Vermicular’s new skillets are thinner than your average cast-iron pan, and can handle just about anything on the stove top.
A handsome new cast-iron skillet designed and made in Japan by Vermicular has a great deal going for it. It’s lighter than typical cast-iron cookware and has a special kind of enamel coating that is textured (though the manufacturer recommends not using metal utensils that might degrade the finish). It is acid-resistant and an extremely good conductor; as you sauté you will see the steam from evaporation rising quickly, with the result that liquid reduces easily to thicken your sauce. It pays to lower the cooking temperature a bit when sautéing so ingredients do not burn. The drawback is that the lovely heat-resistant wooden handle cannot go into the oven. Vermicular plans to introduce an ovenproof design next year; a glass lid is sold separately. There are two models, one slightly smaller and deeper than the other. Enameled Cast Iron Grill Pan
Vermicular Frying Pans, $155 for the deeper 9.4 inch pan; $160 for 10.2 inch; $40 for glass cover; vermicular.us.
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Cast Iron Griddle Puffs Pan Florence Fabricant is a food and wine writer. She writes the weekly Front Burner and Off the Menu columns, as well as the Pairings column, which appears alongside the monthly wine reviews. She has also written 12 cookbooks. More about Florence Fabricant