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Cast Iron Recommendations?

I want to invest in some quality cast iron pans and pots that I can use indoors and on the Egg. Which are your favorites? What sizes/styles work best and are most versatile?
LBGE & SBGE.  Central Texas.  
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Comments

  • I just bought a 7 qt. dutch oven from Lodge for chili, soups, and stews, seems to work very well. Didn't break the bank either.
    Cherry Hill, NJ
  • Cookinbob
    Cookinbob Posts: 1,691
    You won't go wrong with lodge. I have 2 and 5 qt Dutch ovens and a 12" frying pan. They'll last forever
    XLBGE, Small BGE, Homebrew and Guitars
    Rochester, NY
  • henapple
    henapple Posts: 16,025
    +1 on the lodge.
    Green egg, dead animal and alcohol. The "Boro".. TN 
  • Lodge works great. Check craigslist.
    Large BGE and Medium BGE
    36" Blackstone - Greensboro!


  • Ask your great grandmother if she still has her old Griswold cast iron, and if so, can you have it.
    __________________________________________

    Dripping Springs, Texas.
    Just west of Austintatious


  • jtippers
    jtippers Posts: 512
    I guess I never got the hang of cast iron cooking... every time I cook on one of mine, whatever I am cooking sticks to the bottom of the pan. Then everyone says you cant submerge in water without messing up the seasoning. I finally gave up and bought  Le Crueset enamel coated pans. I can wash them without worrying about the seasoning.

    On a side note... I would still love to know what I was doing wrong with my CI pans if anyone has any suggestions.
    SBGE December 2012 •  XLBGE December 2013 •  Yoder YS640 July
    Location: Jasper, Georgia

  • @jtippers go to www.lodgemtg.com and look at care for cast iron

    Nashville, Tennessee
  • Aviator
    Aviator Posts: 1,757
    edited November 2013

    +100 on Lodge.

    I don't have no heirloom collection, but my lodge collection is the start for the future of our family. :)

    ______________________________________________ 

    Large and Small BGE, Blackstone 36 and a baby black Kub.

    Chattanooga, TN.

     

  • DMW
    DMW Posts: 13,832
    I like my Lodge and Camp Chef.
    They/Them
    Morgantown, PA

    XL BGE - S BGE - KJ Jr - HB Legacy - BS Pizza Oven - 30" Firepit - King Kooker Fryer -  PR72T - WSJ - BS 17" Griddle - XXL BGE  - BS SS36" Griddle - 2 Burner Gasser - Pellet Smoker
  • henapple
    henapple Posts: 16,025
    I soak mine all the time... Scrape and even scrub it. Re-oil it... Works every time
    Green egg, dead animal and alcohol. The "Boro".. TN 
  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 18,727
    @jtippers: I do what @henapple does. Sort of. I seasoned all of my Lodge CI with flaxseed oil about a year ago. whenever i cook in them I give them a light scrub with soap and water. Then heat up the pan a bit and wipe it down with oil.

    I'm not usually the squeamish type when it comes to food, but I can't deal with cooking in a pan and not washing it. I cook curries in mine and so they need to be scrubbed a bit to clean those flavors out.

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 18,727
    Oh and definitely go for something like lodge or Griswold if you can find them. I had a no-name CI griddle a while back that cracked after a few months.

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
  • yzzi
    yzzi Posts: 1,843
    I would look for griswold or even Wagner first. That quality doesn't exist anymore in new cast iron. Lodge is the best new cast iron imo, but I wish they still ground smooth their finish like the antiques have.
    Dunedin, FL
  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 18,727
    Griswold or Wagner can get pricey. I like the smooth finish of the old pans too. Take a knotted wire wheel on your angle grinder to a Lodge piece and you'll get a smooth finish.

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
  • henapple
    henapple Posts: 16,025
    I think you build that finish. @Caliking... Just finished 2 loaves of bread. Cross your fingers.Im Coating and egging all my cast iron today. If you're not cooking with ci folks you're missing out on another side of egging.
    Green egg, dead animal and alcohol. The "Boro".. TN 
  • henapple
    henapple Posts: 16,025
    http://nashville.craigslist.org/hsh/4155700202.html

    As always check craigslist... Found a few deals.
    Green egg, dead animal and alcohol. The "Boro".. TN 
  • Ive got a CI dutch oven with the little feet. Thought i would use it on my small. I have a woo with the ceramic plate but worried that a heavy DO with those narrow feet might crack that thin ceramic? Thoughts/suggestions?

