Cast Iron Pans

[icefishman]

Where's a good place to get a set and what kind?
I'm cookin breakfast and I'm sick of this t fal junk!

[Iceman05]

Kohl's or Williams and Sanoma.

[hardwater diehard]

Lodge makes some good cast iron pots and pans ..my local Gander stocks them ..pre seasoned is the way to go. The best ones are the older ones ...yard sales...garage sales ...grand ma's house etc.

[kevs]

Be careful buying used cast iron pans since you don't know what they might have been used for. We had bought one at a yard sell that when we used it (after cleaning) it smelled like paint and gave food a bad taste. Gander Mount has good prices and selection.

[er-e-is]

Lodge is good.

Lodge
https://www.lodgemfg.com › mobile

[DanaM]

To me Lodge is garbage, they have a unfinished surface, go on ebay and get a an older Griswold or Erie, well worth the money, bet you can buy a nice skillet for less than$50, cheap when you consider they will last several lifetimes.

[OldSailor]

Nothing wrong with Lodge!!! Go to Walmart (or somewhere similar) and buy Lodge!  I'm frying potatoes for breakfast in a small one right now! Be careful how you treat them and they will last forever!! I never use soap on mine, just hot water and a scrub brush! Put it on a hot burner with a bit of cooking oil (canola) and brush with an old boar bristle brush and let set for a bit, then turn off!! I seldom have anything stick to my pans anymore!! Cooking with cast iron is a bit more involved than non-stick, but worth it in the end!! Just don't be in a hurry! Save the non-stick for those times! Been cooking with cast iron for over 50 years and have ant least a half dozen fry pans, skillets, grill pans, etc. Enjoy!!! Time to check the taters!!!

P.S. Keep a hot pad handy!! Don't ask me how I figured that out!!!

[jackhollio]

Lodge is a good US Made brand.
Available at most farm and fleet or Fleet Farm stores.
Used ones are 2-3 bucks at thrift sales.
 

[Rags777]

lodge is available at our local wal mart, good selection! check out the camping section that's where I picked mine up at

[Greenhornet73]

I have a cast iron made by Emeril and have been using it for 8 years and it works as well as any old one I ever used.  I use it on the stove, bbq grill and open fire pit and still looks new with no rust.  It was a wedding gift so I don't know how much they cost but at least I can tell you it is a quality pan.

[1moslab]

Love my cast iron .no soap like oldsailor said ,hot water and metal ball scrapers.most of the time I can just wipe out and done.lodge seem okay but my main one is old and experienced ,usually need to turn down more than regular pan for desired temp.

[Wind Flag]

If you choose to buy new, make sure its american made. One of the benefits of cast iron is that it actually leeched very small amounts of iron into your food. Thats good for you. American regulations mean that the iron is pure. Most of the brands out there today are made in China, which mean you'll probably run into a lot of impurities, mainly lead.

Lodge is the only mainstream company left thats made in America. You can find the occasional skillets online that will be ok, but probably not in your average store.

Your best bet is to go to antique stores or ebay and find older Griswolds or Wagners. As long as they're not warped, cracked, or pitted, you can bring any piece back to mint condition, no matter how bad they look. Just takes some work.

[Bearsfan]

Go ceramic, I'm very impressed. Wife got a set for Christmas, I love coooking on them.

[RedShantyMi]

Lehmans in Dalton Ohio. They cater to the Amish. They have a great store, and it's not  far from you. Check out their website.

[hardwater diehard]

Some coarse kosher salt along with a nylon brush lil H2O for those stubborn brunt on messes . NO SOAP

Warm up you BBQ every once in a while to refurbish to original ....pork fat rules ...or crisco

[OldSailor]

Whichever one you decide to go with, 'google' cast iron pans/cast iron pan maintenance and start reading!! The reason I recommended Lodge is because they are American made and have fantastic customer service should you need it! They told me that the non-stick capability increases with use. My eggs stuck at first and now they don't!  You just need to be patient and enjoy the experience!! I seldom find the need for more than medium heat! Enjoy!!! 

[joshd]

As noted the US made Lodges seem pretty good quality but I use my Grandparents old Wagners that were handed down.

