Those who love to cook….love their pots….not only for the functionality and conductivity of them but from a visual esthetic point of view as well. I suppose it’s similar to showing up in the ring with your boots polished every day. All aspects of one’s passion, in order to produce divine satisfaction, factor into the mix of the eventual product. So for cooking, the beauty of a line of Cobalt blue patina pans crafted by an artisan and blacksmith were right up my alley!

Seattle based Patrick Maher and Caryn Badgett,  the husband and wife team behind this beautiful line of Ironware, found they shared a similar aesthetic in designing and creating objects that were both beautiful and useful.

In their own words, “There was something so satisfying and wonderful about cooking dinner in a lovely pan you’d just made by hand – not to mention delicious! ”

So after some tasty testing and research into the making of steel pans (which are 99% iron), they started Blu Skillet Ironware, hand forged blue steel pans and ironware objects for the home.

In addition to their beautiful design these blue steel pans are great for searing and caramelizing – and they make fantastic over-easy eggs! Iron pans that are forged rather than cast, make the pans lighter and easier to handle, as well as less porous and quicker to season. Able to take high temperatures, they can go from stove top, to oven, to table – where the artistry of the pan compliments the evenings meal and conversation!

The blue color is a product of heat treatment, which forms a protective layer of blue iron oxide on polished steel. It is a natural rust deterrent, and combined with organic virgin coconut oil, provides an excellent pre-seasoned surface rendering the pans nonstick and ready to use. They are iron pans and therefore reactive, so they won’t stay blue – they’ll darken and patina as you cook and season them which to me just adds to their aged timeless beauty.

http://www.bluskilletironware.com/