Bloomberg Businessweek - USA (2020-05-04)

63

THEONE BloombergPursuits May 4, 2020

This skillet pushes

beyondtraditional

kitchenboundaries

Photographby

HannahWhitaker

A New Layer

Of Flavor

The world’s sauté

masters are divided

between cast-

iron classicists,

who worship the

material’s heat-

holding properties,

and carbon-steel

groupies, who

appreciate a lighter

piece of cooking

equipment.The

A$150($96)

Aus-IonSatinskillet,

from Solidteknics Pty

Ltd. in Australia, aims

to bring together

both parties. Made

from low-carbon

wrought iron, it can

also pair with an

ingenious Flaming

skillet insert that has

a perforated bottom.

Put it into the skillet

forstovetopcooking,

oruseit soloonan

outdoorgrill.

THE COMPETITION

• Lodge
  Manufacturing
  Co., the venerable
  Tennessee-based
  maker of cast-iron
  and carbon-steel
  pans, has been
  around since 1896.
  And its wares
  are affordable: A
  10.25-inch cast-iron
  skillet is $21.


• Notable chefs such
  as Tom Colicchio are
  investors in direct-
  to-consumer line
  Made in Cookware,
  which specializes
  in blue-carbon

steel—“blue” being

a heat treatment to

inhibit corrosion. Its

10-inch $69 pan is

exceptionally light.

• Smithey Ironware
  Co. has garnered
  a reputation for
  handsome cookware.
  A 12-inch carbon-
  steel Farmhouse
  skillet ($275) is
  hand-forged by the
  Charleston, S.C.-
  based blacksmith
  Robert Thomas Iron
  Design. The long
  handle evokes an
  antique fire tool.

THE CASE

The Aus-Ion Satin

sears food with the

same proficiency

and dependability as

a cast-iron pan, but

it’s about half the

weight. Fashioned

from seamless steel,

it also distributes

heat more evenly.

But it’s the Flaming

skillet insert,

designed with star

Australian chef Neil

Perry, that pushes

boundaries. The

holes lift your food

off the surface of

the skillet so you

can separate pan

juices, but the sturdy

insert can also go

onto a grill, where

foods can benefit

from a little char

of fire. It’s ideal for

smaller ingredients

such as shrimp and

slim vegetables that

tend to fall through

the grates. A$150

(Satin skillet), A$200

(Flaming skillet);

solidteknics.com