nnot a camp oven but good deal on Lodge

[Bobbie Mayer]

If you have Amazon Prime and they haven't increased the $65 price yet- this looks like a good deal.
Amazon.com: Lodge 5-Piece Cast Iron Cookware Set, Black: Kitchen & Dining

It isn't a camp oven and not sure if a camp lid is available for a 5 qt.

[Denece]

Unfortunately, IMHO Lodge is garbage. The surface is rough inside and out and things stick and burn. If you want good cast iron, haunt flea markets, thrift stores and garage sales and buy the old smooth finished stuff. As a side benefit, unless you find some treasured brand and model, the pans are usually amazingly inexpensive.


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[John Hussey]

Originally Posted by Denece

Unfortunately, IMHO Lodge is garbage. The surface is rough inside and out and things stick and burn. If you want good cast iron, haunt flea markets, thrift stores and garage sales and buy the old smooth finished stuff. As a side benefit, unless you find some treasured brand and model, the pans are usually amazingly inexpensive.


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Garbage? Keep using it and perhaps it will smooth out and become a treasure to treasure & an heirloom to pass on.

Seasoning cast iron, like seasoning a wok takes time and cooking use even though your new one is labeled:"preseasoned"..

[Briantb]

Thanks for posting the link.. I didn't see anything where you asked for an opinion on the quality

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[Glenn Baglo]

There is Lodge, and then there are cheap knockoffs of Lodge.
Despite advice on the web, I have yet to find decent cast iron pans at any flea market for any reasonable price.

[Denece]

Nope. The old stuff was ground flat and smooth as part of its manufacture, and was a different composition ( higher nickel content) . The new Lodge pans are a rough casting that you cannot even grind down smooth with power tools. Feel and old pan and the inside of a Lodge or other modern cast iron. It's quite different.
What you see is what you get. I bought a Lodge skillet once and found it completely unacceptable .

I should probably shut up since the good old ones are getting harder to find, but I hate to see someone buy bad pans and then think they don't like cast iron.


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[Denece]

I got a 15 inch deep skillet for $1 at a Salvation Army. Seldom pay more than $5 Garage and estate sales are also good places to look. Horrible grease caked ones go for almost nothing but clean up and reseason great


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[cpaharley2008]

At least Lodge is made in USA, otherwise you will buy foreign made junk. I have Lodge from the 50's and 60-'s and present, all work fine, after proper seasoning. The preseason does not count.

[Bobbie Mayer]

I have yet to ever see a piece of cast iron cookware at a yard sale or thrift shop, anyway, so it is a moot point as far as I'm concerned. My Lodge camp oven seems fine. I was trying to think back to the old cast iron we cooked on at camp but it was probably never seasoned properly so the fact that everything stuck to it doesn't mean much.

[Martins HeirCon]

I have a bunch of cast iron, most of it vintage stuff. There is a difference in quality, but I wouldn't call the Lodge stuff garbage. Just less refined and heavier, clunky.

Just liken it to the tools of your particular trade. In my case, a Craftsman wrench and Snap-On wrench are the same thing but not.




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[Glenn Baglo]

I have a bunch of cast iron pans, but I don't want to drive them around in the trailer.
I've replaced them with T-Fal Pro Series non-stick pans, which were give top rating by America's Test Kitchen for being inexpensive, yet long-lasting ( for non-stick ), and they are less than half the weight.

[Martins HeirCon]

Yeah, it's heavy, but it's such fun to bring pineapple upside-down cake to the potluck in a dutch oven!


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[junglejim83]

Bringing an old convo back... I have a bit of an interest in all cast iron cook wear. The lodge is rougher than the old wagner, erie and whatever other brand cook wears that used to be made 50-120 years ago...

I found an old unbranded 10" skillet with a near polished finish (based on the design about 100 y/o Erie private label for $15 in vt) and it is much lighter and a bit better to cook on, but not worth paying a huge premium for when you can get a lodge at Marshall's for $10-$20.

If you are really concerned with the rough finish. Get a few pads of heavy grit sand paper on an orbital sander for 20 min and that skillet will be as smooth as you like. I did this for a friend when I bought them a skillet and it worked out great.

