Kate and Levi Slavin have taken a ‘dying art form’ and given it a new lease of life with their cast-iron cookware collection. Words Lucinda Diack, Photos Jackie Meiring.

Levi Slavin talks passionately about the importance of meaning. Of embracing and respecting products that enhance our lives. ‘Too often we are faced with purchases that we don’t need,’ he explains.

It is this concept which inspires and informs the essence of his day-to-day with wife Kate. Founders of cast-iron cookware company The Ironclad Pan Co, they are the ‘finance man’s worst nightmare’ with their production of heirloom pieces with generational guarantees. ‘We aren’t trying to take over the world,’ says Levi, ‘we are here to have fun and bring something truly valuable to people’s lives. We are making something that you don’t need to update, or buy again.’

The couple met at a creative design agency in Auckland where softly spoken Levi was an art director and writer and Kate a graphic designer. ‘I was always in awe of his talents,’ enthuses Kate, ‘and loved working on his projects. We worked together in Auckland, London, New York … we did long stretches at different agencies but never thought we would give all that up to work for ourselves – in cookware!’

For Kate, and Levi, there is something sentimental about cast-iron cookware. ‘We inherited a collection of remarkable cookware from Levi’s grandmother Lily,’ describes Kate, ‘and I loved cooking with them. They are imbued with memories and the essence of her kitchen. We love that they were used to make family recipes long before they came to us – and now they are used to make our family recipes.’

It was this sense of connection with the past, of building a sense of tradition and family stories that Kate and Levi wanted to build on.

Having worked in hospitality from a young age, Kate is a passionate foodie and with two young children she was excited about the prospect of a ‘side hustle’ that combined her love for design and food. ‘I have always been interested in product design and how the success of a product’s shape, texture and weight can play in your connection to it. The ergonomics of shapes has always intrigued me and so I put pen to paper and drew our first pan.’

That was five years ago and the product range has expanded to include Dutch ovens, a burger press and celebratory chef collaborations.

From an initial sketch Kate works with a three-dimensional expert to bring her vision to life, perfecting the shape, edging and detailing until a 3D model is printed to form the basis of the mould. ‘The 3D model allows me to get a sense of the shape and size before we head into the Foundry [iron factory], as once the mould is done there is no going back!

‘What really scares me about cookware in New Zealand is that there are no standards or regulations around what is classed as suitable cookware material,’ says Kate. ‘Not only are some of the products in Aotearoa made from environmentally damaging materials, if you consume any of the chemicals in them, they are forever, they don’t go away! Plus, they don’t last, so you are constantly replacing them in your lifetime.’

Which is why they followed in Levi’s grandmother’s footsteps and opted for cast iron – the organic nature and circular economy of the industry was a huge draw card. ‘Purified in the heating process, cast iron is made from a mix of recycled iron and pig iron – which is a process as old as time,’ explains Kate. ‘What is even better, is there is no waste as all scraps are repurposed by being melted down and repoured. Every molten pot is also tested to ensure purity before being used.’

The process is hands-on craftsmanship at its finest. From pouring the pans into the mould, to sand blasting and hand polishing, each piece takes several hours to perfect.

A year into business, both Kate and business partner Joe Carter made the decision to focus on Ironclad full-time, with chef and content creator Felicity Morgan-Rhind joining them during the Covid pandemic, and Levi in 2022 – at a period of heartbreak.

‘We want to make cooking a joy, not a chore.’

‘The Auckland floods happened within weeks of Levi leaving his job,’ shares Kate. ‘At the time we had our own warehouse and storage space, which was also our office, and turning up there to see five and a half feet of wastewater burying all our stock … it was heartbreaking.’ The emotions of that January sit close to the surface for the couple, who also lost a significant number of personal belongings. ‘We both have hoarding tendencies,’ says Kate. ‘Losing so many books and records and items in the floods, it changed our relationship to material things.’

Looking back, Kate is quick to find the silver lining in the flood, which was a forced decision around how to run a business – better. ‘We ended up moving our office home to the studio we had built in the garden and outsourcing the distribution. It was the best decision we could have made.’

The garden studio-cum-office of their Auckland property appears as though it has always been. As does the garden. ‘We have completely changed it over the years,’ says Kate. ‘It was very sparse and manicured, and where the studio is was just a mud pit.’ Now it is bursting with texture and lush planting to create a private haven. It is a delightful space to relax and unwind in, with a central courtyard connecting the studio and home; a hidden haven despite its inner-city suburban location.

Inside the home is a considered but vibrant display of the busy family who live there – Kate’s passion for design and natural textures go hand in hand with Levi’s love of music and their combined love for minimalism and pieces of meaning.

At the heart of the home, perhaps unsurprisingly given their careers in cookware, is the kitchen which is a treasured family space and a test kitchen for the many delicious recipes and versatile cooking options they share online. ‘We want to make cooking a joy, not a chore,’ concludes Levi. And they are well on their way to achieving just that.

Caring for cast iron

Kate and Levi share their top tips for getting the most out of your cast-iron cookware

The more you use it, the better it gets.

Keep it dry and lightly oiled between uses. Ideally only wipe out with a paper towel or rinse in hot water or scrub with a coarse brush before drying and re-oiling. You can use soap if you really want to. After washing I like to warm the pan a little on the stovetop to make sure it is thoroughly dry and then the conditioning balm or oil properly soaks into the porous iron, making the seasoning nice and strong.

If you find things get stuck on – or you cook up a fish curry, then want to bake a brownie – the best way to reset your pan ‘flavour’ is with a stovetop salt season. Put the empty pan on the stovetop, warm up, place a thin layer of salt all over the cooking surface and let it cook on medium-high until it is smoking and the salt is going brown.

Use a wooden scraper to really rub the salt around, like an exfoliant for your pan. Any salt is fine – I like to use a combo of standard table salt and a little of the coarser kind. Then you turn off the heat, let it cool a little, throw out the salt and lightly oil all over.   

Ideally use your iron to roast in the oven, as well as stovetop frying. The longer roasting times are great for the cast-iron seasoning as well as making the best roast vege ever!

About once a week I also lightly oil the underside of my pans. It is good to keep the surface that connects with your cooktop in good condition too.

When using induction, start off low and slow and make sure your pan size fits the hob you are using. Otherwise you get hot spots. If you heat it too quickly and unevenly the iron can warp.

Sometimes it returns back to flat, but if it’s been blasted it can alter the iron long term and be hard to recover. 

Don’t be afraid of cast iron if you are new to it. It is really durable and forgiving. Once you get used to the cast-iron rituals, it is super easy to look after and makes everything taste better.