Cristel Cookware Review

In-Depth Product Review: Cristel Casteline Frying Pan Skillet Or Paella Pan

Cristel Casteline 32cm skillet for frying pan Cristel (pronounced “kriss”-TELL”) is an ancestor of the Japy (pronounced as zyeahPEE) French company, which was a significant manufacturer of domestic products such as watches, kitchenware, and other household items.

Japy’s two World Wars and Great Depression of 1920s caused the Japy firm to be in decline. This led to various divestitures and restructurings including its dissolution. The pieces were taken over by banks and lenders, and in 1980 the Japy company went bankrupt. In 1981, the Fesches-leChatel plant was closed. Former factory workers illegally resumed production in 1983, and finally won legal permission to run the factory again as a cooperative workers’ company. The name of the new company was Cristel, a play on words, derived from Cristal Champagne and the location of the Fesches-le-Chatel factory.

The worker cooperative faced problems due to outdated machinery, lack of funds and insufficient funding. Bernadette Donade (an accountant and freelance consultant) was hired by workers in 1984. Paul Dodane was an engineer at Peugeot when she married him. He became more interested in her project. “Cook and Serve”, his cookware, could double up as serving pieces by attaching handles. The “Cook and Serve” concept debuted in 1986 and was successful enough so that in 1987, the Dodane family took over the struggling workers cooperative, turning it into the French equivalent of a limited liability company.

Cristel eventually found financial success and began to export products. These were especially valuable in Japan due to the limited space available. Cristel first entered the U.S. markets in 2014.

See also Vision Cookware Review

Cristel Casteline 32cm frying Pan skillet. THE PRODUCT REVIEWED. Today we are reviewing Cristel Casteline (CASTEL-leen) 32cm frying Pan. It is also applicable to other Casteline pieces. Without the handles attached, the frying pot looks almost identical to a paella skillet. To attach a 7.25″ Long Handle Ushaped Helper/Side Handle, you can use either the side or back handles. There are two flanges, on opposite sides of the pan.

Here are the handles (these photos don’t scale well; in real life, the handle is larger):

Cristel Casteline is a product line that uses thin tri-ply cladded stainless-aluminum-stainless vessel bonded on top of a thin aluminum disc, which in turn is bonded to a bottom cap of magnetic stainless steel. This is a hybrid clad+disc design that is supposed to combine the great heat distribution of an aluminum disc and yet bring enough heat up the sides so as to avoid the temperature discontinuities so common among disc-base-only cookware Some Cristel is available with a nonstick interior coating, but PTFE (commonly known as Teflon) can flake off over time and is not as resistant to wear and impacts as 18/10 stainless. Cristel’s price for nonstick is way higher than comparable products such as Anolon Nouvelle Copper. This is why I suggest avoiding Cristel.

Is Cristel A Good Brand?

Cristel isn’t the oldest brand on the market, but it’s one of the most innovative ones. These pots are made with high-quality, metalwork and have detachable handles.

Is Cristel Cookware Safe?

April 25, 2020

Cristel cookerware made in what country?

Since 1826, Cristel has been manufacturing its products in Burgundy (France), which is certified by the Origine France Garant Label. We can therefore ensure the highest quality cookware and strict control over the manufacturing process.