Cast Iron Skillets

[Marinevet1]

So, I am done with my wife's stainless skillets, as well as the French enamel coated cast iron.

Out of all the modern cast iron, and there a lot of them.........who has the best, and why.....?

Let me know what you have.

 

[DarnYankeeUSMC]

And we're off.....

I have mainly the lodge brand. Several are from the 60's and 70's. I found them at yard sales and such. I like the older ones better but I have a couple new ones.

 

[cdeiglmeier]

Definitely interested in this as well

 

[Sean the Nailer]

Go to Lehman's for the best selection AND prices.

Remember, "Cast Iron" is one of the earth's oldest trades/commodities and there's a lot of money in fashion.

You don't have to pay a lot, to get a very decent pan/pot/dutch-oven.

Oldest one in our selection here, is a "Griswold" that used to be my grandmother's. Oh, does it ever cook well/nice. We've shit-canned the 'teflon' years ago. Only have stainless for our big stock/broth/canning pots. Up to 5 gallon with a heavy base.

 

[OldSalty]

IDK, we have several...some must be over 50 years old and belonged to my wifes grandmother. They are black as coal and you can tell they been heavily used.

They are nice for sure and we use them quite frequently.

Happy hunting.

 

[Maser]

Don't forget to properly season them.

 

[The DFC]

I find old ones all the time at flea markets and 2nd hand shops etc-that sort of thing.

 

[johnnycat]

Don't forget to properly season them.

Is it possible to buy one that has not been seasoned these days? Last time I went shopping all i saw were pres-seasoned.

I guess I have only looked for Lodge but we love our cast iron - skillets and pots. I'm thinking about getting a cast iron griddle

 

[Tokay444]

I don't know what mine is, but I use it more than any other pan.
When it needs some TLC, I throw it in the oven on the self cleaning cycle and it comes out stripped bare. I can then season it from scratch again.

 

[CMH]

The best cast iron is not modern at all. Best stuff is smooth finish vintage. Griswold, early Lodge, Wagner, Favorite, Volrath, Martin. New shit with sand grain casting is worthless to cook in.

 

[CountryShooter]

Here's one like my favorite griddle. Called a skillet griddle. Mine's a Griswold, from the 30's.

 

[OldSalty]

The best cast iron is not modern at all. Best stuff is smooth finish vintage. Griswold, early Lodge, Wagner, Favorite, Volrath, Martin. New shit with sand grain casting is worthless to cook in.

This is true. The good ones are smooth like black glass...

 

[sirhrmechanic]

I have a ton (almost literally), but never buy modern or new. Flea markets, antique shops... even eBay. Get old stuff. Clean it up.

There are more shapes, sizes and uses than you can count. And if you buy old stuff and clean it up, you can get stuff for super cheap.

Nothing is as good as cast iron for cooking!

Cheers,

Sirhr

 

[sirhrmechanic]

The best cast iron is not modern at all. Best stuff is smooth finish vintage. Griswold, early Lodge, Wagner, Favorite, Volrath, Martin. New shit with sand grain casting is worthless to cook in.

^^^ THIS!!!

Never buy new.

Cheers,

Sirhr

 

[CMH]

I have a ton of cleaned up vintage stuff if you are looking for something in particular, drop me a line.

 

[10ring'r]

I remember back in the day, when I was a young lad. My ol' man, would never wash his. He would wipe them out, but, never thoroughly clean them. When camping/hunting season was done, then he'd clean them up and then wipe a coating of lard/bacon grease on them, to keep them from rusting. Don't know if this is still the case or not. I have one, but, don't use it too much anymore. The wife uses it more than I do and she just uses it, to hit me with. Mac

 

[shoot4fun]

The blacker a cast iron skillet is the better it cooks.
Many years ago, when my son was young, he liked going to deer camp. It didn't matter if it was hunting season it was just out in the country where the tractors and other machinery were close at hand. He talked his mom into taking him once for an overnight stay. She is not a camper nor a cook. Of that the whole world is certain. One of our camp mates is the designated cook and he has quite a bit of flea-market cast iron. The ex decides the skillet is dirty (he always kept it wiped down with a thin coat of lard) so the throws it in the DISHWASHER.
That was 25 years ago and that one still gets bantered around the camp every season.
BTW, ain't nuttin' better than cornbread made in a well seasoned cast iron skillet!

 

[MosesTheTank]

We have quite a few, the majority of which are Lodge. The old ones are better quality. For the price point, Lodge is the best. However, to get the best out them you will need a few wire wheels and either a strong drill or an angle grinder. Newer Lodge skillets are quite porous and the finish they come with is not all that great. Breakout that grinder and some wire wheels and go to town. All the way to town, until it shines and is smooth. Don't just do the cooking surface. Get the whole pan and it will be much easier to clean. It is not likely you will get all the pits out so don't sweat it. My stopping point is defined by the amount of time I happen to have. 90 continuous minutes should get you there.

If you don't mind spending some money Butter Pat industries are nice and Finix are very nice. I have both but there are others that are similar and of great quality. These are also more aesthetically appealing than Lodge. But if I'm honest with myself I don't think we get better performance than a well burnished and seasoned Lodge.

