Heeeelp! Wifey Wants Cast Iron Skillet. OP: Clueless, Freaking Out

[Wogus]

Most Awesome Wifey has let it be known she would very much appreciate a cast iron skillet for general food prep so... Clearly I'm now in the market for a cast iron skillet. I'm a little bewildered by how much, or how little, I could spend on this, and know next-to-nothing about cast iron. We'd need something in the 12" range, nothing much smaller, and while a lid is not required, it wouldn't hurt if one was available. Weight is not so much of an issue, and while I am willing to spend what I need to, I can't exactly drop $500 on this, regardless, if you know what I mean.

Should I just buy "Lodge" and be done with it?

 

[mishkaya]

Plenty of options when it comes to cast iron for sure. Linked is a review of cast iron skillets from Kent Rollins.It might help you some.

 

[Donk93953]

Great to cook with

 

[Tirvine]

I would suggest you ask her if she would consider carbon steel. A thickish carbon steel skillet will have many of the same cooking properties as cast iron but offer several features that I find to be significant benefits. The sides of most cast iron pans are fairly steep, but the traditional Lyonnaise shape of most carbon steel skillets is more sloped. I find the slope makes it easier to get the spatula under things. Most cast iron pans have fairly short, horizontal handles. They are fine for sliding the pan around, but I find they require they take more strength to lift and turn than a Lyonnaise handle which is long and sloping. If you make something like a steak with a pan sauce, tipping a twelve inch cast iron skillet to drizzle the sauce over the meat is a hefty chore. A twelve inch cast iron pan like a Lodge is quite heavy. Because carbon steel pans have the sloped or flared rims, you would probably want to go a little wider to get comparable floor space, but carbon steel is a but thinner and, therefore, lighter. Both materials season quite easily. If she is still set on cast iron, Lodge is a great choice IMO. Old, collectible pans like Griswolds are pretty cool, too, but they can get pricey. There are some newer cast iron pans like Finex. They get pretty pricey. In my opinion at the end of the day paying up for something like that will get you a more nicely finished pan and probably a better designed handle. I have a 24 cm cast iron skillet I picked up in the mid-1975s and a bunch of newer carbon steel pans. I use both and find their cooking properties and seasoning properties very similar. I always use the cast iron for something like a frittata that I will finish under the broiler. Lots of folks finish steaks in the oven, and getting a carbon steel pan into most ovens could be challenging. I prefer my steaks done rare on the stovetop so I use steel. The carbon steel takes abuse from things like acidic deglazing better because it has a smoother surface that re-seasons with ease. I used to cook acidic things in the cast iron, however, and got fine results. Cook some bacon and fry some potatoes and they re-season very quickly. Some people say they detect the taste of iron when they use cast iron for acidic things like a tomato-based spaghetti sauce. I never noticed any issues of that sort. Whatever you pick, a lid is a real plus. Generally restaurant supply stores like Ace Mart offer inexpensive aluminum lids that will fit most common sizes. I use my lids a lot. Throwing the lid over burgers with just a splash of water in the pan will steam melt the cheese to perfection in seconds. I know this is an overlong and pedantic response, but a twelve inch pan is really heavy. Two nine inch Lodge pans would be my preference over one twelve incher. My last comment is that for the most part, carbon steel pans are fungible. There is no need to pay DeBuyer prices if you find a Matfer or no name pan in the size and thickness you want. I do not find cast iron pans as fungible, the biggest differences being the smoothness of the cooking surface.

 

[Tirvine]

Plenty of options when it comes to cast iron for sure. Linked is a review of cast iron skillets from Kent Rollins.It might help you some.

This was about the best review of skillets that I have seen. Thanks!

 

[Ted A]

You might consider looking in antique stores. My daughter loves cast iron and we’ve found them at antique stores. They have to be cleaned up and re-seasoned, but since they’re cast iron it’s hard to wreck them.

 

[Tannhauser]

If you don't want to break the bank, then Lodge is the choice. I would recommend sanding the Lodge just a bit. Not to get it down to a smooth finish like the vintage/high-end cast iron (unless you really want to), but to just get some of the rougher areas smoothed out (especially for any glass stovetops).

 

[Buster]

You might consider looking in antique stores. My daughter loves cast iron and we’ve found them at antique stores. They have to be cleaned up and re-seasoned, but since they’re cast iron it’s hard to wreck them.

Don’t forget garage and estate sales. I found a nice cast iron Dutch oven at a garage sale about 25 years ago. It is still going strong.

That’s the only cast iron I’ve ever bought. I have tree pans that were wedding gifts to my parents. The other large Lodge pan with a glass lid a gift from a girlfriends mom. My grandma gave me a round Lodge griddle. I imagine these will be handed down to my boys when Im gone.

