I was gifted the No. 10 skillet for my 50th birthday. I’ve always loved cooking in cast iron but this skillet is better than that. Heats quickly and evenly, cooks as well as a heavy ass cast iron skillet. And seasoned properly it is as easy to clean as any non-stick cookware. This is a functional, truly beautiful and timeless piece of cookware. This piece will be handed down.

I have 4 of Dave's skillets. They are the best. I have his camp setup that I regularly take bear hunting and elk hunting. They season easily and show his master craftsmanship in each skillet. I am buying them to pass down to my kids.

These beat cast iron IMO and are easier to maintain and clean. Absolutely as zero complaints and I will be buying more to replace the rest of my cookware.

Please give these a look. Blood, sweat, tears went into these and it shows.

In 2024, I was fortunate to be in Manitou Springs for the Commonwheel Arts Festival. I picked up a few great pieces and met some amazing craftsman and artists. Among them was David Bradley, Manitou’s local blacksmith. David had just started selling his plancha.

David’s plancha is truly an incredibly well-imagined design. While on legs when used for cooking - much like an antique fire skillet - it deconstructs for storage or transport. The removable leg design has an easy-to-use pin system that insures stability: an important feature when it’s very hot and is supporting your next meal. Last Fall, I was able to get out camping and gave my new plancha a test run. It performed extremely well.

I cheated a little and used my MSR stove and isopro canister as the heat source in lieu of campfire and coals. I was on a bit of a schedule (a terrible thing when camping) and also wanted to be able to regulate the heat for the first cooking trial. As with any new outdoor cooking implement, if you’re not breaking it in with bacon, you’re either vegan (not that there’s anything wrong with that) or you’re doing it wrong. I opted for a thick-cut smoked bacon.

Vidalia onion was added to the plancha next, lightly dusted with berbere and roasted cumin. Purple carrot rounds came next, along with an assortment of sweet and hot peppers hailing from my garden. When the bacon finished a filet mignon was added. The filet was given a generous amount of Cabernet salt, some garlic and onion powder and lightly seasoned with black pepper. Finishing off the meal was summer squash, cooked over the remaining flavors of the prior ingredients and sprinkled with berbere, powdered jalapeño and basted with a little butter to give a flavor assist.

Needless to say that the plancha worked perfectly. I had the stove placed a little off-center underneath so I could keep some of the high carbon steel edges a little cooler to cook the vegetables more slowly as the meats took their time.

David’s plancha design is really an instant heirloom. I have since invested in a smaller diameter version so I can take it backpacking and a giant, 20” version for use when cooking for a group. You need this!