A Japanese Take on the Dutch Oven Is a Multifunctional Marvel
For $2,500, this black cube brings pro-grade cooking to home kitchens.
Photographer: Sarah Anne Ward for Bloomberg Businessweek
Home cooks can form remarkable attachments to their equipment. Try dissing an Instant Pot to a fan, or borrowing a family’s long-held cast-iron skillet, and watch what happens. The Anaori Kakugama, which made its debut earlier this year (with deliveries starting this month), is best described as an upscale, tricked-out Dutch oven. It’s made of carbon graphite, which means it can poach and braise foods quickly while reaching temperatures that approach 575F. And the internal cypress-wood lid infuses food with its aromatic scent. The futuristic-looking cube comes in 3.4-liter and 5.1-liter versions and weighs more than 13 pounds. It carries a heavyweight price tag, too: Starting at $2,490, it costs about 50 times more than an Instant Pot.
THE COMPETITION