 

[spirograph]

No need to spend a lot but make sure you know what she wants. Our lodge pans get a lot of use in our house but if she is looking for a pretty enameled outside and raw iron interior, like a Le creuset, a lodge will be disappointing. Le Creuset are great and great looking but not inexpensive.

 

[Tirvine]

If you go the antique/garage sale/estate sale route and you come across an otherwise fine pan that is encrusted in old gunk, it is amazingly easy to remove that stuff by putting it in the oven on the self cleaning cycle, but, and this is a major caveat, mother boards failing because of the high temperatures the self cleaning cycle is a fairly common thing. Replacing a failed motherboard is necessary because it controls everything, not just the self cleaning cycle. It can be a very expensive repair.

 

[BlueMaxx]

Most Awesome Wifey has let it be known she would very much appreciate a cast iron skillet for general food prep so... Clearly I'm now in the market for a cast iron skillet. I'm a little bewildered by how much, or how little, I could spend on this, and know next-to-nothing about cast iron. We'd need something in the 12" range, nothing much smaller, and while a lid is not required, it wouldn't hurt if one was available. Weight is not so much of an issue, and while I am willing to spend what I need to, I can't exactly drop $500 on this, regardless, if you know what I mean.

Should I just buy "Lodge" and be done with it?

Lodge and be done.
Nothing bettor IMHO.
May not be the most visually appealing, bit it will outlast even the cockroaches after the apocalypse.

 

[Oliviamaynard]

I love my cast Iron pan.

 

[Oliviamaynard]

Great for searing steak

 

[mrlandpirate]

I got a new one from Sam the Cooking Guy with lid $79
really nice pan , I use it a lot

 

[Multum in parvo]

My best, a hand me down from my mother in law. Also have some le creuset and lodge around.

 

[LMcC]

That’s a whole rabbit hole into itself, but lodge is cheap and works well. Could stand additional seasoning.

 

[Messygoon]

No need to spend a lot but make sure you know what she wants. Our lodge pans get a lot of use in our house but if she is looking for a pretty enameled outside and raw iron interior, like a Le creuset, a lodge will be disappointing. Le Creuset are great and great looking but not inexpensive.

Couldn't agree more. Our Lodge 12" is great for fajita veggies on the outdoor grill. But we're also Le Creuset fans, especially of their stock pots. Lodge is rustic at $30-40 USD. The Le Creuset is refined at $200. Both are amazing in their own rights, and will be cherished for generations. My only advice: determine which she prefers. For as the phrase goes, "happy wife, happy life."

 

[Old Hippie]

Should I just buy "Lodge" and be done with it?

Yes. Thanks for asking.

Lodge is good quality; better than some "eastern" brands, cheaper than some other US brands. I've looked at some of the higher end cast iron cookware, and don't really find it any better than Lodge.

Lodge has a wide range. Personally I have no interest in their steel pans or enameled cast iron. I prefer good honest black iron!

When my oldest daughter told me she wanted to have her own cast iron pans and asked me to put together a starter set for her, I did something like the following:

2x #5 skillets (good for small stuff)
1x #8 skillet with lid
1x "Combo Cooker" (deep skillet, lid doubles as a griddle)
1x #12 stovetop Dutch Oven with lid (lid also fits the #12 skillet if you have that)

Oughta be able to pick up most of that for about the price of a good razor.

Over the years I've used a lot of Lodge gear. I tend to use the #8 skillet most, #12 skillet next, Combo Cooker in various ways, pizza pan, loaf pans and Aebelskiver pan. I also have a pile of camp Dutch ovens from #5 to #12.

A couple of days ago I turned out the first holiday fruitcake from my Bundt pan (THUD; an entire batch of fruitcake in ONE cake!).

I've been hinting that I'd like a Texas Biscuit Pan for making bannocks. Not that I precisely need it for bannocks, but I do make a lot of bannock and I'd like to try one for that.

O.H.

 

[Atlantic59]

Consider that a 12" cast iron skillet can be rather large and heavy. Good for things like frying chicken, maybe, but otherwise a bit unwieldy. I think the 10" size is the sweet spot.

Skillets do not usually come with lids. You can borrow a lid from another pot, though. I like the clear glass ones.

Older cast iron can be reconditioned to be like new. Some of the best pans are the older ones.

 

[tthoms]

I couldn't tell you what brand of cast iron skillets and pans that we have, as they have all been picked up at garage sales. The main problems that I have experienced have been because of rust and poor seasoning, both easily fixable with a proper cleaning and re-seasoning. Good luck! Cast iron is awesome.