Bruce McClure
TVWBB Fan
Another vote for Lodge Cast Iron from me. I have a couple of them and they've never failed me. I'm pretty obsessive about ensuring they're cleaned, seasoned and put away, though. My wife puts up with it.
Cast iron skillet recommendations
- Thread starter Ryan Foote
- Start date
MikeLucky
TVWBB Pro
Well, I stumbled into a specialty shop here in OKC a few weeks ago and they had some Smithey pans. When I saw them I was mesmerized. They truly are beautiful. I'm a huge Lodge guy and it was almost sacrilege to like the Smithey pans so much. Lol.
Then the other day my wife says she isn't completely happy with the Lodge 10 or the Lodge 10.5 flattop we have. So, for Christmas she's now getting the Smithey 10 skillet ($159) and Smithey 10 flat top ($99) that also doubles as a lid for the skillet.
Although I will say it's a bit of a we gift since now I can consolidate all the Lodge cast iron for use on my Webers.
So, now my full Lodge collection....
Combo Cooker, dutch oven and shallow skillet that doubles as the lid:
Classic 10 inch skillet:
10 inch flat top:
Hopefully the wife is okay getting cast iron pans for Christmas. Lol. I also picked up a matching Italian made bowl set for "something pretty" to hopefully cover my ***, just in case.
Darren Lebner
TVWBB All-Star
They all work the same for me.
MikeLucky
TVWBB Pro
Yeah, the Smithey is really heavy so it will be difficult for her to get a good swing in with it. Self preservation, on my part
MikeLucky
TVWBB Pro
Couldn't help myself. Had a Bass Pro gift card burning a hole in my wallet. Got the 8 inch and 6 inch Lodge skillets to add to my collection.
Jason Godard
TVWBB Pro
Lodge is perfectly fine. Smithey and Stargazer are the other options.
John K BBQ
TVWBB Wizard
I saw the "Smithy" cast iron pan in person while shopping at the Alpine Shop in Kirkwood MO (similar to REI, but local to St. Louis).
HOLY CRAP was it beautiful..
.. but about 4 to 5 times more $$$ than Lodge. 
I learned that the higher end cast iron pans have the cooking surfaces "polished" to a much smoother finish so in theory, they can be more non-stick than the lower priced Lodge, however, after watching some review videos, it was apparent that the expensive pan with the smooth finish wasn't really that much better in terms of non-stick performance.
I like shiny things as much as the next guy, but spending $200 ~ $300 on a cast iron pan when I already own Lodge just ain't happening.
HOLY CRAP was it beautiful..
.. but about 4 to 5 times more $$$ than Lodge. I learned that the higher end cast iron pans have the cooking surfaces "polished" to a much smoother finish so in theory, they can be more non-stick than the lower priced Lodge, however, after watching some review videos, it was apparent that the expensive pan with the smooth finish wasn't really that much better in terms of non-stick performance.I like shiny things as much as the next guy, but spending $200 ~ $300 on a cast iron pan when I already own Lodge just ain't happening.
Jason Godard
TVWBB Pro
Lodge also makes a lighter weight skillet in the Blacklock line.
MikeLucky
TVWBB Pro
I wouldn't normally either.... But, having a wife and kids has made me do all kinds of things I never thought I'd do over the years. LolI saw the "Smithy" cast iron pan in person while shopping at the Alpine Shop in Kirkwood MO (similar to REI, but local to St. Louis).
HOLY CRAP was it beautiful..
I like shiny things as much as the next guy, but spending $200 ~ $300 on a cast iron pan when I already own Lodge just ain't happening.
Rich Dahl
R.I.P. 7/21/2024
Barb and I have a large arsenal of cast iron and carbon steel pans and Dutch ovens. Mostly Lodge and Griswald. The 10 & 12 inch get used almost daily. I have a couple dedicated to grilling which makes it easier as I don't have to deep clean them to get the smoke smell out.
A little more work to maintain but the cooking results are fantastic compared to non-stick.
A little more work to maintain but the cooking results are fantastic compared to non-stick.
