Castiron Cookwear

T

Turner

Joined
Aug 21, 2007
Messages
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What brand of new castiron cookware is worth buying? I have seen this new nickle coated castiron, holy smokes that stuff is spendy. Thanks for the help.
 
Here is some at good prices, I have actually met the bloke who runs this site and he is the real deal and has had many expeditions in Africa etc actually testing the products he sells. The only problem is that he's based in the UK !!!
http://www.unbeatentracks.com/pots.htm
 
I like the Wagner and Lodge stuff, made in the USA. That is if they're still around.

For nicer kitchen use, the French Le Creuset is very nice. It's cast iron with an enamel coating. Heavy and durable. Cooks very much like cast iron, but the enamel is nearly stick-proof.
http://www.lecreuset.com/usa/products/guide.php?brand_id=1

Someone else posted (years ago) about some high-end stuff supposed to be better than Le Creuset, but I haven't tried it personally and can't even remember what it's called. Anyone?
 
We have bought Lodge cast iron cook ware for the past ten years and replaced all the real old pieces we had. My wife really likes the Lodge line that is preseasoned...
 
I have not seen the nickle coated ones yet. I was inexperienced when I bought mine and bought Stanport, While it is not a bad brand it is on the bottem end of the scale. If I had it to do again I would have bought Lodge pre seasoned cookware. The link above looks interesting also
 
Nothing wrong with Lodge and the pre-seasoned stuff they have works pretty darn well too. No need to go the high dollar route, for $100 or so you can hook a kitchen up with 3-5 quality cast iron pieces. Plus, they're made right here in the USA. Check amazon, they sell the Lodge line. and with free shipping too, iirc.
 
I would recomend the Lodge stuff like others here have. I have several of their pieces and it is good stuff.
I picked up the book "Cast Iron for Dummies" at the library and it has a lot of good information on the care/cleaning of cast iron. It also has a lot of recipies in it. On thing that I found interesting is that the author recomended buying only USA made cast iron cookware. Said that on some of the imports you're not sure what they melted down to make the pans. You might be cooking breakfast in a pan made from an old engine block:eek:.

Bruceter
 
The only cast iron I would recommend are those that are spun and mirrored finished. The new Lodge that I have seen at Gander Mountain is way too porous IMO. There is lots of old Griswold and Wagner cookware out there on the secondary market that just need a little cleaning and seasoning. With a little flea market hunting you can get the real deal for pennies on the dollar.
 
I have seen some of that cast iron that looks porus, does seasoning take care of that?

Thanks for the infromation on this
 
I have seen some of that cast iron that looks porus, does seasoning take care of that?
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The newer Lodge stuff is rather pourous, more than it used to be anyway. It's really no big deal though; it will season quickly just by cooking with it. You can jump-start the seasoning process by adding cooking oil and heating the cast iron in the oven. I would avoid using much soap or cooking strong flavors (fish for example) until the cast iron gets a good coating.
 
Turner said:
I have seen some of that cast iron that looks porus, does seasoning take care of that?

Thanks for the infromation on this
Click to expand...

Initial seasoning will not, but over time a carbon build up will help to close the pores. A porous surface also makes cleaning much more difficult. Some of our cast iron is 50+ years old and handed down from relatives, you can't beat that heat treating that only time on the stove or in the oven can give you.
 
I cook with cast iron every day, using skillets, dutch ovens, and corn stick pans some of them date back to before the 1920's and some are brand new Lodge. The new Lodges cook great, and more than hold their own against the old Griswalds and Wagners. If your are looking for new cast iron, I feel that Lodge is the best value. Joe
 
Lodge of Pittsburg, Tennessee.

Wagner and Griswold are out of business. Unless you find one of those for sale by someone who does NOT know what he/she has, they'll cost you a bundle of $$$.

I've been "cookin' Dutch" for more than 50 years, and have six Dutch ovens. Four are Lodge, one is Century (another USA cast iron company now out of business), and one that is over 150 years old (unknown mfg.), passed down through my family.

The more you use them, the better they get. I think that the 12" preseasoned DEEP (8 quart) Lodge D.O. is the best all around D.O. out there. If I were limited to only one, that'd be the one for me. :thumbup:

JMHO.

L.W.
 
Nothing wrong with the Lodge brand. Thats all we use at our house and camping too.
 
Finding old cast iron is a good way to go, but you will have to be patient and it can take some time. I have been looking for stuff for years.

With that said, if you are going to buy new, Lodge is a great way to go. I have some that is really old and really new and have no issues with any of it.

I have also had good luck with the preseasoned stuff. It works good out of the box, and just keeps getting better with time. It saves you from having to smoke up the house if you don't want to.

Cooking in general is one of my hobbies. I have some very expensive pans for cooking indoors. There is not a single one that I would keep over a good piece of cast iron. In my opinion, it is the best there is, and I would stay from plated stuff, or any other way the manufacturer found to make the stuff more expensive. Plain cast iron is durable, and works great.

I also like Lodge for outdoor cooking as well. I do a lot of dutch oven stuff, and large lip on their lids is great. The lid has enough curve too it, but not too much that using it as a skillet isn't difficult either.

I have personally had bad experiences (and know many other that have too) that saved a few bucks buying cast iron that was made it china. In general, it was thinner, not consistent thickness, and did not heat very evenly. In the end, it gets thrown away, and that is not a way to save money.

Brian
 
Last year my wife brought me home a 10" cast skillet from a garage sale. Well seasoned and cared for. She paid 75 cents for it. I'm not up on brand names but the bottom is marked Wagner Ware Sydney. Very nice pan and you couldn't beat the price. I use it almost every day.
 
At this point IIRC Lodge is the only made in USA brand and it certainly is the best .All others I think are China made. The best oil to use for curing is soy oil. You are actually forming a polymer with the oil.
 
Straight metal is all we use. Cast iron or stainless. I buy antique cast iron and give it new life.

10 yrs ago I found one camping cleaned it up and its fine.

Skam
 
mete said:
At this point IIRC Lodge is the only made in USA brand a
Click to expand...

MACA dutch ovens are still made in the US. I have heard excellent things about them, but have no first hand experience with them. They are not sold in this region at all. I may have to consider a special order of one to try it out for comparison.

Brian
 
I use Lodge brand almost exclusively and cook in cast iron for almost everything except my carbon steel wok. A little trick that I do is sand the inside of the pan before seasoning. How much you sand is up to you but if you want to take the time to polish to a mirror and then season, IMO it is the best cooking pan you can buy, period. Chris
 
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