Cast Iron NB

I'm thinking of entering the world of cast iron cooking and could use some advice/guidance.

-What's the best size skillet as an entry point? I was thinking 10, 12, or 15. I'm sure it depends on what I'll be cooking, but at this point, I have no clue what I'll be cooking, so just looking for an option with the widest variety of applications.

-What's the impact of the enameled cast iron, such as Le Creuset? How does that affect the cooking? Is that still considered "cast iron"?

-For brands, I'm looking at Lodge. Is that a good one?

Thanks!

Lodge is made in USA! It's well made & you will be able to pass down to your grandchildren!it's about $5- 10 more / piece more than store brand china made, but amortizing $10 over 100 years you might as well get the better product! You are not spending more to support USA , it is a better product!

I'd much rather get USA made. Sometimes I feel like that doesn't exist anymore, and that's depressing. Anyhow, I think I'll go Lodge. Any recommendations on a good entry piece? 12" seems to be pretty standard. But I've seen a recipe call out for 15", so maybe that's more standard? Thanks

As far as cast iron goes ...I have all my grandma's they are made in the USA and can cook like no other skillet i've EVER owened. I have some as small as 6 inch's some that are 15+ and some that where made by my grandpa for cooking up fresh home made flour/corn tortilla on... Oh and all lodge cast iron is NOT made in America either. I think a 12-15 both would be great to start out with since most of your cooking will be done it that size anyway.

As for starting piece, Lodge has a 5qt (I think)dutch oven called a double dutch, which has a skillet for a lid.

Dutch ovens are excellent for a pot of Gumbo or whatnot. Anything that requires searing a bunch of meat, you can use the skillet and the base at the same time, saving time and more dishes to clean, and it keeps all the flavor from that step in the dish.

Both the top and bottom have short handles, so easier to fit on grill/smoker for some cowboy queso or smoked dish.

I want one just haven't pulled the trigger on it yet. Dennis

I believe Wagner is one of the best out there, just hard to find.

You will be happier in the long run finding older pieces you can clean up and re-season at a flea market or garage sale. The newer stuff is heavy and rough, and the rough interior surface takes a long time to build up a good, smooth layer of seasoning. Products that say they are pre-seasoned aren't very.

Griswold and Wagner are the names collectors look for, but other foundries like Favorite put out very nice product. The older pieces were cast from a higher grade iron, and as such were able to be made thinner and lighter than today's stuff, import or domestic. The older stuff was also machine finished on the inside, so the cooking surface was nearly glass-smooth right from the factory.

Look for pieces that are not cracked, have minimal rust or pitting from previous rusting (although, after cleaning it will not affect usability), and that sit flat without wobbling on a level surface (important if you have a flat cooktop, not so much if you have gas burners). Decades of black crud can be easily removed with spray oven cleaner (outdoors, sealed up in a trash bag for a few days) or a lye bath (exercising due safety precautions), and new seasoning re-initiated with lard, Crisco, or other suitable fat in a hot oven. I would recommend against running an older pan through a self-cleaning oven cycle, or heating to red-hot in a fire as some do to clean off the crud.

Vintage dutch ovens in good shape, and with matching lids are some of the harder older pieces to come by affordably. Since non-stick is not as critical in a DO as it is for a skillet, you might do just fine with a Lodge Logic 5 qt. although I'd skip the version with the skillet lid, which has no self-basting nubs like the regular lid, and just isn't a very good skillet anyway.

All of mine (about 36 various pieces) are Griswold that I've picked up at auctions, garage sales and estate sales. I love them and wouldn't trade for the world.

As a start a 10-12 in skillet is good. I do like the small ones for frying eggs and making corn bread but they're not as versatile.

I would get a dutch oven when you can.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Doug D:
You will be happier in the long run finding older pieces you can clean up and re-season at a flea market or garage sale. The newer stuff is heavy and rough, and the rough interior surface takes a long time to build up a good, smooth layer of seasoning. Products that say they are pre-seasoned aren't very.

