A woman has gone viral after sharing a shocking video of her brand new Le Creuset pot exploding after she made the mistake of putting it on her stovetop.
Lindsey Noel from San Diego, California, was cooking a delicious meal when she forgot that her new pot was stoneware rather than cast iron and placed it directly on the hob.
In a viral TikTok video, which has been seen more than 1.2million times, Lindsey shows the shattered crockery strewn across her kitchen floor.
A sheepish Lindsey explains: ‘I put my brand new Le Creuset on the stove and I had genuinely no idea that it was stoneware and not cast iron because all of my other ones are cast iron.
‘So it shattered on my stove, my entire stove caught on fire and I had to start over.’
Despite losing her pricey cookware in the process, Lindsey later confirmed her home-cooked meal or chargrilled vegetable skewers, creamy mash and roasted chicken was ‘absolutely phenomenal’ – so it wasn’t a complete loss.
‘This food came out so good,’ Lindsey said. ‘I, of course, am devastated about my pot but you know, it is what it is I guess.’
One commenter had some tough advice for Lindsey and said: ‘Google “Le Creuset stoneware stovetop safe” and the top answer from their own website is “DO NOT use any stoneware piece on the stovetop”.’
Lindsey Noel shows the Le Creuset branding on the bottom of her exploded pot
The San Diego-born woman was cooking a delicious meal when she mistakenly placed the cookware on her stovetop
Le Creuset’s website warns customers against using their handcrafted stoneware pieces on direct sources of heat such as hobs, flames or BBQs as, contrary to the cast iron products, these items aren’t resistant to the same type of heat.
‘In what universe can you put ceramic stoneware on a stovetop?’ another commenter asked.
A third wrote: ‘I fear this is user error.’
But others came to Lindsey’s defense in the comment section and said: ‘Girl, don’t feel bad. I 100 per cent would have thought it was stovetop safe too.’
A second user agreed and wrote: ‘I got a Le Creuset stoneware piece and the person working in the outlet store explained it to me, I also wouldn’t have known on my own.’
Another added: ‘Ok this isn’t like universal knowledge because I probably would’ve done this.’
One kind follower even advised Lindsey to reach out to Le Creuset as they ‘sometimes replace it even if the error is your fault’.
Since the explosion, Lindsey has reached out to Le Creuset but has not yet received a reply.
A viral TikTok video, which has been seen more than 1.2million times, shows the shattered crockery strewn across Lindsey’s kitchen floor
People flooded the comment section to question why Lindsey put the pot on her hob while others rushed to her defense claiming they would have assumed it was stovetop safe as well
Femail has also contacted Le Creuset for a comment.
Lindsey’s viral video comes weeks after shoppers from across the UK flocked to Le Creuset’s warehouse in Andover to get their hand on discounted stock.
Mobs massed, traffic queues clogged roads for miles on end amid hour-long waits and Hampshire police had to be called to try to help keep the peace.
Officers had to patrol the hordes gathering at a Hampshire retail estate after cut-price Le Creuset products were put up for offer, with lines of buyers snaking back for several miles.
One TikTok user, who goes by @homeatnumber11_, queued for four hours to get her hands on the discounted kitchenware goods from the French-Belgian brand which has been selling pricey pots and pans since 1925 in various colours – but is best known for its classic orange.
‘The queue went on for miles,’ she said, adding, ‘and yes… we were mad enough to join the end of it’.
Despite waiting for hours in the chilly November temperatures and claiming it was a ‘shambles’ inside the warehouse, it seemed worthwhile for the TikTok user, who claimed she saved a staggering £1600 from the trip to Andover.
The kitchenware brand is beloved by British influencers such as YouTuber Emily Canham from Northamptonshire, who posted a TikTok video of herself cooking dinner – with her cast iron shell pink casserole dish, priced £255, at the forefront.
Last month, kitchenware company Le Creuset offered up to half-price deals on its pots and pans
Gen Z-ers have given the brand their own twist, with the hashtag #LeCreuSlay often trending on the platform – despite the overall slide in sales.
Although the brand last year reported a 20 per cent dip in sales, it has attracted more than 260,000 followers on TikTok.
Nick Ryder, managing director of the company based in Fresnoy-le-Grand in northern France, said in its latest annual report: ‘In the post-Covid world, with changing spending patterns and a backdrop of increasing prices and interest rates, the market we operate in has seen a decrease in spend.’
Analysts have highlighted the apparent appeal when it comes to sustainability, durability, a sense of nostalgia and vintage vibes.