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CI question

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Zmokin
Zmokin Posts: 1,938
in Off Topic
I have an older hand-me-down CI frying pan, the inside is very smooth and flat.

I bought a 14" Camp Chef Dutch Oven and it has a rough surface.

Is that because it is a Dutch Oven, that the inside is not machined to a smooth finish, it has the original cast mold?  Or is it because it's a cheap knock-off?
Large BGE in a Sole' Gourmet Table
Using the Black Cast Iron grill, Plate Setter,
 and a BBQ Guru temp controller.

Medium BGE in custom modified off-road nest.
Black Cast Iron grill, Plate Setter, and a Party-Q temp controller.

Location: somewhere West of the Mason-Dixon Line
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  • badinfluence
    badinfluence Posts: 1,774
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    Keep using it. That dutch oven will be smooth in no time as it becomes more seasoned
    1 XXL BGE,  1 LG BGE, 2 MED. BGE, 1 MINI BGE, 1 Peoria custom cooker Meat Monster.


    Clinton, Iowa
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  • Zmokin
    Zmokin Posts: 1,938
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    badinfluence said:
    Keep using it. That dutch oven will be smooth in no time as it becomes more seasoned
    I obviously need to take some pics and post them.  The roughness can not be filled in by seasoning.
    Large BGE in a Sole' Gourmet Table
    Using the Black Cast Iron grill, Plate Setter,
     and a BBQ Guru temp controller.

    Medium BGE in custom modified off-road nest.
    Black Cast Iron grill, Plate Setter, and a Party-Q temp controller.

    Location: somewhere West of the Mason-Dixon Line
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • badinfluence
    badinfluence Posts: 1,774
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    Yeah without seeing it it's hard to say then
    1 XXL BGE,  1 LG BGE, 2 MED. BGE, 1 MINI BGE, 1 Peoria custom cooker Meat Monster.


    Clinton, Iowa
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  • Carolina Q
    Carolina Q Posts: 14,831
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    Old stuff  was actually finished.. They took the time to smooth the surfaces then. Now, it's out of the sand mold and here you go. Give me a Wagner or Griswold any day. I have a dozen or so pieces...none are new. None are Lodge. All were cheaper! :)

    I hate it when I go to the kitchen for food and all I find are ingredients!                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

    Michael 
    Central Connecticut 

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  • yzzi
    yzzi Posts: 1,843
    edited June 2014
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    The rough finish on new cast iron is solely to allow manufacturers to produce pre-seasoned products. The rough surface allows helps their seasoning to adhere better. Old CI wasn't pre-seasoned and was ground down smooth. Don't worry about a rough surface, it'll still be nonstick.
    Dunedin, FL
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  • Zmokin
    Zmokin Posts: 1,938
    edited June 2014
    Options

    yzzi said:
    The rough finish on new cast iron is solely to allow manufacturers to produce pre-seasoned products. The rough surface allows helps their seasoning to adhere better. Old CI wasn't pre-seasoned and was ground down smooth. Don't worry about a rough surface, it'll still be nonstick.
    One surface you could flip an egg on, the other surface you could not.

    I tried taking close-ups and the images don't really show what you can see & feel in person, then I decided to go for the mirror effect, so you can see the difference in the reflections (or lack thereof in the dutch oven)
    image
    Dutch oven barely can see the reflection of the can

    image
    you can see the can and the red cap

    I guess my only option would be to take the Dutch Oven to a machine shop, ask them to mil the surface down to 32 finish
    Large BGE in a Sole' Gourmet Table
    Using the Black Cast Iron grill, Plate Setter,
     and a BBQ Guru temp controller.

    Medium BGE in custom modified off-road nest.
    Black Cast Iron grill, Plate Setter, and a Party-Q temp controller.

    Location: somewhere West of the Mason-Dixon Line
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Zmokin
    Zmokin Posts: 1,938
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    OK, I just came into possession of a used and then neglected Lodge frying pan.  It has the same rough cast texture of my dutch oven.  I guess I'll see what a quote from a machine shop will run to give me a smooth finish on the DO & the recently acquired Frying pan.
    Large BGE in a Sole' Gourmet Table
    Using the Black Cast Iron grill, Plate Setter,
     and a BBQ Guru temp controller.

    Medium BGE in custom modified off-road nest.
    Black Cast Iron grill, Plate Setter, and a Party-Q temp controller.

    Location: somewhere West of the Mason-Dixon Line
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Zmokin
    Zmokin Posts: 1,938
    Options
    Carolina Q said:
    Old stuff  was actually finished.. They took the time to smooth the surfaces then. Now, it's out of the sand mold and here you go. Give me a Wagner or Griswold any day. I have a dozen or so pieces...none are new. None are Lodge. All were cheaper! :)
    Sad, but apparently true.  Too bad they take short-cuts now and deliver an inferior product.  Afterall, it isn't rocket science to make the floor smooth.
    Large BGE in a Sole' Gourmet Table
    Using the Black Cast Iron grill, Plate Setter,
     and a BBQ Guru temp controller.

    Medium BGE in custom modified off-road nest.
    Black Cast Iron grill, Plate Setter, and a Party-Q temp controller.

    Location: somewhere West of the Mason-Dixon Line
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,818
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    for the skillet, smooth is the way to go. i took a rough finished lodge, sanded it smooth and its way more nonstick than my other lodge skillets. now for a dutch oven i dont see much difference between smooth verse rough by the way it cooks, most foods in the dutch are wet and slow cooked which is different from what is usually done in a skillet
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
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  • HDumptyEsq
    HDumptyEsq Posts: 1,095
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    Being an ex-pat Brit, I didn't inherit any Wagners or Griswolds and have used Lodges for a long time with excellent results over time.
    I was at the Nashville flea market on Sunday and noticed the finish on older ones being smoother.
    Keep Calm and Carry On Seasoning.

    Tony in Brentwood, TN.

    Medium BGE, New Braunfels off-set smoker, 3-burner Charbroiler gasser, mainly used for Eggcessory  storage, old electric upright now used for Amaz-N-Smoker.

    "I like cooking with wine - sometimes I put it in the food." - W. C. Fields

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