Paris' Oldest Kitchen Equipment Shop

fx

Wed, 16 Mar 2016 12:44:34 GMT

Yes I am not surprised to hear they refuse to sell things for certain uses. How delightfully old-fashioned!

fx

Wed, 16 Mar 2016 11:07:18 GMT

That may be true to some extent....

fx

Wed, 16 Mar 2016 11:06:52 GMT

What do you think Pam, perhaps I made all the pictures in Photoshop? Mmmm...

fx

Wed, 16 Mar 2016 11:06:19 GMT

Yes I think they have realized that much of their clientele now is English speaking tourists and that being nice and diligent does help sales. And most tourist are nice anyway!

fx

Tue, 8 Mar 2016 13:13:28 GMT

Glad I could help

fx

Tue, 8 Mar 2016 13:07:47 GMT

I bet you cherish those pots if only for their provenance!

fx

Tue, 8 Mar 2016 13:02:41 GMT

Glad you had fun at Dehillerin, the ambience in the store is really nice don"t you think?

fx

Thu, 3 Mar 2016 12:58:45 GMT

Glad to hear you had a good time!

Susan Cox

Mon, 8 Feb 2016 14:25:03 GMT

I have been to E.Dehilleran on every visit that I make to Paris; I will be going there again next week. I never experienced the rudeness, but saw other customers having problems buying things. e.g. an English woman was not allowed to buy a vast number of copper saucepans as she was only going to hang them up in her kitchen.

I have, however, had to take an "exam" before being allowed to buy things...the best time was explaining (successfully), in French,that I would grease the copper cannele moulds that I desired with 90% melted butter and 10% melted beeswax.

I have bought many patisserie items that I have never seen anywhere else which continue to give me great joy.

Lolita

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 00:16:34 GMT

In 2009, I thought I was going to Pars, but that trip did not happen.
Dehillerin was in my itinerary.
This was before I stumbled upon your blog.
Keep writing about D please--my planned trip is for next year!

harry charles

Sun, 13 Jan 2013 21:11:17 GMT

I"ve been there numerous times. It"s a must visit on Paris trips. There is also an excellent store in the area for buying yeast and other food-like restaurant/cooking items. Anyway my wife and I have never had a problem in Dehillerin, you just have to be patient. Our Paris trips are always in January though when they"re aren"t lots of tourists and the locals need your money more. The last couple years we"ve dealt with a Turkish salesman at Dehillerin who is a bit nicer than the native Frenchmen. The store is really cramped so I usually wait outside. I think attractive, friendly, well dressed American women don"t have any problem getting good service there.

Pat

Sun, 13 Jan 2013 00:04:44 GMT

The caption to the first photo says this is a mythical shop, yet the rest of the article implies that the place actually exists. Which is it?

Marcus

Sat, 12 Jan 2013 20:50:03 GMT

After a while you make it past the bluster in Paris and you start to see that the haughty arrogance is little more than the hot wind aimed to cover up a growing feeling of inadequacy as the once globally important city loses its influence to the new worlds of Asia and The Americas. While it is still one of my favourite cities in the world, Paris thrives on its incredible history, not its shining future. The locals know it, but have yet to work out how to capitalise on it.

Rudesh Prasad

Mon, 15 Oct 2012 15:30:21 GMT

Hi Fx,

I was inspired by your visit to DeHillerin, and believe it or not, it was on my "must do list" during my 1st visit to Paris ever. I found it, and was immediately like a child in a candy store. I was expecting a very harsh reception, but funnily, I made a friend. Emile was one of the sales people there, a Mauritian Indian. My background is Fiji Indian and so we started a long conversation and next thing you know, I am in the basement and allowed to take photos and see whatever I wanted. It was a very good experience.

Fx, we haven"t heard from you in a long time, your fans miss you.

Patty

Sun, 7 Oct 2012 15:29:58 GMT

Hi. I have 2 pots that I believe are steal. They have black steal handles that are bolted to pan. On the side of pan are the words made in France as well as these two words. They are only partial words as they are worn. It looks like DES - RESEAR. I believe there are more letters but are worn. Can anyone tell me anything about these pans? Thanks for your help.

