Modern Cast Iron

[Elliot]

Read the thread on cast iron but there's something I have been thinking about for awhile:

Of the modern iterations of "high-end cast iron," does anyone have any experience/recommendations? I have two vintage pans that I love but are both on the smaller end of the spectrum. I'm looking at the ones you'd expect: Butter Pat, Stargazer, Smithey, etc. I should note that I am looking for something big -- 13/14".

I have had Lodge before and don't adore them.

Would love to hear from you all.

 

[Phoenixkh]

I looked years back and didn't care for any of the modern ones. I ended up buying #8 and #10 Griswold skillets from a well reviewed eBay refinisher. The #10 measures 12 inches, for point of reference. The #12 is said to measure 13 3/8th inches, outside top. They are great.

 

[Elliot]

I looked years back and didn't care for any of the modern ones. I ended up buying #8 and #10 Griswold skillets from a well reviewed eBay refinisher. The #10 measures 12 inches, for point of reference. The #12 is said to measure 13 3/8th inches, outside top. They are great.

Thanks, Kim. Was considering the same thing, but the guy I got my old ones from is no longer doing it... so would need a recommendation. I saw this seller on Etsy, but I have never heard of them.

 

[Maxwedge]

Elliot, the 3 modern brands you listed all look great (Butterpat, Stargazer and Smithey). Those brands feature an incredibly smooth interior, which is what made the vintage pans so good.

I have several Griswold, Wagner and Favorite pans and they all had their interiors polished at the factory. Most modern pans like Lodge or anything from BBB or a department store, is just rough-cast and very difficult to cook in or clean.

I think with the 3 you listed, it would just be a matter of personal taste as to the styling. I personally like the looks of the Smithey best.

 

[paintflinger]

Smithey are pretty heavy. I use my field the most between it and my stargazer.

 

[Old Hippie]

They're a bit quirky, but I like the stuff Finex turns out. I've looked it over and held it but at this point I can't justify paying more for a frying pan than I will for a razor. That's a bit of a joke considering a couple of the razors in the Lather Pit! Actually, I guess now I could since I've got a Rex Konsul.

With respect to your preferences, I've always liked Lodge. I also have Wagner, Camp Chef, Griswold and Birmingham Stove -- older and newer pieces of all of them. Our next-to-largest skillet is a Lodge #12 which is a good size if you're either cooking on a woodstove (which we do occasionally) or you're cooking things that you want to "park" on the cooler edges while you work something else over the hot spot on a normal stove, sort of like disko or wok cooking.

Another maker to check is Skeppshult. They're Swedish and have some lovely pieces. I have one of their pepper mills.

O.H.

 

[Elliot]

They're a bit quirky, but I like the stuff Finex turns out. I've looked it over and held it but at this point I can't justify paying more for a frying pan than I will for a razor. That's a bit of a joke considering a couple of the razors in the Lather Pit! Actually, I guess now I could since I've got a Rex Konsul.

With respect to your preferences, I've always liked Lodge. I also have Wagner, Camp Chef, Griswold and Birmingham Stove -- older and newer pieces of all of them. Our next-to-largest skillet is a Lodge #12 which is a good size if you're either cooking on a woodstove (which we do occasionally) or you're cooking things that you want to "park" on the cooler edges while you work something else over the hot spot on a normal stove, sort of like disko or wok cooking.

Another maker to check is Skeppshult. They're Swedish and have some lovely pieces. I have one of their pepper mills.

O.H.

I thought the same for a long time, but I sort of surrendered to emotion. Call it self-awareness.
This lesson came to me in the knife world, which I have been a part of for a long time. Once you cross a certain threshold, roughly $250, there is no discernable benefit in performance for a kitchen knife. When friends as me for a knife recommendation, I ask a price range... if they say there is none, I link them to two or three knives and explain some of the nuances. Beyond that, it's emotion.

So, back to the point. I enjoy cooking with my Blanc Creatives carbon steel pan more than my Matfer. Is it better? Oh, I don't know. Even if it is, it's marginal at best. It did, however, cost about $200 more and I also gain the irrational emotive knowledge of it being "handmade."

Anyway... there ya have it. I know who I am. Silly

 

[Phoenixkh]

I linked this knife before... I saw Aaron Hernandez using it on one of his cooking videos... and again in one of his streaming shows. He doesn't mention it by name.... but uses it quite often. I got mine during one of their significant price reduction sales:

The Chef’s Knife

Supremely sharp. The epitome of comfort. Built in the USA. Artisan Revere handcrafted chef’s knife made with Elmax Steel. Backed by our 10,000 Cuts Guarantee™. Free leather sheath included. Super steel blades that cut better, stay sharper 2.3x longer, and make calluses a distant memory.

artisanrevere.com

It's the best chef knife I've ever used. I wouldn't call myself a knife master or anything close to that, but I do have knives I bought when I was meat cutter in a processing plant when I was young and several Spyderco kitchen knives. I've used knives our sons have purchased over the years. This one is several steps up in performance, in case you feel enabled.

