Hey all I am buying my mom a cast iron skillet for Mother's Day and wanted to know who makes the best for aorund $50 max. I see Emeril and Paula Deen both have cast iron skillets... are these any good? Food network.com is seeling Paula's for 50- $20 mail in rebate so basically $30 and it is pre seasoned. Emeril's is also around $30.. so price is same what about quality? Or should I go with something else instead.
By steakrules85
on Apr 27, 2009 06:19 AM
Story
Supertaster Daily: 5 Grilled Hot Dogs in 3 Minutes for Memorial Day
Story
Oreo and Hershey's Dessert Icings
Story
10 Spicy Snacks
Recipe
Easy Philly Cheesesteaks
Recipe
Easy Chicken Stir-Fry
Recipe
Spicy Oven-Roasted Chickpeas
View »
A lot of people swear by Lodge. I have my grandmother's which are Griswold, and they seem to be holding up just fine (and apparently are collectibles - who knew?).
Permalink | Reply
I bought a 10" and 12" skillet at Sears back in the mid eighties when I ws in college. They were VERY cheap. They say simply "Classic" on the bottom. They are now well seasoned and work wonderfully. The 10" has a semi-permanent home on my cooktop. It's what I always use to make grilled cheese sandwiches, among other things.
You don't need to spend alot of money on a cast iron pan. The technology is very basic. Just make sure that the pans are THICK. I've seen quite a few very thin cast iron pans and they don't hold heat as well.
Lodge is a good brand but realistically they are the All Clad of the cast iron world. A 12" Lodge cast iron skillet runs about $30 at Amazon. The Bayou Classic skillet in the same size is about $13 at Amazon. In fact, you can get a set of three Bayou Classic skillets for about $40 there. Don't let the 'pre-seasoned' BS fool you. You still need to season the Lodge cookware or cook with it for quite awhile before it gets the nice smooth patina of a well seasoned pan. My Lodge 'pre-seasoned' cook top griddle was simply coated in oil. Everything still sticks to it. That's not 'seasoned'. My 10" skillet is like teflon--the center is smooth as glass from more than 20 years of use.
Permalink | Reply
Just thinking this through. If she already is a cast iron user, I would hit the antique shops and flea markets and try to find an old Griswold or Wagner skillet (caveat emptor.)
If your mom doesn't already use cast iron, I think I would look at the Lodge enamelled. It looks awesome (nice bright colors: blue, red, green and brown) and it is easy to care for -- no fooling around with seasoning and the like.
Target has on sale for $35-40 on their website.
http://www.target.com/Enamel-Coated-C...
Also make sure you get a handle cover or four -- the handles on cast iron get hot. I think that everyone forgets this...ONCE!
If buying plain/pre-seasoned cast iron, you don't have to get Lodge to get a good quality piece. That said, there is a lot of junk out there, and buying Lodge sidesteps the quality issue. Cast iron is so cheap, the premium for Lodge is really not a big deal.
The pre-seasoning is really a good thing...I don't miss having to scrub the wax off and then smoking up the whole house. Still takes a bit of use before ready to take on an egg or hash browns.
Permalink | Reply
Amazon's prices are usually good, but they're out of line on this one. Wal-Mart sells the Lodge 12" pre-seasoned skillet for about $19, and I it at Target last weekend for $20. I agree that the pre-seasoning is basically BS, but I haven't had any complaints about mine, given that I didn't expect it to behave like a pan that had been seasoned through actual use.
Permalink | Reply
The Kroger store near me also sells Lodge cast iron, rather cheaply. About the same price as the Walmart that is near me.
I don't have much experiance with any cast iron (except for some very old, unidentified cast iron that I have) but Lodge. I like Lodge so I just keep buying that if I need a piece of cast iron. That would be bare cast iron. My enalmeld cast iron is Le Creuset.
Permalink | Reply
steakrules: Meadandale's post makes the most sense (except of course mine below). LOL. I cook with cast iron almost exclusively.
Permalink | Reply
I see them at T-J Max all the time for ~$15, if you have one close by.
Permalink | Reply
Camp Chef.
'nuff said.
Permalink | Reply
They have a awesome 16" Reversible Griddle I am pinching to buy (but must wait 'til later). Camp Chef offerings seem to be a bit more expansive than Lodge.
