Thread: cast iron pans

Alright, I am game... WHat kind of brands should I look for?

Originally Posted by Wintchase

Alright, I am game... WHat kind of brands should I look for?

Lodge is easiest to find. Not spectacular but it works well.

Griswold and some of the other's mentioned are better but a bit pricier.

Originally Posted by Wintchase

Alright, I am game... WHat kind of brands should I look for?

I'm not entirely sure that brands make *all* that much difference when it comes to cast iron cookware. They seem to have pretty common characteristics - at least to my decidedly non-professional eyes. IMHO the big thing is what you do with them in terms of seasoning once you have 'em.

But I am always on the lookout for Smart's pans when I hit the antique shops simply because I once did some work on the industrial history of the town where their foundry was located.

very nice collection buckeye, thanks for sharing....I have both my grandmothers collection of wagners. I just ran across two griswolds a 5 and an 8. Just got the outsides cleaned up, the 5 is seasoned just right. They are hard chromed and beautiful. I know very little about them. Do you have any pros or cons on the chromed ones?

Nothing better than a cast "arn" pan!

One of these days I gotta get some cast bread pans for baking....Mmmmm!

I'm into cast iron pans in general. I don't collect them, but I restored 2 and purchased a new one. My first is a 10" Lodge that I purchased new a few years back; it came pre-seasoned, but I seasoned it on different occasions anyway, for practice. The other 2 I purchased shortly after from a flea market. They were rusty, and the bigger one had rust caked on. It was quite an experience restoring and seasoning them; I stripped them down to the bare metal. The bigger of the 2 is a 14" Lodge; the other is an 8" pan (It does not have any markings on it, except for "5" stamped on it, but it is heavy; it was Gunsmoke Grey in color when stripped down).

I use the 8" pan most of the time, mostly for making omelettles or frying eggs.

Originally Posted by Wintchase

Alright, I am game... WHat kind of brands should I look for?

get the 10in round griddle LODGE nothing cooks eggs and pancakes better (low sides great for flipping)
also remember to let the pan warm up on the fire for a couple of min to let the metal expand and open all its pours otherwise things will stick,no soap,conola oil after each use

P.S. STAY AWAY FROM ANY BRANDS FROM CHINA!!! my dumb self got an EMRIL cast iron pan it doesn't hold a non-stick coating at all (i hate that guy anyway he should BAM! himself away)

What's "seasoning" a pan?

Originally Posted by Wintchase

What's "seasoning" a pan?

It is what protects the pan, makes it (relatively) non-stick. There are different ways to do this, but essentially you apply oil to the cast iron and cook the bejeebus out of it.

Originally Posted by Wintchase

What's "seasoning" a pan?

First you're going to need to buy a bottle of your preferred poison. Scotch or Rum are best. Winter is approaching so peppermint schnapps for grown up hot cocoa is also acceptable.

Then go check out post #18 of this thread for a good how to.
http://straightrazorpalace.com/showthread.php?p=641479