Patty

Pat

Sun, 24 Jun 2012 23:40:29 GMT

This article so reminded me of my first (and only to date) visit to Dehillerin!! I was there for two hours and was assisted by a truly energetically helpful gentleman who I think took pity on me...but who was also quite enticed by the fact that I was buying at least 4 copper pots/sauciers. After much discussion/haggling we ended up with my pot selection - 2 sauciers and 2 larger frying pans - and it was wrapped for my carrying. Yup, I carted it from Dehillerin back to meet hubby at the American Embassy. While waiting for him outside I was not so nicely asked by the gendarmes what was in my package, and when told, I was asked to go sit on a bench in the park! It was pre-9/11 or I"d probably have had to open the package! Can"t wait to visit again this summer - this time I"ll be shipping!

Aman

Sat, 9 Jun 2012 06:09:27 GMT

ok you have no idea how timely this messgae is!!! for the last several weeks i"ve been looking at cast iron enameled cookware because i REALLY need and want a new pot/dutch oven. I ruined one (crappy mind you)pot cooking apples for applesauce. and the other one i have is tall and skinny. I had decided that i for sure wanted the cherry red dutch oven but didn"t really have an opinion on the brand but have only heard good things about le creuset cookware! so what i"m saying is I HAVE TO WIN THIS SET!!!!!!!!!

rob

Sat, 29 Oct 2011 19:38:15 GMT

went there a few days ago. Fantastic shop. I (obviously) know nothing of cooking. Rudeness? No; they have the right attitude and obviously know what they are talking about, so should not suck up to dumb customers. Rude is an assistant (or customer) who is too stupid to know how little he knows (English bicycle shops are full of them).

Pam

Tue, 9 Aug 2011 22:01:21 GMT

Thank you so much for identifying this store to me. 8 yrs ago I visited this tremendous store, but then lost track of it. Back in Paris and planning on going back. Thanks.

Maurine

Mon, 18 Oct 2010 05:37:53 GMT

Now you have me anxiously awaiting my second trip to Dehilleirn. My first visit, in 2000, was a treat, with a sales clerk who was positively charming, almost flirty, and helped me through the store as I picked out knives, a chinios, a copper bowl.... altogether I think I spent less than $400 US, so it wasn"t the commission for sure. My second visit will be in two weeks- I can"t wait to see how that goes!

Linda Newman

Mon, 4 Oct 2010 00:21:31 GMT

I was looking for this cooking store and enjoyed your information. Also, I drink Cupcake wine and there was a contest to enter...I thought it was so funny!

Thank you and I look forward to discovering E. Dehillerin on my visit beginning tomorrow, 10/4.

Linda Newman

Richard

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 18:39:53 GMT

Great article, I need some new kitchen items. My wife and I are going over soon. What is the best way to have items shipped back to the US?

fx

Sun, 27 Jun 2010 08:45:25 GMT

I was asked to do a reportage on their factory but it was too far to drive to - no time. Just make sure you enjoy the many nice things you can do food-wise in France and don"t worry too much about missing this or that - it will just be a pretext to come back to France!

fx

Sun, 27 Jun 2010 08:41:27 GMT

Jennifer, is there a reason why you like Staub less than Le Creuset? I have mostly Le Creuset but both look rather similar to me - am I missing something?

Jennifer Oswald

Sat, 26 Jun 2010 15:14:06 GMT

Bah! The *only* store that had Le Creuset was La Bovida! (I didn"t even think the selection was very broad) Mora, Simon, Dehillerin all had Staub, but the only sign of Le Creuset was a few flame-coloured lids in a dusty, old box on the floor of an aisle in the basement of Dehillerin (I wasn"t even sure if they were for sale). Did I miss the memo?? I called the LeCruset factory and they no longer offer tours for safety reasons. Still debating whether the 1.5 drive from Paris would be worth the discount.

Jennifer Oswald

Wed, 23 Jun 2010 19:12:00 GMT

I am on a road trip from our home in Italia through Belgium, France, Spain, and back. Your articles on where to find cookware & ingredients are epic (thank you!). I"ll be heading to Dehillerin on Friday, as well as G.Detout. I am 95% sure I have also convinced my husband to take us through Fresnoy to visit the LeCreuset factory. Have you been there? Wondering whether it is worth it when I know I"m going to be standing in front of all that LeCreuset @ Dehillerin...

I"ve asked a friend to come with me, (one) b/c I think she would enjoy it, but (two) b/c I think I need someone to keep me accountable. :)

fx

Fri, 16 Apr 2010 16:13:21 GMT

Steve I hope your visit at Dehillerin went well!

