Cast Iron

RacerX

Professional Knucklehead; aka Jeffncs / RacerX
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I'm liking to replace my cast iron cooking equipment for camping and home use. I have a 10" flat skillet, but want to replace some old cast iron cookware that disappeared at some point.

Thinking about a 12" pan, a 10" pan, lids, maybe a square pan for corn bread. Going with modern Lodge as it's made on our soil still and reasonably priced.

Any other pieces I can't live without? Just looking for basics and don't think I'd use a Dutch oven...our will I???

Thanks for the opinions.
Jeff
 
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We have a cast iron hoarder on here that knows this type of cookware inside out. @Geezer

I love all of my cast iron and enjoy cooking with it.
 
Sounds like you have the basics covered. I am thinking you may want to end this up with a Lodge enameled pot with a lid at some point for stuff with acidic contents. Just a thought.
 
Sounds like you have the basics covered. I am thinking you may want to end this up with a Lodge enameled pot with a lid at some point for stuff with acidic contents. Just a thought.

^^^^^ This^^^^^^^^^^^

Good point sir.
 
Lots of things you can do with an enamel Dutch, it is my got to pot for oven and stove top stews, soup, casseroles, sauces etc.

Recently got my wife a Lodge Wok, she seems to really like it. Great Chinese food out of it and she is only getting warmed up.
 
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Try to get the old stuff if you can. The new stuff, even Lodge is pretty rough compared to the old cast iron. It can be ground/sanded out though. If you're looking a lid I picked up a couple at Academy. They carry a decent selection of lodge pans, dutch ovens, and lids in different sizes. Beats cabelas

That said, my buddy has a cabelas credit card that he puts everything on and we now have a set of Lodge enameled cast iron pots and dutch ovens and they are nice. If they discolor and you can't stand it, boil some water and baking soda and it usually loosens it up. It doesn't bother us when we cook for the families.

Agrisuppy does have their own line of enameled cookware but I have yet to try it out. I do have a standard cast iron grill sized griddle (I sanded smooth the cooking surface, it was a bit too rough) and a dutch oven I use for frying fish.
 
I have a couple old Griswolds from my Grandma’s kitchen but the only piece that is used is her cake pan. We use factory seconds from the Lodge Store east of Knoxville that are mostly just a blemish that can be corrected with the right touch and it is way cheaper but you have to be there at the right time because people snatch those deals up quick. Also at any yard sale that one thing to watch for. Good cast iron can be reworked and brought back to life most of the time.
 
I ain't gone lie, if I buy new cast iron, I sand smooth any surface that touches the food. Including lodge. They just don't make em like they use to when they milled 'em out.
 
You'll pay a little more but try to find some Griswald, Wagner, or even older Lodge. The older stuff was a lot smoother than current Lodge products. I found a griddle that was pretty rough and I used a paint stripping wheel chucked into a drill and with it and doing some hand sanding, I got it pretty smooth. I seasoned it again and have used it a lot cooking bacon and making smash burgers.
 
Why does making it smooth matter? Also if its enamled does that mean it doesnt get seasoned like regular cast iron? I have a lodge skillet and dutch oven ive had ten years and love seeing the character its gotten and the places i remember cooking in it.
 
Why does making it smooth matter? Also if its enamled does that mean it doesnt get seasoned like regular cast iron? I have a lodge skillet and dutch oven ive had ten years and love seeing the character its gotten and the places i remember cooking in it.
Would like to know these things also.
 
I have no experience with enamled cast iron, just bare. Smoother makes it easier to season and makes a slicker surface to prevent sticking. The new Lodge cast iron is pretty porous but can be smoothed up by use over time. If you can run across an old Griswald or Wagner, you'll see what I mean.
 
Geezer is probably better at answering this than I am, but here goes what I know from using cast iron.

First the enameled question - you absolutely do not season enameled cast iron. A regular cast iron pan is uncoated, and the iron is porous, which is why "season" a pan in the first place. When you coat the pan with enamel, the pores are covered and it doesn't have to be "seasoned".

Second the smooth question - one of the holy grails of cast iron is a completely nonstick cooking surface. The smoother the surface the less likely food is to stick. Old cast iron made 50 to 100 years ago was milled instead of being cast. Casting leaves the cooking surface much more rough. All cast iron today is cast unless you buy a really expensive brand that might cost $100 to $200 a pan. Using your cast iron over time will naturally "sand" or smooth the cooking surface, it's just quicker to sand it to start with.

Hope this helps
 
Thanks for the info from all, so of course that leads to more questions.....

Of you had a cast pan or dutch oven like I do for 10 years or so amd seasoned etc, would you still think it should be stripped and sanded?

What do you sand these with when you buy them? Wet sanding or something?
 
Thanks for the info from all, so of course that leads to more questions.....

Of you had a cast pan or dutch oven like I do for 10 years or so amd seasoned etc, would you still think it should be stripped and sanded?

What do you sand these with when you buy them? Wet sanding or something?
No, if you have one that is well used and seasoned there is no need to erase 10 years of seasoning. You can speed up the process on newer cast iron by sanding/smoothing it up. But, you cannot replace the seasoning of years of use.

On my rough griddle I used a solid paint stripping wheel and a drill. Then hand sanded with different grit paper. I did not it get it smooth as glass, I just smoothed it up and it felt smoother to the touch. The seasoning and regular use will do the rest.
 
No, if you have one that is well used and seasoned there is no need to erase 10 years of seasoning. You can speed up the process on newer cast iron by sanding/smoothing it up. But, you cannot replace the seasoning of years of use.

