The Riess family of Austria has been manufacturing kitchen enamelware for over two hundred years. Every pot is shaped from a single piece of steel sprayed in four layers of enamel and baked between coats in vast kilns. From the oven to the table, Riess enamelware is non-porous and hygienic with excellent heat conductivity to ensure the perfect meal every time. Each piece in the range is suitable for stovetop, oven and dishwasher making it the first choice for busy people with lives on the go. Enamelware is just a great alternative for people used to cooking with stainless steel. Not only is it functional it is also decorative to look at and will add that authentic look of yesteryear to any kitchen and dinner table.

Riess enamelware is produced and hand finished by skilled artisans using age proven techniques so you can be confidant they are made to last another two hundred years.

The enamel making process

In the small hillside town of Ybbsitz, Austria, the Riess family have been manufacturing enamelware for over 200 years. On the site of an original "pan making workshop" dating back to 1550, Riess GmbH and Co KG is now managed by the sixth generation of the Riess family. They are the only Austrian manufacturer of enamelware and kitchen products.

Enamelware is a non-porous surface that is anti-bacteria and easy to clean. It is ideally suited to any gas, wood or electric oven or stovetop, and is dishwasher safe.

Each piece of enamelware begins its life as a single round sheet of steel. This steel is placed in a series of pressing machines until the desired shape and size of the article is reached. Unlike many lesser brands of enamelware, the main body of all Riess enamelware products are produced from a single sheet of steel. No joins exist in the main body of the pots.

Once the desired shape is formed and the handles are secured via electrical welding. The pot is then cleaned in a non-acid bath and readied for the enamelling process.

Every item is given a black undercoat and then fired in one of the vast kilns. For the Riess pastel enamelware range, each pot is then given a second coat of white, then the interior cream colour is applied. The pot is then ready for its outer colour coating. After every layer of enamel is added the pot must be fired in one of the kilns. This means that all pots in the pastel enamelware range are fired four (4) times. The kilns reach a top temperature of around 800 degree Celsius.

The enamel is made from glass flakes that are ground into a fine powder in a large vat, together with the crystal dyes that colour the powder. Ceramic balls are used to grind the glass into the powder. Water is then added to the powdered, dyed glass to produce the enamel.

When applicable the pots are sprayed by hand to ensure quality and an even coating. Before firing the pots they are hand finished - colour joins are smoothed over by a damp cloth, unwanted paint spots are gently cleaned away. The Riess company logo is added by hand to the base of each pot before it enters the kiln for the final firing.

The pots exit the kiln and are checked once again. The casserole pots and stockpots then have their steel rims added. These rims around their lips and lids are applied using a strong adhesive and then pressure sealed. The rims are kept small to eliminate the risk of bacteria entering under the rim and causing corrosion.

The pots are then ready to be packed for shipping.

All 75 employees of this firm take pride in what they produce. Riess is the only Austrian producer of cookware and they hold that position with great pride.

The company is run as one large family. The stream running by the side of the factory powers three hydro-electric power plants that provide electricity for the entire factory. These power plants also provide electricity to the 10 homes that are owned by the company and provided free of charge to some of the factory's employees. Preference is given to those employees starting families.

Production begins at 5.45am and runs until 1.45 pm to allow the workforce to return home of an afternoon and spend time with their families.

Everything that can be is recycled, from the steel offcuts, to the runoff of the enamel paint. Even the heat from the kilns is reused for the lower temperature kilns, again and again. Waste is not an idea that is acceptable at Riess.

It is wonderful in this day and age to be able to provide a product that is produced by a company with such high ideals and practices.

These pots are not factory produced by the press of a button, but are manufactured and hand finished to achieve a level of quality this Austrian company has consistently produced for over 200 years. Any character faults are the result of the hand finishing process and should be viewed as evidence of the individual time and effort that has gone into producing every pot.

We sincerely hope you enjoy cooking with your Riess enamel pot.