Traditionals and Cast Iron Cookware

Love seeing all of these great cooking pics! I am in the market for some new cast iron skillets myself and it is interesting to see all of the super high-priced boutique brands out there today, some I had never heard of before reading this thread. Being a bargain hunter by nature, I will probably opt for Lodge or Victoria. Or a mix of both.
 
jc57 said:
Love seeing all of these great cooking pics! I am in the market for some new cast iron skillets myself and it is interesting to see all of the super high-priced boutique brands out there today, some I had never heard of before reading this thread. Being a bargain hunter by nature, I will probably opt for Lodge or Victoria. Or a mix of both.
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Lodge is a trustworthy brand that I swear by. I will continue to recommend them.
 
jc57 said:
Love seeing all of these great cooking pics! I am in the market for some new cast iron skillets myself and it is interesting to see all of the super high-priced boutique brands out there today, some I had never heard of before reading this thread. Being a bargain hunter by nature, I will probably opt for Lodge or Victoria. Or a mix of both.
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i have owned lodge , field, stargazer, but my latest purchase was a smithey price point is high but i really like the #12 skillet plus they have a griddle that fits the skillet as a cover so it serves double duty. my other cast iron was gifted to my adult children as they wanted to start cast iron cooking. the smithey comes seasoned and ready to cook with. you can also have the bottom engraved which to me makes it a heirloom piece. JMHO
 
jc57 said:
Love seeing all of these great cooking pics! I am in the market for some new cast iron skillets myself and it is interesting to see all of the super high-priced boutique brands out there today, some I had never heard of before reading this thread. Being a bargain hunter by nature, I will probably opt for Lodge or Victoria. Or a mix of both.
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During COVID when I lost my job I turned my hobby of cast iron restoration into a business. So if you would be interested in older pieces Ill always trade for knives!
 
To keep my posts on topic, here is my one existing cast-iron skillet, no brand name, that my wife had before we got married 34 years ago.

xPIUBHb.jpg


We have generally only used it for baking cornbread, and I have occasionally used it to cook and sear steaks or hamburgers, but it rarely gets much range time. I have usually opted for the convenience of non-stick coated pans, but even the good brands eventually wear out and need replacing.

This morning I cooked bacon and eggs in it, and after cleaning it up, re-seasoned it in the oven on 450 for an hour with avocado oil (which is what I have around). This is after that.

I don't use pocket knives for cooking, but I do keep a few in the kitchen for general chores and utility. I have been using the 2022 BF forum knife recently so in the photo it went. :)
 
jc57 said:
To keep my posts on topic, here is my one existing cast-iron skillet, no brand name, that my wife had before we got married 34 years ago.

xPIUBHb.jpg


We have generally only used it for baking cornbread, and I have occasionally used it to cook and sear steaks or hamburgers, but it rarely gets much range time. I have usually opted for the convenience of non-stick coated pans, but even the good brands eventually wear out and need replacing.

This morning I cooked bacon and eggs in it, and after cleaning it up, re-seasoned it in the oven on 450 for an hour with avocado oil (which is what I have around). This is after that.

I don't use pocket knives for cooking, but I do keep a few in the kitchen for general chores and utility. I have been using the 2022 BF forum knife recently so in the photo it went. :)
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If you were curious, and with out seeing the bottom of the pan, I'd guess that was a BSR (Birmingham stove and range) century series. Not that you asked or anything.
 
Nonless said:
If you were curious, and with out seeing the bottom of the pan, I'd guess that was a BSR (Birmingham stove and range) century series. Not that you asked or anything.
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Here is the bottom.

HGCw5OI.jpg


The text says:

MADE IN USA

- and -

NO. 6
9 3/8 IN

I would agree, based on information from the Internet, that this is a late 1960's BSR Century skillet.
 
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jc57 said:
Love seeing all of these great cooking pics! I am in the market for some new cast iron skillets myself and it is interesting to see all of the super high-priced boutique brands out there today, some I had never heard of before reading this thread. Being a bargain hunter by nature, I will probably opt for Lodge or Victoria. Or a mix of both.
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I’ll join in on the Lodge guys too.
Just a suggestion, if you start with a bigger frying pan and a lid, you have a good start. You can do an egg or entire meal. With the lid you’ve got a Dutch oven of sorts to play with. Like knives, cast magically multiplies.
Every antique shop has cast, and they’ll have the old school, must have one, brands. Look long enough, you can find one they have priced reasonably.
If you like bargains..mu Dutch oven is junk, but works fine.
 
I'm another unabashed fan of lodge products. They're a bit heavy, but get the job done. I once lugged my 12 inch camp oven 7 miles into a canoe area along with a prodigious supply of meat and whatnot. All of the guys we were camping with said I was nuts, until meal time came.
 
