Cast Iron Beckerheads, Sound Off!

And then there's Kent. Looks like Lodge has made a move in the right direction.
I held off on jumping on a normal sized skillet because I don't cook as much as I might like. I spose I ought to keep a weather eye for old iron on the used market though.
 
Last edited:
Has anyone tried Stargazer Cast Iron? I want their 12" skillet, but haven't heard any independent reviews.
What with my silly collection of Griswold, I don't strictly NEED one, but the prices on vintage stuff plus the cleanup work, puts things smack into the Stargazer price range, if you account for it all.
 
Found this at a thrift shop for $10, I recognized the brand but am still a little unsure how desirable it is; it’s got almost no rust and isn’t warped.

Still don’t have any idea how to refurb an old cast iron, though.

MaAuT5K.jpg


hhNv2X3.jpg
 
daizee said:
Has anyone tried Stargazer Cast Iron? I want their 12" skillet, but haven't heard any independent reviews.
What with my silly collection of Griswold, I don't strictly NEED one, but the prices on vintage stuff plus the cleanup work, puts things smack into the Stargazer price range, if you account for it all.
Click to expand...
Well, not myself. But, I know of someone who has. :D
~~~
KingMC said:
Found this at a thrift shop for $10, I recognized the brand but am still a little unsure how desirable it is; it’s got almost no rust and isn’t warped.

Still don’t have any idea how to refurb an old cast iron, though.
Click to expand...
Well, I might know someone who does! ;)
Best cast iron trilogy, part one;
...
 
KingMC said:
Found this at a thrift shop for $10, I recognized the brand but am still a little unsure how desirable it is; it’s got almost no rust and isn’t warped.

Still don’t have any idea how to refurb an old cast iron, though.
Click to expand...

VERY desireable. That's the most common size Griswold I've ever purchased - 4 that I can think of offhand. And it's probably the most useful size. GREAT find, they're running upwards of $70 in that condition these days.

Scrub it good with some steel wool to get all the loose stuff off, inside and out. Wash out any rust with soap and water until there's no more rust coming off. Then you can start seasoning it with some coconut oil or butter. seasoning is basically burning oil into the surface.

Great pan you've got there. Remember to always use plenty of lube.
 
I just spent some quality time cleaning the reversible griddle. No before pictures, but it had a gooey, built up mess that needed to vanish. Here it is before going into the oven with a new start at seasoning.
d0LI5WB.jpg

Got it as good as I need it too be for now, 98.7% improvement!
LYtbzeA.jpg

To be continued...
 
I am so glad I found this thread! My wife and I(mostly me) are addicted to cast iron. With the exception of some stainless steel sauce pans, cast iron is all we cook with in our home and at camp. For home use, I have a set of 4 really nice Griswold skillets of varying size. Outdoors or at the cabin, my set of Lodge skillets and dutch overs get the most use. I dont consider myself a cast iron collector because everything I own I use. I wont buy a piece unless I am going to use it. At the moment we have 4 Griswold skillets and probably 20 Lodge pieces. The Lodge collection consists of skillets, dutch ovens, and a griddle for camp use, bread, wedge, biscuit, and muffin pans for home, an Aebleskiver for some interesting deserts, and a few other miscellaneous pieces I cant think of at the moment.

I love watching Kent Rollins and a few others on youtube talk about cast iron, but there are some things that people always seem to get wrong when talking about standard, new production Lodge items. The black coating is not synthetic. If it flakes off into your food, it wont hurt you. It is a vegetable oil they spray and bake on. It is not meant to be the end of seasoning. It is meant to be a natural rust preventative during shipping and the beginning seasoning layer. The rough texture on the surface is not a result of the coating. It is the result of the sand molds they use to cast the iron piece. The reason the skillets are so affordable is because Lodge doesn't take all the time to mill or grind a smooth surface on their items. This seems to be a bee in some peoples bonnets. Some absolutely hate it, some have no issue with it what so ever. I am in the second camp. While I do prefer the smooth surface of an old Griswold or Wagner, I have been using Lodge for years and have skillets that let an egg slide around just as easily as my smooth Griswolds. Its all about how much time you take to learn a new tool. Temperature of the skillet, of the oil, and of the food all play into how any cast iron works. For the money, the value of a standard, new Lodge skillet can not be beat.

