Cast Iron Is Cool Again


 
Interesting article, thanks for sharing it. I just picked up three 100 year old skillets to restore from some friends. I'll now have nine pieces of cast iron, love cooking on it.
 
We have 2 very old CI pans. This is on top of our others. One was Pammi's grandmother's 10", and the other is a 15"? that her momma gave to us because it got too heavy for her to use! Love both of them!!
 
Current production CI is OK, but you should really use antique CI skillets that were made more than 50 years ago. I use a 65 year old Wagner skillet that works much better than the current Lodge skillets. Vintage cast-iron skillets and Dutch ovens from the mid 20th century were made with much more care and craftsmanship than those produced today. These pots and pans were made by hand: Sand molds were carefully formed, and the iron was hand-poured, allowing manufacturers to make thinner, lighter cookware than can be made in a factory. And the pans were also finished to make their surfaces smoother; they could be polished with a grinding stone or “milled” to make the bottom of the pan completely flat and smooth. Today's Lodge skillets are rough and more difficult to use.

Here is an interesting article on antique cast iron pans.
https://www.rodalesorganiclife.com/home/why-antique-cast-iron-pans-are-the-best
 
I've got a new lodge, an old one probably from the 60s and my grandmother's which collectors refer to as a hammered ugly. They all cook about the same. No one seems to know who made the hammered uglies but they may go back to the 30s.
 

 

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