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New Cast Iron Skillet Day

11,461 Views | 55 Replies | Last: 1 yr ago by aTm2004
aTm2004
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AG
Like many people when COVID hit, we found ourselves cooking at home a lot more than we used to. Given I do most of the cooking, I started to see how chitty our non-stick pans really were, so I set out to find something better. As often happens, I found myself down a rabbit hole of cookware options out there and became exposed to the cast iron world that's out there. Having grown up with my parents cooking on cast iron, I knew about the benefits but wanted to find something a bit different.

My first purchase was a Lodge 12" carbon steel skillet, which scratched that itch. I really liked the pan but felt it was bigger than what we often needed for what I was cooking, so I grabbed a Lodge 10" cast iron skillet while I was at Academy about a year ago to dive into cast iron and to fill the void I had. I also picked up a 12" because it was cheap and I knew we'd eventually need a larger pan with 3 young kids. The 10" has been my go-to pan for probably 85% of what we cook and I love it. Both 12" pans get used a few times a month and are coming into their own.

While I was searching for skillets, I kept seeing how Lodge is a cheap workhorse that's a good first pan, but they're not as good as the older skillets and newer higher end ones. That curiousity kept getting stronger and stronger, so I finally decided to pull the trigger on something better than the Lodge. I looked at Field Co, Lancaster, and Smithey, but all the videos I watched on YouTube and reviews I read online kept pointing to...












Just handeling this pan brings a smile to my face. It's not much lighter than the Lodge, but the longer handle makes it seem lighter due to the leverage. My Lodge is well seasoned, but there's really no comparison when running your hand in both of them. The Lodge is like feeling up the Dugger mom vs a 19 year old spinner. Unfortunately, can't cook on it tonight due to kid's activities, but I'll find something to throw together tomorrow for dinner and Saturday for breakfast. Hell, I may do some eggs and bacon for myself tomorrow morning.
Sazerac
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Why is it the color it is?
aTm2004
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Because of the oils they used to season it. It'll eventually turn black over time like all other cast iron.
Sazerac
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What oils do that?
aTm2004
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https://stargazercastiron.com/pages/how-its-made

Quote:

SEASONING
Each Stargazer Cast Iron skillet is then hand-seasoned with two coats of all-natural, certified non-GMO oil. We use our own blend of canola, grapeseed and sunflower oil that gives our skillets their trademark bronze color. These high smoke point oils create a durable seasoning so your skillet arrives ready to cook right out of the box. For customers who prefer to season their own skillet, we offer a bare finish option that serves as a blank canvas for your secret family seasoning recipe.
Sazerac
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AG
I cook with all those oils. None make that color.
Is there some base coat of "something "?

Not trying to **** on your thread. Just curious. I have done full reseasoning on cast iron to mixed results. Curious how this one ages.
aTm2004
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AG
Doesn't look like it. About 8:10 into this he goes into his seasoning. The Smithey also comes in this bronze color.

gvine07
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Let us know how you like it! I've got in to cast iron the last few years, too. Now I have a relatively large collection of skillets and griddles I use, but basically committed to Lodge. I'm guessing as soon as I get a "premium" skillet I'll want to replace them all.

I'm in cast iron facebook groups and see a bunch of different skillets that look that color - it's not common but not that rare.

How'd you decide on Stargazer instead of the other brands?
aTm2004
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Quote:

How'd you decide on Stargazer instead of the other brands?
There were a few reasons I went with this one vs. some of the others.

First, many of the reviews and comparisons I read had the Stargazer ranked at or near the top vs. some of the others. The fact that it doesn't look like a typical cast iron skillet also drew me to it. And call me crazy, but the benefit of cast iron is it's heat retention, and I relate heavier to be better. The Field (my 2nd choice) is much ligher, but I kept thinking about the heat retention differences between the cast iron vs. carbon steel I've experienced while cooking with them.

And price also came into the equation. For Field and Smithey, it would be $150 to $175 for one of those, and I wasn't sure it would be worth the coin when the Lodge cost me like $17 and worked great. Hell, I wasn't really committed to this one either given the price, but decided to take leap.

This is how I look at it...will it out perform the Lodge enough to justify the price? No. It's a splurge purchase, no doubt. But given I rarely buy something for myself that cost over $20, I figured I'd give it a try.

