What your pan is really made of

When you buy cookware, you are not just choosing a colour and a size. You are choosing metal, glass, and the way they behave every time you turn on the heat.

People worry about coatings, chemicals, rust, and how long a pan will last before it ends up in the bin. This page is here to be clear about what Lareina pans are made of and why we chose those materials.

What our cookware is made of

All of our enamelled cast iron pieces share the same basic structure:

  • A thick cast iron body for steady, even heat
  • A layered enamel surface that seals the iron
  • A non-reactive cooking surface that works with acidic foods
  • Enamel that is PTFE and PFOA free with no added lead or cadmium

The shapes and sizes change, but the materials story is the same.

Cast iron core: slow, steady heat

Inside each piece is a heavy cast iron body. It is cast thick on purpose.

Cast iron takes a little longer to heat up than thin metal, but once it is hot, it holds that heat and spreads it out. That gives you:

  • Steaks that sear instead of steaming in their own juices
  • Sauces that simmer without a burnt ring around the edge
  • Bread that rises and browns evenly in the oven

If you have ever watched the edges of a sauce catch and burn while the middle is still pale, you already know what bad heat distribution looks like. A heavy cast iron core is our answer to that.

Enamel surface: glass between food and metal

Raw cast iron can rust, react with acids, and needs seasoning to stay protected. We cover the iron in enamel, which is a hard glass layer fused on at high heat.

We build it in layers. A dark base coat grips the iron and helps guard against rust and thermal shock. One or more middle coats add thickness and toughness. The final coat is the glossy surface you see and cook on.

Enamel is not a mystery coating. It is glass. The enamel we use is PTFE and PFOA free with no added lead or cadmium. As long as the surface is intact, your food is in contact with that glass layer, not bare metal.

Because enamel is non-reactive, you can simmer tomato sauce, deglaze with wine, and cook with lemon or vinegar without worrying about a metallic taste or stripping a seasoning layer.

Ease of use and care

This is not a pan that magically wipes itself clean. If you burn cheese onto it and leave it there, you will still be soaking and scrubbing.

What you do get is a surface that makes everyday cooking easier:

  • It arrives ready to cook. There is no seasoning routine to build up and protect.
  • The glossy enamel helps food release more easily than bare cast iron, especially with a bit of oil and moderate heat.
  • Most stuck-on bits loosen after a short soak in warm water and a gentle scrub with a soft sponge or brush.

We recommend hand washing. A dishwasher cycle will not destroy the enamel in one go, but repeated high heat and detergents are harder on any enamel over time. Treat it more like a good cook's knife than a disposable baking sheet and it will repay the favour.

What this means day to day

In practice, all of this adds up to something simple:

  • You can cook acidic foods without worrying about stripping seasoning or leaching metal.
  • You can go from hob to oven without babying a fragile coating.
  • You can soak, wash, dry, and put it back on the shelf knowing it is ready for the next meal.

At Lareina, we choose materials so you can focus on the food instead of the pan.