The cast iron thread

[fastpakr]

My impression is that the Lodge brand is consistently decent for the price.

 

[snoranger]

You guys are killing me... now I wish I wouldn't have sold off my collection.

If any of you were going to buy new cast iron... what brand would it be. I will continue to watch for old stuff... but around here they get a definite premium for the old stuff.

You don’t need a whole collection... you can just keep it reasonable.
I only own 4. 2 that I keep in the kitchen (one is a rather large 15”), the other 2 are packed away with my camping stuff... so I really only have the 2 kitchen ones.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

My impression is that the Lodge brand is consistently decent for the price.

 

[Shran]

Agreed... Lodge. Cheap, good quality, readily available. I think a 10" or 12" skillet will do the vast majority of what you'd need it for and maybe a dutch oven. I only use a couple of mine regularly... the rest is just handy in certain situations.

I think you need to hit up the yard sales. I see cast iron all. the. time. and cheap. Old unmarked, smooth bottom pieces are very common.

 

[8thTon]

How well do the rough finished skillets work if you don't grind them out? I've never really given it a try. Is the idea to get so much stuff gunked in the pores that it's effectively smooth anyway, or does it just not matter?

I do agree that Lodge had a fairly fine and consistent finish, even if it wasn't smooth.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

How well do the rough finished skillets work if you don't grind them out? I've never really given it a try. Is the idea to get so much stuff gunked in the pores that it's effectively smooth anyway, or does it just not matter?

I do agree that Lodge had a fairly fine and consistent finish, even if it wasn't smooth.

It isn't as smooth as the old stuff (which probably didn't start out as smooth as it is today) but it is generally a lot smoother than the chinese stuff on the shelf beside it.

 

[8thTon]

It isn't as smooth as the old stuff (which probably didn't start out as smooth as it is today) but it is generally a lot smoother than the chinese stuff on the shelf beside it.

I think the old Wagner stuff was ground out from new, as even the sides are smooth. But that Victoria was quite rough, and not really flat either. When grinding it I found various pockets and high spots too.

 

[fastpakr]

I've had no real issues with the finish on Lodge products even without grinding. At some point I'll grind one down for comparison, but it hasn't been necessary.

 

[Shran]

Almost all of my skillets that were made pre "made in USA" labelling (sometime in the 50's) were ground smooth when they were made. Lodge, Griswold, Wagner, BS&A, all smooth and in fact I have one little Lodge that you can see the swirl grinding marks from their stone on the bottom. It actually looks really cool, I'll have to dig it out and post a pic.

I much prefer pieces that are ground smooth but I don't think it's necessary. Rough finish takes longer to build up layers of seasoning, though.

 

[Roert42]

I found this 8" Wagner under a pile of what use to be a shed, in the back of my property, looking online seems to be 1935-1956 era. Very thick rust, cleaned it up and seasoned it with some bacon grease last weekend.

Hard to see in the picture because of the grease from the bacon, but the bottom is super heavily pitted from the rust. No problems with anything sticking to it though.

I think this will end up in the toolbox with the camping stuff, replace the clapped out teflon pan that's back there.

 

[snoranger]

I found this 8" Wagner under a pile of what use to be a shed, in the back of my property, looking online seems to be 1935-1956 era. Very thick rust, cleaned it up and seasoned it with some bacon grease last weekend.

Hard to see in the picture because of the grease from the bacon, but the bottom is super heavily pitted from the rust. No problems with anything sticking to it though.

I think this will end up in the toolbox with the camping stuff, replace the clapped out teflon pan that's back there.

In my non-expert opinion...
It’s not the pitting that’s the issue, it’s the sharp, jagged peaks on a freshly cast pan that creates hot spots. Things stick to hot spots.
In my rust expert opinion..
Cleaned up rust leaves smooth peaks and valleys... that’s much different from a new pan.

 

[ericbphoto]

I sanded my new thrift shop pan the other day. Seasoned twice with Cisco. I made grilled cheese sandwiches the other night and this morning, the first eggs and bacon test.

On my other non-sanded pans, I sometimes have trouble with eggs sticking immediately after cooking bacon or sausage. Not today. I have never known the power and performance of a properly "ported and polished" cast iron pan. But I do now. My other pans will receive that treatment in the near future.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I have iron!

 

[snoranger]

I have iron!

Nice, but do you pronounce it “I-Ron” or “I-Ern”? I recently heard someone pronounce it “I-Ron”... That was just strange.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I’ern.