 

[Elliot]

I linked this knife before... I saw Aaron Hernandez using it on one of his cooking videos... and again in one of his streaming shows. He doesn't mention it by name.... but uses it quite often. I got mine during one of their significant price reduction sales:

The Chef’s Knife

Supremely sharp. The epitome of comfort. Built in the USA. Artisan Revere handcrafted chef’s knife made with Elmax Steel. Backed by our 10,000 Cuts Guarantee™. Free leather sheath included. Super steel blades that cut better, stay sharper 2.3x longer, and make calluses a distant memory.

artisanrevere.com

It's the best chef knife I've ever used. I wouldn't call myself a knife master or anything close to that, but I do have knives I bought when I was meat cutter in a processing plant when I was young and several Spyderco kitchen knives. I've used knives our sons have purchased over the years. This one is several steps up in performance, in case you feel enabled.

I’ve been in the knife game a long time and have had knives that cost more than the down payment on my first and second car. Still, with a collection that was well north of 100 knives before I started trimming, this is my desert island knife:

Gesshin Ginga 240mm White #2 Wa-Gyuto

Product Description Detailed Specs Measurements The Gesshin Ginga line is a custom line we have produced for us exclusively. These knives are very thin and light and have great fit and finish. The spine and choil are rounded and polished. The white #2 steel (carbon steel) is very finely...

www.japaneseknifeimports.com

 

[Phoenixkh]

I’ve been in the knife game a long time and have had knives that cost more than the down payment on my first and second car. Still, with a collection that was well north of 100 knives before I started trimming, this is my desert island knife:

Gesshin Ginga 240mm White #2 Wa-Gyuto

Product Description Detailed Specs Measurements The Gesshin Ginga line is a custom line we have produced for us exclusively. These knives are very thin and light and have great fit and finish. The spine and choil are rounded and polished. The white #2 steel (carbon steel) is very finely...

www.japaneseknifeimports.com

Very nice.

 

[Elliot]

I linked this knife before... I saw Aaron Hernandez using it on one of his cooking videos... and again in one of his streaming shows. He doesn't mention it by name.... but uses it quite often. I got mine during one of their significant price reduction sales:

The Chef’s Knife

Supremely sharp. The epitome of comfort. Built in the USA. Artisan Revere handcrafted chef’s knife made with Elmax Steel. Backed by our 10,000 Cuts Guarantee™. Free leather sheath included. Super steel blades that cut better, stay sharper 2.3x longer, and make calluses a distant memory.

artisanrevere.com

It's the best chef knife I've ever used. I wouldn't call myself a knife master or anything close to that, but I do have knives I bought when I was meat cutter in a processing plant when I was young and several Spyderco kitchen knives. I've used knives our sons have purchased over the years. This one is several steps up in performance, in case you feel enabled.

Elmax is a very good steel. I imagine you rarely sharpen this?

 

[Phoenixkh]

Elmax is a very good steel. I imagine you rarely sharpen this?

I have a little hand held hollow ground carbide sharpener welded into a steel handle. I had some made up years ago... just a light touch and it sharpens a knife to a razor edge.

 

[Oilstone]

I really enjoy my new Camp Chef dutch oven. I did however buff the terribly rough factory finish smooth. My dutch oven had a weird flavor from the factory. Ideally I wouldn't have had to do this but when you pay $75 you can't complain.

I wouldn't say Camp Chef is high end stuff but why do the Finex pans cost so much? Is it all in the surface prep?

 

[Jut]

Here are my Butter Pat pans. One is 12" and one is 14". Had them for a year or more and love them both.

For background, i was getting tired of buying non stick skillets that would last a year, and then lose the coating. The last straw was buying an allclad non stick that i thought would last longer because it cost alot....wrong, it just cost alot.

So I went on line and kept reading that well seasoned cast iron would solve my problem. I bought a Lodge. It was ok, but the bottom was rough as hell, and no matter how much i used it, i couldn't get enough seasoning on it to make eggs without breaking them. I suppose if i stuck with it for a for 5 to 10 years, i could have gotten enough seasoning, but i didn't want to wait that long.

Back to the internet to see what I was doing wrong. I found that what i needed was a vintage, refurbished pan or one of the ones from the brands you mentioned. (Because of the smooth surface)

After alot more reading, I decided to go with Butter Pat because of where they are made, and because the production process seemed to be as close to vintage production as i could get.