Oh, I also looked at staying with Lodge and giving the Blacklock a try, but for a bit more, I could get this.
thisguy05
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That's just what color cast iron is after a few coats of oil. I took two down to bare metal a year ago and that's what they looked like. It takes a while to get it to turn black.
Sazerac
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Sazerac
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Eh mine never looked like that. They' were very dark after one seasoning.

Regardless, looks like a nice product from a good company in the USA.
gvine07
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Thank you for the explanation! I assume heavier = better heat retention, too. When I sear food for four I'm glad I have the extra heavy new stuff. I looked at Smithey, Field, and Stargazer a handful of times, and just looked again. I'm afraid if I get one $200 skillet then I'll want four $200 skillets and I know that's unnecessary.

Now I'll see their online ads for the next 6 months, let's see if I can resist...
BurrOak
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AG
I decided recently I am going to splurge on another cast iron skillet as well. Can't decide if I wanna go with one of these newer machined skillets or a quality vintage Griswold.

Fredericksburg Cast Iron is another top end skillet worth a look.

https://www.fbgcastiron.com/


HTownAg98
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At that price, a cheap Lodge skillet, a grinding wheel on a drill, and some sweat equity can get you to the same pan with some money still in your pocket. But you spend your money as you see fit.
htxag09
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BurrOak
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HTownAg98 said:

At that price, a cheap Lodge skillet, a grinding wheel on a drill, and some sweat equity can get you to the same pan with some money still in your pocket. But you spend your money as you see fit.


That's exactly what I have for my main workhorse skillet, I smoothed down 12" Lodge.

A few things I don't like about the FBurg skillet, and I won't be going with that one. But I just now recently found out they even exist. Just wanted to point them out here.

Probably going to go with a vintage Griswold when I find the right one. Just because I've never owned a Griswold and always wanted one.
FIDO*98*
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gvine07 said:

I'm guessing as soon as I get a "premium" skillet I'll want to replace them all.


I got a Butter Pat last year for Christmas and a Smithey this year. While they are pretty great, you can buy a $10 stripper wheel for your grinder and smooth out the Lodge and it will be 99% as good as either of mine. There's really no magic to the high end brands on there than being smooth. I like to spend $ on stupid **** though

My cast iron seasoning is 3 parts grape seed oil, 1 part Crisco, and 1 part pure beeswax
cbaker20
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It's normal for lightly seasoned cast iron to be that deep bronze. Will darken with time. I gave away my old lodge skillet because the base seasoning they manufacture with wasn't very adherent and led to flaking over time and I didn't feel like sanding it down. I love my 12 inch field skillet. It's no antique but very smooth and a little lighter. Had it for a few years now and it performs well. I also like my Victoria paella pan which is just a large 14 inch skillet with 2 helper handles. Colombian product, affordable.

I use a light coat of leaf lard to season. We have used the grill to season in the past so it doesn't stink up the house. Goal is at least 500 f for an hour. Leave skillet upside down and allow to cool naturally as the grill does.
DatTallArchitect
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AG
cbaker20 said:

I gave away my old lodge skillet because the base seasoning they manufacture with wasn't very adherent and led to flaking over time and I didn't feel like sanding it down.
Stick the skillet in your oven and use the self-cleaning feature next time. It will take the skillet back down to bare metal
aTm2004
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I've done 2 seasonings on it and it's darkening quite a bit. I'll do my first cook on it tonight by making some breakfast tacos for dinner. We'll see how the eggs do.

The next time I do a brisket and invite people over, one of these 10" pans will have some Mac & cheese in it and the other a skillet s'mores.
Matsui
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Haha excellent. Come back and post the pictures!
BurrOak
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I wish Lodge would add a better line of skillets to their lineup that is machined smooth on the inside. There has to be plenty of willing customers out there for that even at a higher price point. They could still keep doing what they're doing with their cheap skillets.
cbaker20
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Have you done it? I've thought about this with my cast iron range grates too but I've read some horror stories about the metal cracking and opted not to.
cbaker20
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aTm2004 said:

I've done 2 seasonings on it and it's darkening quite a bit. I'll do my first cook on it tonight by making some breakfast tacos for dinner. We'll see how the eggs do.

The next time I do a brisket and invite people over, one of these 10" pans will have some Mac & cheese in it and the other a skillet s'mores.
Skillet s'mores you say?! Intrigued.

