About the product
[The 'KOINU' Brand has been involved in cooking utensils for professionals]
Honma Co., Ltd. has been producing the professional kitchen product brand 'KOINU' for 70 years since its establishment. Considering the opinions of professionals, the company has created "good tools" that can be recommended with confidence, with meticulous attention to detail and ingenuity throughout.
Yukihira pan, in plain English, is a typical shaped Japanese single-handed pan. The standard material is aluminium with a wooden handle, which has remained unchanged for almost half a century or more.
This time, we at 'KOIKU' have reinterpreted the classic Yukihira pan. After much consideration and development of materials, shape and durability for ease of use in the home, we have finally realised the ideal evolved Yukihira pan.
[Clad three-layer steel adopted for ease of use]
All products of the 'KOINU' are designed with "ease of use" as the first priority. "Clad Triple Layer Steel" is an ideal material that compensates for the disadvantages of each material and combines the best of both aluminium and stainless steel. Generally, stainless steel is a poor conductor of heat, so it needs to be preheated thoroughly, and you may have the impression that it tends to burn easily, but with 'clad triple layer steel', the heat conduction is improved compared to a single piece of stainless steel by sandwiching aluminium. It has the excellent durability of stainless steel and the user-friendliness of aluminium.
We tried boiling water in a pan with a single layer of thin stainless steel and a pan made of clad 3-layer steel. In the one-layer stainless steel, bubbles rose locally from the bottom, while in the clad 3-layer steel, the entire surface of the water shook greatly, as if the whole pot was wobbling. With this product, the heat is circulated to the sides and heats the entire pan evenly.
Of the three-layer steels, the 2.3 mm thick "Deep Yukihira Pan" from the 'KOINU' brand offer a good balance between weight and performance, allowing the pans to store heat well. In cooking where food is simmered for a long time, good heat distribution is an important factor in keeping the flavour of the ingredients and making the food tasty.
[Surface treatments that bring out the strengths of stainless steel]
In general, iron and cast iron pots and pans can lose their flavour if left to cook acidic foods such as tomatoes for long periods of time, as the iron on the surface can dissolve. Stainless steel, on the other hand, is a suitable material for simmering all kinds of food for a long time. Tomato-based stews can also be cooked to perfection. Sake and wine are also fermented in stainless steel tanks, so that the contents are less likely to be altered.
The inner surface of the pot is made of stainless steel with a mirror finish, which makes it easy to remove stuck-on food. The smooth surface also makes stir-frying tasty.
[Also usable in induction.]
It can also be used with induction thanks to its stainless steel outer surface: the stainless steel catches the powerful heat from the induction heater. The aluminium transfers the heat quickly and evenly to the inside. The outer surface is matte finished by hand. The outer surface has been hand-finished by craftsmen to reduce the appearance of scratches, stains, etc., which can appear after long use.
[Two spouts, one large and one small, for easy handling]
The advantage of a one-hand pan is that it can be used readily, so it was designed to be easy to use even after cooking has finished. The "Deep Yukihira Pan" is designed with two easy-to-pour spouts, one large and one small. The smaller spout makes it easy to pour soup in a thin stream and is suitable for use with moist food or for pouring sauce at the end of serving. The wider spout is designed so that ingredients can be poured together so that everything from cooking to serving and storage can be done without hassle.
It can also be used to drain water with the special glass lid on, so no extra washing up is required. The easy-to-handle Yukihira pan is easy to use for everything from serious cooking to small applications such as brewing tea.
Making a spout out of a material as thick as 'clad three-layer steel' is extremely difficult. As stainless steel and aluminium have completely different characteristics, it took us about three months of trial and error to complete the mould, taking into account the occurrence of breaks, wrinkles and overall distortion. This spout was only possible because we, Honma, known as the 'KOINU', manufacture the moulds from scratch.
[Easy-to-grip, durable handle]
The "Deep Yukihira Pan" has a matte-finished stainless steel, pipe-shaped handle that is easy to grip and does not get hot over the fire. The handle and body of the pan are strongly welded together in seven places, and the inner surface is not uneven like riveted pots, making it easy to wash and keep clean, to professional specifications. As aluminium and stainless steel have different melting points, welding clad 3-layer steel requires skilled know-how, and this handle is also a specification that could only be achieved by Honma.
The base of the handle was designed with the 'KOINU' logo motif. And its hook hole can also be stored hanging for quick access.
[Easy to take outdoors]
The "Deep Yukihira Pan" is designed to be durable, making them ideal for outdoor use. It has no plastic parts, which easily deforms under heat. The handle is also designed to be slightly longer, making it easy to use over an outdoor charcoal fire.
Product detail
Specifications
Clad 3-layer steel, Deep Yukihira Pan (KOINU)
Dimensions: 180 mm (inner diameter), bottom diameter 140 mm, height 90 mm, handle length 190 mm.
Weight: approx. 825 g
Capacity: approx. 2.0 litres (full)
Material.
Body / Clad 3-layer steel (stainless steel (induction-compatible) + aluminium + stainless steel SUS304), total plate thickness 2.3 mm
Handle / Stainless steel SUS304
*Compatible with direct flame, induction cooker and dishwasher.
Glass lid
Dimensions: diameter 178 mm
Weight: approx. 337 g
Material.
Glass / Heat-resistant glass
Rim / Stainless steel SUS304
Knob / Stainless steel
Notes
The handle of the "Deep Yukihira Pan" is designed not to get hot over a fire, but please note that the base of the handle may become hot, or the handle gets hot from direct contact with the fire when used over high heat.
About the maker
Honma Co., Ltd., located in Tsubame-Sanjo in Niigata Prefecture, one of Japan's largest metalworking towns. For 70 years since its establishment, the company has produced a wide range of professional products, mainly for restaurants, catering services and food factories, under the well-known 'KOINU' brand of professional kitchen products. We have a factory that can start with planning our own products and then produce them consistently from the moulds.
Products for professional use require thorough functionality. In order to realise this functionality, we place great importance on "listening to the customer's voice". We listen to the opinions of the professionals who actually use our products and to those in the field, and if we are not sincere in ensuring that our products are easy to use and durable, we will not be able to earn the trust of our customers for many years to come.
"In a kitchen where 200 or 300 meals a day are prepared, if the food sticks together, for example, work comes to a standstill. That's why we prioritise essential usability and functionality over visual flair and small gimmicks."
President Honma draws rough sketches himself and works on the planning of products. The same philosophy is shared by the craftsmen on site, who repeatedly use trial and error to realise the ideal shape of the product with their high technical skills.
The products of the 'KOINU' are made by hand by craftsmen down to the smallest detail. The "Deep Yukihira Pan" is one such product. For example, the matte finish on the surface is finished one by one by craftsmen's eyes and hands to ensure a functional and beautiful finish.
Functionality and aesthetics can sometimes be difficult to reconcile, but we put our heart and soul into making things beautiful while prioritising function.
The trust that has been placed in the many products that the 'KOINU' has brought to the world can be deduced from the amount of moulds that we have accumulated over the decades. We take pride in the fact that we have achieved "user-friendliness" through steady improvements, even if the appearance of the product has hardly changed, and even if the improvements are not spectacular. We would be delighted if you too could experience the 'ease of use' of our products.
