What cast iron skillets do you recommend?

GLF35

Well-known member
Lifetime Premium!
Premium Member
Military Veteran
Messages
179
Grill(s) owned
  1. Bull
Any recommendations on cast iron skillets?
 
I love cast iron, I have several vintage pieces from Griswold, Wagner, Birmingham Steel, etc. and I also have enameled pieces from Le Crueset, Staub, as well as pieces from the new generation of makers such as Finex, Field, and Smithey. Hands down the best combination of quality and value today is still Lodge, made in South Pittsburg Tennessee.

Having said that, my favorite vintage brand is Grisword and my favorite brand from current makers is Smithey, made in Charleston, SC. In full disclosure, the Smithey folks are friends of mine, but their cast iron is top notch (but Lodge is still a better value).
Greg...I live in Charleston. I've not heard of Grisword. Can you provide any info for me to check them out? I'm assuming they do retail sales.
 
Greg...I live in Charleston. I've not heard of Grisword. Can you provide any info for me to check them out? I'm assuming they do retail sales.
What Mike said. They made a lot of stuff in their day, so it’s not rare. However, prices are going to be all over the place. An antique shop on King street might be a good place to look just to find some to see what the fuss is all about, but prices for you locally are probably through the roof. Yard sales, flea markets, craft fairs, estate auctions, etc., away from downtown anywhere are the best places to get a deal. But that has a cost in time and trouble as well. There’s plenty on eBay, and some of it is not hatefully priced.
 
I’m not a fan of new Lodge... they have a pebbled texture. I like Bed Bath and Beyond’s in house brand of cast iron pans “Artisanal Kitchen Supply”. I have a 12 inch skillet of theirs that’s my go to for nearly everything. Not quite as smooth as carbon steel but I can easily fry eggs on it. I try that on lodge and it ends up sticking to all the bumps and ridges.
I bought two Lodge small griddle plates with the "pebbled texture". I took a sander & smoothed the cooking surface & then seasoned them. They work great now.
Also I bought a a something called The Ringer. It is a stainless steel chain link that is made for cleaning cast iron. I was skeptical but this thing works great for cleaning my cast iron skillets with out removing the seasoning.

 
Here is my new Field #10 next to my Griswold #8. Big thanks to @Greg Jones!

field-10-griswold-8.jpg
 
@Mike I’d be interested to hear feedback on how you like that new one. I have some Warner, Griswald and Lodge ( that I sanded smooth). I like them all but is it lighter and is it a pro or a con?
 
I love cast iron, I have several vintage pieces from Griswold, Wagner, Birmingham Steel, etc. and I also have enameled pieces from Le Crueset, Staub, as well as pieces from the new generation of makers such as Finex, Field, and Smithey. Hands down the best combination of quality and value today is still Lodge, made in South Pittsburg Tennessee.

Having said that, my favorite vintage brand is Grisword and my favorite brand from current makers is Smithey, made in Charleston, SC. In full disclosure, the Smithey folks are friends of mine, but their cast iron is top notch (but Lodge is still a better value).
Can you friend at Smithey hook a Charlotte, NC brother up? Been looking at their pans for months and have not pulled the trigger yet. Multiple Lodge in all sizes and once seasoned very good cast iron, but the Smithey cast iron is a thing of beauty.
 
Can you friend at Smithey hook a Charlotte, NC brother up? Been looking at their pans for months and have not pulled the trigger yet. Multiple Lodge in all sizes and once seasoned very good cast iron, but the Smithey cast iron is a thing of beauty.
I wish I could do that, but my connection is not that strong! Over the years I have acquired their entire catalog but for two items, and I’ve paid full retail for every one of them. They are a thing of beauty.

Oh, and I don’t have this one-it’s one of a kind!
 

Attachments

  • 25A928BA-C529-41A3-BF38-E90851DE0B80.jpeg
    25A928BA-C529-41A3-BF38-E90851DE0B80.jpeg
    910.6 KB · Views: 80
@MikeI like them all but is it lighter and is it a pro or a con?

That's my question. Much of the reason I like my CI is that it holds it's heat so well when adding foods to it. It's like a pizza stone for meat.
 
That's my question. Much of the reason I like my CI is that it holds it's heat so well when adding foods to it. It's like a pizza stone for meat.
I have an antique CI griddle it’s a lot thinner than my newer one. The old one heats up faster, cools down faster too. But the new griddle will keep raising in temp due to its thickness
 
I’ve not seen a big difference in heat retention among my lightest skillets (Griswold and Field) and my heaviest skillets (Finex and Smithey) Small difference, I suspect, but not enough to matter IMO.
 
I use a couple of lodge 14" round griddles a lot. Also have 2 small ones - one is a #3 griswald skillet and the other is a Denmark w' some kind of black coating that works really well. The Griswald is very smooth vs the Lodge, but both work well.
 
I have a couple vintage Griswolds as well. They are smooth ground from the factory. Most of the old stuff was ground smooth. Even Lodge was ground smooth up until a few decades ago.

I hand ground a few modern "as cast" pans with a 4" body grinder with multiflap type wheel. It works pretty well if you're careful to grind evenly. Once seasoned, they work as well as a vintage factory ground pan. If I was serious about it I'd mount them in a lathe and machine them.
20201216_192906.jpg
20201216_192932.jpg
20201216_193200.jpg
20201216_193221.jpg
 
Last edited:

Create an account or login to comment

You must be a member in order to leave a comment

Create account

Create an account on our community. It's easy!

Log in

Already have an account? Log in here.

Latest posts

Back
Top