If it wasn’t my job to talk about the Jiu Cast Iron Pan, I’d be looking at that GIF all day. The Jiu Cast Iron Pan comes with a detachable wooden handle, allowing you to use it with small ovens or on stovetops without the handle, and letting you directly snap the handle on whenever you want to lift or swirl the pan. With the handle, the Jiu looks like an elegant cast iron pan fit for the finest kitchens, and without the handle, the Jiu takes on a much more classy plate-esque avatar. All in all, the detachable handle becomes much more than just a gimmick, because the plate looks classy with it and without it too… and the handle’s working mechanism is a thing of sheer beauty.
The handle itself is a two-piece sliding unit made from walnut wood that grabs onto the rim of the pan. The pan comes built with a pretty large rim, allowing the handle to grab onto the metal without ever coming in contact with the food. The rim is also shaped in a way that allows the handle to grip on pretty tightly, so the pan doesn’t come sliding off by accident, sending hot food flying everywhere.
Both the handle and the pan have a minimal, useful, Japanese sensibility which truly makes the Jiu look as wonderful as it does. Its use of simple lines and contrasting materials creates a utensil that I’d sure love to have in my kitchen… and that’s not just the bachelor in me appreciating the fact I can now directly eat food out of the pan!
Designer: TENT for Fujita Metal Co.
