4 Quart Pot by Mario Batali (The Italian Kitchen)

When I saw this pot at the Living Well store window, the first thing I thought was that it was one gorgeous piece of kitchen equipment. So I walked inside for a closer look. The next thought I had about it was- "Man, that's one heavy pot!"

This "4 quart Italian essentials pot" is enamel-coated cast iron, which pretty much explains its beauty and brawn charm. It is part of the Mario Batali Cast Iron Cookware which are "hand-cast from molten iron in individual sand molds and layered with three coats of high quality enamel. Each piece is then baked at extremely high temperatures to seal the enamel coating and create the high gloss finish." This process makes every single item in this cookware line unique.

While I have no doubts about this product's outstanding substantive qualities, I must confess I bought it mostly for its aesthetic ones. I seriously doubt this baby will ever leave the China cabinet. And while Mario Batali's signature color is orange, which color should have been the obvious choice had I wanted it to be a conversation piece, I picked mine in red.

Know more about The Italian Kitchen collection here. They are available in the Philippines at Living Well and Guordo's.