The pan’s open mesh design lets smoke pass through, allowing it to permeate into your food for that wonderful charcoal/wood flavor that makes barbecue taste so tantalizingly good!
Think of a grill, then think of a cast iron pan, now combine the two together! That’s what the award-winning Mesh Pan is all about. Designed to look like a pan, but with a mesh-lined base, the Mesh Pan lets you cook your items directly above a fire. Unlike regular utensils that are solid, only allowing heat to pass through, the Mesh Pan also allows the aromas and flavor compounds present in your charcoal, giving your food a delectably smoky flavor with really no effort. The food cooks comfortably above the fire, while any resulting fat and grease drips through, hitting the charcoal and causing more smoky flavor!
Designers: Takashi Sekimitsu & GateLightDesign (Client – NORIDOMI IRON WORKS Co., Ltd.)
For designer Takashi Sekimitsu, the Mesh Pan isn’t a replacement for your cast iron pan or griddle… or even your grill – it’s an intermediary product that solves a different purpose, making it a great addition to your existing line of outdoor crockery. The fine mesh allows you to directly sear meats, veggies, or even items like noodles or rice over an open flame (something that wouldn’t be possible on a grill). The mesh lining acts as a flame arrestor, preventing the fire from passing through the fine openings, so your food isn’t engulfed in flames. There is, however, a slight danger of causing flare-ups by grease/fat dripping through the mesh directly onto the fire. I’d say maybe avoid grilling anything too fatty like bacon or a wagyu, and opt for leaner game meats, carbs, and veggies.
Once everything’s said and done, cleaning the mesh is as simple as taking a scrubber to it to quickly unclog the pores. You could burn the food clogged in the pores over an open fire too! And if your mesh eventually reaches the end of its life, simply replace it by installing a new mesh on the same existing pan handle!
