Cookware debate, Pampered Chef vs Lodge cast iron

[Bfish]

Cast iron is sweet until the handle heats up and you can't move your skillet... That being said I usually won't shy away from it, but it wouldn't be all I'd have. I have 3 cast iron deals, but it's also freaking heavy sometimes it's a bad thing.

I have a pampered chef bunt pan that's stone and that thing is my favorite pan in the kitchen. One reason is the fact I can throw it in the microwave. It makes the best cake I've ever had! I don't have anything else pampered chef so I can't add much else to this but I wanted to at least throw this in.

 

[IndyDave1776]

Interesting. I have never had a problem with handles heating up on me. What kind of cast iron are you using?

 

[GLOCKMAN23C]

Smooth the Lodge down with a flap disk, and your good to go. Look for the vintage Griswold stuff and it'll save some steps.

 

[IndyDave1776]

Smooth the Lodge down with a flap disk, and your good to go. Look for the vintage Griswold stuff and it'll save some steps.

My concern is that when attempting to smooth cast iron, you are necessarily doing so by removing metal. While you are simply adding later a step which was abandoned in the factory, the challenge becomes doing so in such a way as to yield a good flat working surface. I have not had the time to research the methods originally employed (aside from the usual references to them having been abandoned by virtue of being labor intensive), but my guess is that it is not that simple, at least not if you want a perfectly flat surface when you get done. I just can't imagine working it down freehand duplicating the handiwork found in a vintage pan.

Picking up where I left off earlier (and yes, I know that technically I am violating an INGO rule here, but Ebay is set up in a way that I can't isolate the picture without taking the whole page), here is a good picture of a never used Griswold skillet which may yield some clues as to how they were machined down with a good perfectly flat smooth surface on the inside:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Rare-Estate-Sale-Find-Griswold-6-Skillet-With-Original-Paper-Label/181954871920?_trksid=p2047675.c100009.m1982&_trkparms=aid%3D777000%26algo%3DABA.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D34875%26meid%3Db28d5b4265e84aabbe0cbcc929047d37%26pid%3D100009%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D1%26sd%3D111842415762

 

[Expat]

I bought the wife a set of Le Creuset back 20+ years ago. Still going strong.

 

[Scout]

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.

Is that GreenPan like an Orgreenic? I bought one that worked great for awhile, then bought another when the first one started to stick, now they both stick just as much as anything else. They've also got scratches in them, and all we have are plastic turners and spoons.
When I cook I like to stick to (ha ha) my cast iron. The missus won't use it and won't wash it. If I could get my cast iron to season right she might want to use it instead.

 

[TB1999]

Lodge has been good to me. Heavy and resistant to rust. In my experience, pampered = money. Quality aside, PC will cost you more..but only for the name.

 

[Scout]

My concern is that when attempting to smooth cast iron, you are necessarily doing so by removing metal. While you are simply adding later a step which was abandoned in the factory, the challenge becomes doing so in such a way as to yield a good flat working surface. I have not had the time to research the methods originally employed (aside from the usual references to them having been abandoned by virtue of being labor intensive), but my guess is that it is not that simple, at least not if you want a perfectly flat surface when you get done. I just can't imagine working it down freehand duplicating the handiwork found in a vintage pan.

Picking up where I left off earlier (and yes, I know that technically I am violating an INGO rule here, but Ebay is set up in a way that I can't isolate the picture without taking the whole page), here is a good picture of a never used Griswold skillet which may yield some clues as to how they were machined down with a good perfectly flat smooth surface on the inside:

RARE Estate Sale Find Griswold 6 Skillet with Original Paper Label | eBay

 

[IndyDave1776]

Nicely done! I guess we have it established that Yours Truly was never a computer science major!

 

[CptCrik]

Cast Iron is def the way to go. And sometimes it is even better to go to estate and yard sales to find them. It can be cheaper and a higher quality than Lodge. But there is nothing wrong with lodge either. And the best way to season them is to cook lots of bacon in them. My family eats a lot of bacon and it def tastes the best cooked on cast iron. My wife and I started out with non-stick stuff, and they started to lose their coating and chip into the food we were cooking. But over the last couple years we have been switching over to cast iron and glass to cook with.

 

[BigBoxaJunk]

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.

We have one of those and you're right, they're great for frying chicken. It has a handle like a regular skillet, but with higher sides and a lid.

This past summer, I bought an old Pre-Wagner skillet that just had the Sydney name on it. When I soaked it in lye to clean it, I was surprised to find that it was nickel-plated. In fact, I'm seasoning it today so that I can give it to my daughter for Christmas.