Just took my light one to Upper red to heat water for coffee, cook chili and breakfast. I have even taken it to BWCA to cook Lake Trout.

Check Craigslist locally as well.

[bootstrap]

I keep all mine in the trunk of my car helps for winter traction. No, I bought these from an estate and sold most of them on ebay. The guy had almost 60 pieces. I have 10-12 that I have kept over the years. nothing better.

[Ice Scratcher]

We have always used cast iron at the lake, my whole life, breakfast always seemed to taste better at the cottage, I just figured it was just that everything is better at the lake...

Fast forward, two years ago I bought my wife a Lodge.. The goodness is on the cast iron ...

Love how bacon and eggs taste from cast iron.. Give the pan a chance, they are a little sticky for the first five uses or so..

If you can't buy American, you should move to where it came  from then, it should be even cheaper there!

<°)))>{

[Whitecloud]

Most of the comments are spot on and yes the older cast iron(think Griswold and Wagnerware from Gramma's basement/attic) is the best. If you just want to get started, go with Lodge as others have said. It's the only one made in the USA and as far as I know, every piece is preseasoned. New pieces see a little bit of dishwater and a good hot rinse and then heated on the stove to dry it out. Coat it inside and out with olive oil, crisco, coconut oil, etc., cool and wipe it out until needed. Cleaning is almost as simple...boil about 1/4" of water with a splash of oil in it, use a semi-stiff bristle brush to clean, dump it and wipe with a paper towel.
My recommendation is to get the Lodge 12" skillet. It's going to run about $20 to $25 and is the best size all around.
If you haven't used cast iron before, check out youtube and there will be more info than you can use.

[mattthehairy]

I love lodge stuff. We have a few different pieces from them. The only one I wouldn't recommend is the wok it's way too heavy and thick.

[OldSailor]

Welcome Whitecloud! How about putting your location in your profile please!!!

[Adkrs]

I use lodge. No complaints

[UFCreel]

As has been said before. Griswold or Wagner are the very best. That said I also use Lodge.

[Adkrs]

Just curious. What's the benefit of "higher quality" cast iron? Seasons better? More slippery? Heats evenly?  Genuinely curious. Love cooking with this stuff. Only my wok is stainless. Everything else is accomplished with a Dutch oven, skillet or sauce pan.

[Ice Scratcher]

Just curious. What's the benefit of "higher quality" cast iron? Seasons better? More slippery? Heats evenly?  Genuinely curious. Love cooking with this stuff. Only my wok is stainless. Everything else is accomplished with a Dutch oven, skillet or sauce pan.

Cast iron is just that, cast, there is a crystal structure and porosity can be a factor.. Low quality casting leads to a more porus surface, which may or may not be smoother.. I.e. smooth metal does not always equal a quality metal blend..

<°)))>{

[bootstrap]

lodge made an outdoor series with pics of fish deer ducks etc on them. but usually they are not cheap to buy.

[EatenByLimestone]

My lodge was too rough for it to be non stick.  I was able to fix this with my sander and worked it down to 220 grit.  Now it's every bit as good as the old Wagners that were handed down. 

[mattthehairy]

My lodge was too rough for it to be non stick.  I was able to fix this with my sander and worked it down to 220 grit.  Now it's every bit as good as the old Wagners that were handed down.

Our pans became more nonstick with use as natural seasoning built up. The dutch oven less so than the skillet.

[uncleshorty]

I sewer by Lodge.  Even though they are advertised as already seasoned I ALWAYS season a new one before use.

It's simple. 

Place an over rack in the middle of your oven.  place another rack lower than the first.  Heat the oven to 350 deg F.  Pour a couple tablespoons of vegetable oil into the skillet or pot and slosh it around with a paper towel, making sure the sides, rim and bottom of the unit are well covered.  Pour out the residual oil.  Place a sheet pan lined with parchment paper on the low rack to catch the oil drippings.  Turn the skillet/pot bottom side up and place over the sheet pan onto the middle rack.  After 1 hour turn off the oven and let everything in place to cool.

Result?  A perfectly seasoned utensil that will last your great children a lifetime, if proper care is taken.

Don't worry about the machine marks in the bottom of any Lodge.  After you season and use the unit for a week they will disappear under the polymerized oil.

Easy peasy...