    Little Rock, AR

  • Lit
    Lit Posts: 9,053
    You can probably find old Wagner pans on CL cheaper than you can but new lodge pans if you are patient. Wagner for the most part aren't that expensive. Don't think I have ever paid more than $20 for one. The Wagner are still a very smooth cooking surface but they are much heavier than my old griswolds. You can even find griswolds than aren't much more expensive than lodges. The small logo #8 Griswold is not very rare but still the same quality so they can be bought in excellent condition for cheap. Here's a very nice one about to end on eBay. http://m.ebay.com/itm/390687433848?nav=SEARCH&sbk=1
  • henapple
    henapple Posts: 16,025
    What I found in Nashville was that the Wagner was super expensive...
    Green egg, dead animal and alcohol. The "Boro".. TN 
  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 18,727
    henapple said:
    I think you build that finish. @Caliking... Just finished 2 loaves of bread. Cross your fingers.Im Coating and egging all my cast iron today. If you're not cooking with ci folks you're missing out on another side of egging.
    True. The wire wheel mod is for impatient buggers like me :)

    Just finished baking a small boule myself. Baked inside though since it is my first run. The dough fermented for 1 week. The first boule I made from that batch last weekend was pretty good, despite my yeast being old.

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
  • Aviator
    Aviator Posts: 1,757
    Yes, CL posters are aware. Wagners and Griswolds are super expensive and there is really no need. Buy it new- go to a Lodge outlet and you will be like a kid in a candy store.

    ______________________________________________ 

    Large and Small BGE, Blackstone 36 and a baby black Kub.

    Chattanooga, TN.

     

  • Lit
    Lit Posts: 9,053
    Wagner is not expensive at all. Look at eBay. You can buy a really nice 12" skillet for under $30. Even most Griswold are not that expensive unless you are looking at the rare collectors pieces. All the small logo Griswold are reasonable since it was the last era they were made I believe in the late 40's to 50's. When you start getting into the large logo and even the large logo with slant print is when they start getting expensive and anytime you want a very large one like above a number 10 which is like 12" plus. EBay is actually a better place to buy than CL because every person on CL thinks they have a collectors piece and 99% are over priced. Even flea markets I have found to be more expensive than eBay.
  • henapple
    henapple Posts: 16,025
    I stopped at the lodge store in South Pittsburgh TN a few weeks ago.. A bunch of good stuff.
    Green egg, dead animal and alcohol. The "Boro".. TN 
  • shtgunal3
    shtgunal3 Posts: 5,629
    I have Griswold, Wagner, and Lodge. Been collecting cast iron for several years. All three are great. The only thing you have to watch for with heirloom pieces is, do they sit flat? I have bought a few that don't. You can still cook with them but not as well. It's nice getting a piece that already has years of seasoning but the new stuff will be just as good after a while. The best thing you can do to season cast iron is use it and use it often.

    ___________________________________

     

     LBGE,SBGE, and a Mini makes three......Sweet home Alabama........ Stay thirsty my friends .

  • Eggcelsior
    Eggcelsior Posts: 14,414
    Lodge is the best to get new. Wagner and Griswold are much better than Lodge due to the fact that they are machined. The cooking surface is thin so it transfers heat much more quickly than Lodge do. Just set up an alert on ebay and look for pans that need refinishing and have no pitting. I have 3 Griswold pieces that I grabbed for less than a Lodge new. I have 3 Wagner pieces from my grandmother and they are SO much nicer than the 12 inch Lodge skillet I have.
  • @cookinbob where do u find lodge pots and pans? @-)
  • daffy1909 said:

    @cookinbob where do u find lodge pots and pans? @-)

    Its not hard to find. I saw a good selection at academy sports last night. Lodge is widely available.

    Little Rock, AR

  • YEMTrey
    YEMTrey Posts: 6,829
    I'm in the Smoky's right now.  Stopped at the Lodge Outlet store on the way in to pick up a few pieces to add to my collection.
    Might stop on the way out of town and pick up a few more pieces.
    Steve 
    XL, Mini Max, and a 22" Blackstone in Cincinnati, Ohio

  • Lit
    Lit Posts: 9,053
    I would never buy a lodge again. Bought one once and gave it to a egging buddy. They are so rough cast. If you have ever used a nice cast iron skillet or DO you will not be happy with lodge.
  • henapple
    henapple Posts: 16,025
    @YEMTrey... How's the color up there? @Lit.. Couldn't disagree more.
    Green egg, dead animal and alcohol. The "Boro".. TN