I bought the 12" first. The pre seasoning that it came with sucked. The first eggs on there ended up about the same as the Lodge. But, after a seasoning with crisco and a couple of meals cooked in it, I finally found what I was after. I got the 14" because I cook often for my family, and with a family of 5, I quickly realized the 12" was doable, but 14 would be ideal.

I can wholeheartedly say I would buy these 2 again in a heartbeat. I think that you would be happy with Butter Pat too. However, I went from Lodge straight to Butter Pat. The others that you have mentioned, i.e. Stargazer, Smithey, Finex, etc... may be just as good as Butter Pat. Those are the same ones that I was looking at when I took the plunge. I was vacillating between which brand to buy...I just landed on Butter Pat for whatever reason. Hope this helps a smidgen and doesn't just make your decision more difficult!

 

[Elliot]

Here are my Butter Pat pans. One is 12" and one is 14". Had them for a year or more and love them both.

For background, i was getting tired of buying non stick skillets that would last a year, and then lose the coating. The last straw was buying an allclad non stick that i thought would last longer because it cost alot....wrong, it just cost alot.

So I went on line and kept reading that well seasoned cast iron would solve my problem. I bought a Lodge. It was ok, but the bottom was rough as hell, and no matter how much i used it, i couldn't get enough seasoning on it to make eggs without breaking them. I suppose if i stuck with it for a for 5 to 10 years, i could have gotten enough seasoning, but i didn't want to wait that long.

Back to the internet to see what I was doing wrong. I found that what i needed was a vintage, refurbished pan or one of the ones from the brands you mentioned. (Because of the smooth surface)

After alot more reading, I decided to go with Butter Pat because of where they are made, and because the production process seemed to be as close to vintage production as i could get.

I bought the 12" first. The pre seasoning that it came with sucked. The first eggs on there ended up about the same as the Lodge. But, after a seasoning with crisco and a couple of meals cooked in it, I finally found what I was after. I got the 14" because I cook often for my family, and with a family of 5, I quickly realized the 12" was doable, but 14 would be ideal.

I can wholeheartedly say I would buy these 2 again in a heartbeat. I think that you would be happy with Butter Pat too. However, I went from Lodge straight to Butter Pat. The others that you have mentioned, i.e. Stargazer, Smithey, Finex, etc... may be just as good as Butter Pat. Those are the same ones that I was looking at when I took the plunge. I was vacillating between which brand to buy...I just landed on Butter Pat for whatever reason. Hope this helps a smidgen and doesn't just make your decision more difficult!

Definitely helpful! I was leaning toward Butter Pat... honestly not sure why.

 

[Old Hippie]

I thought the same for a long time, but I sort of surrendered to emotion. Call it self-awareness.

Please understand I wasn't criticizing. I understand emotion; it's one reason I have a $350 razor.

Sometimes -- often, in fact -- "more" is better. Occasionally it's just "more." Self-awareness helps us sort that out.

Anyway... there ya have it. I know who I am. Silly

I wouldn't say that. The reminder to "Know Thyself" only asks us to reflect on why we do things. Judgement is not required.

As an example, I grew up in a household with two survivors of the Dustbowl, the Great Depression, and WWII. Not only did I receive a lot of direction toward making certain kinds of economic decisions (which didn't really take, I fear) but I also grew up in an aesthetic context that included how "proper" household items should look. That last bit was mostly indirect, as my parents had a lot of items around that were at least similar to ones their parents had used. "Old-fashioned" some would say; marketed now as "legacy." But to me it explains why some things "look right."

Case in point: Mum used to use a Feemster to slice potatoes for casseroles and apples for pies. Just about the most dangerous kitchen implement that ever contravened the Geneva Convention, and she loved hers. I have one, too. I use it for potatoes and apples. Yeah, I could use a real mandoline which is much safer. I could set up the food processor with a slicer blade. But the Feemster works, I like using it, and occasionally when the blade brushes the tip of my finger I get a delicious frisson of what might happen if I don't get my darn mind back on business.

But if I had to run for it I'd leave the Feemster and grab my Lodge and Griswold aebelskiver pans.

O.H.

 

[Doc4]

 

[Tirvine]

For a pan that large I would look at carbon steel with a nice, long, sloping handle. I have a 14 1/2" DeBuyer I use a lot.

 

[Elliot]

Love his channel. Made in U.S. isn't a factor for me, but it does seem most of the modern higher-end stuff is in the States.

 

[Elliot]

For a pan that large I would look at carbon steel with a nice, long, sloping handle. I have a 14 1/2" DeBuyer I use a lot.

Considered that. I tend to think there's place for both in a kitchen. I like pizza and other baked good in cast iron. For steak and stuff like that, I already use carbon steel.