To Rethink the Cast Iron Skillet, Made In Threw Out Nostalgia

Made In’s new American-made cast iron cookware line includes 8-, 10-, and 12-inch skillets, a four-quart braiser, a six-quart Dutch oven, and a 14-inch double-handle skillet. The products went on sale exclusively at Williams Sonoma, with availability on the Made In webstore starting June 1. The brand emphasizes performance rather than appearance, aiming to solve problems faced by chefs and reduce the demands of commercial kitchens. Since its 2017 founding, Made In has focused on durable cooking essentials that give home cooks confidence in long-lasting gear. When designing its bare cast iron line, the guiding goal was usability.

"“Now that's a pretty pan” was the only acceptable first impression for this meticulously re-engineered beaut. The frying pan, which I've been testing for the last couple of weeks, is part of Made In's new line of American-made cast iron cookware. The 8, 10 and 12-inch skillets, along with a four-quart braiser, six-quart Dutch oven and 14-inch double-handle skillet, went on sale last week exclusively at Williams Sonoma; they'll be available at the Made In webstore starting June 1."

"“We've never been the aesthetic-driven cookware brand,” Kalick, the president and co-founder of Made In, tells InsideHook. “We're a lot more about performance.” Specifically, restaurant performance. Since its founding in 2017, the mission of Austin-based Made In has been to design pots, pans, knives and other cooking essentials that solve problems for chefs and ease the rigors of commercial kitchens, and thus give home cooks the confidence they're investing in gear that'll last."

"So three years ago, when the company began designing its own cast iron line in earnest (that is, American-made bare cast iron; the company has been selling French-made enameled cast iron for a few years now), the north star was usability. The focus centered on making cast iron more practical for everyday cooking while still meeting the demands associated with professional kitchens. The result is a redesigned skillet intended to deliver reliable performance and long-term durability."

Read at InsideHook