Permalink | Reply
MikeB3542 has it exactly right. My mother had a Griswold "spider" (she called it) frypan when I was growing up in the 1940s and 1950s, and used it all the time. When our family needed one in 1980, I purchased a new Lodge griddle, read up on how to season it, and did everything I was "supposed" to do for 29 years, and the dang thing never got "right" the way my mother's old skillet was. So -- finally, and none too soon -- three months ago, I went on eBay, searched on the search terms Griswold and Erie, and scored a #9 skillet for all of $16, including shipping. Cut to the chase: the circa 1940 Griswold is simply WONDERFUL. As a result, the Lodge, underperformer for 29 years, has been banished from our household.
There is a lot of Griswold cast iron offered on eBay. There are three things to know when selecting items for bidding: (1) there are some Griswold items that are "collectibles," and collectors will bid the prices out of sight: avoid those, because they don't cook any better, they just have value as antiques; (2) a few years after Wagner of Sidney, Ohio, went out of business, the company that had acquired Wagner's assets acquired Griswold also, shut down the Griswold production in Erie, PA, and shifted production to Sidney: all "real" Griswold has the word "Erie" on the underside; (3) the magic words describing condition are "sits flat": if the eBay listing does not say "sits flat," pass on the listing and look for another one.
However, if yiou are skittish about purchasing used cookware, you might look into this skillet, http://naturalimport.com/inc/sdetail/... from the Nambu (now Morioka) area of Japan, where they have been perfecting their cast iron skills for about four centuries, and have got it very right; it is not merely cast, it is also forged.
Permalink | Reply
I agree 100% with the above poster. I love cast iron cookware, both enameled and raw: and for me there is no skillet like a Griswold skillet. They're perfection. Just follow the tips already posted since you're buying to cook with, not to be displayed as an antique.
Permalink | Reply
Politeness, what do you mean by forged, and not merely cast? As I understand it, those two terms indicate necessarily separate methods of construction.
Do you mean that it was, like the Griswolds, machined for smoothness of interior? You clearly know your stuff, I was just wondering what distinguishes this particular pan.
Permalink | Reply
dfmickley, Close your eyes and conjure the image of the village smithy standing under the spreading chestnut tree. http://longfellow.wayside.org/pdf/Vil... The smithy has a hammer in his hand that pounds the red-hot iron that he has pulled from the fire and placed atop an anvil; he is FORGING the iron to make it stronger as he also shapes it. Forging is an additional step, not inconsistent with casting, but enhancing it.
Most cast iron cookware is simply pulled from the hot furnace, and after it has cooled a bit, its sand mold is broken off and the cast iron's rough burrs may be ground off before sending it off for sale. A forged item is subjected to beating, probably in a punch and die, to shape and strengthen the metal. Speculating now, for cookware, possible benefits might be to reduce porosity to allow a thinner profile without losing structural integrity and for more uniform density throughout the piece for more even distribution of heat.
Permalink | Reply
Politeness, I appreciate the explanation. I am mostly a Cooks Illustrated lemming, but you have tweaked the inner cookware fiend that lurks within me. Also, after a brief time imagining the craftsman, in a zen-like state honing his product and his art, under a golden sun, the light refracting upon endless fields of rice - well, I was transported, lulled, and then promptly passed out, and got a good nap in. Thanks for both.
I looked at your other posts and you support three different foreign-made cast iron companies, with particular adherence to a tempura pot. I'd like to ask you two minimizing, distinctly American questions:
1. Prior to reading your posts, I was going to buy two skillets: a pre-seasoned lodge 10" and 12". I have a demeyere saute pan and saucier already, and with those four items, plus an eventual enameled CI dutch oven, I was ready to feel all secure and giddy to gallivant about the cookery world. But you have, as earlier stated, sunk my cast iron battleship.
If you were to purchase a 10" and 12" skillet from one of your sources, which would they be, and why?
2. What do you use that tempura pan for? Why do you love it so?
I will add that I harbor pacifistic tendencies and you can tantalize at will with no fear of armed robbery.
Permalink | Reply
My goodness. I have just realized that I bought my Demeyere saucier on your recommendation over on Egullet about a year ago.
Do you have an open position for an apprenticeship, cooking sensei?
Permalink | Reply
dfmickley: "I have just realized that I bought my Demeyere saucier on your recommendation over on Egullet about a year ago.."
You're telling me that I have a doppelganger?
