cast iron cookware

[PistolBob]

This. Ive paid nearly $300 for an all clad but I prefer my griswolds.

Griswold is top notch but I have to confess I am getting pretty attached to my enameled cast iron ovens.

 

[indyjohn]

Along these lines, do any of you use cast iron to cook over an open wood fire, like in the backyard or camping? I have a fire pit in the back yard and a set of Lodge stuff, but how do you support it over the fire? Can you just set them into the hot coals or should they be a few inches above them? If you use a support stand with either a grate or chain-and-hook, where do you get such things? I know I can get some of them on Amazon, but I would prefer to actually see the stuff in person and know what I'm buying.

Like this:

The Cadillac of cast iron skillets is the name Griswold.

End of discussion.

QFT

But we do have and like the Lodge line quite a bit.

 

[DeadeyeChrista'sdad]

I picked up a Lodge set just like Mom45's at Rural King. Love that place. The cooking surface isn't as nice as the older stuff, but it's good, American made, and heavy. That said, garage sales and estate auctions are your friend when it comes to finding the good old stuff.

 

[Ward250]

We make deep dish dutch oven pizza in ours four or five times a summer/fall...with no campfire. I just light up a chimney full of charcoal brickets...once they are white, I put about 12 under the oven, and about 12-15 on the lid. Makes perfect pizza in about 20 minutes. We make cobbler the same way...no campfire mess. Your oven HAS to have legs.

Wholly cow, that's amazing. Having a hard time wrapping my head around those briquettes evenly cooking that way. I guess you keep the lid shut but do you take any kind of temp readings while cooking? Can't wait to start playing around with this stuff, might just run back to Rural King tonight!

 

[Zoub]

You don't really want to cook over open fire. Set something up to hold your pan and move coals under it. You can regulate heat better, not burn the food or set fire to oils or food inside the pan. Also won't burn your hands.

if you really, really want to master Dutch oven cooking and do it often, read up on cowboy cooking and look at Dutch oven tables and stands. You can just do it in grill or fire pit as well. For true Dutch oven cooking, they are not All created equal. You want a lid that has a lip designed to hold coals on top. The one I use in my kitchen has a domed lid, no need to hold coals on top. Same lid works on my two primary pans. Use it in the kitchen in your daily life and you will master it much better then just using it outdoors.

 

[craigkim]

Griswold is top notch but I have to confess I am getting pretty attached to my enameled cast iron ovens.

Yeah, for braising, stewing, soups, or anything that might react with cast iron, i like my enameled dutch oven. Works well for deep frying too. Initially, i wanted a les creuset, but i bought a non brand at meijer for $35 and said i would replace it with the fancy french one when it wore through the enamel or chipped.... 5+ years and its still fine with lots of use. Now, if i buy one, i think lodge has good options, but they didnt then. I wont pay extra money for a fancy colored french one if i can buy lodge.

 

[Ward250]

Alright, I picked up a 5qt Lodge this morning and already have a chicken roasting in it.

Lesson #1: Get & Use a lid turning tool. Too much heat coming off that biyatch to turn it with regular tongs. I have improvised for the moment with a skimming gambrel but I will have a turning hook next time.


Lesson #2: when its this windy (20-30mph gusts) even the most sheltered of locations is going to burn thru the charcoal. Cookbook said I'd be replacing fresh briquettes every 45-60 minutes but they're turning to powder in 20-25 right now. One more round of coals and I might finish this trial run in the oven.

 

[bwframe]

Alright, I picked up a 5qt Lodge this morning and already have a chicken roasting in it.

Lesson #1: Get & Use a lid turning tool. Too much heat coming off that biyatch to turn it with regular tongs. I have improvised for the moment with a skimming gambrel but I will have a turning hook next time.


Lesson #2: when its this windy (20-30mph gusts) even the most sheltered of locations is going to burn thru the charcoal. Cookbook said I'd be replacing fresh briquettes every 45-60 minutes but they're turning to powder in 20-25 right now. One more round of coals and I might finish this trial run in the oven.

Snap us some pics if you can Ward.

 

[PistolBob]

Wholly cow, that's amazing. Having a hard time wrapping my head around those briquettes evenly cooking that way. I guess you keep the lid shut but do you take any kind of temp readings while cooking? Can't wait to start playing around with this stuff, might just run back to Rural King tonight!

It's trial and error....my kid says we use more like 20 bricks under and 20 on top...they have to be completely ashed....so they are red hot.