Don't worry about building too much seasoning before cooking. Just cook meat with fat and watch it build.
DatTallArchitect
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Yes, I've done it and so have others in my family. Never heard of any damage occurring.
aTm2004
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So, did my first cook in it tonight and it is awesome. As I stated, went with breakfast tacos tonight since we will be heading to a softball tournament early tomorrow morning and grabbing stuff to go.

I cooked them no differently than I did in my old non-stick and the Lodge (outside of butter). Browned the sausage and then removed it from the pan and wiped the grease out with a paper towel. Let the pan cool a few minutes and then put 1 tablespoon of butter in. Once melted, in went the eggs. ZERO sticking. None. I usually have a sheet of stuck eggs on the bottom that either required me to soak the non-stick or take the chainmail scrubber to the Lodge. Not here. Cleaning was a breeze. Just a rinse, wipe dry, then on the stove for a few minutes.

Disregard the dirty stovetop. I use it.
aTm2004
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IMO, they should have done this with the Blacklock series.
aTm2004
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Not sure which one I'll go with yet, but #3 is in the lead.

https://www.lodgecastiron.com/recipe/skillet-smores-dip

https://www.hersheyland.com/recipes/smores-skillet.html

https://www.southerncastiron.com/salted-caramel-smokes-cobbler/
Objective Aggie
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I also contemplated all kinds of skillet options.

In the end I went with the Lodge Chef collection.
https://www.lodgecastiron.com/product/chef-collection-skillet?sku=LC12SK

Wirecutter had some good arguments for it but that wasn't the only reason I went that direction.
https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-cast-iron-skillet/

But the newer higher end brands caught my eye, but I just didn't see much difference. For my regular cookware I use All-Clad and I think the money is worth it, but not sure on the iron skillet front. But they intrigue me an dsome of the models look cool, including yours, so I am intrigued.
Objective Aggie
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Also, a horror story.

My mom inherited my great-grandmothers skillets. I can't imagine how many meals for our family were made in that over the decades. But my mom - -being of that everything instant and manmade generation - - always washed them in the dishwasher and totally destroyed them.

I would love to have those things back.
aTm2004
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Still loving this thing. Cooked a keto recipe tonight (added cauliflower rice to it) and it came out great. Is a keeper for sure. Did keep the broiler on just a bit too long, but just burnt cheese is pretty good.

https://kaseytrenum.com/cheesy-ranch-chicken-broccoli-keto-low-carb-friendly/#recipe

tamu05ag
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What do you not like about the Fburg skillet?
True Anomaly
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Love Stargazers- I have the smaller and larger versions, but was lucky to get them when they were in initial production run and were around $80. Like any cast iron, the seasoning and color (don't give a rip what color it is initially) just improves with use

And I'm too "city-fied" and lazy to sand down some old skillet to make it smooth. Stargazer FTW
schmellba99
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Objective Aggie said:

Also, a horror story.

My mom inherited my great-grandmothers skillets. I can't imagine how many meals for our family were made in that over the decades. But my mom - -being of that everything instant and manmade generation - - always washed them in the dishwasher and totally destroyed them.

I would love to have those things back.
They aren't destroyed. Just need cleaning and re-seasoning. Not hard to do at all.

There is no magic when it comes to CI. Older pans are considered "better" generally because they have a great layer of seasoning on them versus newer pans. But rest assured, they weren't great when they were new - they were usually bought because CI was cheap and durable.

You can take a Lodge and with maybe an hour of time and effort get it every bit as smooth as the newer high end CI's that people throw money at these days. That is the only difference between them - the quality of the surface finish on the metal. Aside from that, CI is CI is CI.

And cleaning them with Dawn or Palmolive or whatever doesn't strip the seasoning, so actually wash your pans when necessary. Unless you are soaking them in lye soap or tossing them in the dishwasher - modern polymer based soaps don't strip seasoning and are perfectly fine to use to clean your pan to prevent heavy carbon buildup that actually harms the cooking ability.

Other than that - heat the cast iron, then add your oil/butter/fat and let it get hot, THEN add your food. Amazing what a difference it makes letting everything get hot before chucking stuff in them. It took me years to prove to my wife that it makes a difference, and still have to get onto her sometimes because she loves to turn the stove on, toss the pan on and immediately start putting food in the skillet and then wonders why it isn't as non-stick as when I use it.
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