The end of a cast iron era in Australia

20/9/2017

Dear Solid Supporters:

It is with regret that we announce the discontinuation of our original AUSfonte™ cast iron range. Australian manufacturing of this range has always been extremely difficult, and we have tried everything to make production viable, but to no avail.
 
We are very proud to know that tens of thousands of kitchens around the world will continue to enjoy their innovative AUSfonte™ cast iron cookware in this lifetime, and for hundreds of years to come! 
 
What’s next? We will be focusing on growing and rolling out World-first innovative nöni™ wrought stainless steel and AUS-ION™ wrought iron cookware in the coming months and years.
 
Why has our AUS-ION™ range been such a success? Our Australian wrought iron conducts heat better than cast iron, so these pans heat faster and more evenly than cast iron. With the shot-peened surface of our AUS-ION™ Satin cookware, it is just as easy to season as cast iron, for the ultimate in forever renewable, natural, build-your-own natural non-stick. Most importantly, AUS-ION™ is 1/2 the weight of cast iron, but cooks the same. The production method for forming our seamless one-piece AUS-ION™ and nöni™ pans is a World-first, with patents pending. 
 
There should be no doubt that Australians make the World’s best iron and stainless cookware, and we don’t plan to stop there!  If you already own an AUSfonte™ piece, we wish to say thank you for being counted among the earliest adopters of our Australian cookware.   
 
Each remaining AUSfonte™ piece is a rare and precious slice of Australian manufacturing history. These will be treasured heirloom pieces, with each bearing the date of casting for those who will inherit for many generations to come. A wonderful legacy to leave! 
 
With deep gratitude,

Mark J. Henry

This Is not traditional cast iron. This Is high-performance cast iron.

Seasoned bare cast iron has been well-known among experts for centuries, particularly in Scandinavia and the Southern USA, for the way they heat so evenly and hold heat, brown foods better than anything else, and for their ability to build a healthy, natural nonstick surface through seasoning. With a little care that seasoned nonstick lasts the life of the pan, which can be centuries. With all the concerns over synthetic nonstick coatings in recent years, there has been a big swing back toward the only known natural, healthy, sustainable nonstick.

The engineers at SOLIDTEKNICS have always loved those benefits of cooking with cast iron, but wanted to update the handle performance and make a smoother surface for even better nonstick performance, and cast them in Australia from clean Australian iron. 

All SOLIDITEKNICS cookware is compatible with all rangetop heat sources (being solid iron, they are perfect for induction), safe for glass tops (seasoned iron is much softer than enamelled iron), oven-proof, and tough enough to take camping and use over open fire pits or in high-temp wood-fired ovens. See our big 7L, 32cm DEEPan with BIGskillet as matching lid: the perfect modern camp oven, because it's also high-performance kitchen cookware you can use every day. 

How tough? Our written warranty on all AUSfonte™, AUS-ION™, and nöni™ cookware is multi-century: click here for details. Yes, our warranty will always be in force, even for discontinued products, for as long as this company survives.....and everything we are doing will always follow our vision for a healthy and sustainable multi-generation business.

Go direct to detailed AUSfonte™/AUS-ION™ seasoning and care instructions by clicking here.

SOLIDTEKNICS AUSfonte 24cm (9.5") Sauteuse

Features and benefits: see graphic summary below and video demonstration of remarkable heat-reducing handle here: http://youtu.be/tWdUCwmYHGM

Gallery:

SOLIDTEKNICS AUSfonte 32cm (13") BIGskillet

Features & benefits:

• Full 30cm (12") cooking surface diameter. Thin walls with reinforcing ribs to reduce weight and increase strength.
• Matching pair: fits 32cm DEEPan as a lid for casserole, or as a base for dutch oven format. Fits in standard 600mm oven.
• Wide low dual Love Handles reduce lifting weight by pivoting off the stove/bench (video demo: http://youtu.be/X0-xt-yjz1k )

GALLERY:

SOLIDTEKNICS AUSfonte 32cm (13") DEEPan

Features & benefits:

• Big 7 Litre (7 Quart) capacity. Wide but not too deep: can be used as a regular pan for frying and browning, then covered for braising and slow cooking.
• Thin walls with vertical reinforcing ribs to reduce weight and increase strength and horizontal heat-capturing ribs.
• Matching pair: fits 32cm BIGskillet as a base for casserole, or as a lid for dutch oven format. Fits in standard 600mm oven.

GALLERY:

SOLIDTEKNICS AUSfonte Pan Grill-it, 18cm and 30cm

Features & benefits:

• Converts regular flat pans into cast iron grills, for outdoor grilling, or indoors in any weather.
• No need to buy and store a separate grill pan: switch between flat pan and grill pan in seconds.
• Small 18cm Pan Grill-it fits AUSfonte 24cm Sauteuse pan base, and Large 30cm Pan Grill-it fits in BIGskillet base.
• Also works in any pan of suitable diameter and resistance to the high heat required of real grilling/searing. Seasoned cast iron is best and easiest to clean (natural and safe high temp nonstick seasoning), but works in stainless steel, ceramic or enamel. Not suitable for synthetic-coated pans due to their toxic by-products at high temperature. 
• For more details and instructions: http://www.solidteknics.com/pginstructions

GALLERY:

SOLIDTEKNICS AUSFONTE 16cm SKILLet

Successfully launched on Kickstarter in September 2015 ( http://kck.st/1VO1jMo ), and shipping to our retailers and online in November 2015.

Features & benefits:

• Lightweight for cast iron with strong ribbed sidewalls and U-channel handle, with all the same heating and natural nonstick properties as the rest of the AUSfonte range.
• Vented neck handle design disperses most of the heat so end doesn't get too hot for hand for most stovetop situations.
• Straight walls and small radius for maximum cooking surface for a 16cm pan.

SOLIDTEKNICS AUSFONTE 36CM Combo RGBBF roaster/grill

Successfully launched on Kickstarter in September 2015 ( http://kck.st/1VO1jMo ), and shipping to our retailers and online in December 2015.

Features & benefits:

• Huge 36cm square reversible combination Roast, Grill, BBQ, Bake, Fry. 
• In grill mode, skirts underneath capture more of the convection heat.
• Uses any oven heat source, or gas stovetop or any direct flame, outdoors or indoors.

*TRADEMARK NOTICE:

We reserve worldwide rights to our exclusive use of these trademarks for kitchenware, in any typographical format, whether or not they are followed by the trademark symbol (TM) throughout this campaign site (and in all our communications). Each of these trademarks are the property of SOLIDTEKNICS Pty Ltd (Australia):

SOLIDTEKNICS 

AUSfonte 

Tough Love 

BIGskillet

DEEPan

We reserve the same rights for the 'Pan Grill-it' trademark, worldwide, except for within the United States of America (Where Pan Grill-it USA maintains those rights).