(Bloomberg Businessweek) -- The world's sauté masters are divided between cast-iron classicists, who worship the material's heat-holding properties, and carbon-steel groupies, who appreciate a lighter piece of cooking equipment. The A$150 ($96) Aus-Ion Satin skillet, from Solidteknics Pty Ltd. in Australia, aims to bring together both parties. Made from low-carbon wrought iron, it can also pair with an ingenious Flaming skillet insert that has a perforated bottom. Put it into the skillet for stovetop cooking, or use it solo on an outdoor grill.
THE COMPETITION
• Lodge Manufacturing Co., the venerable Tennessee-based maker of cast-iron and carbon-steel pans, has been around since 1896. And its wares are affordable: A 10.25-inch cast-iron skillet is $21.
• Notable chefs such as Tom Colicchio are investors in direct-to-consumer line Made in Cookware, which specializes in blue-carbon steel—“blue” being a heat treatment to inhibit corrosion. Its 10-inch $69 pan is exceptionally light.
• Smithey Ironware Co. has garnered a reputation for handsome cookware. A 12-inch carbon-steel Farmhouse skillet ($275) is hand-forged by the Charleston, S.C.-based blacksmith Robert Thomas Iron Design. The long handle evokes an antique fire tool.
THE CASE
The Aus-Ion Satin sears food with the same proficiency and dependability as a cast-iron pan, but it's about half the weight. Fashioned from seamless steel, it also distributes heat more evenly. But it's the Flaming skillet insert, designed with star Australian chef Neil Perry, that pushes boundaries. The holes lift your food off the surface of the skillet so you can separate pan juices, but the sturdy insert can also go onto a grill, where foods can benefit from a little char of fire. It's ideal for smaller ingredients such as shrimp and slim vegetables that tend to fall through the grates. A$150 (Satin skillet); A$200 (Flaming skillet)
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