Permalink | Reply
An error, then. A year ago, I went through a which-copper-core odyssey, and found myself reading that 40 page cookware monstrosity on Egullet, which convinced me to go with Demeyere. Someone wrote with extraordinary knowledge and facility about heat transference and mentioned that the saucier was their most-used pan, and after reading one of your posts here on Chow about the Fournier effect , and a mention of saucier love, I assumed you were the same person.
Bear in mind that this revelation came through the vague haze of last year's memories, during which I have exposed myself to endless vices, carcinogenically likely flakings from my nonstick egg skillet, and the repressed 11th grade physics memories unleashed by this recent exposure to scientific jargon, all of which have left me in a state of perpetual stupor.
Permalink | Reply
dfmickley, I wish I could bottle your writing style and market it as a cure for the blues; great stuff.
We both own a Demeyere saucier -- we use ours probably as much as any pot in our kitchen -- so we share something in common.
Our Iwachu Nambutetsu tempura pot gets very diverse uses. Unsurprisingly, my spouse makes tempura in it. Full disclosure requires that I inform you that we more often make tempura in the lower part of our Copco (Morsø) Michael Lax enameled cast iron Dutch oven. For my part, I love to make Dutch babies (German soufflé pancakes), and there simply is no better instrument in the world for the making of a Dutch baby than the Iwachu tempura pot. We also use the Iwachu tempura pot for various stews, and, occasionally, to braise a steak. It has an indestructible mirror-smooth inner surface that from the beginning was as nonstick as any seasoned cast iron. I do not know if I would call it "preseasoned," because the process to bring it to that state may have differed from traditional cast iron seasoning, but it always has been nonstick with excellent release of anything cooked on/in it. We also have a smaller edition of a Nambutetsu nabe, a little over half the size of the tempura pot, that has perfect proportions; you can see its underside (not its best angle) here: http://www.chow.com/photos/318813. It is an aesthetic marvel.
My assumption is that the Iwachu walled skillet would have similar even heating and nonstick qualities, and, were it not that we have a surfeit of skillets, I would consider the Iwachu Nambutetsu skillet at the very top of my list for skillet acquisition.
If, as you have written, you have read my other posts here, then you know that early in 2009, we ditched a Lodge "flat" (no side walls, only a lip) cast iron skillet that never got right in 29 years in favor of a Griswold Erie flat #9 skillet that we purchased via eBay. We do not regret that exchange for one minute. The circa 1940 Griswold is orders of magnitude superior to the circa 1980 Lodge. (The 1980 Lodge we gave to close friends for whom it was an upgrade from a steel skillet; they, too, feel as if they have upgraded significantly.) We use the Griswold to fry eggs; to scramble eggs, we use a small (about 8") enameled cast iron Copco Michael Lax frying pan, because we simply prefer the taste of scrambled eggs that have been made in butter, and the curved sides of the small enameled frying pan keep the butter under the eggs as they are being cooked.
Permalink | Reply
Well, stupor or no stupor, you've hooked me. Superior cooking qualities aside, I like the notion of supporting a fading artisanal breed. I spent some months in Tokyo and admired and was inspired by the lifelong adherence to craft-as-art that I was lucky enough to see.
My one concern, then, is that the natural import company website states that the diameter is 9.5 inches, which seems prohibitively small - I'm cooking for two 95% of the time, but occasionally for guests, and the 10" and 12" seemed to be the way to go. I saw that someone else bought one on amazon.jp and set about investigating sizes there, but I was unable to navigate the Kanji, being flagrantly isolationist in my lingual tendencies.
I could begin the Griswold ebay hunt to supplement the Nambutetsu, and I don't have a problem putting in the effort and money for that. When it comes to cookware, they are less tools than old friends.
I am with you on buttery eggs. (Have you ever been to Shopsin's, in New York?) I will keep an eye out for that pan on ebay. I made a strong effort to sell myself on the tempura pot, and while it could conceivably be used as a faux dutch oven(?), I have never had or made a dutch baby, and have a generally amorphous headpace when I think of potential uses.
Permalink | Reply
If you would rather skip the eBay search and don't mind paying a little extra for a Griswold, The Brooklyn Kitchen often has them in stock. The website doesn't seem to be entirely up to date, so I would call them or stop in the shop if you're in the New York area to see what is actually in stock. Usually they have more than what is on the website. Info at http://www.thebrooklynkitchen.com/ .
