Skip to main content

The Manual may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

Nest Homeware’s American-Made Cast Iron Pans Are Functional Pieces of Art

When it comes to hardwearing, long-lasting, heirloom-quality cast-iron cookware, look no further than Providence, Rhode Island-based Nest Homeware.

Founded by Matt Cavallaro, a graduate of the Industrial Design program at the Rhode Island School of Design (who has used his cast-iron design skills to work with NASA, the U.S. military, the film industry, and various start-up companies), Nest Homeware’s ultimate goal is to make “beautiful, highly functional, heirloom products.”

Recommended Videos

They’ve certainly succeeded in doing so with the brand’s existing line up of cast iron cookware, including a 4.5-inch egg pan, a nine-inch skillet, and a 3.5-quart Dutch oven with lid.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Each of the existing pieces in the collection is built from solid, American cast iron and are pre-seasoned with flaxseed oil, which, according to Nest Homeware, “gives [the cookware] a strong base of protection against rust, a naturally non-stick surface, and a lustrous bronzy hue. Some other cast iron cookware is seasoned with soy and vegetable oil blends and fired at very high temperatures, resulting in the black color,” we’re all familiar with.

The pieces’ bronze color offer a striking contrast to the typical black, making Nest Homeware stand out even more brilliantly against neutral countertops or a black, overhead pot rack. Beyond the beauty of the color, though, lies the real star of the show: The nature-inspired, stick and twig-like structure of the cookware’s handles. Expertly designed by Cavallaro, the almost delicate looking twig handles of the Dutch Oven transform a regular old pot into a work of art that not even Le Creuset has attempted. Without changing the basic form or function of the cast iron pans, Nest Homeware was still able to create a very unique and artistic take on these kitchen workhorses by simply stepping just outside of the box when it comes to pot and pan design. For that, we applaud them.

Egg Pan – $77

The 4.5-inch egg pan is great for, what else? Cooking eggs. But also excellent for cornbread, individual cakes, brownies, quiches, or pot pies.

Shop Now

9-inch Skillet – $155

Nest brags of their classic skillet that it will “cook everything from steak & eggs to apple pie.” And it will do it perfectly, too.

Shop Now

Dutch Oven – $250

Two words: Pot. Roast.

Shop Now

12-inch Skillet – $165-plus
Image used with permission by copyright holder

A new addition to the line-up of Nest Homeware pots and pans is also currently in the works over at the brand’s Kickstarter (which has already received twice its funding goal and still has support spots available). The 12-inch skillet is the perfect final touch to this family of finely crafted cast iron cookware.

Support It

As for Nest Homeware’s next projects? The brand hints that,”Nest will be moving into the rest of the home in the coming year – designing furniture, lighting, and other meaningful products to warm and serve your family.” We’ll be on the lookout for new additions to the Nest line and we’ll be the first to let you know about it.

Now that you’ve got your sights set on this set of cast-iron cookware, take a few moments to learn how to properly maintain and care for it.

Chase McPeak
Former Former Digital Trends Contributor, The Manual
Chase McPeak is the former Lifestyle Editor. Chase regularly appeared on Beards, Booze, and Bacon: The Manual Podcast where…
Don’t ruin your cigars: here’s how to properly season a new humidor
Seasoning secrets every cigar lover could use
faceless man presenting a cigar humidor with cigars inside with gloved hands

If you're a newcomer to the world of cigars or just bought a brand-new humidor, you'll need to season it. And no, I'm not saying to add salt and pepper to it. If you've never heard of it, you might ask, "What is seasoning for a humidor?"

Don't think you need to flavor the box or anything — seasoning is really about getting the wood inside your humidor so as not to rob your cigars of precious moisture. Easy to understand, and getting it done is relatively straightforward as well. The trick is figuring out the "why," and we'll get into that in a bit. But let's first discuss seasoning a humidor.

Read more
The NBA’s ultimate celebration tool: The victory cigar
A look at the players and coaches who smoke to celebrate
Jordan smoking a cigar image on a bag

Sports are synonymous with celebration. After winning the biggest trophy of their lives, athletes want to indulge in the payoff that comes with seeing their dreams realized. Teams go into the locker room, where a waterfall of champagne hits them in the eyes, and swimming goggles seem to be a requirement, lest you walk around on the best night of your life half blind. While drinking is often the activity of choice after winning a championship, the NBA has an alternative symbol of greatness that other sports don't use nearly enough: the victory cigar.

Basketball is a team game, but it's also an individual canvas for solo superstardom. After winning an NBA championship, the coaches and players who sit atop the throne have long smoked a cigar in the locker room, during the parade, or even on the bench before the clock has hit zero. There's nothing quite like a good stogie to signify the ultimate win over the rest of the league, but how did the victory cigar get so ingrained in NBA championship celebrations? We want to take a walk down memory lane and look at some of the historical moments and people who made the cigar what it is within the NBA today.
Red Auerbach's victory cigar on the bench
Red Auerbach: The Story Behind the Victory Cigar + His Disdain of NBA Officials - Red on Roundball

Read more
The best medical shows of all time to binge now
From ER to The Pitt, these are the best medical shows ever made
Noah Wyle in the Pitt

Throughout TV's long history, the medical drama has occupied a somewhat unique place in the landscape. Medical shows are often some of the most reliable on TV precisely because there's so much drama built in to working in a hospital.

Personally, I've found the medical drama to be deeply comforting for years, even if I have no desire to be a doctor myself. Understanding the stress of people in the healthcare profession is fascinating in and of itself.

Read more