 

[PistolBob]

In most 12 QT dutch oven you can shove in 4 Cornish hens, a beer, some taters on top and season it well....When I cook this at camp I tell the onlookers we're having pigeons that I caught down by the highway.

 

[Yeah]

The cooking surface isn't as nice as the older stuff, but it's good, American made, and heavy. That said, garage sales and estate auctions are your friend when it comes to finding the good old stuff.

A couple of flap discs and a grinder make short work of the Lodge pebbles. You can have the things as smooth as glass with little effort.

 

[DeadeyeChrista'sdad]

Awesome idea

 

[1DOWN4UP]

The cast iron always sell first day,first thing at a garage sale. I always ask if any will be sold,and on occasions,the lady walked into her kitchen and brought me a skillet. I will pay 5-10 for any USA piece.I build small sets and give em as gifts. Also...Wagner bought Griswald years back,and the early stuff i feel is about as good. My mom has the large Griswald skillet,institutional size ,which will be willed to me to nearly finish my collection.Still lookin for that NO.2......

 

[CountryBoy19]

The Cadillac of cast iron skillets is the name Griswold.

End of discussion.

I'll see your "End of Discussion" and raise you a "Not the end".

Griswold is by far the largest manufacturer of cast iron and they certainly made fine cast-iron cookware. But they are far from the "Cadillac" of cast-iron. They were more like the "Ford motor company" of CI. They beat everybody else out on sheer scale of production and still managed to turn out a fine product. But there are others, lesser-known to most, but well-known to collectors, that turned out cast iron that was BETTER than Griswold for various reasons. Sure, anybody out looking for used CI is more likely to find a Griswold than all other branded CI combined, but that doesn't make it better.

Two that I can think of that I particularly like are Wapak (previously mentioned in the thread) and "Favorite" which IIRC was actually made in an Ohio penitentiary. Wapak is very well known for it's very finely finished castings. You set any Wapak skillet next to a Griswold and the differences are very obvious. The same goes for the Favorite; I have a Favorite 14" skillet (pretty large for CI) that weighs less than my 12" Griswold; the castings were of a MUCH higher quality so they could make them thinner (lighter) without sacrificing strength. The result is a large, yet lightweight skillet.


Other info: don't be put off by a skillet with the "rim" on the bottom edge. Yes, these were made for use on a wood stove but they will still function just fine on your electric/gas stove. But CountryBoy, I have a ceramic top stove, I can't use it on there... au contraire, ceramic tops work through infrared radiation, that radiation will hit the bottom of your skillet just the same whether it's in direct contact with the ceramic or held up 1/8" by the rim. I use them all the time on my ceramic top...

 

[PistolBob]

I'll see your "End of Discussion" and raise you a "Not the end".

Griswold is by far the largest manufacturer of cast iron and they certainly made fine cast-iron cookware. But they are far from the "Cadillac" of cast-iron. They were more like the "Ford motor company" of CI. They beat everybody else out on sheer scale of production and still managed to turn out a fine product. But there are others, lesser-known to most, but well-known to collectors, that turned out cast iron that was BETTER than Griswold for various reasons. Sure, anybody out looking for used CI is more likely to find a Griswold than all other branded CI combined, but that doesn't make it better.

Two that I can think of that I particularly like are Wapak (previously mentioned in the thread) and "Favorite" which IIRC was actually made in an Ohio penitentiary. Wapak is very well known for it's very finely finished castings. You set any Wapak skillet next to a Griswold and the differences are very obvious. The same goes for the Favorite; I have a Favorite 14" skillet (pretty large for CI) that weighs less than my 12" Griswold; the castings were of a MUCH higher quality so they could make them thinner (lighter) without sacrificing strength. The result is a large, yet lightweight skillet.


Other info: don't be put off by a skillet with the "rim" on the bottom edge. Yes, these were made for use on a wood stove but they will still function just fine on your electric/gas stove. But CountryBoy, I have a ceramic top stove, I can't use it on there... au contraire, ceramic tops work through infrared radiation, that radiation will hit the bottom of your skillet just the same whether it's in direct contact with the ceramic or held up 1/8" by the rim. I use them all the time on my ceramic top...

I have seen an induction ceramic cook top melt to the bottom of a cast iron skillet.

 

[Fargo]

I'll see your "End of Discussion" and raise you a "Not the end".