What i have found is that anyone selling the older cookwear at flea markets knows what it is worth and it is tough to find a deal. Estate sales and garage sales are where they can probably be found for a decent price.

[EllPea in CA]

Originally Posted by junglejim83

Bringing an old convo back... I have a bit of an interest in all cast iron cook wear. The lodge is rougher than the old wagner, erie and whatever other brand cook wears that used to be made 50-120 years ago...

I found an old unbranded 10" skillet with a near polished finish (based on the design about 100 y/o Erie private label for $15 in vt) and it is much lighter and a bit better to cook on, but not worth paying a huge premium for when you can get a lodge at Marshall's for $10-$20.

If you are really concerned with the rough finish. Get a few pads of heavy grit sand paper on an orbital sander for 20 min and that skillet will be as smooth as you like. I did this for a friend when I bought them a skillet and it worked out great.

What i have found is that anyone selling the older cookwear at flea markets knows what it is worth and it is tough to find a deal. Estate sales and garage sales are where they can probably be found for a decent price.

AWESOME! I LOVE the older, smooth cast iron pieces, and have been lucky enough to find several in thrift stores. But you're right, the new ones are so much more affordable, and I'm *using* them, not trying to collect pieces of value...

Heading off to explain to the hubby why he needs to get out his orbital sander....

[Glenn Baglo]

Have to ask. Why does the cast iron have to be smoother than it is, if properly seasoned?

[junglejim83]

A well seasoned "rough" cast iron skillet is definitely sufficient, and better than an insufficiently seasoned smooth skillet. But you can appreciate the upside of the smooth skillet once you've used both. The 'rough' ones are slightly harder to clean, especially if you get gunk on them from bacon or chicken or something sugary (again not worth the premium unless you are a collector).

The smooth finished cast iron is even more non-stick and easier to clean, all things being equal. Although I like the smooth surface more, whether I use my 12" Lodge (which I have not gotten to sanding yet) or my smooth antique is dictated more by the volume of what I am cooking.

From what I understand the old manufacturers, including Lodge used to have an extra step in production using a round sanding stone after the skillet/oven was cast. However, the process as a whole was expensive which is partially why most are no longer in business and why Lodge no longer polishes their skillets.

Either cast-iron surface is still way more 'non-stick' than an enameled cast iron product or stainless and way healthier than anything with a chemical non-stick surface.

[Tom Trostel]

I collect and use cast iron. My DW says it's an illness not a hobby. I have 14 skillets, several muffin pans, a waffle iron, a stew pot, 2 inside Dutch ovens, and 5 camp Dutch ovens. I only buy old skillets. My oldest is a Wapak #12 skillet that is more than 100 years old, and my newest skillet is an unmarked Lodge from the 1960s. Nothing cooks better than old, smooth skillets. For camp Dutch ovens, any will do; even Chinese "junk". By the way, I never travel with more than one small Dutch oven unless I've giving a class.

[junglejim83]

Tom forgive me for feeding the cast iron addiction but speaking of Chinese cast iron, take a look at these cast iron woks. I got the 16" wok a few years back (and have a flat bottom carbon steel hand hammered for when I can only cook on a regular 'western' stove. They are both pretty cool, they are all of about 2-3mm thick. They cook great, look great to serve in and the cast iron holds a season much better than the carbon steel woks. You need a very high heat flame to cook properly in a wok but a camp fire sounds perfect to me and these are pretty light; nothing like the pretend woks you see out there... Traditional Cast Iron Wok

[BillE]

Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo

I have a bunch of cast iron pans, but I don't want to drive them around in the trailer.
I've replaced them with T-Fal Pro Series non-stick pans, which were give top rating by America's Test Kitchen for being inexpensive, yet long-lasting ( for non-stick ), and they are less than half the weight.

Well Mr Baglo...you go ahead and tell them..you go

[Glenn Baglo]

Cast iron is a religion, like real BBQ.
I'm not going to try to convert anybody, especially since I have a half dozen cast iron of my own.
Speaking of. A burger or a steak tastes better when cooked in a cast iron skillet than on a BBQ grill. Corrals the fat that makes the flavour, instead of fanning the flames.