Buying Cast Iron
Corduroy,
I’m graduating from college and need to buy some skillets/pans. I really like cast-iron and I think you’ve mentioned Lodge as a good brand. But what size do I need? If I were to get one or two pans what is the most useful size?
Thanks,
Jill
Jill—
As far as sizes are concerned, that all depends on what you cook and how many people you’re cooking for—the more people you’re cooking for, the larger of a pan you’ll need. My biggest piece of cast iron is a 15-inch skillet. It spends most of its time hanging out in the basement, too big to be of use, but when my wife and I went to a cabin with three other couples this weekend, it was extremely handy when it came time to make hash browns, pancakes, and fried eggs (three waves of food through the pan). I doubt you’ll need anything that big, though. My guess is that you’d do just fine with an eight-inch and a ten-inch.
Lodge is a good brand, and widely available, but truth be told, you don’t really need to worry too much about brand names when it comes to cast iron. Three of my pans (the first three I bought) are Martha Stewart brand from K-Mart. They’re a bit thicker than my other skillets and heat up a bit more slowly, but they work just fine and will be a permanent part of my collection.
A good source for getting quality cast iron is Cajun Cast Iron, which is currently offering a three-piece starter set (6, 8, and 10-inch skillets) for only $9. That’s a great deal—probably less than I paid at K-Mart (though i didn’t have to pay shipping on that purchase)—especially considering that they’ve got the 10-inch by itself marked at $9. Although, when you follow the link for the 3-piece set, the price mysteriously goes up from $9 to $14.
If I were you, I’d act on it quickly before they discover the bug: call them on the phone and tell them that the front page says $9, so they really ought to be selling it to you for that price according to truth in advertising laws. Even if they adjust the price before you get there, though, the three piece starter set will get you the most commonly needed sizes at a fraction of the price of buying each separately, and the pans will still be useful when your grandchildren are dead.
Some of my favorite pans are of indeterminite brand: purchased from antique stores and flea markets and so old that the brand is obscured (or perhaps not even marked). If you’re buying used, the main thing you want to look for is rust. Superficial rust is okay, and scrapes of quickly with steel wool or a stiff wire brush, but if the rust goes deep, you’d be better off not buying it.
A couple of other favories are my Wagner Square Egg Skillet, which is (to my knowledge) only available used. It’s essential to make the perfect fried egg sandwich (the square egg fits the bread), and my dutch oven, which makes great stews, pulled pork barbecue, and popcorn. My next cast iron purchase will be a griddle that fits over two burners. Before I can get that, though, I have to convince Aurora that getting a fifteenth piece of cast iron isn’t ridiculous overkill (which shouldn’t be tough because she knows it’ll come in handy [don't you, honey?]).
You’re making a good choice getting cast iron. You’re guaranteed to get good, sturdy pans that will serve you well as long as you take care of them correctly.
May 14th, 2007 at 12:47 am
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!
May 14th, 2007 at 11:05 am
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).
May 14th, 2007 at 11:12 am
By the way, Lodge also makes a 5″ square Wonder Skillet. I’ve seen this in cooking stores, it should be fairly widely available.
May 14th, 2007 at 12:18 pm
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.
May 14th, 2007 at 12:25 pm
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.
May 14th, 2007 at 1:53 pm
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.
May 15th, 2007 at 8:02 am
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.
May 15th, 2007 at 8:04 am
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?
July 19th, 2007 at 4:55 pm
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.
August 12th, 2007 at 1:30 am
Hi
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.