Comments on: Buying Cast Iron

By: Jim

Jim — Sun, 12 Aug 2007 05:30:08 +0000

Have a look on ebay you can get great old cast Iron cookware from Wagner and Griswold for as low as 99c plus delivery. If you must buy new I would go for a better quality American Brand like Lodge.

By: Bill

Bill — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 20:55:02 +0000

Cajun cast iron sells no-name cast iron skillets, no hint of where it’s made, most likely cheap Communist Chinese production. With good quality made-in-the-U.S.A cast iron skillets and pots available, there’s no need to save a couple bucks just to help build the Chinese Navy.

By: Troy

Troy — Tue, 15 May 2007 12:04:57 +0000

Forgot to mention . . . I heard that cooking on cast iron adds a slight amount of Iron to your diet . . . nothing like a cooking utensil that acts as a nutritional food supplement, eh?

By: Troy

Troy — Tue, 15 May 2007 12:02:00 +0000

Beware of cheap imported cast iron . . . I would say stick to the Lodge brand or another American made brand, because I heard that the cheap (especially those made in China) cast iron comes from recycled scrap metal and that they may have some sort of toxic component to them which might leach into your food (Maybe even worse that teflon).

Otherwise, I really like the Lodge brand, and do almost all of my cooking on cast iron.

By: Aurora

Aurora — Mon, 14 May 2007 17:53:54 +0000

As the beneficiary of most of Jesse’s culinary experiments, he’s pretty much convinced my stomach that he cooks more often and better with cast iron. Chuck, if that’s not a good enough reason to convince your significant other or housemates to approve a cast iron purchase, the clean-up should be–about a minute with a stiff kitchen brush and water is all it takes. Once you get up to 15 pieces though, you’ll have to start looking at other storage options like Jesse and I are Personally, I’m advocating for a hooks in all available studs so we can display the collection and still use it.

By: jwsharrard

jwsharrard — Mon, 14 May 2007 16:25:01 +0000

The Lodge square skillet is slightly too big to be used for eggs–but is the perfect size for making one grilled cheese sandwich or one piece of french toast.

By: kari

kari — Mon, 14 May 2007 16:18:09 +0000

I’ve seen a lot of cast iron used at flea markets and garage sales. If you have the time and elbow grease, it’s worth picking some up. even if it’s rusty, you can scour it down with steel wool, clean it well, and then re-season.

my dad did this with a bunch of cast iron from the barn and I’ve been using it happily ever since! he may have gotten crazy with a blow torch, too, or but that’s not necessary. I’ve got 3 different sized skillets and a dutch oven: the only thing I am lacking is a good griddle.

By: Adam Fields

Adam Fields — Mon, 14 May 2007 15:12:31 +0000

By the way, Lodge also makes a 5″ square Wonder Skillet. I’ve seen this in cooking stores, it should be fairly widely available.

By: Adam Fields

Adam Fields — Mon, 14 May 2007 15:05:36 +0000

You want to use cast iron when you want lots of even, steady heat over fairly long periods of time and don’t need precise control over the level of heat.

The things I use my cast iron pans rfor most are: 1) bacon and eggs, 2) pan seared steaks, 3) baking cornbread, 4) roasting root vegetables, which I brown on the stove first then finish in a 450F oven. They are also ideal pans to take camping, as they’re totally safe to use over a campfire and are easy to clean (if properly seasoned).

I have become a huge fan of the shape of the Lodge Pro-Logic Skillet (also sometimes called a Chef’s Pan).

By: Chuck

Chuck — Mon, 14 May 2007 04:47:58 +0000

I’m interested in hearing your thoughts on what situations are ideal for the cast iron approach.

For most purposes, I have a cheap 6″ skillet and a cheap 8″ skillet and I use my roomie’s really nice 10″ sautee pan for big jobs, all non-stick. But in the back of my mind, I know I’m missing the boat, eg, when I make skillet-based dishes with potatoes. The cast iron would help produce that tasty golden crust… But are there other areas where I’m missing out on having the right tool for the job?

Or in other words, *please* help me justify getting some cast iron cookware Thanks!