As for the French cast iron, and we have a few (LeCreuset), they are great if you work within the one limitation I have seen and that is they do not stand up to high heat very well. Things like Pittsburgh steaks are kind of hard on them.

Finally, as @Maser said, keep them well seasoned and take care of them after each use. This is key to enjoying them for longer periods between seasoning.

 

[OldSalty]

I remember back in the day, when I was a young lad. My ol' man, would never wash his. He would wipe them out, but, never thoroughly clean them. When camping/hunting season was done, then he'd clean them up and then wipe a coating of lard/bacon grease on them, to keep them from rusting. Don't know if this is still the case or not. I have one, but, don't use it too much anymore. The wife uses it more than I do and she just uses it, to hit me with. Mac

You never, ever, scrub a cast iron. And yes, you want to put a small amount of oil on them when you put them up.

 

[DarnYankeeUSMC]

Let that skillet or any cast iron cookware cool down before getting it close to a sink.

 

[Maggot]

The best cast iron is not modern at all. Best stuff is smooth finish vintage. Griswold, early Lodge, Wagner, Favorite, Volrath, Martin. New shit with sand grain casting is worthless to cook in.

This^^^

The smoother the better, the blacker the better.

Theres nothing wrong with a high quality Stainless, especially if its got a copper bottom, but nothing like good CI.

 

[OldSalty]

The one I posted above is wagner. All the ones we have are wagner. TBH, I never checked but they all have "wagner ware" marks on the bottom.

 

[MCHOG]

A good place to find really nice (i.e. really old) cast iron skillets at next to nothing is Goodwill. Lots of folks donating old cast iron with no idea how valuable it is. When I was on the hunt for some, I'd stop at the one near my home every time I wasn't in a rush to get somewhere. It took less than a minute each time. Over the course of a year or so, I gathered a nice collection for probably a total of $30.

 

[Sean the Nailer]

A good place to find really nice (i.e. really old) cast iron skillets at next to nothing is Goodwill. Lots of folks donating old cast iron with no idea how valuable it is. When I was on the hunt for some, I'd stop at the one near my home every time I wasn't in a rush to get somewhere. It took less than a minute each time. Over the course of a year or so, I gathered a nice collection for probably a total of $30.

This is good advice. On the odd occation, we'll go to the Sally Ann (Salvation Army Outlet) where they have some goods for sale.

The other option (around here) primarily though, is a 'private business' that takes donations and re-sells them for a profit. Long ago, it was called Value Village when they had good deals (as described above) but then the owner go greedy and now the place is known as V-V Boutique.

And people keep giving/dropping off whatever they clean out of folks homes.... the owner of the shop takes the 'good stuff' and sells it on egay/kijicootchi then sells whatever's left for "a goodly sum". Really gotta watch your prices.

 

[BigTex]

I have a collection of antique Griswolds and BSR and a 10" Stargazer. They are the best. The modern Stargazer is every bit as nice as the old Griswolds.

 

[Buckley]

Bought quite a few pieces of vintage Favorite and Wagner off of Craig’s List. The advantage over eBay is that you can arrange to view and handle before you purchase. Check that the bottom is not warped or cracked, the surface isn’t excessively pitted... . After cooking with good cast iron you will never regret the purchase. Our pre-1935 Favorite 8F is used daily.

 

[Kir]

I only have my mother's cast iron skillets that she used in the 1950's...They still work great though! Have no idea what brand, three different sizes.

 

[Dta1]

Great grandmas cast irons and a few we found at garage sales— season regularly in the oven.

we Still use stainless for stuff like scallops and fish when you don’t want to introduce other flavors.

 

[10ring'r]

You never, ever, scrub a cast iron. And yes, you want to put a small amount of oil on them when you put them up.

View attachment 7309433

I will guarantee you, the one we used for deer/elk camp, NEVER looked that clean! LoL! Mac

 

[diverdon]

Smithy.com has a website that makes it look like they are doing it right.

 

[DarnYankeeUSMC]

There's a couple places on the web that have very good info for the markings on the bottoms for brand and age.

I only have my mother's cast iron skillets that she used in the 1950's...They still work great though! Have no idea what brand, three different sizes.

Obviously they are quite old. My wife has one from her great grandma from around 1900. We also have a very large pot that was used for rendering down remnants after hog slaughter from back in the early part of the 1900's.

 

[DarnYankeeUSMC]

Here's a pic of that large pot. Sometimes I tie the dog to it for exercise. He'll drag it around the yard. He's about 70 pounds and I think the pot weighs about the same.

 

[flashhole]

New Lodge are hit or miss. The coating is awful. If you want to remove the coating cook up a can of peaches with the juice of a fresh lemon. The coating comes right off. Then you can see if the pan is tight grained or porus and season accordingly. I have some old Benjamin Medwin that I like a lot. They have a very uniformly thick bottom.

 

[flashhole]

Dude you need to rescue that big pot.

 

[OldSalty]

I will guarantee you, the one we used for deer/elk camp, NEVER looked that clean! LoL! Mac

Thats my wife because I am much more sloppy.