Permalink | Reply
Thanks, David. I'll probably make a trip of it next week. I just looked on Ebay and found a range of #10s, but hell if I can figure out whether or not the heat ring is irrelevant in the modern era of stovetops, which production period the logo corresponds to and if there is any genuine fluctuation in the quality of iron, etc. The Chowhound threads are universally pro-Griswold, but I couldn't find specifics on this stuff outside of the collector zealots.
Trusting Politeness, it seems like anything with Erie on the bottom that sits flat is a safe bet, but even so, parsing through this information from the perspective of a cook instead of a collector is borderline spiritually painful, and I may delegate it to one of those helpful Brooklynites.
Permalink | Reply
griswold has the name but also the price. i have a lot of cast iron skillets, all old ones. wagner (or wagner ware, same company, different years) are good. so are Piqua, Wapak, and a number of others. there were many, many foundries that produced fine cast iron cookware, decades ago. like the late 1800s thru the 1940s or even 50s. (two of my favorite cooking skillets are griswold small logo ones from the 50s- not collectible and half the price of the others, but man they are nice to cook on!)
also, some pans are fine but do not even have a name on the back.'
best advise is to get one as old as you can afford. make sure the ad says "sits flat" and also that the inside cooking surface is level! they leave that part out a lot. ask. have them place a small level or ruler or something in side the pan and make sure light does not show around anywhere.
Permalink | Reply
And if you have a suggestion for a pristine dutch baby in New York, or a preferred recipe I could whip up, I'm all ears.
Permalink | Reply
dfmickley: The "preferred recipe" for a Dutch baby could hardly be simpler.
4 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup flour
1/4 cup butter (½ cube) or its equivalent
[Optional: a pinch of nutmeg and a couple of drops of vanilla]
Preheat the oven (not in convection mode) to 450°.
In the following steps, the timing of your guests' readiness to eat is the most important thing, because when the Dutch baby is done, it must be consumed immediately.
Put the "butter" (we actually use about 1" to 1½" of a cube of butter, plus about 1 tablespoon peanut oil) into the Nambutetsu tempura pot and put the pot into the preheated oven to get the pot hot and the butter melted. (Depending on how fast you work, you may need to delay the next few steps to ensure that the pot reaches full heat; if you are a slow worker, then you need not delay.) Don't worry about scorching the butter; it WILL scorch.
While the pot is heating in the oven, break the eggs into a blender and whip at the blender's highest speed for 30 seconds.
Open the lid of the blender and add the milk (and optional vanilla) to the blender while it is still spinning at the highest speed that it can be set without getting stuff all over your counter.
With the blender still spinning, add the flour (and optional nutmeg) slowly to keep it from getting mashed as a lump on the sides of the blender.
Turn the blender back up to its highest speed and whip for another 30 seconds.
Without removing the Nambutetsu from the oven (just slide the rack out a bit), pour the entire contents of the blender into the melted oil at the bottom of the heated Nambutetsu, push the shelf back in, and shut the oven door. The basic idea is to minimize the length of time that the oven door is open.
Turn the oven down to 425° and bake until the top of the Dutch baby at its outer edges is really brown (the middle will be just past golden brown), about 15-20 minutes. After you have done this a few times, you will find that the smell of the baking Dutch baby gives the most accurate indication of when it is done, and saves you having to open the oven door to peek. You want to minimize the number and length of times you open the oven door.
Now, the most important part: Before you remove the Dutch baby from the oven, make sure your guests or family are present to watch it as it emerges, tall and puffy. The taste of the Dutch baby is immensely enhanced by the absorption of "ooohs" and "aahhhs". I cannot emphasize this enough.
Cut into slices and serve immediately -- really immediately -- with lemon slices (or fresh-squeezed lemon juice) and powdered sugar.
In a pinch, you can use an enameled cast iron Dutch oven (without its lid) for the baking vessel; we have done that, and it works, sort of -- but the Nambutetsu works much better.
This recipe can be scaled down to 3 eggs, and 3/4 cup each of the milk and flour, but does not scale up very well; better to make two 3-egg Dutch babies than one 6-egg Dutch baby.
Permalink | Reply
I will be attempting a Dutch Baby as soon as I can locate a suitable vessel. I hope my girlfriend, or federal authorities, never locate this post.
I emailed the owner of the Natural Import site about purchasing a larger model of the pan. Fingers crossed. If that fails, I'll just get the 9.5" - in the worst case scenario, I could present a Griswold v. Nambu comparison that should endear me to the ultra-investigative niche within the already-eclectic Chowhound cast iron niche of the cookware enthusiast niche, which I imagine will land me on Iron Chef sooner rather than later.
