The new Lodge isn't quite the quality the vintage iron is. I like mine no newer than 1930 or so.
Cast Iron Pan
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I'd live to get my hands on some old pans to restore. I have a dew people on the lookout for them and hope to get lucky some day.
The Wagners I have are well seasoned and seem to be less talked about then Lodge. I know they aren't from the 30s because I think I bought them when I was dating my now wife about 20y ago for a camping trip.
We have three sizes of Lodge and Wagner. The Wagners we use for home as they have mirror finish on the seasoning and the Lodge are for BBQ and camping duty.
A work buddy gave me a couple he found cleaning our his folks place and I'm working on getting those a nice finish.
Just found a pic of a couple of what I think are my oldest pans. A couple of smaller Wagner Ware. One has the traditional black look and the other one is metallic but now taken on some brown from seasoning.
These were the free ones...free is always good.
These were the free ones...free is always good.
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Nice pans. They were made at some point after 1969, when General Housewares Corporation acquired Wagner and Griswold.
I should add that the cleanest I ever got my vintage 12" pan was by accident--I left it on the grill until it was literally white hot. I got it off the heat and left it alone for a few hours to cool down. Once it was cool every little bit of crud on either side of the pan was nothing but a little ash. I wiped out the pan and re-seasoned it, and it worked as well as ever.
I will use soap and hot water on my pans if it was used to cook something with chilies in it. If I were to just wipe it out (like I prefer) or rinse out with water, the chili oil stays in it enough that the next time I cook something for my daughter in it, she complains - bitterly.
The soap and water is never enough to take off much seasoning and it builds back on the next use.
-jim
The soap and water is never enough to take off much seasoning and it builds back on the next use.
-jim
Agreed, the older is better, but the new is just fine, once it gets boken in.
Last I looked, the Lodge enameled line was actually Chinese, so something to think about, if that matters to you. (Regarding lead content, etc) With enameled I'll stick with my "French stuff" (which wasn't anywhere near as expensive back when I bought it as it is now)
Haha, yeah, just like a self cleaning oven.
Not generally recommended as it can crack if your CI has some kinds of imperfections, but a very easy way to go if it can handle it.
Ken
I did not know that the lodge enameled cast iron was made in China. Thanks for pointing that out I looked it up and it is true, knowing that I would not by any lodge enameled cast iron.
I would avoid used and especially estate cookware. When I was a young teenager there was a guy in my cousins neighborhood that was the go to guy if you needed something fixed or just stop in and listen to him since he could do about anything. I recall that he always had a well used 8" cast iron skillet on the floor in his well kept shop every time we would visit and one day we asked him what that was about. He said "That is my mouse trap, I sprinkle some rat poison in it and add some Coca Cola". I went to his estate sale when he passed away and recall his mouse trap pan in a box on the jewelry wagon. It did not cross my mind until now that someone could have put it into use for cooking again.
Well, a common way to clean cast iron is to soak it in a lye bath. I agree it sounds bad - rat poison and all - but I don't have any fear of reusing any previously used item as I clean it pretty well. I agree with what you say, I would never use such things without a through cleaning.
That goes for razors, brushes, pots and pans, pyrex, spoons, forks, knifes and cast iron.
But that is just me and if somebody feels better about never using previously used goods, more power to them. There are a lot of guys that think using an old shaving brush is beyond the pale, and I completely understand that.
-jim
That goes for razors, brushes, pots and pans, pyrex, spoons, forks, knifes and cast iron.
But that is just me and if somebody feels better about never using previously used goods, more power to them. There are a lot of guys that think using an old shaving brush is beyond the pale, and I completely understand that.
-jim
I'm with you on this, Jim. After a very thorough cleaning and long oven seasoning I wouldn't have any issue with it.
I was pretty disappointed to learn they were making them in China. I'd always considered Lodge to be one of those quintessential American brands. It was a lesson that, by and large, those days are gone.
