There was a frying pan that I had always seen at my parents' house. I remember we used it often, but I never asked where it had come from. I saw it among other pans and thought it was one of my mother's eccentricities, another "odd contraption" from who knows where.
In any case, it was an iron pan that appealed to me for its rustic, utterly country look. Besides, those of you who have followed me for a while already know how much I like iron cookware! In fact, Claudia&Julia was born mainly to try to bring this type of cookware back, because we firmly believe in its advantages when it comes to preparing food.
So, as the project started to take shape, I also got to know the name and story of that iron pan that was in my mother's house. It's a Skeppshult pan, made in one of the last iron foundries still manufacturing pans in Sweden. I already loved cooking in it and its look, but learning more about the company that makes them left me completely smitten, and convinced that a manufacturer like Skeppshult absolutely has to be in our catalog.
So we've added pans, grills, cocottes, and a few other accessories that I hope will win you over as much as they did me... especially after finding out everything that's simmering behind these products.
What is Skeppshult?
We've been talking to them for some time now because we really like their products and philosophy. Skeppshult is a small foundry named after the village where it is located, in southern Sweden. It has been operating since 1906 and has kept its artisanal way of working to this day.
Skeppshult uses only renewable energy (hydraulic and wind) in its manufacturing process. They melt the iron and hand-pour it into sand molds to shape the cookware. Once the iron cools, each piece is handcrafted, always maintaining an incredible level of quality. Each piece comes from a single mold that is destroyed during the process, so each piece is in a way unique as well.
Skeppshult product features
Skeppshult guarantees that all the materials used to make its cookware are natural and organic, free from any product harmful to health or the environment. They also work on all types of cooktops, including induction, always with excellent cooking results.
Because they are made of cast iron, Skeppshult utensils are much heavier than aluminum utensils and even than De Buyer's Mineral pans. The advantage of cast iron is that it retains and distributes heat more evenly, and it also withstands high temperatures without warping.
Grill pan, wok and Skeppshult Swing pepper mill and Skeppshult pan
Just like De Buyer pans, Skeppshult cookware has no enamel or vitrified coating; we cook directly on the iron, so proper seasoning is important. In this case, Skeppshult does an initial seasoning of all products with vegetable oil in its own factory, so they are delivered ready to use.
Because they have no enamel and are practically indestructible, Skeppshult offers a 25-year warranty for all cast iron products. In any case, they are almost everlasting products; it is really difficult to damage the iron in normal use.
Benefits of iron in the kitchen
For those of you who still don't use iron cookware in the kitchen, I'd like to briefly explain the advantages of this material. In Spain, using iron is not very common, but in other European countries such as Germany or the Nordic countries, iron is highly valued and small manufacturers like Skeppshult enjoy great prestige.
The main reason is that although nonstick pans and pots are very practical and easy to use, iron is unbeatable for high-heat cooking such as frying, sauteing, or cooking on the griddle. The flavor and texture we achieve with cast iron frying pans or cocottes more than make up for the greater weight or maintenance of this type of cookware.
Oven tray and casserole Skeppshult
apart from the fact that an iron utensil lasts a lifetime, we have the peace of mind of not using products with nonstick coatings, so cooking is much healthier and more natural.
Maintenance of Skeppshult products
There is no need to season a Skeppshult utensil before first use. Since it comes pre-seasoned from the factory, all we need to do is rinse it with a little water to remove any dust it may have picked up, dry it well, and start cooking.
Once we've cooked with it, there's no need to clean it with soap; just run warm water over it and remove any food residue with a brush or soft sponge. It's very important to dry the utensil immediately to prevent rust from appearing; we can leave it on the heat so it dries completely.
Why buy Skeppshult iron cookware?
If you haven't tried any cast iron cookware, I recommend trying a Skeppshult pan or grill. You can keep cooking delicate foods with your nonstick pan, but you'll see that high-heat cooking, especially frying or cooking on the griddle, turns out much better in a cast iron pan.
Both pans and pots are also ideal for gifting. They are a very special product, with a beautifully refined aesthetic, that conveys a love of cooking. They also make the perfect gift because they last a lifetime, and the materials used to make them are natural and organic, free from any product harmful to health or the environment.
