Cast Iron Pans, good brands?

[Butcher]

Im looking for cast iron pans and want to know what some good brands are. I checked out walmart and they had lodge logic pans and didn't like the interior surface, it seemed pretty rough.

 

[wolfstar]

Lodge

 

[beyonder74]

Lodge are the only ones I have been able to get a good season on. I have tried other brands and they never seem to season up good. Even the Lodge Logic pre-seasoned need to be seasoned some more. Crisco is your friend!

 

[Airplanedoc]

Griswold and Wagner

Honestly go get one at a second hand store, flea market etc they can be re-seasoned pretty easily and are a lot cheaper

 

[mb82]

Lodge is the best you can get in the store.

 

[malty_sam]

Griswold and Wagner

Honestly go get one at a second hand store, flea market etc they can be re-seasoned pretty easily and are a lot cheaper

Best advice for sure.

Wagner & Griswold are two old makers. Cooking surface is as smooth as a baby's butt. In those days you could pay some a dollar a day to smooth out the casting.


lodge is pretty much it now..

 

[Homercidal]

I have never thought about buying a new one. I have seen many at yard sales and planned on buying a couple and sandblasting them fresh and new and re-seasoning them myself. There is a DIY sandblast shop near my MIL that would probably charge $5 each for the amount of time it would take to blast one of them.

 

[FTG-05]

Im looking for cast iron pans and want to know what some good brands are. I checked out walmart and they had lodge logic pans and didn't like the interior surface, it seemed pretty rough.

Lodge is good, but as you say, the cooking surface is rough.

If you buy new Lodge, just take some 120-240 sandpaper and lightly sand the cooking surface until you have *about* 50% smooth (or bright) surface. Don't overdo it, you're just trying to knock the high spots off. Then season it, then start cooking bacon or sausage (or both!) in it.

Old Lodge, Griswald or Wagner cookware is great, but can be expensive.

I wouldn't buy or use chinese cast iron if you paid me.

Good luck.

 

[RmikeVT]

Gotta find an old Griswald.
Even covered in rust you can restore.
Scour Rust with wire brush and drill or dremel tool.
Soak in Lye -- research this as its dangerous
Than Season with an Oil that has a low smoke point -- research this as its a technique involving lots of then layers of oil and baking.

 

[chefcurt]

I found an entire set of Wagner Griswald ( 4 sizes) 20 years ago at a garage sale. Paid three dollars for all four.

 

[deputyandy]

I have lodge logic skillet and dutch oven. Sanding it down would have been a good idea but I really like using them. It's really nice not to have to out pans in the dishwasher.

 

[Cregar]

I have multiple Lodge pan's and that is all I cook with.

 

[onthekeg]

I picked up 3 Griswald pans at a farm auction the other day for 20 dollars.
I'm going to sand them and season them with lard in the oven. They were rusty from being in an old barn.

 

[TyTanium]

Stainless steel spatula with a flat blade. Essential, IMO. The plastic ones leave bumps & such.

I have a cheapo Lodge pan that was rough, but now after a few months and scraping every time with stainless, I can fry an egg like it's on an ice rink. I'll never go back to nonstick.

Griswold and Wagner are the best, but I've had excellent results with Lodge. Can't beat the convenience of Amazon.

 

[cheezydemon3]

Goodwill or yardsale special.

It is, after all, cast iron.

Not just the name, but the ingredient list as well.

I have a HUGE goddamned Cracker barrell skillet that I love, but not because it is from cracker barrel. Somebody else bought it, and I don't turn it over to read the brand while I am cooking.

 

[OldWorld]

Lodge Cookware stinks...They said they would honor the guarantee on my pan after sending photos of a cracked pan. They never sent anything. Sidney and Griswold are best.
My 1900's sidney pan is awesome...Go on ebay...pay up to 20-50$ a pan. If it looks heavily rusted and bubbly then pass on it.

I agree Sidney is awesome...Vintage cast iron was made much better than the new stuff...Lodge pans don't hold a seasoning worth a continental.

 

[OldWorld]

One more thing...if you do buy a new lodge pan don't season it in the oven or you will smoke up the entire house...Do it on the weber...

slather it in fat of bacon or crisco...and build a good fire...let it sit upside down on the grill.

Sidney and Griswold are not expensive when you consider how well it takes a seasoning and how well it works. 40$ for a vintage cast pan that works is better than lodge junk...

Pre seasoned lodge pans are seasoned poorly. Do it five or six times. Good luck.

 

[Pumbaa]

Lodge is great but ya cant go wrong with a OLD set from a estate sale . . . I have 2 pans from my grandmother that are 100+ years old and they are the greatest things on earth

 

[gratus fermentatio]

I've got a Wagner skillet. Bought it new about 20-25 years ago, at Sears of all places; nice & smooth inside. Takes a bit to season, but once done, it performs very well. I mostly use it for eggs, pancakes & stir-fry, but it works like a champ & has for many years. Have a look here:
http://www.wagnerware.com/ProductDetail.asp?Filter=PL&PCat=1&PLine=4&Prod=94&PSub=38
Regards, GF.

 

[shoreman]

Le Crueset if you can afford them - lifetime guarantee. It's all I use in my kitchen besides a cast iron frypan I got in vt at a used place that is really old

 

[govner1]

+1 on the Le Creuset. We use them almost daily. Great for braising & the grill pan is outstanding when you can't/don't want to fire up the charcoal grill.

 

[cheezydemon3]

CORNBREAD........

sorry, thought someone said cast iron?

 

[FTG-05]

I've got an old cast iron skillet right now going through electrolysis to get rid of years of caked on crud, mostly on the bottom.

I'm using a medium sized Rubbermaid container, a 6 amp manual battery charger and a half cup of A&H washing soda. I use a 5/16" carriage bolt through the handle of the skillet (negative electrode) and the same through a piece of steel plate (positive elctrode). After one day, the bottom was totally clean after a little minor scrubbing. The working side is in work right now.

I'll let it sit overnight, then clean it up tomorrow afternoon and then season it a couple times before my wife gets back home on Friday PM.

Thing is, I can't remember where we got this piece - clueless!

 

[Zuljin]

I've 2 or 3 Lodge pans. Pretty sure the pot is too. No problems.

 

[jsguitar]

I like my Lodge too. Works great. It's my go to pan for eggs, bacon, pancakes ect. Have an enamel Le Creuset pot for stews, chili, ect. Great pot, a little heavy when trying to scrape stuff out of it though.

 

[Subsailor]

I inherited 2 cast iron skillets from my grandma and they are still the best things for cornbread and most of my cooking. I like a straight flat steel spatula when I cook in them. My wife bought me a couple of the newer Lodge's but they aint as smooth or as good as these ancient one from my grandma. They seem lighter and for lack of a better word, less durable.
My Daughter likes the Le Creuset but I aint never used them.

 

[mikescooling]

lodge is good, I like the older stuff to. I think the key is using the pan a lot and keeping it out of the hands of those who don't know the rules of cast Iron care. It sucks to find your best pan you cook most food on, in the dish washer, all rusted up.

 

[petie]

The old ones are the best. Just don't ever put them in hot soapy water. Wipe them out with a rag and let em go.

 

[bobbrews]

Know what you buy... some of these "cast iron" pans are actually "black steel or carbon steel". Each has their advantages/disadvantages.

 

[passedpawn]

What's the allure with a cast iron skillet? No offense guys, just wondering what I'm missing. I use a large skillet from AllClad that has to be the greatest piece of cookware.