about a little yellow pot.
Guido was quick to ID it as Dansk, cooking show appearances made Laura a longtime admirer, Tat recommended one to a friend, Jean generously shared her secret DC source, and Melinda recalled getting one as a wedding present.
We grew up with Dansk Kobenstyle, and love the graceful silhouette, distinctive pronged handles, and glossy enamel colors of this Modernist classic. Inspired to learn more, we scoured the Internet until the story came up clean:
The Company
Although its name might suggest otherwise, Dansk International Designs Ltd. is and always has been an American company. It was founded in 1954 by American entrepreneur Ted Nierenberg, in partnership with Danish designer Jens Quistgaard. Quistgaard designed the majority of the company's products for 30 years, winning many awards.
Materially Speaking
Made of enameled formed sheet steel, Dansk Kobenstyle is lighter weight than enameled cast iron cookware such as Le Creuset. On the upside, it's easier to heft, but on the downside, it doesn't cook as evenly or retain heat as well.
The Kobenstyle line was originally manufactured by Danish supplier Glud & Marstrand, but, in 1966, Dansk switched to a French supplier. The earlier Danish-made pieces are marked with Dansk's "four ducks" logo, and are generally more sought-after by collectors than the later French ones. The initials "IHQ" are Jens Quistgaard's mark.
Colors and Configurations
Rachael Ray regularly shows off her collection of yellow, red, and blue pots, but they also come in turquoise, chocolate brown, almond, white, orange, black, and kelly and hunter green. The interiors are usually white enamel.
In addition to the ubiquitous lidded casserole in its two sizes, the series also includes a paella pan, pitcher, butter warmer, stockpot, frying pan, fondue pot, rectangular baking pan, and a coffee pot.
Where Do I Get One?
Although no longer in production, Dansk Kobenstyle cookware can still be found widely at flea markets, garage sales, and all over eBay. Affordable and practical, it gives any modern kitchen a little retro verve.
- Nora
How To Make Cake Pops
12 Recipes to Know By Heart
Like us on Facebook
Our reading list
RSS Feed (Atom)
Chocolate Peanut Bu...
Before & After: Molly's IKEA Rast Turned Campaign Chest
Emily's Rochester Merrypad 
Comments (11)
Thanks to everyone who wrote about this Dansk pot. I received one of these from a friend who's downsizing. I couldn't tell if it was iron or steel, so I was searching to find out and found this great site, which I look forward to exploring.
I'm grateful to learn about the pot's strengths and weaknesses, and especially the suggestion about bleach to clean what is pretty much completely black on the inside of the bottom of this pot! I hope it comes off. I accepted the pot reluctantly. My best friend (who was with me at the time) mentioned on the drive home that another mutual friend gave him HER used one years ago and he's never used it. Well, I hope to use mine as soon as I soak it in Chlorox for a few days as suggested here!
I have one old Creuset pot I inherited when my mother died in 1995. She used it "forever" and now I'm using it forever. What a workhorse it is! I really love it. It's my favorite rice-cooking pot. Unfortunately, I can't afford to buy more of those!
Anyway, thanks, all.
Sunnyjoy.
I like Kobenstyle so much that I'm remodeling my kitchen around my collection of Turquoise (7 pieces and counting). I only use them as serving pieces though. Since I love the styling so much, for actual cooking, I got the Jasper Morrison Pots&Pans line of cookware from Alessi that has a similar trivet style handle on the lids. The Dansk handle has 4 arms, the Morrison has 3. The Morrison handle is made to hold cooking utenstils also designe by the artist.
http://www.alessi-shop.com/ashop-us/home-design/pots-and-pans-90148/potspans-stockpot-1899/
Interesting thread, thank you everyone. I'm wondering if these saucepans would be OK on an Aga, which has thick iron hobs and needs level-based pots. Have any of you used dansk pots on a woodstove, Rayburn or Aga please :-) JudyB
I know it's a little late in the game for these, but as I've been adding to my collection, I've noticed an inordinate number of the pieces I've had to pass up had spots where the enamel had actually melted, some had even melted through to the steel.
Also, because of the way the cookware is made, it's really not suitable for even cooking...most cookware has a thicker metal base to help distribute the heat better, the Kobenstyle doesn't, leaving very little between the direct heat and the food.
Because of this, I only use mine for serving foods. I'd like to have them remain in good condition to pass on to my nieces one day.
If you're looking for colourful cookware, I would really strongly recommend looking at Le Creuset, Staub, Lodge, Chausseur or Mario Batali. They're made of cast iron or ceramic and seem to much better suited all around.
Hi! i just bid on a piece of this cookware on ebay. It said that it has a small chip in the enamel on the inside of the pan--Can I still use it to cook with????
Thank you!
These pots are so wonderful!! I've never had a problem with uneven heating...and I've cooked in these since childhood. My mom has a big red and a small brown, I have a small white and need a big one now I've gone and gotten married. For cooking pastas they can't be beat. Boil, cook, drain, replace add sauce and pop in the oven to melt up the cheese or keep warm. Stews are fabulous too.
Someone above said that the enamel had melted off in places, sometimes down to the steel. I'm sure he or she is talking about chips and flakes, not melted spots. Because these pots are made of thin steel and not heavier cast iron, they do have a slight give when dropped or bumped hard. The enamel is rigid and will chip or flake rather than flexing with the metal. They are much more prone to chipping than enameled cast iron.
I love the look of Købenstyle pots and I used to have a bunch of them that I got at auction over the years. But I ended up selling them all on ebay eventually because their function is just not on par with their form.
I second what someone else said about enameled cast iron by Michael Lax for Copco. I have a few pieces and would love to own more! It's equal in quality to Le Creuset but is so much more my style.
Nope sorry spanky, I meant MELTED. I recently won two pieces on eBay where the owner was selling a good kobenstyle sauce pot and threw in the other one for free because the enamel was melted. When I received them the enamel on the one was indeed melted and left about a nickel sized spot of steel exposed surrounded in spots by enamel that appeared to have gotten pushed back while hot (it's not easy to mistake a chip or flake for that kind of damage). I have no idea how it happened but someone did manage to do it.
I just love this website!! Very informative! HELP--Does anyone have any info on Dansk lucite/plastic-Gunnar Cyren (70's) and where I can buy some purple pieces to add to mine?? Ebay has none.
Do you know if it is safe to cook on vintage enamelware pieces from Michael Lox? The one I'm considering buying says it's from the 70s. Thank you.
Sorry, on my previous question I meant Michael Lax...