Vermicular Frying Pan

Read the Vermicular Frying Pan | Quick-Start Guide for helpful tips before your first use.

Preheating steps to prevent sticking

Adding ingredients to a cast iron pan that is not properly preheated is a major cause for food to stick. Always thoroughly preheat the pan over medium-high heat before adding ingredients, allowing smoke to rise from the entire surface of the pan. This will help prevent the ingredients from sticking.

Basic preheating steps:

1. Preheat over medium-high heat for about 90 seconds.
2. Add oil and swirl to coat evenly.
3. Allow smoke to rise from the pan's entire surface. (Adequate preheating is achieved only after smoke has risen from the entire surface. It is important not to rush this step.)
4. Adjust heat level and start cooking.
   
   

Some ingredients, like eggs or flour, tend to stick more than others. When cooking with these ingredients, an additional step to turn off the heat will further equalize heat across the pan's surface to minimize sticking.

Additional preheating steps:

1. Follow steps 1–3 from above.
2. Turn off the heat and let the smoke clear, about 10–15 seconds.
3. Once the smoke clears, add ingredients while the heat is still off. Wait for 10–30 seconds.
4. Turn the heat back on and cook over low or very low heat.

Read the Mastering Your Vermicular Pan: Part I (Cooking) article to learn more.

Lower heat yields better results

The Vermicular Frying Pan has a superior heat transfer capability compared to traditional cast iron pans. Combined with the heat retention properties of cast iron, the heat level can potentially be overpowering to delicate ingredients if you use high heat.

If you find that your ingredients are frequently burning or that food is sticking to the pan's surface, try lowering the heat. In fact, using low heat yields the best results even when stir-frying vegetables and/or searing proteins, because the Vermicular Frying Pan heats and distributes heat evenly and rapidly even at lower temperatures.

Watch the Vermicular Frying Pan | Cooking Guide video for helpful tips.

Designed for superior temperature control

The Vermicular Frying Pan's slim design completely redefines cast iron cooking. Because the pan is thin—less than half the thinness of traditional cast iron skillets—it has an exceptional thermal conductivity and preheats rapidly. While other cast iron pans may take 4–5 minutes to heat up to cooking temperature, the Vermicular Frying Pan only takes about 90 seconds to preheat.

To yield the best and most delicious results with your pan, we recommend following our preheating steps to achieve even heat distribution before you start cooking.

Watch the Vermicular Frying Pan | Cooking Guide video for helpful tips.

Cooking techniques

20cm | 26cm | 28cm
Aside from the difference in size of cooking surface and capacity, the 20cm, 26cm, and 28cm sizes all have the same shape and are each well suited for the cooking techniques listed below.

• Stir-fry:
  The Vermicular Frying Pan sets a new standard for flavor and texture when it comes to stir-frying at home. The pan efficiently transfers heat to the ingredients, instantly removing excess moisture and intensifying flavors and umami. Try following our recipes to get a sense of the appropriate quantity of ingredients to add in order to avoid crowding the pan.
  

• Sear & sauté:
  Due to the frying pan’s high heat capacity, excess moisture from ingredients can be removed in an instant, even on low heat. This makes it ideal for pan-searing and sautéing, achieving beautiful caramelization. When cooking dishes that burn easily, remove excess moisture by cooking slowly over low or very low heat to achieve a crispy texture.
  

24cm Deep
In addition to each cooking technique listed above, the deeper walls of this size are perfectly suited for braising, stewing, or even quick deep-frying.

• Braise & stew:
  Use the lid to cover and simmer over low heat to transform meat and fish into succulent and tender dishes. The 24cm Deep pan is also recommended for making pasta sauce, as it enhances the full flavor of the ingredients.
  

• Deep-fry:
  This size has high heat capacity and can maintain the high temperature of frying oil, achieving a crispy texture with amazing flavor. Use a cooking thermometer to accurately measure the oil temperature and always stir before measuring, so the oil temperature is consistent throughout the pan.
  

Visit our Recipes page for more ideas.

Compatible cooking utensils

Enamel is made of a glass compound and can be scratched or damaged with metal utensils. Be sure to always use silicone or wooden cooking utensils to extend the life of your pan.

Washing the pan

To protect the enamel coating from damage, never use abrasive cleaning agents and scrubbing pads (metal brushes, scouring pads, etc.) when cleaning the pan. Always clean with mild dish soap and a soft sponge.

The wood handle may warp if soaked in water for a long period of time. Wipe wet spots with a dry cloth immediately after washing.

Dishwasher use

Washing the pan in the dishwasher may damage the wood handle. We recommend handwashing only.

Cleaning tips

• Removing stuck-on food
  If excessively high temperatures are used to cook, or there is not enough moisture in the pan, food may burn and leave a residue. To remove stuck-on food, we recommend using baking soda to clean.
  
  See here for step-by-step instructions.

• Removing stubborn burnt food
  Cooking without having cleaned previous food residue or using excessively high temperatures can cause food to burn and stick.
  
  To clean the pan of burnt food, see here for step-by-step instructions.

• Removing oil stains
  Although oil stains do not impair performance in any way, they may build up over time.
  
  To remove them, see here for step-by-step instructions.

• Removing white spots
  The Vermicular Frying Pan can sometimes develop white spots, which are stains caused by cooking with starchy ingredients, like beans, or mineral deposits from water.
  
  To clean your pan of any white spots, see here for step-by-step instructions.

Preventing the handle from loosening on the Glass Lid

When drying the Glass Lid after washing, do not wipe the lid while holding the cast iron handle, as this may cause it to loosen and spin. Instead, gently dry the lid while holding the glass with a firm grip.

If your handle does loosen on its own over time, please note that this is considered normal wear and tear, and will not affect the lid’s performance. Do not tighten the handle, as this will only cause it to scrape the glass, resulting in further loosening.

Proper storage

Make sure to store the pan in a well-ventilated area. If stacking multiple sizes, we recommend placing paper towels or felt plate dividers between the pans to minimize friction.

There may be instances where the wooden handle fades, warps, or develops a gap between the hook due to sun exposure, heat, and/or humidity. We recommend storing the pan in a dark, cool, and dry area.

Using a chipped pan

If your pan chips, please refrain from further use and reach out to support@vermicular.us to determine whether it is safe to continue cooking with it.

Repair service

We currently only offer a product repair/recoating service in Japan; it is not available for the US market.

We hold all of our cookware to the highest standards for safety and quality, and stand behind our promise to excellence in craftsmanship. Therefore, we do not set a warranty period for any of our enameled cast iron cookware. We will replace any item found to be defective in material or workmanship when put to normal household use and cared for according to the instructions provided.

Vermicular cookware is warranted to you by Vermicular USA to be free from defects in material and workmanship at the time of its purchase.

• You must follow the use and care instructions provided with the cookware. Damage from any use not in accordance with the provided instructions is not covered.
• This warranty covers normal household use only. Damage from commercial use or other non-consumer use is not covered.
• This warranty does not cover any damage due to normal wear and tear, damage due to misuse or abuse, improper cleaning or negligence, or any damage resulting from use other than the intended purpose of the item.
• Over time, oil stains may appear. This is considered normal wear and tear and will not affect the performance of the cookware.

To make a warranty claim, please contact VERMICULAR USA at support@vermicular.us.