Karl Quist
TVWBB Pro
I have been using my carbon steel pans more and more often in lieu of cast iron lately. My lodge carbon steel pan came from the factory with a better finish than my cast iron pans did, meaning it was a little less work to get the seasoning I wanted. Still love my cast iron though. It does what it does so well, so I just keep using it.
Scott Smith
TVWBB Pro
Cast iron is a very particular finish. The pan that you use to brown meat is not the same pan that will release your eggs or cornbread. Not that the pan is different - the care and seasoning is different. Part of cooking with cast iron is literally knowing how to hide your egg and corn bread pans from everyone else in the house.
This nugget of wisdom may be hard to believe because of all the cowboys and Boy Scouts that use the same pan to cook their bacon and eggs because that is good enough for them.
This nugget of wisdom may be hard to believe because of all the cowboys and Boy Scouts that use the same pan to cook their bacon and eggs because that is good enough for them.
John K BBQ
TVWBB Wizard
I'm tinkering with the idea of carbon steel pans for cooking outside with rather than cast iron since they're a little bit lighter weight. I think a 14" carbon steel saute pan with handles on both sides would be a winner for fajita nights
MikeLucky
TVWBB Pro
Bingo! Hence why the wife now has a fleet of Smithey and I have my Lodge collection. While I do all the handwash dishes in the house, she won't let me even clean her new Smithey pans. Lol.
Jim Creasy
TVWBB Fan
This post is way old. Smithey and Finex. Both made in USA. Polished inside, unlike Lodge, that is pebble grained, from casting, I think. Both are expensive. I'm saving up.
Mark Foreman
TVWBB Wizard
I’ll stay with my Lodge CI. Some pieces I’ve had for over 30 years. I have both smooth and pebbled. I really do not see any difference in how they cook and clean. With as good as my Lodge has performed over the years, I just can’t see spend hundreds smooth bottom ”higher” end CI.
As I get older, I am considering getting the Lodge Blacklock as it is lighter.
As I get older, I am considering getting the Lodge Blacklock as it is lighter.
Scott Smith
TVWBB Pro
Here is my hierarchy of cast iron pans - the one you wipe out ever so gently with a paper towel and put away, the one you clean with some coarse salt and a damp paper towel, the one you wash with soap and re-season, and the ones that you scrape the bits out of and then Brillo. Keeping that straight will do more for your cooking than one brand vs. another.
Scott Smith
TVWBB Pro
Any rusted out $2 cast iron that I've even see for sale could also be brought back to life fairly easily with wire wheels, oil, sandpaper, and TLC.
Another thing to think about - traditionally, only the best companies could make cast iron that was thin and light (ex. Le Creuset) and then charged a lot for it. This is not so true anymore. On smaller pieces, they usually make them all thick because the weight isn't that bad and you get more durability and performance.
Another thing to think about - traditionally, only the best companies could make cast iron that was thin and light (ex. Le Creuset) and then charged a lot for it. This is not so true anymore. On smaller pieces, they usually make them all thick because the weight isn't that bad and you get more durability and performance.
Doug D
TVWBB Hall of Fame
100+ years ago and up to the mid-20th century, most all CI cookware was thinner and lighter. Cast iron cookware got heavy in the late 1950s when automated molding lines came into use. Thicker castings could withstand the rigors of automated handling, and the cost of the extra iron was offset by the savings in labor. Polish grinding cooking surfaces, also labor intensive, went away in response to competition from cheap imported CI and "more modern" forms of cookware. You can make an unpolished pan as non-stick as a polished one; some would even say polishing was just a way to grind off undesirable nubs and call it "extra finished".
Scott Smith
TVWBB Pro
An interesting take, for sure. I don't know for sure if what you say is true, but intuitively, it makes sense. I don't think Martha Washington bragged to her friends about how heavy her cookware was. My personal pans are Wagner and Griswold and would probably meet your idea of thinner and lighter. They are truly more elegant than the modern Lodge stuff. Of course, neither holds a candle to the slender elegance of the lid of my modern Le Creuset saucepan which doubles as another pan (its a French style - I forget what this style is called).