Permalink | Reply
Well, the Dutch Baby recipe just compelled me to buy the Nambutetsu tempura set and an additional cast iron pan from the site. I have also been surfing for Griswold pans and griddles. I would love a pan that has 100 years of seasoning (well, 100 years of the iron being smoothed to glass). I have an induction cooktop, and am looking forward to trying out these pans.
One question, I do not see here is any comment of the American Culinary Wagner polished cast iron pans. I would imagine that, although these are new and would require seasoning from scratch, the polished surface would be much better in time than starting with a Lodge pebbled surface.
Any comments?
Permalink | Reply
Waynedude: "the Dutch Baby recipe just compelled me to buy the Nambutetsu tempura set and an additional cast iron pan from the site."
There is no finer cast iron made in our era (and perhaps never was any finer in any other era) than Nambutetsu; you will not regret your purchases. And -- as I suggested a year ago -- the Iwachu tempura pot is, simply, the _perfect_ vessel for making Dutch babies.
Permalink | Reply
Add me to the list supporting the antique shop/fleas market idea. You will DEFINITELY get a better pan if its vintage. If you have an autoclean oven, stick the pan in the oven and run the full 2 pr 3 hour cleaning cycle. You'll then have a practically new pan ready to season. The LODGE brand pans are useless (to me anyway) with that rough, pebbly inside surface.
Permalink | Reply
you can crack your pan that way!!! please do not put an old, irreplaceable one thru the oven cleaner cycle! if it breaks, there goes a piece of history!!!
many other ways to clean up a pan. easy to find on the web. they do take a bit of elbow grease but soooo worth it!
i use the oven cleaner in a bag method, personally. again, easy to find instructions on the web. just type in "how to clean a cast iron skillet" or something like that.
Permalink | Reply
Whatever works for you.
Some of my iron pans are 75 years old (or older) and for close to 40 years I've been doing them in the oven cleaning cycle when necessary (mainly for newly acquired vintage pans). I have yet to ruin a pan using this method.
The oven method was recommended to me years ago and far as I'm concerned (and in my experience as well as other folks who've tried it), it's hands-down the best (and most hassle free) way to recondition an old classic cast iron pan.
Permalink | Reply
ps
when i get an old cast iron skillet, i only clean it down to bare iron if it is really, really crusty. i do not see the point in doing it otherwise, only to start the seasoning process again. i like the memories of all the generations of cooks who used it, cooking i hope with love for their families.
i prefer only to have to use an old skillet a couple of times, to kinda "refresh" the seasoning that others have done. less work and a great result, so far.
Permalink | Reply
I have two US-made Wagners that I bought in the early 80's at Zabar's that I use ALL the time, as well as two 100+-year-old Griswolds that I bought on eBay; I like them a lot because they're much lighter in weight than pans made later. I absolutely would avoid anything made in China--buy a new Lodge or head to eBay. The Japanese pan mentioned above looks very interesting but make sure it's actually manufactured in Japan rather than contracted out elsewhere (like China or Thailand).
Permalink | Reply
Even though I own--and use--a Lodge cast-iron skillet, I've also picked up a couple of flea-market Griswolds at good prices, and they're unquestionably superior to anything made today. Mine have needed a lot of scouring and re-seasoning to bring them back to life, but it was worth the trouble.
Permalink | Reply
Miss Priss, what's your technique, I've got a couple that could use some reseasoning
Permalink | Reply
Hi, chuckl--just saw your question! I don't consider myself an expert in re-seasoning, but here's what I do with rusted or crudded-up cast iron: scour our the rust or crud with steel wool, coat the pan with corn oil or Crisco, place it in a 200-degree oven for about an hour, wipe out, let cool. Then, each time I use it, I wash it with without soap, dry it, oil it lightly, heat it on the stovetop over a low flame, let it cool, and wipe it out. But there are many variations on this technique, along with other approaches altogether. This site describes some of them:
http://blackirondude.blogspot.com/
Permalink | Reply
If you live in the Northeast US, finding a Griswold or a Wagner at a garage sale is like finding Bigfoot. Us Yankees didn't use cast iron. You can try Ebay, but the cost of shipping these heavy pieces can offset any bargains and you really have to know what you're looking at. Cast iron is HEAVY whether it's vintage or brand new. Boscov's used to sell 3 cast iron skillets for $9, but now they have a set of 2 for $15. They need to be seasoned, but they're quite good. The best deal is Lodge. They are sold by Target and Walmart, among other vendors. Emeril and Paula sell enamel cast iron pieces that are made in China. The China-made stuff is made to look like LeCreuset, but believe me, it's not. I swear by Lodge pre-seasoned, naked cast iron. It's quality, well-priced, and indestructible.