 

[mrjarrell]

For anyone that might be thinking of getting a set of non-stick, I got a great set at Kohl's some years back. They were branded as Food Network brand and they've been great. Anodized and resistant to scratches. Even after almost 5 years of use now they are still like new and as non-sticky as the day I bought them. I've had others in the past that weren't even half as good. These are the best.

 

[IndyDave1776]

We have one of those and you're right, they're great for frying chicken. It has a handle like a regular skillet, but with higher sides and a lid.

This past summer, I bought an old Pre-Wagner skillet that just had the Sydney name on it. When I soaked it in lye to clean it, I was surprised to find that it was nickel-plated. In fact, I'm seasoning it today so that I can give it to my daughter for Christmas.

That sounds like a nice piece. I certainly hope your daughter appreciates it!

On the subject of seasoning, I have a ton of it to get done before much longer. My #10 Griswold dutch oven is in good shape. The seasoning on my #7 and #9 skillets could use some rework. I have two #8 Wagner dutch ovens that really need cleaned and seasoned, along with some specialty pans I want to get ready to use if for no better reason the amusement of my nieces and nephews with off the wall foods. I also have a #3 Wagner Scotch bowl that will need seasoned. It should be just the ticket for things that need a lot of stirring. I am also considering a larger Scotch bowl for use making stir fry. It isn't absolutely necessary, but the nicely rounded bottom certainly makes it easier!

Oh, and how could I forget my miracle find for the week. I am sure that the #3 Griswold oval roaster I just bought will need seasoned. Those things are ungodly expensive even at a bargain, but it isn't so bad in the context that I anticipate using it at least once a week. It is just right to be the perfect meatloaf pan!

 

[1DOWN4UP]

My wife and I use cast Iron.Most have came from garage sales over the last 30 years.We use a combo of Griswold,Wagner,and Wapak.
We strip the grime with lye.I reseason with a coating of lard,and into a 500 plus plus degree oven.Out it comes,and another coating of lard.It is the way my granny did it.Stainless for acid foods.Note,never pass on any used cast iron that says MADE N U.S.A.Even the no name items are of the highest quality.

 

[451_Detonics]

I am using 3 cast iron skillets that belonged to my great grandmother and 2 that my grandmother added to the set...nothing better than cast iron in my opinion for most frying applications, also great for cornbread in the oven

 

[17 squirrel]

I bought the wife a set of Le Creuset back 20+ years ago. Still going strong.

I've stayed out of this because that's what I have also.. We got a huge set when we got married and one of the things we worked deals out on with the divorce.
And I have one Grizwald from the GFather. The Le Creuset works well, The ex o ce just burned and overheated the large Dutch Oven and blackened and spidered the porcelain on the bottom of it. She called them and then she shipped it back, and a few weeks later a new one arrived.. N C....

 

[CindyE]

i've never really learned to cook with cast iron, nobody in my family used it that i know of. i do have a ceramic top stove. I had a cast iron pot that i bought to take camping with us, for stews and stuff, but it just never grew on me and i found it hard to clean. I use good quality stainless most of the time, and non-stick for omelets and other tricky stuff. i'm kind of a cookware snob myself, i possibly wouldn't object to trying cast iron again.

 

[CountryBoy19]

The "non-stick" of cast iron is NOT what most people expect. Most are accustomed to Teflon non-stick, and you just can't get there with cast iron anybody that says otherwise IMHO isn't telling the truth or their judgement is skewed by their own internal bias... I LOVE cast iron, but I'm not biased. There is no right and wrong answer... They each have their strengths and weaknesses and IMHO no kitchen is complete without having BOTH.

Last but not least, I had a Pampered Chef ceramic non-stick pan... It SUCKED BIG TIME... worst ceramic non-stick pan I've ever used and it lost it's non-stick ability very quickly (within a couple months of light use).

I've tried a few other non-stick ceramics since the Pampered chef and I've had better luck with all of them. What I have in my kitchen: T-fal (middle of the road) copper over stainless pots and pans, David Burke ceramic non-stick skillets (4 total, one of them deep with lid), and several old school cast-iron pans. I wouldn't give up any of what I have except possibly the skillet that came with the T-Fal set (because it's redundant with all the other skillets).

 

[AGarbers]

Interesting. I have never had a problem with handles heating up on me. What kind of cast iron are you using?

Having changed from electric to gas two years ago, I noticed a huge difference in handle temperature. On the electric range, the heat was tolerable. On the gas range, the handles with burn me unless I use a hot pad.

 

[AGarbers]

While my wife uses my cast iron, I requested that she doesn't clean it. I take care of that. Generally, if something does stick, I add a little water, let it boil, then clean it out. My wife insists I make certain dishes in my cast iron. Shrimp scampi, fried cabbage, pineapple upside-down cake, etc. all seem to taste better from cast iron.