GmpaJim said:
I’ll join in on the Lodge guys too.
Just a suggestion, if you start with a bigger frying pan and a lid, you have a good start. You can do an egg or entire meal. With the lid you’ve got a Dutch oven of sorts to play with. Like knives, cast magically multiplies.
Every antique shop has cast, and they’ll have the old school, must have one, brands. Look long enough, you can find one they have priced reasonably.
If you like bargains..mu Dutch oven is junk, but works fine.
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Well I do have a couple of enameled cast iron pieces - a Staub "La Cocotte" 24cm Dutch oven and a Le Creuset shallow fry pan. But they are enameled, inside and out, and so have a different care regimen - no seasoning for example, use wood, silcone, nylon utensils, wash in soapy water and scrub with non-abrasive brushes or pads, typical of the same care for teflon.

The Lodge stuff does look like sturdy, good quality cookware. I found an "essential set" for a good price that includes the 8" and 10.25" skillets, the 10.5" flat griddle and a few accessories (couple of scrapers, handle-cover, mat). A little over $50 shipped to me. That is less than I have paid for many traditional pocket knives, and is about 1/3rd the cost of a single skillet from the new fancy brands. I ordered it, but it is out of stock with an expected ship date of early March, so that'll give me something to look forward to.
 
Lodge is probably the best value in new manufacture cast iron. Affordable, sturdy, well cast, but heavy and a little rough. They are the perfect gateway into cast iron. If you take to cast iron cooking with lodge, your eyes will be forever opened once one finds a nice vintage Birmingham Stove and Range (BSR), older 50's-60's era Lodge, or unmarked Wagner. Each of these can be found for a comparable price to a new lodge, with smooth machined cooking surface and 1/2 the weight. Like buying anything old, it take some practice and willingness to make mistakes, but that comes with experience. I'll get some photos up if I can remember to pull the knife from my pocket when I'm cooking.

Lodge also makes a lot of non-skillet cast iron that I really like. Baking Dishes, Pizza Pans, griddles, etc. Things that either don't exist or are too expensive in vintage form. Their Camp Ovens with the legs are also great because they are available and cheaper than old ones.
 
I used the enameled Le Creuset fry pan today.

I cooked the same breakfast as yesterday - bacon and eggs. Bacon first, then cooked the eggs in the hot bacon fat.

Here it is after cleanup, with a Case Trapper posing nearby for the required knife content, though it was not involved in the food preparation, consumption, or kitchen cleanup.

A3cib91.jpg


The inside of the pan is a uniform cream color, which is the factory color. The photo makes it look like it has gradients of color from white to light brown, but that is an artifact of the lighting and reflections. It is not stained or burned. This is the glamor shot from the retailer's web site. It still looks pretty much like this:

RrSfEBN.jpg
 
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Wild Willie said:
I made the mistake of looking into smithey products because of you guys... As if I needed anything else to want to blow my money on.

Excellent looking meal Reaper AL Reaper AL .👍
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I agree the price point is on the higher side but I like that they have a griddle that doubles as a cover. Lodge is a great cast iron pan too. This is the last 12” skillet I will be purchasing and it will be passed down through the family. I am really happy as the heat seems to be very even.
 
Reaper AL said:
I agree the price point is on the higher side but I like that they have a griddle that doubles as a cover. Lodge is a great cast iron pan too. This is the last 12” skillet I will be purchasing and it will be passed down through the family. I am really happy as the heat seems to be very even.
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It's a lovely piece for sure. The price didn't scare me too much for what one gets. Anything comparable from a vintage company will set you back just as much or more, and then you don't know what whoever has had it put it through. I was really digging their carbon steel stuff too, I might try one of those at some point just to switch things up. Then again, a deep skillet that fits between my 9 inch lodge, and number 9 griswold Dutch oven could be in order too.
 
Wild Willie said:
It's a lovely piece for sure. The price didn't scare me too much for what one gets. Anything comparable from a vintage company will set you back just as much or more, and then you don't know what whoever has had it put it through. I was really digging their carbon steel stuff too, I might try one of those at some point just to switch things up. Then again, a deep skillet that fits between my 9 inch lodge, and number 9 griswold Dutch oven could be in order too.
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I have a Le Creuset enameled Dutch oven which I cook all my chuck roasts and pork roasts in and does a wonderful job of slow cooking those I have owned it for a lot of years and again the price point is on the high side but IMHO it’s was money well spent. I have never ventured down the carbon steel road. My wife loves her staub enameled 8” skillet. As with a good pocket knife I enjoy getting the patina process I also enjoy the seasoning process.
 
This morning I had some leftover potatoes from last night so I cooked some of my homemade hot sausage and peppers in the smithey added egg and cheese and baked it in the oven for breakfast. Used my moose to cut up the peppers and sausage. The seasoning is coming along nicely FE4E0019-F880-4630-87A4-25EA130DD284.jpegA714AF0D-99E8-4228-A055-728611CCB1D2.jpeg
 
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