TAKIBISM Frying Pan Dish (Medium)

Pan and plate in one. The Medium carries a meal from the flame to the table

The TAKIBISM Frying Pan Dish (Medium) is a two-way iron dish: cook on it over an open flame, lift it off, and serve straight from it. Nothing has to be transferred, so there is less to carry and the space around the fire or the hob stays uncluttered. It is about 22.5–23cm across and weighs about 525g — not too big, not too small, the "just right" size that has kept selling since the series launched.

As a plate it takes a one-plate serving well. For cold starters or desserts, chilling the dish in the fridge first makes the most of the temperature. The idea of one piece serving as both cookware and tableware is what tidies up the time spent at the fire.

Two ways to use it: frying pan and dish

• Cook over an open fire or on the stove
• Take it off the heat and serve straight from it as a one-plate dish

Because it works both ways, one piece covers cookware and tableware. That means less washing up and fewer things to carry. It makes the most of iron's heat retention, so you notice the difference in dishes where temperature goes straight to the taste, like sausages or a fried egg. For cold food you can do the reverse — chill the plate in the fridge before serving.

Why there is no handle

• Stacks for compact storage; several can be carried together
• Goes in and out of an oven, grill or toaster easily, with nothing sticking out
• Easy to turn on a fire stand or trivet and to position around the fire

By deliberately going without a fixed handle, it takes to a wide range of heat sources, from a campfire to a kitchen. In use you hook the rim with a dedicated tool and lift (see below).

Two ways to hold it over the fire — neither attaches or locks on

• Breath to Fire bellows plus the Dish Joint (or Joint Short): swap the tip, then hook the rim of the plate with the claws and lift.
• Dish Handle: a standalone tool with a maple grip. It does not mount on the bellows; it hooks the rim in the same way. It fits all three sizes — Small, Medium and Large.

Neither locks onto the plate; both hold it temporarily by catching the rim with claws. That suits fine adjustments around a fire and moving the plate in and out of an oven.

Ways to use it on a fire

When baking a pizza, it works to heat it from below on the trivet first, then finish by sliding the dish underneath the trivet so radiant heat settles the cheese and the base. Setting the dish into the fire at a slight angle and turning it as the heat comes round also helps keep the cooking even.

What the Medium is for, and how to choose a size

• Solo: ideal for a one-plate meal. A main such as steak or a burger is complete on one dish.
• Two people: easy to cook a main like bacon and eggs and share from it.
• A family: a good diameter as an individual plate, and for dividing dishes up.
• Frozen pizza: the Medium was designed with one in mind. It is also an easy diameter for something like lamb steak with its garnish.

The makers and the finish (Setouchi, Makizuka Ironworks)

Production is by Makizuka Ironworks in Kagawa, an ironworks of more than forty years that handles architectural stairs and handrails, furniture and fire tools alike. The Frying Pan Dish was originally forged: steel plate brought up red in a coke furnace and hammered to draw out the curve, four or five rounds per plate. Forming has since moved to pressing, while hand finishing is kept to settle both the character and the accuracy. That is why each plate varies by about 5mm in dimension and differs in surface texture.

For the finish, oil is applied and baked on to form an oxide coating. It comes up as a black lustre, and depending on how the light falls an iridescent cast appears in it. The dish is seasoned when you buy it, so once the oiled paper is unwrapped you can put it straight on the fire.

What TAKIBISM is about

TAKIBISM was started by outdoor life advisor Hajime Sangawa and iron artist Noboru Makizuka, to make the tools they needed themselves. Sangawa says he likes fire because it cannot be owned: you cannot touch the flame, and the wood becomes ash in the end. Rather than thick logs, he values a "small fire" of thin branches. That outlook is what ties the making of these tools to enjoying a fire more deeply, instead of chasing convenience alone.

Care and storage (comes seasoned)

It is seasoned when you buy it. Unwrap the oiled paper and you can put it straight on the fire. After that, care goes like this.

• Washing: no detergent. Loosen the residue with hot water and work it off with a brush or a wooden spatula.
• Drying: wipe off the water thoroughly and let it dry completely.
• Storage: after use, rub a thin film of cooking oil on with kitchen paper before putting it away.

Do not use metal scourers or abrasives, as they damage the oxide coating. Avoid putting a blade to the surface as well. Even seasoned, iron cannot be kept entirely free of rust. Seasoning it regularly keeps rust and sticking down. An instruction sheet is included.

Heat sources

Induction hobs have conditions such as a minimum detection diameter that vary by model. Please check the specification of your own hob.

Specifications