I cant wait to go camping this year. Over the years my wife and I have become the offical camp cooks because we have all the cool gear. Nothing brings friends together like camp cooking!
pp79ymW.jpg

7qHZgN7.jpg
 
Last edited:
KingMC said:
Found this at a thrift shop for $10, I recognized the brand but am still a little unsure how desirable it is; it’s got almost no rust and isn’t warped.

Still don’t have any idea how to refurb an old cast iron, though.
Click to expand...

Nice find! I got my first Griswold skillets on the cheap because others thought they were too far gone. I cleaned them up and they are in like new condition under all that caked on junk.

Ask 100 people how to clean cast iron and you will likely get as many different answers to that question. Truth be told there are many ways to clean cast iron. Hot soapy water and steel wool. Baking in the over at a high temp. Tossing it on the grill for a few hours. Bury it in a bed of embers from a hot fire. They all have their place. Yours isn't that bad so hot soapy water and steel wool should be more than adequate. What ever you choose, be sure to dry it off completely, oil that puppy up, and put it back on the stove for a bit. That ensures its dried out and makes the oil love that iron just a little more. Just a thin coat of oil to wet the surface will do. Too much and you build up a sticky layer. So wipe out any puddles before adding the heat. When it comes to seasoning the iron, there is no substitute for actual use. Bacon and eggs is my go to meal for seasoning a new skillet. If sticking occurs, just scrape it out with a steel spatula and keep on trucking. It gets better with every use.
 
Last edited:
We do pack heavy when truck camping, but we stay for 5-6 days at a time with a group of 6-10 people. This was a great camp ground right on the Shenandoah River, near Luray, VA. You have to pull your truck into the parking lot at the top of the hill and then walk all your gear down to the campsite one or two hundred yards down to the river. We bought a small heavy duty wagon to help us pack all the gear down there. Man, I'm ready to go back!
 
MTB said:
We do pack heavy when truck camping, but we stay for 5-6 days at a time with a group of 6-10 people. This was a great camp ground right on the Shenandoah River, near Luray, VA. You have to pull your truck into the parking lot at the top of the hill and then walk all your gear down to the campsite one or two hundred yards down to the river. We bought a small heavy duty wagon to help us pack all the gear down there. Man, I'm ready to go back!
Click to expand...
Sounds Great and well worth the effort :thumbsup::thumbsup: ;)
 
I just found a No. 6 Griswold skillet for a reasonable amount,
73CIvgL.jpg

I thought I wold never get hold of one for the price most people want!
SBPCvqB.jpg

So, I stripped it industrial clean, and took a sander to it with 220 then 320 grit. Warshed it out and started back at the seasonin'.
1VEgE1x.jpg

The difference between a Griswold and a Lodge in the finish, is obviously at the sand grain size level.
gwMAgTf.jpg

But more than that, it is much lighter, I am going to like using this one. :)
 
Last edited:
tanglediver said:
I just found a No. 6 Griswold skillet for a reasonable amount,
73CIvgL.jpg

I thought I wold never get hold of one for the price most people want!
SBPCvqB.jpg

So, I stripped it industrial clean, and took a sander to it with 220 then 320 grit. Warshed it out and started back at the seasonin'.
1VEgE1x.jpg

The difference between a Griswold and a Lodge in the finish, is obviously at the sand grain size level.
gwMAgTf.jpg

But more than that, it is much lighter, I am going to like using this one. :)
Click to expand...
Nice Find :thumbsup: I been keeping my eye open they aren't easy to find at reasonable prices.
 
tanglediver said:
I just found a No. 6 Griswold skillet for a reasonable amount,
I thought I wold never get hold of one for the price most people want!
Click to expand...

Congratulations! Thats an awesome find!
Yeah, the price some people are asking and sadly paying is ridiculous. Then again Im not a collector. Im just a user, so my "whats it worth" level is much lower than a collector's.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top