Need a New Cast Iron pan

[Vdubchaos]

Return it for what? No one else makes cast iron nowadays. I would just end up with another pan with that brittle coating layer.

This coating issue is a well documented problem, and like I said, it is fixable..

I think it's important to warn people before they spend a bunch of time building up the seasoning layer just to have it all flake off due to the shoddy base coating.

I've been using mine for months, no problems.

You have choices
http://www.campchef.com/

I think there is few makers as well. Try them out.

personally, even if it flakes I don't mind getting down and dirty and fixing it myself, so it's a none issue for me (when it happens)

 

[SpatiallyAware]

What pissed me off is that my first pan had 5 years of seasoning before that base layer flaked.... So 5 years of careful washing etc down the drain.

The camp chef and other brands I've seen are super thin Chinese junk.

 

[SpatiallyAware]

Saw your link, that does look like a good brand. I was thinking of chef mate.

 

[BarbeQueGuy]

I own several hundred pounds of cast iron cookware, some dating back to the 1940's. I love my cast and have had to rehab a few pieces in the past due to poor care and maintenance. At one point, I was in tears because one pan had about forty years worth of seasoning and it got wet while in storage and rusted. I used a bead-blaster to remove the rust and most of the seasoning so that it was an even surface once i got it back in shape.
I use a salt scrub when rehabbing the pans: low heat, peanut oil, salt and a rag. It has the benefit of not adding harsh chemicals or abusing the metal surface.

On the topic of Lodge: I've made purchases directly from Lodge and some from local retailers(Target, Walmart, etc.). The Lodge direct pans had a fine machined surface, the retail models had a matte finish. I don't like the matte finish because it requires a slightly different cooking style because the matte has more area that can stick.

 

[Vdubchaos]

What pissed me off is that my first pan had 5 years of seasoning before that base layer flaked.... So 5 years of careful washing etc down the drain.
.

That sucks, what can you do.

 

[jaedaliu]

With my skillets it happened during the Alton steak process, which is the largest gas burner on high for only a few minutes, dry pan.

The center turned a little blue but seemed ok. The next time I used it, even at low heat, the coating was flaking off in the middle and sticking to the food.

This happened on both skillets. I also have a Dutch oven, and the coating came off after making tomato sauce at low temps.

Sounds like differential thermal expansion between the seasoning layer and the iron pan is what caused the cracking. Most people won't get a pan nearly that hot because it would create charcol from whatever was inside.

Wonder if it was the lodge layer or if any 5 years worth of seasoning can crack like that?

 

[7window]

Their seasoning SUCKS. Simple as that.

First thing you do when you get them is put some bacon on there/use the fat to season it > bake for 2 hours.

Repeat it 2-3 times (at least)

This but baking not needed. loge is great. eggs slides on the pan

 

[7window]

Well, you are not suppose to use anything Acidic on Cast iron for at least a year or 2.

Also, what's stopping you from returning it? Amazon has a great policy.

Personally I see no reason to cook at such high temperature. I prefer to cook my stuff on low, heck NO HEAT AT ALL.

I usually heat up to Medium for few min, turn it down to Low > apply oil and at this point I can simply turn off the heat all together (for eggs at least).

I can wait extra few min for a steak to cook vs cooking at super duper temperatures.....but I don't do steaks often, and when I do, they go on my charcoal grill anyways.



Yes, and he just said his father owns a restaurant with those and has no issues....

My loge when use its always on high temp. Don't know the temp but the pan still look the same. As far as washing you dont need to wash it but just wipe with paper towel.

 

[Vdubchaos]

My loge when use its always on high temp. Don't know the temp but the pan still look the same. As far as washing you dont need to wash it but just wipe with paper towel.

I usually wash it with hot water/brush....dry>season

I did start using one of my skillets right out of the box and noticed that seasoning was just sticky and it was a pain in the ass to scrub off.

So I went ahead and threw some bacon on it/saved the fat/seasoned it with it 2-3 times. Been great every since.

