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.
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.