Griswold and Wagner are the names collectors look for, but other foundries like Favorite put out very nice product. The older pieces were cast from a higher grade iron, and as such were able to be made thinner and lighter than today's stuff, import or domestic. The older stuff was also machine finished on the inside, so the cooking surface was nearly glass-smooth right from the factory.

Look for pieces that are not cracked, have minimal rust or pitting from previous rusting (although, after cleaning it will not affect usability), and that sit flat without wobbling on a level surface (important if you have a flat cooktop, not so much if you have gas burners). Decades of black crud can be easily removed with spray oven cleaner (outdoors, sealed up in a trash bag for a few days) or a lye bath (exercising due safety precautions), and new seasoning re-initiated with lard, Crisco, or other suitable fat in a hot oven. I would recommend against running an older pan through a self-cleaning oven cycle, or heating to red-hot in a fire as some do to clean off the crud.

</div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Doug knows his cast iron skillets. I second buying Griswold or Wagner and cleaning and seasoning the skillet yourself. I recently cleaned a rusty Wagner by soaking it in a 50/50 bath of water and vinegar for 2 hours and then reseasoned it. I bought a 10" Griswold (with the large logo)skillet for $21.00 last week. The large logo Griswold skillets are older and lighter. That said, a Lodge made in the USA would be a fine start. A 10" or 12" skillet is perfect for cornbread. Of course, the 12" is best for frying chicken or using as a griddle.

Tim

I've been cooking with cast iron for probably close to forty years have have eight frying pans plus a dutch oven or two. Most of stuff is wagner or griswold (from my wife's grandmother) but I bought a ten inch lodge a couple years ago and it's wonderful. It does have a slight texture to the surface which might be a problem for some, but not me. My daughter has the same pan and uses it for everything.

Les

PS: And they're durable and cheap.

Not to be religious about it, but any cast iron cookware from China is suspect. They are known to use all kinds of scrap iron and are not to particular about it's previous use (AKA old engine blocks). The Chinese products are typically heavier and bulkier than Lodge and certainly vintage Wagner, Griswold, etc. Some of the Paula Dean have actually been recalled for "exploding" due to air pockets, etc. All of the chef branded stuff is China goods and over priced IMHO.

I cook a lot with cast iron. Not exclusively, but a good deal. I just got done cleaning up my #9 DO and #8 skillet. Made some chilli and some corn bread this evening.

To start get a Dutch Oven. A #9 is optimum IMHO, the #8 can be just a little on the small side for family, #10 just a little bigger than necessary. Any of those three would be fine though. The #8 is best for no knead bred in my experience because of the size and height of the loaf. I've done it in the 9, it was great, but a little lower in height than I like.

Skillets - see if you can get one with a lid or pick up a lid later. #10 would be the size if using just one, add an #8 (skillet cornbread).

I have the big #12 and #14 and like them for cooking things down and for large quantities (browning/searing, etc). They are heavy though. And if you buy lodge or china, they will be a good bit heavier and bulkier than vintage. I like the way everything can go from the cooktop into the oven (although you do this with stainless and copper just fine too).

The DO is great for searing and browning due to the heat retention and the high sides (things don't spatter out).

If you are using big pieces - preheat them in the oven at about 350 or so before putting them on the range. This starts the heating evenly and helps eliminate hot spots.

Getting them seasoned right is key. Maintaining the seasoning is also as well as knowing how to clean them and restore the seasoning is important. Not difficult at all when you understand the process of cleaning, storing, and restoring.

If you are thinking about buying vintage stuff you will be happy with it. That's a whole other deal. You can get very reasonable prices, but often that's because you bought it un-restored, re-seasoned and do that work yourself or buy stuff from the 60's that is less "collectible" but works just great.

Lodge is fine and if you want to just walk into a store and get started that's a good way to go. They have a broad selection of items too which is great.

I have all vintage stuff, gem pans, skillets, DO's, Fryers, waffle irons, oval roasters, bundt pan, cake molds in different sizes. I use it all. You don't need a full set of anything, but it's nice to have a few different sizes.

In skillets I have 3,7,9,10,12,14. The #3 is perfect for two eggs. Seasoned well you can "throw" them to flip. And for browning small amounts. I like to have lids, they can often be more expensive than the skillet and not abs necessary.

