Released this morning, Smithey Ironware Company’s 8-inch cast-iron skillet is its easiest to handle and lowest priced.
Founder Isaac Morton got started in cast-iron cookware after he received a hand-me-down Griswold skillet and wanted to replicate the level of craftsmanship he observed in older pieces. In his words, “When I saw that old piece, I got it.” The hallmarks of his pans are similar to those of cast iron of old — perfectly smooth cooking surfaces, a hole-punched handle and even a heat ring (an homage to the time of wood-fired stoves). His cast-iron skillets don’t share everything with older skillets, though — they’re heavier, meaning they hold heat more effectively when cold food is thrown in, and they sport a hole-punched front lip as well, which makes the skillets easier to grip with a gloved hand (or hang from the wall).
The 8-inch skillet accompanies Smithey’s 10- ($160) and 12-inch ($200) skillets, and while not big enough for bacon (unless you were to cut it in half), it is an excellent quick breakfast pan. “Well, we developed it for about two years, and all I was really trying to do was make the perfect omelet skillet,” Morton said. “But it’s also just a better option for sauteeing a few veggies.” (The 8-inch skillet also sports a longer, upward-sloping handle, which is helpful for tossing said veggies at safe distance.)
Morton is right. It is an incredible omelet maker. Frankly, it’s suited perfectly for any delicate egg cooking, be it omelets, frittatas, quiche or a few fried eggs. This is thanks to the machined surface working in tandem with sloped walls, a new feature to the Smithey line of skillets, as opposed to the traditional hard angle where the wall meets the cooking surface.
The rounded transition from wall to the base also makes it easier to clean, as food particles don’t wedge themselves as easily in the crevasses of the pan.
The Smithey Ironware 8-inch skillet is available now for $100.
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