The choice of demanding and perfectionist customers
Ghisanativa : the choice of perfectionists ®
A chef demands two things of his cooking utensils: a surface that does not alter the flavour or digestibility of the food, and the ability to conduct heat uniformly and effectively without forming hot spots and causing food to stick and burn. Metals have highly mobile electrons. When a metal is heated, its electrons vibrate and collide, generating more heat. Ceramic and glass materials on the other hand have “lazy” electrons that vibrate very little and are therefore not efficient at transferring heat. One of the chef’s key skills is the ability to choose the right material for different kinds of cooking. A good chef will choose a metal pan for rapid, high temperature processes (like roasting, browning and frying) but will use a ceramic or glass pot to cook soups, sauces, braised dishes, pot roasts and stews that need slow, diffused heat, despite the fragility and difficult maintenance of these materials.
All these needs, however, are satisfied by one ancient and noble metal: cast iron. Cast iron is an alloy of iron and carbon that is easy to mould, dense and extremely strong, naturally non-stick, and endowed with a low coefficient of thermal expansion and excellent corrosion resistance. The molecular structure of cast iron enables it to accumulate far more heat (up to 400°C) than alternative materials, retain heat longer and release it more slowly and evenly to food without altering flavour. These exceptional characteristics mean that food does not stick to the surface. This in turn eliminates the need for stone or porcelain powder and solvent coatings, or easily scratched non-stick enamels or paints, the healthiness of which is often in doubt.
Fonderia Finco is a family run company that was first formed in 1945, as Italy began the monumental task of reconstruction after the Second World War. The experience and business acumen of three generations of the family have led to the creation of a range of innovative cooking utensils for catering professionals and lovers of responsible, healthy cooking with an open-minded approach to the future but feet firmly planted in tradition. The Ghisanativa®range of cookware is made from extremely pure cast iron and represents a return to the roots for this glorious alloy that has reigned undisputed in the kitchen over the centuries. Every Ghisanativa® product is made entirely by Fonderia Finco at the company’s foundry in Campo San Martino near Padua in northern Italy, and is the result of long and scrupulous research into cooking materials, technology and environmental protection.
Ghisanativa® pots, casseroles and pans are all designed for optimum ergonomics and maximum functionality and are characterised by harmonious, modern lines with a hint of Renaissance style and a dash of Art Deco. The minerals loaded into the furnace are uncompromisingly selected: 98% carbon graphite, and haematite, a mineral containing up to 60% of iron and much respected by the ancient Babylonians and Egyptians for its ability to stimulate the production of blood and accelerate coagulation. Fusion takes place at 1530°C in a process that conforms to the strictest environmental standards. All traces of slag are then removed from the liquid cast iron before it is poured into sand and clay moulds that are only used once, making each finished product totally unique.
Ghisanativa : a new concept in natural cooking ®
CAST IRON + MAGNETITE
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3 CAST IRON + MAGNETITE + EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL DOP
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This intense heat causes an ultra-hard layer of magnetite to form spontaneously on the surface of the Ghisanativa® cast iron, effectively protecting it against corrosion. In the next step, a film of extra virgin olive oil is applied by hand to the surface of every article. Further heating to 400°C then polymerises the olive oil in the magnetite to create a cooking surface that is black in colour, satin smooth to the touch, scratch-proof with most kitchen tools, extremely resistant to high temperatures and common detergents and, most importantly, with a natural non-stick finish that remains effective for years of normal use in the kitchen.
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Once extracted from the moulds, cooled, hand finished, thoroughly cleaned and checked, the “raw” cast iron pieces are then heated again to 900°C in a static oven.
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Exceptional purity is the key virtue of Ghisanativa® cast iron, but its exclusive non-stick properties represent an essential added value. The non-stick surface is not achieved using complex or hazardous chemical compounds but by means of an exclusively physical treatment based on one of the healthiest and most typically Italian of foods: extra virgin olive oil.
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Ghisanativa : renewing traditions ®
Cast iron pots and pans were indispensable cooking utensils for many centuries. Today they are a symbol of tradition, domestic warmth and common sense cooking. Without these superb cooking utensils, the great Renaissance recipe books of Scappi, Platina and Messisbugo would never have been written. Neither would we have the 19th century cookbooks of Escoffier and Artusi, or more modern works like “The Talisman of Happiness” and the “Silver Spoon”.
The ancient alchemists believed that all matter was formed by the union of just four primordial elements: earth, wind, fire and water. It takes another two to produce Ghisanativa® cookware: Reason and Passion. These are the ingredients Fonderia Finco has used to renew tradition, eliminating needless frills to reveal ancient wisdom and balance and to emphasise the organic vocation of natural cooking. Today, Ghisanativa® cookware sets new standards in the kitchen, with a range of professional, ecological, robust, eclectic and virtually indestructible products that suit all cooking styles and work perfectly on all types of hob (gas, glass ceramic, and induction). Ghisanativa® cookware is also fully compatible with ovens, barbecues or refrigerators.
