Lodge Blacklock cast iron


 
Mark Foreman

Mark Foreman

TVWBB Wizard
One of my Christmas gifts was a 7, 10.25, and 12 inch Lodge Blacklock skillets. They are inbound. Existing CI is going to the kids.

Kids get to choose between an 8, 9, 10.25, 12, 15 inch skillets only after I try out the new ones.

My wrists are not that strong any more so i am going to try out to Blacklock as it is 25% lighter.

1672242646807.jpeg
This is the 10.25 but the other look the same.
 
Be interesting to hear what you think of them. I have arthritis in both wrists, I can handle the 10" but the 12" and deep 12" are getting painful for me to lift. Tried carbon steel but didn't care for it.
 
Will do. I still do not have a delivery date. The order went through Lodge as these are nor readily available through Amazon or locally.

I also want to see how they work with the Genesis and WSK. That is the important test.
 
Looks like cast iron - is it just a little thinner to save the weight? That's a nice looking pan.
 
My only advice is to sand or file down the rough edges on the handles.

It seems that Lodge has stoppEd doing a lot of finishing work on their cast iron and most new Lodge handles feel like grabbing a steak knife.

it is an easy 5 minute fix
 
Mark - Looks like there is some curvature to the sides of the pan which is different from the traditional designs. Handle looks like it may be a little bit longer as well. Looking forward to your comments on how you like the new pans.
 
I doubt that's something you'll have to do on the Blacklocks, nor should you expect to at that price point.
 
Greg in Utah said:
My only advice is to sand or file down the rough edges on the handles.

It seems that Lodge has stoppEd doing a lot of finishing work on their cast iron and most new Lodge handles feel like grabbing a steak knife.

it is an easy 5 minute fix
Click to expand...
I got some little silicone things that slip over them. Temperature not a problem then
 
Ok. I received the pans. Definitely lighter. Handles are a bit rough but no more than any other piece of CI I own.

Cooked eggs in the 7 inch, no sticking.
Cook skinned cod fillet in the 10 inch, no sticking.

Here are my observations:
Handles stay cooler, I still used a towel to move them around.
Handles are longer and thinner. I am ok with this as I have smaller hands.
Handles have seam line on the sides, not too sharp. I would like to see the handles cleaned up but really are no worse that CI I bought 15 - 20 years ago.
Helper handles were nice and easy to use. Liked the better than old CI.
Temperature was much easier to control. Heated up quickly (lower heat, 5 ish minutes). Got a bit too hot cooking the fish and I was able to lower the pan temperature quite easily which was nice.
The “rounded” sides of the pans made flipping the fish much easier. Cleanup was easier too.

With all that being said, I like these Blacklock pans and plan to use them going forward. Still need to try them out on the WSK and Genesis II so I’ll be keeping the old pans for a bit before giving them to my kids. I think, for the cost, that a bit of cleanup on the handles should be done. The pebble finish does not appear to be as pronounced as the old CI but that doesn’t bother me at all. I am in the “does not have to be smooth” camp as I own both pebbled and smooth pans and see NO difference in cooking/cleaning.

Worth the cost? Not sure. I got them because of the weight and rounded sides. They cook the same as the classic lodge pans. But to Greg’s point, they should cleanup the handles Should be done at this price point.

As a side note, when I went looking for lighter CI, I found that the antique pieces (Griswold, Wagner) have become quite expensive and Lodge competitors such as Finex and Field were way expensive.
 
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Update….
I have run the Blacklock CI through their paces. Used the on the stove, in the oven, on the Genesis II, the WSK. I really like them.
The handles are a bit sharp, but NOT an issue. Not enough to file them down as suggested in this thread.
As far as I can tell, they cook the same as my classic lodge. I did notice that they heat and cool quicker but can still get screaming hot!!!
On the Genesis and WSK, they performed wonderfully!
The lighter weight was the game changer. I’m older and my hands are not too strong anymore (arthritis).

However, at this price point, they could use a bit more cleanup. The other thing I found is the triple seasoning could be improved. I did have some flaking right out of the box on the 10 inch, but was easily fixed.

Bottom line-
I love the lighter weight (~25-27% less) and the ability to change temperatures a little quicker. The handles actually stay cooler and the helper handles are better. Cooking wise, I saw little if any difference. The handles could be smoothed but not a show stopper for me. I would definitely buy again.
 
Glad it worked out for you. I know what it's like to move those heavy older pans around. I don't use mine outside very often, but Barb uses them almost daily in the house.
 
Mark Foreman said:
One of my Christmas gifts was a 7, 10.25, and 12 inch Lodge Blacklock skillets. They are inbound. Existing CI is going to the kids.

Kids get to choose between an 8, 9, 10.25, 12, 15 inch skillets only after I try out the new ones.

My wrists are not that strong any more so i am going to try out to Blacklock as it is 25% lighter.

View attachment 64384
This is the 10.25 but the other look the same.
Click to expand...
Hi Dad! I would love either the 10.25 or the 12"

THANKS!
 
I tripped across these over the weekend and thought I would post it here, not so much to hijack the thread but to add it as a potentially lighterweight option. Wondering if anyone has seen or used these?

Solidteknics US-ION wrought iron pans.

US-ION™ are the world's only seamless one-piece production-wrought iron chef pans.
Made in Chicago from 100% clean American iron. Perfect for all of your everyday frying, baking and grilling needs. Quenched™ seasoned with rice bran oil and ready to cook.
  • SOLID 1/8-INCH WROUGHT IRON: Thicker than thin carbon steel pans for even heating and resistance to warping; Cooks and seasons like cast iron, only lighter!

solidteknicsusa.com

Solidteknics wrought iron and nöni ferritic stainless steel cookware. 100% made in America. — Solidteknics USA

Our nöni and US-ION skillets are manufactured from single sheets of stainless steel and wrought iron, with no clad layers. Our one-piece design means no rivets or screws, no jiggly handles.
solidteknicsusa.com solidteknicsusa.com
 
DanHoo said:
I tripped across these over the weekend and thought I would post it here, not so much to hijack the thread but to add it as a potentially lighterweight option. Wondering if anyone has seen or used these?

Solidteknics US-ION wrought iron pans.

US-ION™ are the world's only seamless one-piece production-wrought iron chef pans.
Made in Chicago from 100% clean American iron. Perfect for all of your everyday frying, baking and grilling needs. Quenched™ seasoned with rice bran oil and ready to cook.
  • SOLID 1/8-INCH WROUGHT IRON: Thicker than thin carbon steel pans for even heating and resistance to warping; Cooks and seasons like cast iron, only lighter!

solidteknicsusa.com

Solidteknics wrought iron and nöni ferritic stainless steel cookware. 100% made in America. — Solidteknics USA

Our nöni and US-ION skillets are manufactured from single sheets of stainless steel and wrought iron, with no clad layers. Our one-piece design means no rivets or screws, no jiggly handles.
solidteknicsusa.com solidteknicsusa.com
Click to expand...
I’m interested to know if anyone here has these. They appear to be recreations of early American cookware, which was unfortunately prone to warping.

Regarding the Blacklock line, thanks for sharing your experience Mark, Ive been wondering about it for a while. I like some of Lodge’s other offerings. I have the 12” frying pan, the 3 quart porcelain-coated casserole and a 5.5 quart Dutch oven, though they are all quite heavy. I also have a smooth-bottom, small-logo Griswold No. 8 skillet from the 40’s or 50’s. It’s not too heavy for it’s size.
 
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