Steve Adams

Sat, 10 Apr 2010 14:39:32 GMT

OK - now I am prepped. On my way there in 5 minutes.

John - Catering Equipment Supplier

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 12:19:28 GMT

What a cool little place. I wish we had somewhere like that near me!

Excellent article.

fx

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 18:10:08 GMT

Thanks Katy! I have many sorts of pepper in my kitchen, like the Sarawak best so far.

Katy

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 15:43:58 GMT

I stumbled across your website/blog while researching some information on Dehillerin for a friend who is going to Paris. You are such a HOOT! Plus, I love your recipes--probably because you cook a lot like me (I too am a pepperhead...), and because you also use the "my own invention" phrase for stuff you just make up (I have done this for years--it comes from Tweedldee and Tweeedldum"s "It"s my own invention" in Alice in Wonderland...).

I will be back, keep writing!!

Grant

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 08:38:00 GMT

I don"t understand Americans and the French. You can take 10 Americans and walk them into the same store and 5 will come out saying the French are rude and the other 5 will say they"re delightful. I"ve bought every piece of cookware I own from Dehillerin over the years and I"ve never once been treated rudely by any of the staff and I"m American and I don"t speak any French.

I also don"t know why people struggle with the pricing system. They"re more than willing to explain it to you. If you think about it when you go to McDonalds the cheeseburgers don"t come with a pricetag attached. You look on the menu for cheeseburger and then you look at the price. Problem is we all know how to spell cheeseburger. If we were a store that dealt with international people who didn"t know the names of things in the local language we"d just place a #1 tag on the cheeseburger and they"d look on the menu for #1 and find the price. This works for virtually every language on the planet including Chinese! Maybe the system hasn"t changed because it works. I walk in, I find what I want (without knowing the French name), I find the number on it then I look it up in the book hanging at the end of the aisle which has the price. If I like the item I just jot the number down on a sheet of paper and when I get done I hand the paper to them and pay.

For those who don"t know even if you choose to have it shipped home (you pay shipping but not local tax) I pay 50% what the same cookware costs at Sur La Table or Williams Sonoma. The former has the identical Mauviel cookware but the latter has thinner versions for the American home cook (go for the real stuff). The cheapest way to buy from them is to carry it out and take the paperwork provided by Dehillerin to the customs window at the airport. Not only do you not pay shipping but you don"t pay tax.

fx

Tue, 13 Jan 2009 03:15:08 GMT

Claudio, indeed it is a special moment when browsing through their aisles. You should really visit Kappashi Dori cookware street in Tokyo (see my other article), it"s like 400 x Dehillerin, and they are polite on top!

Claudio Czapski

Sat, 3 Jan 2009 08:51:06 GMT

I"ve been a client of Dehillerin, Mora and Simon since the late 70"s - and over time nothing seems to change. It"s amazing how time stops there - anyone wishing to get the feel of "good old times" has just to walk in.
And I agree with you guys - kitchen supply and equipment is an investment - get the best you can afford and it will last and please forever. And take your kids with you when you buy because they"ll keep using the stuff after you passed away .

Geoff Ball

Fri, 28 Nov 2008 00:17:28 GMT

I remember I was going to buy a postcard from a shop keeper in Torino. But he turns to his buddy as I"m waiting for him to ring up the bill and he tells his buddy I"m stupid for paying the 2500 Lira for the card (in Italian).

I said, "Maybe, but maybe not" as I left without the card.

I also found the staff on the Italian trains to be rather rude.

fx

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 16:29:30 GMT

Thanks Feyoh and have fun in Paris!

Feyoh

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 07:50:02 GMT

Thank you for the tip of how to shop for cookware in Paris. A really handy bit of information about the price list.

Nice stratagem on getting the knife you wanted.

fx

Tue, 2 Sep 2008 14:26:13 GMT

Anna, that is a most intriguing plan for your funeral, but where would you have your last meal - at Le Pied de Cochon just opposite?

anna

Mon, 1 Sep 2008 12:26:47 GMT

Have visited Dehillerin many times and I don"t speak French. Just rove around the aisles, pick up what you want, don"t ask the price and have them pack it up. My last wish is to be waked at G. Detou and buried in the basement of Dehillerin in one of those ancient copper pots big enough to stew a whale.

fx

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 10:32:34 GMT

Mona, Parisians come across as rude but it"s mostly a cultural style. There is even an campaign of TV commercial for the daily "The Parisian" centered on the reputation of Parisians as very rude people. It"s not a commercial strategy, but it wouldn"t matter as Dehillerin is full like an egg from dawn till dusk.

