Lodge Deep Skillet - Cooking dessert

[AwesomeOpossum74]

It says that it is pre-seasoned. why do you have to season again?

Partly because of the types of foods we're planning for it. Wife likes to cook some acidic, as well as naturally sticky meals. But we've done a couple of easy cooks in it which I think would count for adding seasoning.

 

[AwesomeOpossum74]

I say - forget about new pans. Go to garage/estate sales, or Ebay, thrift shops, etc., and look for Griswold cast iron. It's superior to anything you can purchase today.

CLOTN, maybe we're of the same classic cloth?

But what makes it superior?

I have and use lots of classical woodworking tools, many of which are more than 100 years old. Hand planes, hand saws, chisels, etc. I love them. They are made from old cast iron, spring steel, woods that are difficult to find today, etc. But by today's standards they would not not be considered precision manufactured, and require a lot of re-tuning before they can be trusted to touch wood.

In a similar vane, what is it about, for instance Griswold, that makes it great compared to more modern makes?

 

[GotGarlic]

Partly because of the types of foods we're planning for it. Wife likes to cook some acidic, as well as naturally sticky meals. But we've done a couple of easy cooks in it which I think would count for adding seasoning.

The more fatty foods you cook in it, the more seasoned it becomes. Do you like bacon?

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Griswold pans weren't as thick, and heavy as the other brands, and were polished smooth on the cooking surface, making them even more stick-free once seasoned. Also, the Griswold sand casting process produced a more refined pan to start with.

Seeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

 

[Cooking Goddess]

Chief, you always mention Griswold but you never mention Wagner. I'm guessing that you own Griswold. [emoji6] I have two Wagner skillets that Mom gave me in 1980. They are smoother and lighter than Lodge cast iron. Both brands were once owned by the same company.

https://thekitchenprofessor.com/blog/cast-iron/wagner-versus-griswold-cast-iron

 

[Andy M.]

All my cast iron is new. Two are Lodge and on his actually Food Network brand. They are heavy and not as smooth as the old Griswold or Wagner.

I'm not sure what I'm missing because they are "rough" and "heavy". The way I see it, the extra iron that makes my pans relatively heavy are a benefit in that there is more iron to hold heat. Isn't that one of the quoted benefits of CI?

As for the smooth surface, I don't cook eggs in my CI. So what's the benefit of a smoother cooking surface?

What am I missing. Are these differences practical or just nostalgic reminiscences?

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

All my cast iron is new. Two are Lodge and on his actually Food Network brand. They are heavy and not as smooth as the old Griswold or Wagner.

I'm not sure what I'm missing because they are "rough" and "heavy". The way I see it, the extra iron that makes my pans relatively heavy are a benefit in that there is more iron to hold heat. Isn't that one of the quoted benefits of CI?

As for the smooth surface, I don't cook eggs in my CI. So what's the benefit of a smoother cooking surface?

What am I missing. Are these differences practical or just nostalgic reminiscences?

Yes, there are trade-offs. I own Lodge, Griswold, Wagner, and Redstone CI. Truth be told, my Lodge pans are just as Non-stick after several years of use, and do retain consistent temperature better than the thinner Griswold, and Wagner pans. The Redstone is a grilling pan, with raised metal ridges designed for high heat searing, and grill marks. All of them work wonderfully. To avoid uneven heating, I use a heat distributing diffuser plate - https://www.amazon.com/Diffuser-Stove-Electric-Flame-Simmer/dp/B07664Z2MN

Each brand has its strengths and weaknesses.

I was fortunate to find a set of Griswold in multiple sizes when the parents of a co-worker passed on. Not that the deaths were a good thing, but it was their time. In any case, the co-worker who inherited the pans was willing to let them go for $20 per pan. I thought the price was too little, and gave him more per pan, but within my budget.

I believe that Griswold, and Wagner have sentimental value for me, as those were the brands my parents, and grandparents used. My Mom had a huge15 inch Wagner that I would throw into the boat when I, and my best friend would go fishing for a weekend. You couldn't beat it for frying up some spuds, and freshly caught, skinned, and fillets of perch, or bass over a cooking fire.

Seeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

 

[Cooking Goddess]

Andy, I don't have a problem with modern CI cookware. In my collection I have Wagner, Lodge, Le Creuset, Staub, Dansk, and Waterford Colorcast. Quite a mix of new and old, but I love them all.