Cast iron skillet

[jabbur]

I reseasoned a Griswold and fell in love. It was a #8 and I had been looking for bigger sizes for those times when I'm cooking up a large batch of something. I did some internet searching and found eBay to be a bit expensive for the Griswold and Wagner pans. I wasn't impressed with the rough texture of Lodge either. I found a place called Bayou Classics http://bayouclassicdepot.com/ and ended up ordering from them. I got a 14", a 12" and 8" square pan all 3 for a total of $43.00. Shipping was a bit high because of the weight but still only came to about $63.00. They are a bit rough, not as smooth as my Griswold but smoother than any Lodge I had seen. They were unseasoned. The hardest part was getting the wax off! I seasoned them in the oven and used the 14" last night to fry up some pork chops. They came out beautiful and did not stick at all. The pan washed up nice too. I think I got a good deal. This company has a lot of other outdoor cooking stuff (crab pots, steamers, fryers, Think cajun foods).

 

[LEFSElover]

You will love your cast iron, i brought two really old skillets (1922) and cleaned them up and seasoned them, i just love using them.

thought I'd go in here and answered this before, but guess not. maybe another thread was similar.
my favorite one is my grandfathers, it's over a 100 years old, no really.
probably my next favorite ones are ones I bought used.
they are often featured in garage sales or thrift stores or junk sales or flee markets. I've gotten them all of those places. my best guess is to buy it, you won't spend near the cash, it's probably already seasoned, so just wash it with lots of good hot water, I dry mine always on a hot flame on the stove so no rust forms or as one friend told me she always did to hers, put in the fireplace while there's fire in there, that's a way to get any and all gunk off.
I expect feedback from this post of mine. years of using them as well as others feedback too.

 

[Bigjim68]

I agree that the old stuff is better and cheaper. Haven't tried Bayou Classic, although I have seen it on Lowes or Home Depot site (don't remember which) and I seem to remember their price being lower than the company price. I do clean out the old seasoning and reseason. Probably because my dad had an CI pot in his shop that he used to heat things. Some I wouldn't want to eat.

 

[expatgirl]

my best pan is used, too, why any stupid person, an ignorant relative I'm sure would have gotten rid of it, is a mystery......perfectly seasoned.........I love this pan and it's deep......gumbos just crawl in and sizzle with delight.......we have a love affair going on......my most wonderful pan ever

 

[Bigjim68]

The first time I ate cornbread cooked in my one of my CI skillets was 67 years ago at my grandmas. If mine show up at my estate sale at 2 for ten bucks. I'm coming back and selling my kids at a yard sale at 2 for ten bucks.

 

[LEFSElover]

my best pan is used, too, why any stupid person, an ignorant relative I'm sure would have gotten rid of it, is a mystery......perfectly seasoned.........I love this pan and it's deep......gumbos just crawl in and sizzle with delight.......we have a love affair going on......my most wonderful pan ever

yea really expat, I totally agree. if you can get something well used, well seasoned which is the hardest part, we've all bought brand new unseasoned cast iron and gone through major problems trying to season it correctly and avoid at all costs>> RUST, why wouldn't we buy them that way? whatever the reason, makes perfect sense to me.
my daughter bought a huge gorgeous CI grill/griddle and decided she had no desire to use it so gave it to me. I was tickled purple but the seasoning part is stupid hard to keep it seasoned so it won't stick as well as keep the rust off which I've not managed to be successful at yet...

 

[expatgirl]

new pans today are difficult to season...it's like a new relationship............you've got to be seasoned with time for it to work..........I know.....corny.......but the truth........listen to an old broad..........I love my Wagner iron skillet..........it's just wonderful............would not trade it even for my DH....Miranda warning......jest kidding..........

 

[expatgirl]

The first time I ate cornbread cooked in my one of my CI skillets was 67 years ago at my grandmas. If mine show up at my estate sale at 2 for ten bucks. I'm coming back and selling my kids at a yard sale at 2 for ten bucks.

you'd better haunt them.........only I paid $40 dollars for mine 15 years ago and I don't regret one single dime at all............best pan in my collection and I make cornbread and gumbo in mine all the time...............I absolutely love it............

 

[expatgirl]

I want the deep iron skillet from my brother in law who inherited it from Grandma Hathaway...............he NEVER uses it and it drives me crazy...........I've already offered him $75 for it but he's being stubborn..........stupid man..........anywho.........that's relatives.........like I'm a piece of work........hahaha

 

[expatgirl]

uh, where do they live, Big Jim???? I'll cook in your memory and make them a good deal..............jest kidding.......if your Mom is already living to 96 you'll probably outlast me and I'm only 54........hahaha.......

 

[PanchoHambre]

The first time I ate cornbread cooked in my one of my CI skillets was 67 years ago at my grandmas. If mine show up at my estate sale at 2 for ten bucks. I'm coming back and selling my kids at a yard sale at 2 for ten bucks.

LOL!

My favorite pot is my CI dutch oven that came from my step-grandmothers kitchen. I am so glad my mom had the though to grab it befor they turned over the contents of the house to the estate sale people. It is beautiful and barely needed to be seasoned after pobably a decade of disuse. It has never made a bad dish and nothing has ever stuck to it.

My Griswolds are things of beauty too but those I bought on ebay.

 

[Bigjim68]

I have some Griswolds and Wagners, and skillet simply market SK. I don't know if this is a brand name or a skillet designation. All are well seasoned, and I would not trade them for a truckload of new Lodge.

 

[elaine l]

So I have had these cast iron skillets for months now and haven't used them yet. They were given to me and are seasoned. My question is if I cook in them do I wash them in soap and water after?

 

[PanchoHambre]

I generally use kosher salt... you can use a little soap if you feel you must, rinse then let dry over low flame and wipe lightly with oil before storing

If your seasoning is good cleanup should be easy if your find yourself scrubbing then you should re season

 

[elaine l]

but water is okay?

 

[GB]

Water is absolutely OK. You just need to make sure to dry it completely otherwise it will rust. Some people do this by putting it back on a burner for a few minutes after they towel dry it.

 

[gadzooks]

I have a Wagner-Griswold 9" chef skillet sitting on a back burner of my stove. I leave it out unless it will be in the way. It is well-seasoned, and I use it for frying. Eggs, omelets, that kind of frying. I use a small amount of raw coconut oil to fry, and the pan is totally non-stick. When I'm done using it, I wipe it clean with a paper towel, and put it on the back burner. I clean my black steel pans the same way, except for my searing pan, which I occasionally scrape a bit with a spatula.

 

[Glorie]

I would LOVE a cast-iron skillet but my problem is, I can't pick them up! Help!

 

[PanchoHambre]

read back through this thread! Lots of opinions... you will see Griswold Wagner Lodge mentioned over and over ...

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

I have some of all three, Griswold, Wagner, and Lodge. My favorite is the Griswold as it is lighter weight (thinner metal than the other two) and has a smooth inner finish. But all of my pans are well seasoned and, for all practical purposes, non-stick. After using for a few years, the seasoning becomes practically indestructable. In fact, I have accidentally left a pan or two in water for an extended time (something about leaving it on the grill and placing the lid on and forgetting about it) and was surprised that there was no rust. Also, I can now use them to make acidic sauces such as tomato, or vinegar-based sweet and sour, without picking up a metallic taste component. If you use them right, and care for them reasonably, cast iron pans can be the best investment you ever made in cookware. If you are even more careful than me, then they will be even better than my pans are, and mine work wonderfully well. The only downside to my well-used Lodge pans are the weight. However, I have recently seen Lodge pans made from thinner metal that look like they would be very good pans. I may have to purchase one and check it out.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North