Mona

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 02:04:56 GMT

I really amazed. Very interesting article and good you told us about their rudeness. I visited Paris on 1989, and Renne ( west France ), Bretagne in 2000.
But why they don"t want to sell their ? I don"t understand??
Anyway thanks for your valuable information. Thanks a million for your web site. :)
Cheerio,
Mona

Matthew Johnson

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 19:30:48 GMT

I visited this shop by chance while lost in Paris ( lost in Paris is not a bad thing by the way) The sight of copper pots and jelly molds caught my eye. The week before i had spent visiting the many chateau in the Loire. I was inspired by the shelves FILLED TO THE BRIM with copper.
The store is amazing inside! I could have left with a million and one things but unfortunatly for me i was already overbudget. I managed to figure out the price guide thing myself, picked up a copper pot and brought it up to the counter. The man seemed very pleased to see me possibly because i seem so young but it was a very enjoyable experience. I did notice some people were being treated in a rude manner but i guess i just got lucky!

fx

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 09:46:58 GMT

Alan, a knowledgeable cook is universally respected, even at DeHillerin! The restaurant next door is Le Pied de Cochon, the food is OK, a really consistent level of good brasserie but not the fanciest. It"s great to try it at least once. The porky waiter (you"ll see which one) is one of the rudest in Paris, punch him once for me if you see him!

Alan

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 01:41:29 GMT

I"ve been there twice, but strangely got no attitude, probably because I"m a Filipino and they thought I was clueless, either that or I knew exactly what I wanted (le creuset ironware -- a dou feu, sauce pan and frying pan) and wouldn"t be diverted. I found it delightful and I"ll always remember the Italian visitor who came in, stood for a moment at the doorway, gazed around him and then whispered reverently, "bella".

Always been meaning to try the restaurant beside it, which is supposed to be famous for its pork knuckles as well as its onion soup, available 24 hours a day. Wonder if you"ve been there and can give a review?

Love your site and recipes by the way, found it by following the spoor from your old postings about learning foreign languages

fx

Sun, 4 May 2008 15:14:08 GMT

Cecile, thanks for visiting and good luck with Dehillering! I recommend you check Mora at Rue Montmartre, a stone trow away, they are more friendly, they speak English and have the same cookware. Otherwise check on Ebay for lots of copper cookware bargains. Good luck!

Cecile

Fri, 2 May 2008 12:03:02 GMT

Wow, what a fabulous piece ! I went to Dehillerin in 1998 and was so confused I bought nothing but marvelled at the selection, dust, rude but very knowledgeable clerks. I"m going back in July. This time I won"t be put off by all the confusion and won"t feel as intimidated as before. I"m also researching prices on copper cookware in NYC to see if Dehillerin is less pricey. I loved how you gamed the system...finally getting the knife of your dreams. Thanks again for a wonderful trip down memory lane.

Jay

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 18:15:28 GMT

Charming observations

fx

Thu, 17 Jan 2008 04:04:56 GMT

Ruth you and I should organise a rudeness contest to pitch the Parisians against the New Yorkers. But what language would we use? Clearly the Parisians like to take advantage of the hapless anglo tourist, I bet they wouldn"t be so confortable if they had to do it in English!

fx

Thu, 17 Jan 2008 03:55:10 GMT

Michel I am so glad my blog helped you reminisce your wonderful time in Paris as a trainee pastry chef. What a city to learn this trade! You are very right about expensive cookware - we are all too poor to be able to afford cheap equipment. Only heavy, well-built pots will last. The others wear out and need constant replacing. I want to be buried with my favorite pots and hope they"ll last my lifetime!

Ruth

Tue, 8 Jan 2008 15:24:32 GMT

I have not been to this delightful sounding store yet. Thank you for the charming article. I do however disagree with you about one tiny thing...New Yorkers are FAR less rude than Parisians. I"ve been to Paris about 50 times, often to visit relatives and I love the city. But their rudeness trumps every other city I"ve ever visited. Maybe you could open a branch Dehillerin in NYC?