Permalink | Reply
I very recently bought a 12" pre-seasoned Lodge at Marshall's for $14.00. I love that pan.
Permalink | Reply
With all due respect, the reason you can't find a Griswold or Wagner at at a garage sale is that real Yankees are too damn cheap to go out and buy over-priced new cookware when the same pieces of cast iron that our grandparents cooked with, that then was used by our parents are now being used in our kitchens.
Permalink | Reply
that paula deen cheap crap had the handles falling off, full of hot food. some even exploded in the oven.
that is why walmart took it off their shelves.
i did see it in tj maxx later. guess they bought what walmart dumped?
DO NOT BUY PAULA DEEN BARE CAST IRON.
i don't know about the quality of her enameled cast iron, but they must have not had too many lawsuits over it, since walmart is still selling it.
Permalink | Reply
I bought my no name cast iron skillet 38 years ago in a local hardware store. It has been wonderful with no problems all that time. I am not sure that for cast iron, that you need a name brand. Though I use Lodge at work.
Permalink | Reply
go for the old stuff! i don't know about emerils, but you might want to know that pauls deens bare cast iron pieces were cracking, breaking, and even exploding when heated. they were recalled.
the old griswolds, wagners, piquas, etc. are simply the best. it is not for nothing that some are a hundred years old and still good. they perform!
i would never, ever, buy any of the new made in china junk. it will not cook right. sometimes the handles fall off...
go for the gold and you will not regret it!
just make sure the inside is flat. no pooling around the edges of oil, that way.
Permalink | Reply
I have two very (100+ years) old Griswold skillets and two Wagner's that are 25 - 35 years old (I don't remember exactly when I bought them but it was some years apart at Zabar's). The Griswold are especially wonderful because they're very lightweight, quite deep, and very easy to handle but I wouldn't surrender my Wagner's pans either. If I had to buy new, I'd go with Lodge; they're still manufacturing here although I'd avoid their enameled line because it's imported from China.
Permalink | Reply
This thread is old, but yeah, I suggest going to ebay, getting the best griswold you can afford. Doens't hvae to be expensive, but the older stuff is still better than the newer stuff
Permalink | Reply
Based on best prices I could find recently, the Staub was about $30 more than a similar sized Le Creuset, so I went with the 7-1/4 qt Le Creuset. (I first got the 9 qt, but when I got it home it really seemed to big for our family of 4... I returned it and the 7-1/4 qt is a really good size for our family (we're not big on freezing whole dinner leftovers, otherwise the 9 would be good.)
Anyway, tonight was my first use of the Le Creuset French oven.... what a *JOY* to use! I made a new jambalaya recipe. The pot ransfers heat like crazy (to brown I only had to use med heat, rather than med-high), simmers very nicely, looks great on the table, and cleans up like a *BREEZE*! Wow, I should have got one a long time ago... I've been thinking of getting one for a long time, but the price is steep. Definitely seems worth it tho for many years to come!
In the future, I'd love to get a slightly smaller pot for smaller recipes.... either the 5 qt round, or the 5 qt wide (oval).
If you're thinking of your first Le Creuset... GO FOR IT!... figure out the most useful piece for you situation and get one... you won't regret the investment! :-)
Permalink | Reply
Hi all,
I had to resurrect this since I was able to do some comparison testing derived almost entirely by this thread and my recent (happy) return to cast iron cooking.
Odd that it's so difficult to find and buy a NEW decent American made cast iron skillet, it being so....American. I search Salvation Army stores, yard sales, etc. for a Wagner/Griswold; nothing. With a car-camping trip on the horizon, I broke down and bought the Lodge, with it's rough un-machined cooking surface, wondering, should I invest the time effort of seasoning, is this going to become a good pan, or should I go to ebay and pay the premium for a Wagner.
Then, I'm talking to my mom. She searches the depths of the pantry and comes up with the ol' Wagner (that I remember as a kid). I love my mom, but she couldn't-cook-her-way-out-of-a-paper-bag - and the pan is basically mint. I have no doubt she scrubbed it in the sink with soap after each infrequent use.
