Traditionals and Cast Iron Cookware

Ps I just looked on the website and see Lodge has opened a retail store in Charlotte (near Bass Pro Shops of all places!) I can see me making a stop on my next trip to Charlotte (probably next Spring). Enjoy that steak and eggs Wild Willie Wild Willie - we did steak on the grill last night. I did make blueberry pancakes in my Lodge 12" skillet for breakfast - last box of Aunt Jemima! OH
 
Old Hunter said:
Ps I just looked on the website and see Lodge has opened a retail store in Charlotte (near Bass Pro Shops of all places!) I can see me making a stop on my next trip to Charlotte (probably next Spring). Enjoy that steak and eggs Wild Willie Wild Willie - we did steak on the grill last night. I did make blueberry pancakes in my Lodge 12" skillet for breakfast - last box of Aunt Jemima! OH
Click to expand...


Thanks buddy, I most certainly will. Hopefully your pancakes were tasty as well. Maybe I'll throw some of those together too...
 
Old Hunter said:
Familiar with Lodge as its readily available, get emails from Field but have never seen a piece in person and never heard of Stargazer (until just now). I like to handle something before I buy but I may just order a stovetop Dutch Oven from the new Lodge line. My only Dutch oven has feet for use in a campfire. Sure enjoy seeing all these new photos Dave, Big fatty, and Duane. I was thinking of making pancakes for breakfast when I went to bed - now its going to be a sure thing! OH
Click to expand...

I have a few Lodge skillets and a griddle. Heres the 2 Stargazers that I have with a Texas jack and a Camillus 72.

CE951BAB-BDA4-41FF-B878-1C50406C6B78.jpeg
 
I looked at those stargazer skillets yesterday... As if I didn't have enough to try and save for. :rolleyes: I'm thinking a number 10 is in my future. They definitely aren't cheap, but when you consider that you're looking at a beyond lifetime investment the cost of ownership is pretty low... Especially when one looks at what we spend on knives. I for one know I probably use a pan more than a pocket knife.
 
Wild Willie said:
I looked at those stargazer skillets yesterday... As if I didn't have enough to try and save for. :rolleyes: I'm thinking a number 10 is in my future. They definitely aren't cheap, but when you consider that you're looking at a beyond lifetime investment the cost of ownership is pretty low... Especially when one looks at what we spend on knives. I for one know I probably use a pan more than a pocket knife.
Click to expand...

Grab a Field Company skillet instead. DrJ already has the Stargazer skillets covered, we need firsthand reports on the other artisanal CI companies. ;)
 
First of all let me say, I love cast iron! :thumbsup: It is what I learned to cook on and what I have always come back to over the years.

I have also checked out the Stargazer, Field and the newer line from Lodge, but with the price they are asking and the ready availability of pots, skillets and ovens of older manufactures I'm stickin with the cast iron that I know will preform the way it should.
On all of these websites they talk about trying to reach the level that the old cast iron have. So for me it's a no brainer!
I'm not putting down any of the new manufactures but I find no comparison between a Lodge (original line) and a Wagner or Griswold.
I do hope that the new companies continue to experiment and try to reach the level of the older cast iron! But to me it seems like something has been lost in the process, just like we still don't know how and can't duplicate the way Damascus was originally made. Something is lost.

Here is a #9 Griswold Griddle that always goes to Rendezvous or any large gathering.
I assume it is called a #9 because this griddle is 9" X 21"
IMG_2880.jpg
IMG_2889.jpg IMG_2890.jpg
IMG_2891.jpg

Dave
 
Me too Dave. I don't have any CI that was handed down to me, but I have been fortunate enough to pick up some good old Griswold and Wagners at fair prices. For those that aren't so lucky, Field and the newer companies are a viable alternative. How much money would you spend on gas going to flea markets, garage sales, and antique shops hunting vintage CI, if you can even find some? And how much is your time worth? From a cost-benefits viewpoint, the contemporary offerings are a very good choice.
 
kamagong said:
Me too Dave. I don't have any CI that was handed down to me, but I have been fortunate enough to pick up some good old Griswold and Wagners at fair prices. For those that aren't so lucky, Field and the newer companies are a viable alternative. How much money would you spend on gas going to flea markets, garage sales, and antique shops hunting vintage CI, if you can even find some? And how much is your time worth? From a cost-benefits viewpoint, the contemporary offerings are a very good choice.
Click to expand...

I agree! :)
But just like anything else on the planet..... just go to the big auction site, there's plenty of all different kinds! ;)

Dave
 
True. But with the new companies you are assured of getting a new product, in factory fresh condition. No worries about cracks, heat damage, or stripping a pan and re-seasoning.
 
knowtracks said:
First of all let me say, I love cast iron! :thumbsup: It is what I learned to cook on and what I have always come back to over the years.

I have also checked out the Stargazer, Field and the newer line from Lodge, but with the price they are asking and the ready availability of pots, skillets and ovens of older manufactures I'm stickin with the cast iron that I know will preform the way it should.
On all of these websites they talk about trying to reach the level that the old cast iron have. So for me it's a no brainer!
I'm not putting down any of the new manufactures but I find no comparison between a Lodge (original line) and a Wagner or Griswold.
I do hope that the new companies continue to experiment and try to reach the level of the older cast iron! But to me it seems like something has been lost in the process, just like we still don't know how and can't duplicate the way Damascus was originally made. Something is lost.