 

[EPCrew]

i have a couple of Lodge pans as well. Threw them in the oven cleaning cycle to remove all of the original coating. Seems fine to me.

 

[Iron Woode]

my Lodge 12" pan has never let me down. I cook lots of different things in it and it's completely non-stick. I may re-season once every 3 months.

 

[kage69]

I had a thread regarding this up not too long ago, search for 'patina'


It essentially boils down to this: screw animal fat, and screw butter. The best seasoning for cast iron, regardless of manufacturer, is produced with a dry oil - of which only flaxseed oil is food grade.

Check out the links in that other thread.

If you want an incredible season to your cast iron, get you a bottle of cold pressed flax seed oil. Keep it in the fridge after opening. Oil your stuff down with your fingers so it's slick but with no excess. Insert in oven upside down. Crank oven to 450, let it marinate for at least an hour. Let the iron cool inside the oven. Repeat process about 5 to 6 times, and voila, better results than with any kind of lard, oil or special purpose product like Camp Chef. Getting that black gleam comes down to the iodide level of the oil and flaxseed is the highest. I think canola oil is a distant second, which is why some people have had decent results using cooking sprays like Pam.
Using animal fat, particularly that from beef and pork, to season cast iron worked better a hundred years ago when all livestock contained more omegas in their fat than their current day grain fed progeny.

Telling ya. Flaxseed oil.

 

[Bird222]

What do you think about this method? http://sherylcanter.com/wordpress/2010/01/a-science-based-technique-for-seasoning-cast-iron/

 

[Vdubchaos]

I'm not that anal about seasoning.

Kind of like "not poking a hole in the steak". It's ok, I won't die or notice the little difference.

Just fuckin cook

 

[Agent11]

Any one ever used electrolytic cleaning on an old pan?
http://www.surplusrifleforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=80&t=62728&hilit=electrolysis

 

[Cerpin Taxt]

Any one ever used electrolytic cleaning on an old pan?
http://www.surplusrifleforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=80&t=62728&hilit=electrolysis

Electrolysis is the best method to strip cast iron.

 

[Anubis]

anyway coming back to this i ended up getting my dad a Lodge 12in just seems the easiest

however look what i just found going through some boxes of stuff we took from my grandmothers house after she died

fuck yea!. only rust is on the outside. insides look amazing. just need to clean and re season

hod damn this is an awesome day

 

[Howard]

I've tried.... I have a big green egg, and have done a good bake with the therm at 700-900f, and it's still not enough.

I then take them out, let them cool, and use a wire wheel on a grinder to get the rest of it off.... Just a huge PITA and not perfect.

Throw it on a mill. Not only do you remove all surface coatings, you also get to start from a perfectly flat near-mirror finish!

The "matte" part someone else is complaining about is simply because they don't flatten the surface after casting.

 

[SpatiallyAware]

anyway coming back to this i ended up getting my dad a Lodge 12in just seems the easiest

however look what i just found going through some boxes of stuff we took from my grandmothers house after she died

fuck yea!. only rust is on the outside. insides look amazing. just need to clean and re season

hod damn this is an awesome day

Nice!!

 

[BUTCH1]

my Lodge 12" pan has never let me down. I cook lots of different things in it and it's completely non-stick. I may re-season once every 3 months.

I've had mine since 1982, it just get better, some things will stick, mainly scrambled eggs, I just soak it in warm water and soap for 15 minutes and it comes off no problem, then I'll towel dry it and put it up. I also have the Lodge griddle, I use that with my turkey cooker burner outside, 185K BTU=crispy Steak-n-Shake style sliders!.

 

[lxskllr]

Nice score Anubis! Griswolds are great pans, and fairly valuable :^)

 

[NetWareHead]

anyway coming back to this i ended up getting my dad a Lodge 12in just seems the easiest

however look what i just found going through some boxes of stuff we took from my grandmothers house after she died

fuck yea!. only rust is on the outside. insides look amazing. just need to clean and re season

hod damn this is an awesome day

Sorry to hear about your grandmother. However great find. Those Griswold pans sure keep their value and cook great too.