So of course I go right to the egg test. If you're still reading, I'll finally get to the results.
To ME anyway:
1.) They performed the same with a slight edge going to the ..... Lodge. Omlettes flip very very nicely in both but the browning on the eggs in the lodge was more appealing.
2.) It's all about temperature. If you kept the temp reasonable, there is no sticking to either.
3.) Too hot a pan, and the edge still goes to the Lodge, for ease of flipping and cleaning. Wagner prone to stick more firmly if temp got too high.
And lastly, Lodge is available to purchase. They're a going concern. I think the pan was less than $20. I feel good buying a new American made product of recent manufacture with probably very consistent iron/materials content.
Sure I might pick up a Wagner or Griswold if I come accross one, but I ground off the sharp edges of the Lodge so it feels NICE, seasoned it correctly, and I like it. A lot.
Best of luck with your choice.
Permalink | Reply
Thanks for your report. I have no problem with my Lodge and am happy to hear you have a good experience with it. That said, it sounds like your Wagner is almost brand new with probably little to no seasoning surface. Today Lodge pans came with a factory seasoning surface. It is not the greatest, but it allows the users to cook with it fresh out of the box. I wonder if this makes for the difference you observed.
Best.
Permalink | Reply
I can see how I left that impression, but I did of course season the Wagner twice. The Lodge was seasoned exactly the same way (Crisco, high temp, followed by lard when cooling). The Lodge was used a few more times (camp-out and such), so maybe the Lodge had just a bit more, but not much.
Permalink | Reply
Stuart C
Thanks. Good to know. There are certainly two camps on this cast iron cookware. One group believes the smoother surface of Wagner/Griswold deliver better results, while the other group believe it is only about the seasoning surface.
Permalink | Reply
I'm no cast iron expert but the Griswold's I've seen have a smooth surface while the Lodge has a rough surface from the sand blasting.
Permalink | Reply
My oldish (25 - 35 years old) Wagner's skillets have a much rougher surface than my very old Griswold. I can't say that one type performs better than the other and I'm very happy to learn that Lodge skillets are performing so well--they've been around a long time.
Permalink | Reply
I'm no cast iron expert either, but I don't think the surface is a result of sand blasting. Iron is typically cast in what are called sand molds. Sand is packed around a pattern and a sprue and runner are cut to allow molten metal to flow into the void left by the pattern. (This is the grosely simplified version.) The surface of the part as it comes out of the mold reflects the surface of the sand mold the iron was poured into. Better packing, finer sand, resin binder, better venting, etc. can and will affect the surface, but in most cases some sort of post mold finishing is necessary to get a relatively smooth surface and is what was probably the case with the old Griswold pans. The more post mold finishing that's done, the more expensive the article will be. Back in the day when Grandma bought that Griswold pan, people were much happier having one quality item than a lot of junk. Today, we seem to be very content with CRAP made in China, but having a lot of it. We don't want to pay for someone to finish that cast iron to the same level as that old Griswold was finished to. I've got Grandma's old Griswold frying pan and it still works fantastic, plus, I get to think about her every time it's pulled out for service.
Permalink | Reply
Back in the days, moms also passed down cookware to their daughters when they were married. By today standard, it is disgusting (for many people anyway).
Just like another post, a poster stated that no one wants tools to last lifetime anyway. Quote: "No one wants anything - knives, cars, their spouse - for a lifetime."
Permalink | Reply
Your correct mikie. Sand molds. We just had some outdoor furniture sand blasted so must have had that on my mind.
Permalink | Reply
I just saw an episode of how it's made which featured cast iron cookware. They did in fact use a type of sand blaster that shot small pellets to remove the sand as the pans came out of the sand mold. They were blasted twice after they were removed from the molds.
Permalink | Reply
No to Lodge.
Bought a 12" preseasoned Lodge frypan new a few months ago. Except, to save production costs (I called them and checked), the bottom of Lodge pans are now left as cast, pebbled, not smooth. First attempt at easy-over eggs in that abomination was a disaster. Hunted around the web, found a recommendation for 60 grit sanding, made up a mandrel system for my 3/8" hand drill with the help of the folks at Home Depot, took about 30 minutes to get an edge-to-edge surface devoid of all but the three deepest tiniest pits.
After seasoning that myself, works just fine. The seasoning itself, however, was an adventure, posted elsewhere
Permalink | Reply
NeverLift, If you tried an egg over easy in your brand new lodge skillet, disaster is to be expected. That seasoning they put on there is just to get you started and in the few new ones I have baught, the seasoning pretty much sucked. As in it flaked off and took my layers of seasoning on top of it with it.