Here is a #9 Griswold Griddle that always goes to Rendezvous or any large gathering.
I assume it is called a #9 because this griddle is 9" X 21"
View attachment 1474268
View attachment 1474269 View attachment 1474272
View attachment 1474274

Dave
Click to expand...

That is a most beautiful griddle...
I too learned to cook on cast iron. My grandad still has an impressive collection. Mine is mostly new manufacture lodge, which does just fine, but my favorite is an old Griswold number 6 skillet that I bought at the county fair about 7 years ago. There's definitely some sort of magic in those older castings. I remember a thread here somewhere about butcher steels and how metallurgy changed after the beginning of the atomic age... Who knows? I thought it sounded weird, but maybe someone who's into such things can weigh in...
 
The difference is mostly in the casting process. Older pans were cast using fine casting sand, newer pans are made in reusable molds. The sand cast pans were thinner, and most were finely machined after being cast. Pans made more recently were just cleaned up and left with a rougher open grain surface. This started changing in the 1950s or so.
 
Most manufacturers simply stopped machining cast iron pans after WW ll. Lodge is still using hand packed sand for casting. A new Lodge can be easily smoothed up and stripped with a sanding disc and then re seasoned. It doesn't need to be polished smooth - just knock down all of the high spots. The seasoning the factory uses is terrible and the surface is too porous. To buy a smooth machined pan today will cost you some serious money but that pan will be an absolute joy to use once properly seasoned. I just finished seasoning 3 cheap skillets that I ground down for a friend tonight. I have a big propane burner in my garage I use for wok cooking. I apply a very thin coat of peanut oil to the now smooth cast iron and heat it until it turns brown. As soon as you see smoke back the heat down and keep it right on the verge of smoking. Re oil and repeat until it is a dark root beer color. Fried eggs slide around even better than on greased Teflon and cleanup takes 30 seconds under hot tap water. No toxic chemicals in your food and food cooked on cast iron is SO much better than cheap coated pans. Cornbread. Skillet toast. Taters. Pancakes. Grilled ham and cheese. Grandma knew, yes she did.
 
Last edited:
I can honestly say I haven't had a problem with lodge, after re-seasoning anyway, I agree that the factory season leaves something to be desired. I've started using lard or tallow to season my pans with and I must say that the results are far better than I've had with any vegetable oil. The coarser finish on the lodge pans winds up smoothing out after a bunch of seasonings (at least in my experience), and since I plan on passing my accumulated cookware to my children*, I should be good.

*Aged 7 and 2
 
In the Days of Olde everyone knew how to season a new cast iron skillet. Every family had a detailed method that worked through the ages. After WW ll that knowledge started to become lost like so many other things that "everybody" knew. Seasoning cast iron is simple. You put a very light coat of vegetable oil (any kind works fine) and heat it until it goes through a process known as "polymerization" where it changes from a liquid into a solid. Don't let it burn until it turns to charcoal. When you build it up in layers it acts just like Teflon but it has no nasty chemicals in it - just pure vegetable oil. If damaged it can be easily repaired. "Old stuff is better". - Steve McQueen
 
Last edited:
I was born in Erie, Pa and lived 25 miles away for 52 years...... Erie was always an "Iron City"...... There were numerous cast iron works scattered around the city.....
The famous Reed vises, Holland vises, Griswold cookware, and so forth.....

Sadly the majority of those facilities are long gone along with the knowledge needed to create a quality product...... I have used Griswold and Lodge with good success...... The seasoning is carbon deposited on the surface of the utensil..... Acidic recipes will attack it...... High temperature will destroy it...... Properly applied and maintained it will last for years...... I have a small skillet inherited from my MIL many years ago and the coating is still intact...... Good cast iron is a wonderful addition to any place where enjoying nicely cooked food is the goal....
 
Last edited:
drail said:
Old cast iron pans are just like old knives. Use that stuff cause it'll make your world a better place to live in. Grandpa knew..... be Grandpa.
Click to expand...
Like your thinking. The old quote " Dad Knows A Lot, But Grand Dad Knows Every Thing ".:thumbsup:;)
Do not want to start an argument, but would like to hear opinions on what can be a contentious issue. What are the thoughts of using butter in Cast Iron cooking.:eek::rolleyes:. My forebears always used butter or lard, but there are those who say never use butter when cooking with Cast Iron.:)
 
cudgee said:
Like your thinking. The old quote " Dad Knows A Lot, But Grand Dad Knows Every Thing ".:thumbsup:;)
Do not want to start an argument, but would like to hear opinions on what can be a contentious issue. What are the thoughts of using butter in Cast Iron cooking.:eek::rolleyes:. My forebears always used butter or lard, but there are those who say never use butter when cooking with Cast Iron.:)
Click to expand...

I use butter to make rue, lard or tallow get the not for frying or seasoning due to the higher flash point. I used to use canola oil, but since I don't even know what a canola is, much less how one oils it I stopped. We buy whole beeves and hogs between the family for the freezers, so I have the butcher save the leaf fat so I can render all of our cooking oil.
 
cudgee said:
Like your thinking. The old quote " Dad Knows A Lot, But Grand Dad Knows Every Thing ".:thumbsup:;)
Do not want to start an argument, but would like to hear opinions on what can be a contentious issue. What are the thoughts of using butter in Cast Iron cooking.:eek::rolleyes:. My forebears always used butter or lard, but there are those who say never use butter when cooking with Cast Iron.:)
Click to expand...

I haven't had any issues when cooking with butter in CI........ But I personally wouldn't use butter to season CI........I've always used a cooking oil to season CI........
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top