I love using them, they are built much lighter have a better finish and season well. Smooth cooking services, etc. Plus it's great conversation when someone walks into the kitchen and sees that you're cooking on something that 100 years old.

As far as vintage goes Wagner pieces are generally cheaper than Griswold. Understand what your buying and you won't over pay.

If you really want to do a quick ramp ask the same question on this website:

Wagner & Griswold Society Forums

Good group of people and you can ask stupid questions. Even if you are going to buy new Lodge. Go to the general info forum and ask away. They will also give you advice before you buy something on Ebay. You don't have to be a member to use the forums in the lower section. The membership gets you into their archives of historical data and deep into the collecting.

Can't recommend it enough even for casual users/buyers of cast iron.

They will also tell you how to restore properly and preserve value.

The thing about vintage cast iron, other than it's overall superiority to whats around today is that it's an antique that you can USE and not worry about it loosing any value. You can strip and re season and bring it all back.

Be careful, it can be addicting If you buying vintage I can't underline enough to research before you buy anything just yet. You'll be happier and have less regrets about what you may have paid.

I cook with all of my CI, even the waffle irons.

If you buy vintage and know what you are buying you can buy unmarked vintage or non Wagner or Griswold and get them really inexpensive. Wagner and Griswold are higher priced more because you can identify manufacturer, age, and rarity. There's a ton of information out there AFA old catalogs, history that are used to age them. Unmarked is less "collectible" so goes for less money but is equal quality.

I don't think cast iron is the best for everything but I work around the deficits in certain uses pretty well. You just need to know how it "behaves"

I still use my stainless and copper and like them just fine too.

About the only thing I would add to Ray's comprehensive post is to be wary of the terms "rare" and "vintage" on eBay until you learn for yourself exactly what is and what is not rare or vintage. Many sellers are just trying to make their items sound attractive to uninformed bidders and often have no idea that, for one example, a skillet marked "Original 1891" and that has seasoning instructions stamped on it was not made any time near the end of the 19th century. Although I've managed to snag some really sweet deals on eBay, having done the research first, I think I have been happiest with flea market finds I could inspect hands-on for warpage and what-not-- you can't fix warps, cracks or chips, but you can clean off everything else quite easily, once you know how.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Doug D:
About the only thing I would add to Ray's comprehensive post is to be wary of the terms "rare" and "vintage" on eBay until you learn for yourself exactly what is and what is not rare or vintage. Many sellers are just trying to make their items sound attractive to uninformed bidders and often have no idea that, for one example, a skillet marked "Original 1891" and that has seasoning instructions stamped on it was not made any time near the end of the 19th century. Although I've managed to snag some really sweet deals on eBay, having done the research first, I think I have been happiest with flea market finds I could inspect hands-on for warping and what-not-- you can't fix warps, cracks or chips, but you can clean off everything else quite easily, once you know how. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Wise advice! Seems every piece of cast iron on ebay is "rare"

Looking for and buying/restoring CI cookware is rewarding whether you are collecting or just assembling a set of equipment to use. It's of high quality that isn't being duplicated today (except by Lodge Premium Ware or Southern Heritage). The stuff being made in the US is still superior though. And the vintage cast iron is still superior to whatever is being made today - it's just to expensive and too hard to compete with cheap imports to make it the way it used to, there was a lot of hand or skilled work involved and the materials used for the molds and iron also adds to costs. The market just isn't there today for hi quality cast iron "holloware".

If you are buying strictly for using and have NO interest in collector value here's some more tips:

Pitting on the bottom of a skillet (this is pits or holes left from severe rusting or "gas erosion") does not affect it's cooking ability at all and these defects sell cheaper than those in collector condition.

Be careful and always check/ask for pitting, flatness (skillet should sit flat without any rocking) and cracks. Cracks can be hidden by crud and baked on stuff.

Don't buy anything with cracks in general. It's worthless, and the cracks will expand during cooking and leak or break completely over time.

Oval roasters, DO's, and gem pans don't have to be perfectly flat since you set them on a rack in the oven typically during use. Pay MUCH less for a warped piece though.