Now that said. I have been able to cook eggs without any trouble in my new lodge pans after several layers of seasoning. And if I will cook 2 or three pons of cornbread in the skillets first, I can cook eggs as if they were in a brand spanking new teflon coated pan. I am talking so slick that I have to chase the egg around the skillet to get my spatula under it.
Don't let the roughness of the Lodge skillets scare you away. But you do have to do more seasoning that that piddly seasoning layer they put on it. With use that roughness wears away or maybe smooths out with the heat over time. I have some not so new Lodge (though they were new when I got them) cookware that is slick as glass now. But they have seen some use in the time that I have owned them. And I don't baby them. They get scrubbed often with the steel wool because I don't want to wait to soak, steam or scrub with salt to get some of the bits of food that sometimes sticks to the pan. This sometimes happens with frying meat.
I too appreciate the old cast iron, but have been disappointed in some I have found. Such as little cracks and pits that don't show up until I get it home and clean it up. Also some of them are warped and I dont' notice that until I get home either.
Permalink | Reply
This is an old thread, but I know Politeness is still around, so:
Politeness, how big is that Tempura pot? The website does not give dimensions (just 10.5" diameter). I recently purchased a no-name vintage cast iron 10" pot with a nifty tall bunt-pan shaped lid. The bottom is 8" across, and the sides are 3" high (slightly sloped out).
Is this large enough to make that Dutch Baby in? Pot is smooth - not rough like Lodge.
That recipe intrigues me because it is the same as Dutch Pancakes - spooned onto a skillet or baking pan in the oven then served drizzled with lemon juice and powdered sugar. That was my very first recipe - I still have it written down on a sheet of paper in my 4th grade handwriting!
Permalink | Reply
natschultz (five months ago): "This is an old thread, but I know Politeness is still around ..."
Not much. The script kiddies who play with the software at CBS last March 31 changed this (and other CBS boards) in a manner that made it very difficult for many of us to read and post on CBS-sponsored boards. I have to borrow my spouse's laptop in order to participate. And I am much less inclined to go to that extra trouble because of the behavior of one anonymous moderator of this board who, whenever one makes the slightest criticism of cookware made by The Brand That May Not Be Named Except In Praise, fires off a warning and threat. Those two factors create a strong disincentive to participation. You may have noted the disappearance as well of other formerly active participants on this board.
[natschultz, anent the Iwachu Nambutetsu tempura pot] "Politeness, how big is that Tempura pot? The website does not give dimensions (just 10.5" diameter)."
The Iwachu pot is 10.5" across at the rim (not including the handles); its sloping sides and rounded bottom contour make it slightly smaller at the bottom. It is 3.5" high, and sits on three small nub feet. (Despite the slight separation from the cooktop surface that the feet provide, the pot works well on induction cooktops.) I have attached a photo of the outside bottom to this message.
natschultz: "I recently purchased a no-name vintage cast iron 10" pot with a nifty tall bunt-pan shaped lid. The bottom is 8" across, and the sides are 3" high (slightly sloped out). Is this large enough to make that Dutch Baby in?"
That volume certainly is sufficiently large for the 3-egg version of the recipe. It _probably_ would suffice for the 4-egg version, also, but possibly it would be a tad small.
Permalink | Reply
I think a vintage skillet is the best value, but if I wanted a new one, I would look at Bayou Classic. Unfortunately, cast iron skillets don't wear out. Mine is at least 40 years old, and I don't expect I will ever need another.
Permalink | Reply
But surely you need another size? I rooted around in junk and antique stores to find my 4, and I use them all.
Permalink | Reply
I know this is an old thread revived but for what it is worth, swap meets are a great resource. I have been going to the Rose Bowl Flea Market in Pasadena, Ca for over 30 years. I know every major city must have a great flea market which will have a wealth of cast iron to choose from.
Permalink | Reply
Unfortunately, no. In the Midwest there are indoor flea markets, but iron skillets seem to be pretty thin on the ground, in my experience. However, I don't look that hard or that often. Someone else might know more.
In the past I've suggested talking to elderly relatives who might have unused cast iron in their houses, going unused. But this poster wants to buy a gift for her mom, so pristine older skillet or a newer skillet would seem the best way to go.
Permalink | Reply