A crowdfunding campaign launched by an Australian manufacturer of steel commercial cookware has been a success, almost tripling its target.
The campaign closes on 24 October, and at the time of publication had raised almost $60,000, three times the initial goal set by the manufacturer, SOLIDteknics.
The company, established by Mark James Henry, who also launched Furi knives, manufactures AUS-ION pans, made in Australia from Australian steel and rivet-free.
“Our steel material and thickness is the same as the best French pans, so our AUS-ION pans cook the same. They are also in the same price range,” Henry said.
The range, which comprises an 18cm skillet, a 26cm skillet and a 30cm wok, are made from a single sheet of iron and come pre-seasoned, so there’s no need for chefs to scrub off the manufacturer’s coating or season the pans from scratch.
While the Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign has been a success, Henry said the more funding it can generate, the better. “The Kickstarter campaign helps to offset the significantly higher costs of manufacturing in Australia and not taking cheaper short cuts elsewhere. We're still relatively unknown, and we know how tough Aussie chefs can be. Many of them may automatically assume Australian equipment can't be as good as European. But we're here to show them Aussies can be the best,” he said.
The handle of the pans has been designed to reduce fatigue for chefs, and their broad and slightly concave shape promotes stability in the rotational plane, so less hand squeeze is required.
Pledgers to the Kickstarter campaign receive a limited first edition engraved pan.