If you have ever stood in your kitchen wondering why your sear never matches what you get at a Japanese steakhouse, the answer is probably your pan. I spent the last few months rotating eight pieces of Iwachu cast iron cookware through my home kitchen, searing steaks, rolling tamagoyaki, simmering sukiyaki, and grilling vegetables on … Read more
I spent six weeks cooking with twelve different Japanese cast iron skillets in my home kitchen, searing steaks at 500°F, rolling tamagoyaki for weekend bento, and even baking no-knead bread in a couple of them. This guide to the best Japanese cast iron skillets in comes straight from that testing, plus the dozens of verified … Read more
I’ve spent the last three months cooking with Vermicular Dutch ovens in my home kitchen, testing everything from weeknight rice dishes to Sunday braises. After logging over 200 hours of stovetop and oven time, I can tell you that the best vermicular dutch ovens deliver something genuinely different from the French and American competition. They … Read more
I have been obsessed with Japanese precision cookware for years, and the Vermicular lineup keeps pulling me back. The brand has spent over nine decades perfecting enameled cast iron in Nagoya, Japan, and the results show in every pot that leaves their foundry. When I started testing the best Vermicular Musui pots for , I … Read more
When I first cooked a Nikujaga in a Vermicular Oven Pot, I realized Japanese enameled cast iron was a different league entirely. The precision seal on the lid trapped steam in ways I had never experienced with French brands. After testing 8 Japanese enameled cast iron Dutch ovens over 3 months, I can say these … Read more
An otoshibuta (落し蓋) is a traditional Japanese drop lid that sits directly on top of your food inside the pot, not on the rim. We tested 8 otoshibuta drop lids over 6 weeks of simmering nimono, braises, and stews to find the ones that actually deliver tender, evenly cooked results. Our team cooked through 14 … Read more
Are Japanese frying pans good? After 90 days of testing 12 different models in our home kitchen, I can say yes, they are some of the most thoughtfully engineered pans I have ever cooked with. Japanese frying pans bring the same precision craftsmanship Japanese knife makers are famous for, applied to the humble frying pan. … Read more
My first attempt at tamagoyaki was a disaster. I grabbed a round skillet, cracked three eggs, and tried to roll the omelette like the chefs on YouTube. The eggs welded themselves to the pan, the “roll” fell apart, and I ended up with scrambled chunks and a frustrated appetite. That failure sent me down a … Read more
If you have ever tried to make gyoza at home and ended up with pale, limp dumplings stuck to the pan, the problem was almost certainly your cookware. The best gyoza pans deliver serious heat retention, a flat cooking surface, and walls high enough to hold the water for steaming without flooding the dumplings. After … Read more
I grew up watching my grandmother make okonomiyaki on a heavy cast iron pan, flipping each pancake with two spatulas while the smell of bonito flakes filled the kitchen. Finding the right griddle makes the same kind of magic possible at home, whether you are aiming for the layered Hiroshima style or the fluffy Osaka … Read more