 

[DarnYankeeUSMC]

Dude you need to rescue that big pot.

It's okay. Once he tires out the pot goes back to it's place and he gets a treat and a rest on the porch.

 

[Mostshooter]

For a modern skillet I would look at the Stargazer. You can get them seasoned or bare iron, also the longer handle is nice to have. You can get vintage cast iron cheaper if you do a little searching, just make sure they sit flat and don't have any cracks or bad pitting. As far as cleaning back down to bare iron look into a lye bath or electrolysis. Never just throw into a fire or use the self cleaning cycle in the oven. You can ruin a great skillet.

 

[ken4570tc in WY]

Here's a pic of that large pot. Sometimes I tie the dog to it for exercise. He'll drag it around the yard. He's about 70 pounds and I think the pot weighs about the same.
View attachment 7309530

Can't tell, is the dog eyeing the bovine to put in the pot or the bovine eyeing the dog and thinking about becoming an omnivore?

 

[DarnYankeeUSMC]

Can't tell, is the dog eyeing the bovine to put in the pot or the bovine eyeing the dog and thinking about becoming an omnivore?

He's just hoping that the cow left him a pie to roll around in.

 

[SD Carpenter]

Look at Lodge, american made, cheap, and they work. We just switched to all cast iron a few months ago.

 

[CountryShooter]

New Lodge are hit or miss. The coating is awful. If you want to remove the coating cook up a can of peaches with the juice of a fresh lemon. The coating comes right off. Then you can see if the pan is tight grained or porus and season accordingly. I have some old Benjamin Medwin that I like a lot. They have a very uniformly thick bottom.

To remove old seasoning I leave the pan in the oven during the self cleaning cycle. Upside down. Gets hot enough to turn all the old gunk to ash. You will have completely bare cast iron. Oil quickly or it will rust quickly. Begin the seasoning process of your choice.

Warning- I've heard that you can crack a pan this way. I've done it numerous times without issue. You'll see this recommend and argued against on the cast iron forums.

 

[BigTex]

To remove old seasoning I leave the pan in the oven during the self cleaning cycle. Upside down. Gets hot enough to turn all the old gunk to ash. You will have completely bare cast iron. Oil quickly or it will rust quickly. Begin the seasoning process of your choice.

Warning- I've heard that you can crack a pan this way. I've done it numerous times without issue. You'll see this recommend and argued against on the cast iron forums.

When I find old rusty, gunked up cast iron in the wild I strip it in an electrolysis tank. This is the safest way to strip it down to bare iron. All you need is a big rubbermade tub, a manual 12v battery charger, washing soda, water, and an electrode, I use an old lawn mower blade.

 

[CountryShooter]

When I find old rusty cast iron in the wild I strip it in an electrolysis tank. This is the safest way to strip it down to bare iron.

I've never been into enough volume to set up an electro tank. I did have a lye tank at one point. But as you say, only electro will remove rust. I never had to de-rust a pan, only remove old grease build up.

 

[idahoorion]

remember when the Corona bugaloo hits, they double as a great chest plate!

lol Idahoorion

 

[BigTex]

I've never been into enough volume to set up an electro tank. I did have a lye tank at one point. But as you say, only electro will remove rust. I never had to de-rust a pan, only remove old grease build up.

I don't do any kind of volume either, just made it with stuff I had in the garage.

 

[4-Co LR]

I got rid of my modern cast iron a while back and picked up some older stuff—a Griswold and a couple of Wagners.

 

[kenny1773]

I have a variety of Lodge from say the early 2000's or maybe late 1990s that I bought new (preseason'ed does not mean much)

Like this one

https://www.amazon.com/Lodge-Skillet-Pre-Seasoned-Skillet-Silicone/dp/B00006JSUB/ref=sr_1_4?crid=KUL30FLOO6T&dchild=1&keywords=lodge%2Bcast%2Biron%2Bskillet&qid=1587953683&sprefix=lodge%2Caps%2C182&sr=8-4&th=1

If you don't do the flea market / yard sale thing, there is nothing wrong with picking these up
BUT
You do need to work on seasoning them. I would say it took a good 2-3 years before any of mine were properly seasoned
Now they are almost as non stick as teflon

 

[AKMarty]

I’ve had the best success seasoning a pan with lard or bacon grease. Ends up no stick and easy to clean. No scrubbing with soap just hot water and dab of crisco and wipe down with a paper towel.

 

[CountryShooter]

I got rid of my modern cast iron a while back and picked up some older stuff—a Griswold and a couple of Wagners.

I'm a big fan of Griswold. I've got an "odd" set like the one you pictured. I have sizes 3, 5, 7, & 9 skillets. A Griswold muffin pan that is really cool, and a Griswold corn stick pan. Also 2 Favorite Piqua skillets. I like Griswold because they are so well documented.

 

[Mwalex]

I am getting into cast iron and have bought Fintex. Regardless of brand clean, dry and season properly. There are plenty of good Youtube videos on the process and keep in mind proper care takes more time than non-cast iron cookware.