On my rough griddle I used a solid paint stripping wheel and a drill. Then hand sanded with different grit paper. I did not it get it smooth as glass, I just smoothed it up and it felt smoother to the touch. The seasoning and regular use will do the rest.
What ^^^ he said.

You can run your hand across new cast iron and feel the "texture" or pebbled surface. If you feel your ten year pan and have used it regularly it should feel much smoother than a new one.
 
I'm liking to replace my cast iron cooking equipment for camping and home use. I have a 10" flat skillet, but want to replace some old cast iron cookware that disappeared at some point.

Thinking about a 12" pan, a 10" pan, lids, maybe a square pan for corn bread. Going with modern Lodge as it's made on our soil still and reasonably priced.

Any other pieces I can't live without? Just looking for basics and don't think I'd use a Dutch oven...our will I???

Thanks for the opinions.
Jeff

A dutch oven is great for baking breads like this.



I am a big fan of Staub enameled cast Iron. It is expensive but it will last a lifetime and is beautiful. They are not enameled on the cooking surface like Le Creuset or the Lodge versions. They can be put in a 500 degree oven. I have 2 sizes and use them often.

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staub-cast-iron-round-cocotte-c.jpg


For standard pans current Lodge are solid and serviceable but as others have stated if you can find older cast Iron you will see the difference. The other option is smaller makers like Smithey Iron Ware in Charleston, SC. https://smitheyironware.com


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To me the question is are you buying a pan that you will use for the rest of your life or something that you neglect and abuse and get rid of in a few years. I personally love to buy things for the long haul and will pay upfront. The pans from people like Smithey can become family cooking heirlooms which can be passed on when your cooking days are over.

I know a lot of people who search yard sales, thrift shops & even Ebay for older pans because they can be brought back to life if abused and will generally be of better quality than todays pans. I have never had much sucess doing this with cast iron but I don't go "sailing" often enough to find the gems.
 
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Thank you gentlemen. Now if I could ask one last question, what exactly does the seasoning process do? I know the oil seals out moisture from rusting but always wondered why its such a sought after thing to build the seasoning profile?
 
You can go to Google and get the scientific answer. I don't understand it, either, too many big words. The end result is what you're looking for, a smooth and stick free surface.
Here is Griswald Dutch Oven and skillet that belong to a friend. He uses the skillet almost daily and the Dutch Oven quite a bit. They look like they've been painted.

fm1.png fm2.png
 
I use an old 8" Wagner more than anything else. I've got several 8" pans at home and at our mountain place. Sometimes having multiple samller pans is more useful than having one big pan. I have kids and sometimes I cook different things for them and for me and my wife at dinner. Plus if you are making side dishes small pans are nice.

A dutch oven or two is very handy. I have one, but would like a bigger one at some point.

As to seasoning and brand I agree with old if you can find it. I do have a couple newer Cabelas pieces that sucked when new. I sanded them down to bare metal. Seasoned about 5 times. And now they are pretty much bacon or burger pans at the cabin. They are getting darker and smoother as time goes on. It is a process. Don't expect a new pan to perform like an old Griswold or Wagner after a quick sanding or a seasoning.
 
You can go to Google and get the scientific answer. I don't understand it, either, too many big words. The end result is what you're looking for, a smooth and stick free surface.
Here is Griswald Dutch Oven and skillet that belong to a friend. He uses the skillet almost daily and the Dutch Oven quite a bit. They look like they've been painted.

View attachment 24091 View attachment 24092
Purdy...
 
The oils you used to cook with will turn to carbon which becomes your non stick surface. The carbon builds up over time. This is why you never put in a dishwasher or cook very acidic foods in seasoned cast iron.

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I am not trying to be short in my response, but try you tube/google. There is everything you will ever need to know about cast iron cookery. I love cooking with cast iron. I have all I need and them some from my Grandparents. Good old stuff!
 
Read both articles and it seems as though I been doing everything they say so I guess Im a cast iron pro :) . Good thread good info thanks.
 
Read both articles and it seems as though I been doing everything they say so I guess Im a cast iron pro :) . Good thread good info thanks.
Now, we'll need to see some pictures of your cast iron cooks.
 
Oh man I definitely dont cook up food in cast like some of the boys on this site. Now if were talkin smoker and bbq, ill be in the game. :)
We like pictures of food, prepared any way you wish.
 
I just caught up with the exchanges on my own thread...thank you to all for the great questions and for the informative answers. My budget for new is Lodge, but I'm handy so buying used may afford the option of owning higher quality at the cost of a little extra work which I don't mind.

Thanks!
Jeff
 
Almost all of my cast iron has come from small antique stores or private sales. I only have a couple of new pieces from when we first started getting back into it. I scored big on Facebook a while back. Flat griddle, 10" pan, 8" meat searing pan, 1 qt pot with lid, and 2 qt pot with lid for $40. I almost felt bad. Been looking for pots for 3 years. None of it is big name. We have a Birmingham stove pan that is great. I call it utilitarian cast iron. It's the stuff you used to be able to find in a hardware store or something similar. As long as the surface is nice, and the price is right, I'll buy it. Some of the Griswold stuff is incredibly pricey. I just want to cook on it, not collect it.
 
If I can figure out how to post a pic from my phone I can show how mine worked out during the hurricane the other week lol. Uggh...
 
That's easy.... see the 3 options in the area where you type for posting that say "Post Reply", "Upload a File", "More Options..." ? Click the "Upload File", then select the pic from you photo gallery on your phone.
 
I may need a Dutch oven to bake some of that amazing looking bread!!!
 
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