Ideal for slow cooking and essential for rapid cooking, Ghisanativa® cookware requires no special maintenance and is easy to clean. Unlike copper, aluminium and steel, which can contaminate food with toxic chemicals, Ghisanativa® is completely free from enamels and other needless coatings, and only transfers beneficial quantities of iron, helping to prevent and cure the most common blood condition in the world: anaemia.
The history of cast iron The oldest cast iron artefacts that have come down to us are small balls discovered in the Chinese province of Henan, dating back to the 6th century BC. The history of cast iron began centuries before this, however, towards the end of the Bronze Age, when the surface deposits of copper and tin (the metals from which bronze is made) began to run out. A way was soon found to extract a new metal from the mineral limonite, abundant in wetlands.
Pickaxe (3rd century BC)
The job was not an easy one though, since prehistoric furnaces struggled to reach 1000°C and the iron, instead of melting, emerged from the rock in a viscous mass, badly contaminated by impurities that could only be eliminated by long, vigorous, and exhausting hammering in the forge. During this fusion process, the fuel of the furnace (wood or coal) also released significant quantities of carbon that bonded with the molecular structure of the iron, making it considerably harder.
Pharmaceutical mortar (4th century AD)
Cast iron bridge in Coalbrookdale (UK) – 1779
It is therefore justifiable to state that, in order to enter the Iron Age, prehistoric man had to pass through the “Cast Iron Age�, during which iron artefacts had a carbon content more or less between 2 and 6%. Cast iron objects for military and civil use, including grills and hotplates capable of withstanding direct fire, were already being made in Roman times. In Europe, the demand for cast iron rose towards the end of the 14th century with the spread of gunpowder and the invention of cannons and cannonballs.
Cast iron was the most iconic product of the industrial and social revolution of the 19th century. It was the preferred construction material for factories, railway stations, bridges, tall buildings, markets and all kinds of architecture. It was used and still is used - to make street furniture, roadside lamp posts, garden benches, staircases, boilers, stoves, radiators, and even automobile parts. And, of course, the pots, pans and utensils needed to make cooking easier, more pleasant and more flavoursome.
Ghisanativa hot plates ÂŽ
Smooth hotplates in Ghisanativa
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Ghisanativa® smooth hotplates deliver exceptional cooking performance. The nature of the metal and its above-average thickness allow these hotplates to accumulate and retain heat up to 12 times more efficiently than steel, and transfer it to food in the most effective way possible. These hotplates can easily reach temperatures in excess of 450°C, permitting the cooking of chops, fillets, steaks, hamburgers and vegetables in ultra-short times, without excessive juice loss. The extraordinary thermal properties of Ghisanativa® guarantees better, more even and more effective completion of Maillard reactions, the complex but fundamental reactions well known to chefs, that begin when sugars and proteins on the surface of foods (meats and vegetables) exceed 145°C. The compounds that form as a result of these reactions are brown in colour and emanate the typical “cooked” aromas of grilled and roasted foods, fresh-baked crusty bread or, if the reactions are more intense, the toasted fragrances of dried fruit, cocoa and coffee.
FF.483.GN
FF.489.GN
Ø
Height
240
25
Ø
Height
360
25
FF.485.GN
FF.491.GN
Ø
Height
280
25
Ø
Height
400
25
FF.487.GN
Ø
Height
320
25
Ghisanativa Grill plates ®
Ghisanativa® grill plates are designed to fulfil two roles: to create attractive “grill lines” on the surface of meat and veg and to reduce contact between the cooking surface and the food. The ridges accumulate more heat than the bottom of the grille plate and facilitate the elimination of liquids that would otherwise partly “steam” the food. A slightly convex bottom helps liquids to flow to the edge of the grill plate, preventing them from evaporating under the food. The result is rapid, dry cooking just like that achievable on a barbecue or open grille. Attractive when presented at table and ideal for all kinds of hob, Ghisanativa® grill plates represent the state-of-the-art in delicious, common-sense cooking. Appreciated by meat eaters and vegetarians, they enhance the flavour of exotic and traditional recipes alike, respect natural goodness and preserve the purity of organic foods. No wonder Ghisanativa® products are so well loved by professionals, demanding and … perfectionist customers.
FF.484.GN
FF.490.GN
Ø
Height
240
25
Ø
Height
360
25
FF.486.GN
FF.492.GN
Ø
Height
280
25
Ø
Height
400
25
FF.488.GN
Ø
Height
320
25
Studioverde.it
Cookware so long-lasting we are happy to give it a lifetime warranty! Made for professional, natural, healthy, traditional yet innovative cooking.
www.fonderiafinco.it GhisanativaÂŽ is a registered trademark of Fonderia Finco.