To buy cheap vintage, look for newer vintage Lodge, Wagner, Griswold. Or concentrate on unmarked or other brands.

Finally, before you buy anything it's wise to get hold of these key books first:

The Book of Griswold&Wagner
Smith and Waford

This also includes Favorite/Wapak/Sidney It's also called the "Blue Book" by collectors. The current one is 4th edition, 5th edition is coming out early next year, so buy a used one if you can right now.

The Book of Wagner & Griswold
Smith and Waford

This one also includes Martin/Lodge/Vollrath/Excelsior. It's called the "Red Book" by collectors.

The authors of the above books are avid collectors and are members of the forum I mentioned above. The books are thorough in description, values are generally good - but prices are fluctuating, so the prices should be used as a general guide.

And finally for Griswold specific gem pans, muffin pans, molds etc definitely get this one:


Griswold Muffin Pans
Jon B. Haussler

Values in this book are high (but not incredibly) but the information is invaluable since there are different versions, etc of each pan that you should know.

These 3 books are what pretty much every informed collector or buyer has or uses as reference. Otherwise just be careful about condition.

BE AWARE - the stuff that you may see being sold as "New" Griswold or Wagner is made in China.

HTH

These are great posts for anyone interested in starting to use CI of any kind, new or old.

thanks,
Eddy

Just a note: I believe that the Lodge enameled cast iron pieces are made in China. They have two lines of enameled pots - the most affordable line is definitely made in China. That said, I have a red enameled Lodge Dutch Oven that we really like and we use all the time. I bought at the Lodge outlet store in S. Pittsburg, TN.

Pete's right, Lodge is trying to stay in the market and they will adjust process to stay there. This is one area where they need to go to China to stay competitive and profitable in a market that is challenging (new cast iron cookware). One good thing is they are looking over the shoulder and inspecting AFA dangerous stuff in the finished product.

Talked with someone that I know to be a Lodge expert and has visited the factory, etc:

"All Lodge Enameled is made in China. About the only difference between Lodge Enamel and another brand is that when transported to the property in S. Pittsburg it is ran through their testing process just like their raw iron. That is they check for radioactive iron where you won't see a green light emitting from your kitchen after you turn out the lights. "

If I'm looking for reasonably priced enameled cast iron that is of high quality - I typically look for vintage Copco. This is great stuff and goes relatively cheap on Ebay and elsewhere.

Sadly, it appears the operator of the CI forum Ray linked to has decided, for reasons unknown and unexplained, to make all content completely unavailable to all but registered members.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Doug D:
Sadly, it appears the operator of the CI forum Ray linked to has decided, for reasons unknown and unexplained, to make all content completely unavailable to all but registered members. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Hi Doug - that's not actually the case there has always been areas that are for members only. But the "general info" forum is open and remains open to non members along with several others. Be mindful to go to the section on the main forum page with the blue tab/bar that says:

"Cast Iron (general info)"

All of the forums below that are open to non members. Actually from the "Now We're Cooking" section down is. Reason for that is to educate and inform folks that are not members. It helps educate folks who are just getting into it and let them know how to care and feed CI without causing damage to pieces that many consider pieces of history. Also help generate interest into CI and collecting.

Above that area is member space. That has a lot of archive and historical information on foundries, patents, etc and general heavy collector folks sharing info.

Try that and let me know if you still have trouble. You definitely have to register, but that doesn't make you a member. Not sure if you can still browse these areas without registering as I never tried that before becoming a member.

I understand about some of the boards being viewable only by forum members, and still others only by society members. The only boards viewable without registering and logging in have been, up until a couple of days ago, News under General, and General Info and Cleaning and Restoration under Cast Iron; currently no boards are.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Doug D:
I understand about some of the boards being viewable only by forum members, and still others only by society members. The only boards viewable without registering and logging in have been, up until a couple of days ago, News under General, and General Info and Cleaning and Restoration under Cast Iron; currently no boards are. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Ok, thanks Doug wanted to make sure what the issue was first before I checked this with the member who manages the forum. I've passed this along to confirm whether it is in fact a policy change, temporary, error, etc.