Cookware debate, Pampered Chef vs Lodge cast iron

[bulletsmith]

I owned a Le Creuset skillet, was never really impressed by it so it moved on.

I have a couple of enameled cast iron items from Costco too. It seems like they come out with one piece every year or so. Pretty nice stuff IMO.

 

[guns and groceries]

Lodge cast iron is very reasonable so I would go with a combo of both. I collect/hoard cast iron and use it every single day except for acidic foods like spag sauce and chili. Tomato based anything is fine for a flash in the pan but long cooking of acidic foods really screws with my taste buds and the seasoning on my pans. I have been fortunate to find several used Le Creuset french ovens and can not live without them in the kitchen.

The Lodge enameled dutch ovens are nice and really cook well. The enameled Lodge items are made in China if that is a concern to you. Check out "The Culinary Fanatic" on the you tube. Jeff knows his stuff.

 

[mom45]

Just another quick thought...I don't believe the PC stoneware is lifetime warranty. Any items that have any kind of warranty, including lifetime, require you to have the receipt for them to honor that warranty so save ALL receipts in case you need them.

 

[BigBoxaJunk]

If my wife and I disagreed about which cookware to buy, I'd let her get the stuff she wants and consider it a battle well not-picked.

 

[OutdoorDad]

I'll fight you over my omelet pan.

Cast iron has never worked in that capacity.

And if I make you an omelet, you will agree.



The GreenPan (available at costco) has outlasted several (10 or so) non-stick Calphalon pans.

In all candor, my wife stopped scraping the Calphalon non-stick with a stainless steel turner. That helped a lot.

So far, Mom's cut a grilled cheese sandwich in the pan with a stainless knife once. (with the GreenPan).
Evidently, my 10 year old screamed when Mom did it. And the small cut in the ceramic isn't enough to cause sticking.

Almost a year now on the GreenPan. Highly recommended.

 

[IndyDave1776]

My thoughts...

I am not overly impressed with the Pampered Chef products I have seen. While I can understand the problems with acidic foods in cast iron, I would probably be more inclined to go with Stainless, more specifically, vintage Revere Ware (not the asian s**t they are selling now). Aside from that, I would go with Pyrex before ceramic. It just strikes me as more resilient under use.

I am not impressed with Lodge. It has the texture of a gravel driveway. If you want to cook on cast iron, go with vintage Griswold or Wagner. My Griswold #7 and #9 skillets will take me pretty well all the way. I have not yet had the occasion to try out either #8 Wagner dutch oven or my #10 Griswold dutch oven (which has not only the lid but also the trivet, and cost me accordingly). I also have a Staub enameled dutch oven that I have not yet cooked in. I found it for cheap unused. I did not realize until researching it this week that it is of French manufacture and extremely expensive for what it is. Hopefully after some changes in circumstance which should come to pass pretty quickly now, I will have more time to play in the kitchen. I put it that way since I thoroughly enjoy cooking and find it relaxing so long as I don't have to be in a hurry. When the hurry is introduced, it becomes a drudgery.

My grandmother bought a set of Le Creuset when I was about 10 years old. I was thoroughly unimpressed. Was not disappointed to see it auctioned when she, well, made the big trip home.

Nonstick is OK when in a hurry and not inclined to take the time to do it right, but I have reservations about the healthfulness of the material. Generally, it does not perform well enough to make me happy.

Yes, as you have probably picked up, I am a kitchenware snob along with being a 1911 snob!

 

[bulletsmith]

I'll fight you over my omelet pan.

Cast iron has never worked in that capacity.

And if I make you an omelet, you will agree.



The GreenPan (available at costco) has outlasted several (10 or so) non-stick Calphalon pans.

In all candor, my wife stopped scraping the Calphalon non-stick with a stainless steel turner. That helped a lot.

So far, Mom's cut a grilled cheese sandwich in the pan with a stainless knife once. (with the GreenPan).
Evidently, my 10 year old screamed when Mom did it. And the small cut in the ceramic isn't enough to cause sticking.

Almost a year now on the GreenPan. Highly recommended.

Fact. Right tool for the right job. It's one of the reasons every kitchen needs a couple non stick pans. Now for some old fashioned fried chicken, you would never choose the non stick pan, cast iron wins that one.

 

[Fargo]

I assume you do not have a glass top stove as cast iron is not recommended for use on those.

While not recommended, I used CI weekly on a glass top for years and have a friend you has used it daily on a glasstop for the better part of a decade. It works just fine, just don't drop it on the cooktop. Even pans with a heat ring work fine. As I understand the recommend against is because of scratching/breaking the glasstop if you slam it on the glass top. I've seen it dropped pretty hard on a glasstop but never saw a crack. If you are careful, it works just fine.

 

[IndyDave1776]

I'll fight you over my omelet pan.

Cast iron has never worked in that capacity.

And if I make you an omelet, you will agree.



The GreenPan (available at costco) has outlasted several (10 or so) non-stick Calphalon pans.

In all candor, my wife stopped scraping the Calphalon non-stick with a stainless steel turner. That helped a lot.

So far, Mom's cut a grilled cheese sandwich in the pan with a stainless knife once. (with the GreenPan).
Evidently, my 10 year old screamed when Mom did it. And the small cut in the ceramic isn't enough to cause sticking.

Almost a year now on the GreenPan. Highly recommended.

I was wondering about those, and you are right, an omelet is difficult to make in cast iron. I would say that the relatively vertical sides of the pan contribute as much difficulty as anything, but I had trying one of those green pans on my list of things to try when I got around to is. Unfortunately, circumstances have not been kind to my 'to do' list! I will have to give it a try after reading your endorsement!