Griswold is by far the largest manufacturer of cast iron and they certainly made fine cast-iron cookware. But they are far from the "Cadillac" of cast-iron. They were more like the "Ford motor company" of CI. They beat everybody else out on sheer scale of production and still managed to turn out a fine product. But there are others, lesser-known to most, but well-known to collectors, that turned out cast iron that was BETTER than Griswold for various reasons. Sure, anybody out looking for used CI is more likely to find a Griswold than all other branded CI combined, but that doesn't make it better.

Two that I can think of that I particularly like are Wapak (previously mentioned in the thread) and "Favorite" which IIRC was actually made in an Ohio penitentiary. Wapak is very well known for it's very finely finished castings. You set any Wapak skillet next to a Griswold and the differences are very obvious. The same goes for the Favorite; I have a Favorite 14" skillet (pretty large for CI) that weighs less than my 12" Griswold; the castings were of a MUCH higher quality so they could make them thinner (lighter) without sacrificing strength. The result is a large, yet lightweight skillet.


Other info: don't be put off by a skillet with the "rim" on the bottom edge. Yes, these were made for use on a wood stove but they will still function just fine on your electric/gas stove. But CountryBoy, I have a ceramic top stove, I can't use it on there... au contraire, ceramic tops work through infrared radiation, that radiation will hit the bottom of your skillet just the same whether it's in direct contact with the ceramic or held up 1/8" by the rim. I use them all the time on my ceramic top...

I don't think you can really make blanket statements about most brands because they quality/consistency varied greatly by time period. IMO, the Erie (pre Griswold), very early Wagner, Blacklock/early lodge, Favorite Piqua, and Wapak skillets were among the lightest and smoothest, albeit prone to warping/cracking.. Many of these companies died in the early 1900s, but Griswold, Wagner, and Lodge were the most prolific survivors. Large Block/Slant logo Griswold, one notch Lodge, and early Sydney-O Wagners were the pieces of this time and while still very smooth, they did get significantly heavier as the quality of the iron being used decreased. You then had the Lodge 3 notch, later Sydney-0's and Small Logo Griswolds which were made largely with recycled iron. Still smooth, but not as polished and often significantly heavier. These are awesome user skillets, I have a set of Small Logo Griswolds that sees daily use.

At present, you have Lodge Logic, very heavy and completely unmilled surface. Great for hashbrowns or cornbread, where heat retention/storage is king, but very unrefined. Great for outdoor cooking or circumstances where you don't want to risk warping/beating up a nice old skillet.

For example, my Wapak (circa 1907) is superlight and mirror smooth. I have a Favorite/CHF (not piqua) which is as smooth, but slightly heavier. My 7-10 small logo Griswolds are still very smooth, but significantly heavier. My #5 large logo Griswold is surprisingly heavy, much heavier than my #4 small logo which has remarkably light and fine construction for a late Griswold.

I suspect that who was making/filling the molds on a given day had a lot to do with it regardless of time period as well.

 

[chezuki]

I have seen an induction ceramic cook top melt to the bottom of a cast iron skillet.

Skeptical chez is skeptical.

 

[Ward250]

Well the trial run was a great success! Its simply amazing what can be accomplished with a fist full or charcoal!

I'm going to do some research and see what folks say about cooking lean meats like venison in cast iron.

I am also looking into a dutch oven table. It would appear as simple as setting a sheet of steel on the grates of my propane cook top. Its already elevated and has wind shields. I will work on some pictures! Thanks!

 

[Zoub]

You can also dig a hole, with a flat bottom, that fits the bottom half of a weber grill. Take the legs off and set it the hole with air vents open. Put in coals, Dutch oven etc, then place the cover on the grill. The cover sits level with the ground when it is placed on the grill. Make the hole just a bit bigger in diameter then the bottom so air can flow down around it and in the bottom vents. You can also stack a couple courses of bricks around the hole. Now you have a fancy Dakota pit that protects your oven from wind and colder temps.

 

[GhostofWinter]

Well the trial run was a great success! Its simply amazing what can be accomplished with a fist full or charcoal!

I'm going to do some research and see what folks say about cooking lean meats like venison in cast iron.

I am also looking into a dutch oven table. It would appear as simple as setting a sheet of steel on the grates of my propane cook top. Its already elevated and has wind shields. I will work on some pictures! Thanks!

How about using a lid to a metal garbage can. The h handle should slide between the grates to keep the lid from moving as well as rest provide a place to put the charcoal and oven.