Iittala Sarpaneva 3-Quart Cast Iron Casserole with Wooden Handle

Not the real deal!
When you read the description of this pot on any website, including Amazon's, it sounds as if the iittala company decided that cooks today needed another chance to own this beautiful, practical pot, so they decided to manufacture it again. The descriptions, which wax rhapsodic about the pots proudly bearing the Timo Sarpeneva Design stamp, (and the $230 price tag), lead one to believe it is manufactured in Finland. Some of the seller's descriptions, including Amazon's, actually state that this pot is made in Finland. Not so! A tiny paper sticker reveals the country of origin to be China. The finishing made me suspicious before I saw the sticker-- it's rather rough around the edges, not smooth like the original Finnish ones made in the 1960's. I actually ordered this pot twice-- the first time, it arrived with a big chip off the edge, which was strange, because as the chipped-off piece wasn't in the box, it must have been put into the box that way. So much for quality control, but...
Design Classic
I was suprised to see this on amazon, its a design classic and something I've always wanted. The pot is heavy cast iron with a white enamel interior and is made very well. The handle on mine had a bit of the finish off where it slides through the pot, but I figured this would happen with use regardless. Love it!
IIttala Cast Iron
Wonderful cast iron pot which brings artistic beauty to the table. Design started in the 1960's still classic today.
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Iittala Dahlstrom 8-Quart Covered Stainless-Steel Casserole

definitely worth the expense
I invested in this line of cookware about 6 years ago. I have two 3L, 5L, and an 8L of these pots. (There are also some super heavy cast iron skillets that I highly recommend.) They are truly top quality, and are of similar clad construction to allclad. The extra bonus is that they are very stylish. I won't lie... I am willing to pay extra for style with substance.

They also form a mighty impressive display on my potrack ;-)
$300+ for a product made in Korea???!!!
My dad has a pot like this and we love borrowing it. When I saw this available, we bought it, even though it is pricey. But when I opened the box, the first thing I saw was a sticker on the box saying it's made in South Korea. Nothing against Koreans, but if I am going to buy a European product at European prices, I expect it to be made in FInland like my dad's pot, not at some cut rate supplier price. The quality of the product even looks "cheaper" than the one my dad has, and his is well used already and still looks 1000 time better. I returned it right away!
cast ironskillet, long stay cool handle, very thick base, thin wall design
here is what's good about this cast iron skillet:

1)very sturdy, very manly, very well mounted, polish steel handle, stays very very cool to the touch even on high heat, even the closes part of the handle near the skillet is a bit warm but not very hot to burn you.
2) black enamel coating in and out, unlike true cast iron pans, these resist rust and if you get them wet and forget to clean and dry them right away the enamel coating prevents rust from starting.
3) cast iron is very heavy, the designer thought of reducing the weight by making the side walls of the pan thin to reduce the weight. unlike the kind from lodges the wall of those pans are thick and adds to the weight.
4) the base of the pan is extra thick, thicker than ordinary cast iron pans from lodges. This pan sits flat and so thick it won't warp over constant heat and cooling every time you use it.
5) this pan is not made in china. would be foolish to buy a pan for $140 and made in china...
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