Braising is one of the supreme disciplines of cooking, because braising requires a combination of quick searing and long, gentle cooking at an even temperature. The cast-iron roasting pan from Victoria's Signature series is ideal for this. Its high sides and heavy, tight-fitting lid make it perfect for stews, soups, stews and any long cooking - on the hob, in the oven or on the grill. While even larger pieces of meat can be seared effortlessly, the roasting pan retains the heat and distributes it evenly. Shoulder, neck or leg of venison, beef, pork or lamb braise gently in it, while the lid with its drip knobs allows the pieces to cook succulently and ensures that the liquid and aromas remain in the pot. Two generously wide handles, which even fit thick cooking gloves, guarantee safe access. To ensure that you can enjoy this piece for a long time, all you need to do is wipe out the pan immediately after use, do not leave any cooked food in it and store the pan in a dry place. This way, the burnished surface will remain permanently protected and your cast-iron pan can accompany you on every culinary adventure for many years to come.

In the kitchen, professionals appreciate cast iron pans and roasters - on the one hand because of their outstanding heat storage capacity and even heat distribution, and on the other because they can achieve wonderful roasted aromas. This gives seared food a strong, flavorful crust. If you want to follow up searing with gentle braising (essential for goulash, ossobuco, coq au vin, etc.), cast-iron pans and roasters keep the desired temperature constant for a long time. But they are also ideal for sautéing, as they effortlessly maintain the high temperatures required for tossing and quickly searing chopped vegetables and meat. For decades, a manufacturer we value has been producing solid cast-iron cookware at an honest price, which is why these casseroles and pans continue to have their place in our range. At the same time, a younger generation has taken over the helm of the family business and initiated a small internal revolution. The young rebels are now combining experience and expertise in casting production with state-of-the-art manufacturing processes and innovative material selection. They have created cast iron cookware 2.0, so to speak - not least by using CNC technology in machining and by using ductile cast iron instead of simple gray cast iron for this cookware series.

When we talk about "iron" in everyday life, we are not usually referring to pure iron. In fact, we almost always encounter iron in the form of different alloys and in a wide range of ferrous materials. Cast iron plays a special role here: a comparatively high carbon content gives cast iron its low melting point and flowability. This makes it the ideal material for casting complex shapes. So it's no wonder that cast iron is used in numerous products that we come across every day. But not all cast iron is the same. The decisive difference lies in the structure of the graphite in the material: while classic gray cast iron is dominated by graphite in lamellar form, spheroidal graphite cast iron is made up of spheres of graphite that form a mesh structure. The result: higher mechanical strength and remarkable fracture resistance - and therefore the material of choice for the new cookware series from the Victoria iron foundry, succinctly named "Signature". Made from ductile cast iron, the Signature pans and roasters can take a beating. A piece like this will not break even if it bumps into corners and edges or even falls down because things get hectic in the kitchen or at the barbecue.

The shapes and proportions of today's cookware have been tried and tested over generations and are the result of centuries of cooking practice. But what was once the result of experience is now being developed further with knowledge, technology and new possibilities. Always on the lookout for solutions that make cooking easier, less risky and more successful, for pots and pans that sit well in the hand and proportions that fit intuitively when cooking, the younger generation at the Victoria iron foundry is all about refining the tried and tested through innovation. The best example of this is the well thought-out weight distribution of the Signature cookware range: the base of the pans and roasters is deliberately designed to be heavy, thus ensuring optimum heat retention. The side walls and handles, on the other hand, are extremely slim and weight-saving. This ensures better balance and easier handling so convincingly that this cookware range recently won one of the world's most prestigious awards for successful product design: for excellent functionality and innovative aesthetics. For well-known, good reasons, in addition to the classic "form follows function", we also advocate the motto "less is more" when it comes to product design - and appreciate working together with our manufacturers to turn practical products into all-round good things. In fact, the design of the handles in the Signature series in particular allowed us to take a further step towards simplification and greater functionality: For us, Victoria is bringing them in a version that is reduced entirely to the material cast iron. With their narrow and spacious design, the handles now leave more space so that even thicker cooking gloves can fit through the handles of the Signature roaster. The narrow handles and, above all, the almost velvety surface of the cast iron are made possible by the fact that Vicoria uses CNC milling to fine-grind the pieces after casting. The inside of the roasters and pans then even have to be sandblasted again. They were previously too smooth for burnishing. The linseed oil now adheres excellently to the slightly grained surface and, when baked three times, produces an ideal black finish. These pans and frying pans therefore no longer need to be burnt before first use in order to achieve the best frying results.