 

[IndyDave1776]

Fact. Right tool for the right job. It's one of the reasons every kitchen needs a couple non stick pans. Now for some old fashioned fried chicken, you would never choose the non stick pan, cast iron wins that one.

I use a #9 Griswold with a lid. For fried chicken, the lid makes all the difference in the world. Vintage lids are ungodly expensive, but worth every penny!

 

[bulletsmith]

I use a #9 Griswold with a lid. For fried chicken, the lid makes all the difference in the world. Vintage lids are ungodly expensive, but worth every penny!

You've got me thinking now. I have no idea who made my cast iron fry pans. Like I said, they are at least as old as I am, but they are very smooth. Not like the Lodge stuff I have seen.

 

[Fargo]

I use a #9 Griswold with a lid. For fried chicken, the lid makes all the difference in the world. Vintage lids are ungodly expensive, but worth every penny!

I actually use an old Lodge Dutch Oven for frying chicken and use tongs instead of a flipper. The high sides and lid keep most of the oil off me. Vintage Lodge is IMO much better than the unground new stuff. Some of the old single-notch pans rival early Wagner/Griswold.

 

[Fargo]

You've got me thinking now. I have no idea who made my cast iron fry pans. Like I said, they are at least as old as I am, but they are very smooth. Not like the Lodge stuff I have seen.

Post some pictures of the top, bottom and handle. Many unmarked pans are easily identifiable off these characteristics.

Odds are they are either Birmingham Stove and Range or Wagners but there are quite a few other unmarked pans. Unmarked Lodge, with very few exceptions, has either one or three notches in the heat ring.

 

[AGarbers]

There's no logical reason you can't do both. Non cast iron has it's place in the kitchen. Get a couple of Lodge pieces that suit you and let her fill the rest out with the PC stuff.

This is what we do. But, let me throw this in the mix. The newer cast iron cookware that I have seen doesn't have the degree of finish-work that older pieces have. Wagner and the other original USA brands usually had a machined interior bottom and smoother casting. I have a newer Lodge Dutch oven, what appears to be an old Lodge chicken-cooker, and other older cast iron skillets. I prefer the older stuff because of the milled cooking surface. They seem to be easier to cook in. Plus, if you watch yard sales and auctions, you can pick them up for a song.
Do not buy the cheap China junk that is sold in discount stores.
Lastly, there is a discount Lodge outlet in eastern Tennessee that I have passed a million times on the way to Florida.

 

[IndyDave1776]

I actually use an old Lodge Dutch Oven for frying chicken and use tongs instead of a flipper. The high sides and lid keep most of the oil off me. Vintage Lodge is IMO much better than the unground new stuff. Some of the old single-notch pans rival early Wagner/Griswold.

I can't really throw bricks at vintage Lodge, aside from being a Griswold snob.

Really, a chicken fryer is little more than a hybrid between a skillet and a dutch over theoretically optimized for frying chicken. Not necessary, but a cool piece of kitchenware.

What I am really looking forward to trying are my aebelskiver pan (which is used to make a hollow sphere of more or less pancake like material with a traditionally apple filling) and my krumkake iron (which is a sweeter, thinner, Scandinavian pancake-type food). If nothing else, my guess is that the nieces and nephews will get a charge out of it!

 

[bulletsmith]

Post some pictures of the top, bottom and handle. Many unmarked pans are easily identifiable off these characteristics.

Odds are they are either Birmingham Stove and Range or Wagners but there are quite a few other unmarked pans. Unmarked Lodge, with very few exceptions, has either one or three notches in the heat ring.

I'll do this later, in another thread maybe.

 

[kawtech87]

Some of the stuff you guys have mentioned are way out of my budget. I guess I could always get industrial stainless cookware from the restaurant supply store. But it's not very homey.

Thanks for the info so far everyone.

As to the texture of the newer Lodge pans my brother has one exactly like the one he bought me. He said after about a month or so of frequent use the texture has smoothed out completely and it's now totally non stick. But he does also have a dedicated omelet pan too.

 

[1861navy]

I have several pampered chef stoneware bakewares and have had them for years. I do everything from cakes, brownies, shortbreads, casseroles, roasts, chickens, soups, stews, and more. The good thing about stoneware is it is not as sensitive as cast iron, no worry of rust. However I very much enjoy cast iron as well and in your situation I would probably choose cast iron. Also I don't notice a difference in weight between PC stoneware and Lodge cast iron the same size and type cookware.

 

[IndyDave1776]

OK, just for fun, I will share something that really pissed me off. I wanted a certain Griswold roaster that would have been just perfect for a meatloaf. I fully expected it to bring at least $600, and was wincing as I prepared to pay that kind of money in the expectation that I would use it at least once a week for the rest of my life. IT BROUGHT JUST SHY OF $1900! Needless to say, SOMEONE ELSE paid $1900 for it!

Edit! It's a wonderful day to be Dave! I just picked one up in good shape (albeit not scrubbed and reseasoned such as to be a nice pretty uniform gray/black like the $1900 piece) for $245 plus shipping!

 

[IndyDave1776]

I almost forgot. I was going to address the issue of sizes expressed in 'numbers' that don't correspond to anything we generally would understand. I found a really cool website that breaks it down pretty nicely. While different manufacturers may have had some variation, this is a very good quick reference guide to give you an idea of what is being described:

Size & Capacity Charts