We learned the same thing about H-L Fiestaware when we recently swapped all our dinnerware. The bowls, plates, cups etc are all still made in West Virginia but the flatware is now made in China. Gotta say, we LOVE the dinnerware. That is some heavy duty stuff. Perfect to serve your CI creations on
Ken
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That dinnerware looks awesome!
Beautiful stuff, but no old red? Just remember, you can take the rat poison out of your cast iron, but you can't get the U-238 out of old FiestaWare. 
I have got to put one of those "sub-shelves" in our dinnerware cabinet.
-jim
I have got to put one of those "sub-shelves" in our dinnerware cabinet.
-jim
Thanks, it really is. Those plates are one pound fourteen oz each! And I gotta say, the color spead just makes me smile every time I look at it.
Beautiful stuff, but no old red? Just remember, you can take the rat poison out of your cast iron, but you can't get the U-238 out of old FiestaWare.
Haha, yeah, I read about that. Pretty amazing (and scary) I think this is the first red they've introduced since that little incident. I guess it was kind of a touchy subject.
I love ours. Very handy.
Cheers,
Ken
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You had me on their outlet site minutes after I saw the post of the name. If I can convince my wife to replace our all white Corel after the kitchen renovation, this could be a nice celebratory splurge for us.
I love the variety and mixing of the colors as you could get 8-12 place settings in all different colors.
Just FYI - We got ours at Macy's. They run them on pretty good sales (in fact, there's another one on right now) But the deals on the H-L site aren't bad.
We did exactly the same. It replaced our 13 year old Corelle.
Enjoy it! We are loving ours.
Ken
We did exactly the same. It replaced our 13 year old Corelle.
Enjoy it! We are loving ours.
Ken
If you are on a budget, you can't beat Lodge for the $
My collection consists of antique "Erie" cast iron skillets, which is what Griswold called them when they first started out. All my cast iron pans are over 100 years old. I have them from size #3 to size #12. I also have a nickel plated Griswold size #8, and a Griswold #8 nickel plated Dutch oven.
The advantage of the Erie-Griswold pans over the new Lodge are twofold:
First they are lighter for their size than a similiar size Lodge, that is due to the nickel iron alloy used back then.
Second the finish on the bottom of the pan is smoother. You could take a new Lodge and grind the bottom with a sanding disc then re season it.
Finally the Erie-Griswold pans are true hollow ware. Pick one up by the handle and tap it with a spoon, they ring like a bell.
Lodge pans just make a clunk.
Either vintage Erie-Griswold, Wagner ware, or Lodge will all get the job done.
FYI look around thrift shops, Ebay, etc. for vintage cast iron pans. The older Lodge pans are available too. They will have SK printed on the bottom.
As for seasoning Crisco gets the job done. I stay away from animal based fats. Once seasoned just use the pan often and you should have no problems.
My collection consists of antique "Erie" cast iron skillets, which is what Griswold called them when they first started out. All my cast iron pans are over 100 years old. I have them from size #3 to size #12. I also have a nickel plated Griswold size #8, and a Griswold #8 nickel plated Dutch oven.
The advantage of the Erie-Griswold pans over the new Lodge are twofold:
First they are lighter for their size than a similiar size Lodge, that is due to the nickel iron alloy used back then.
Second the finish on the bottom of the pan is smoother. You could take a new Lodge and grind the bottom with a sanding disc then re season it.
Finally the Erie-Griswold pans are true hollow ware. Pick one up by the handle and tap it with a spoon, they ring like a bell.
Lodge pans just make a clunk.
Either vintage Erie-Griswold, Wagner ware, or Lodge will all get the job done.
FYI look around thrift shops, Ebay, etc. for vintage cast iron pans. The older Lodge pans are available too. They will have SK printed on the bottom.
As for seasoning Crisco gets the job done. I stay away from animal based fats. Once seasoned just use the pan often and you should have no problems.
Huh?
