Frying Pan JIU
ABOUT
A collaboration between Fujita Metal, a small factory founded in 1951 in Osaka, and TENT, a design office in Tokyo, has led to this wonderful rethinking of the functional frying pan.
We take a glimpse inside the Fujita Metal factory and explore this special series designed by Ryosaku Aoki and Masayuki Haruta in more detail.
INTRODUCTION
The number 10 is pronounced “JIU” in Japanese. Sizzling sounds of frying is also pronounced “JIU” in Japanese.
With the concept of bringing “cooking” and “eating” together, TENT used the craftsmen’s skills and knowledge of material at Fujita Metal to craft a beautiful iron pan. This high quality material allows the ingredients to be cooked evenly on a low heat and brings out the best flavours in the food.
The main attraction, the handle, can be attached and detached with one hand making it easy to go from hob to oven without scorching the handle. Once cooking has finished, serve on the table or eat straight from the pan.
JIU SAUCEPANS
DESIGN
Ryosaku Aoki and Masayuki Haruta are the two designers behind Tokyo-based design studio TENT. Ryosaku has history with both Olympus and Sony, with Masayuki previously working for a household goods manufacturer specialising in home appliances and interior goods.
In 2016 TENT worked with Fujita Metal to develop their concept in to a viable product; a frying pan and handle combination that’s handmade by craftsman in Japan using high quality iron. A piece that will stand the test of time.
As they went in to the design process they realised that “the person who cooks” and the “person who eats” are traditionally seperated from the cooking process. The obvious thought process was, “what would be the best way to combine these two so that it could bring a new sense of functionality from the traditional frying pan?”.
By designing a lipped pan they were able to give enough space that the handle can slide on and off and still be stable. Thanks to the wider rim the plate-like appearance was created.
With the talented team and Fujita Metal working on the contemporary pans, Aoki and Haruta spent many months on the sliding mechanism for the handle. After countless prototypes and small verifications a beautiful clip of and off mechanism was devised and his the perfect companion for everyday life.
