Originally Posted by
ZipZop
Aloha!
What a great thread. I'm a cast iron devotee. I have a decent collection of Lodge, and a nice collection of La Cruset enameled for cooking acidic foods like tomato sauce. I would not be without them.
I have had an issue with a fairly recent purchases of a Lodge skillet (2 years ago) where the pre-seasoning flaked off on me in spots, even with proper care, cleaning, and use. But overall, I've been extremely happy with Lodge. And I have no complaints about La Cruset when you need enameled cast iron cookware. I bought a complete La Cruset set in 1989 and still use it today with absolutely no issues. I paid $189 back then for a complete set and thought that was an awful lot of money. Now, I see some stores are charging up to $400 for just the dutch oven. Wow. I'm glad I invested in the set when I did. As a young man, I'm surprised I invested in a set back in the late 80s, but I'm glad I did.
Lodge seems reasonable in today's prices for the quality that you get. Unfortunately, I have no children to pass my cookware on down to. As you gents know, this stuff will last many lifetimes if properly used and cared for.
Gotta' love cast iron.
Mahalo!