I'm looking for a good quality skillet. The saleswoman at a local
department store recommended Lodge iron skillets even though they don't
sell them. That was impressive in itself. Does anyone own one? If so,
what do you think? I see them on sale at Amazon for just $14.99. Thanks.

In article >,
tenplay > wrote:

> I'm looking for a good quality skillet. The saleswoman at a local
> department store recommended Lodge iron skillets even though they don't
> sell them. That was impressive in itself. Does anyone own one? If so,
> what do you think? I see them on sale at Amazon for just $14.99. Thanks.

I would not buy one on a bet... They weigh a damned TON and are rough as
sandpaper,

but then I've been spoilt by antique Griswolds. ;-)

Cast Iron will last a lifetime. Get the best you can afford, not the
cheapest you can buy!
--
K.

Sprout the MungBean to reply

"I don't like to commit myself about heaven and hell‹you
see, I have friends in both places." --Mark Twain

Katra wrote:
> In article >,
> tenplay > wrote:
>
>
>>I'm looking for a good quality skillet. The saleswoman at a local
>>department store recommended Lodge iron skillets even though they don't
>>sell them. That was impressive in itself. Does anyone own one? If so,
>> what do you think? I see them on sale at Amazon for just $14.99. Thanks.
>
>
> I would not buy one on a bet... They weigh a damned TON and are rough as
> sandpaper,
>
> but then I've been spoilt by antique Griswolds. ;-)
>
> Cast Iron will last a lifetime. Get the best you can afford, not the
> cheapest you can buy!


Here's a thought: did women suffer from iron deficiency as much when
they cooked with cast iron as they do now because of using non-iron pans?

Wondering if the decline in use of cast iron use coincided with a rise
in iron deficiency in women.


jim

In article >,
JimLane > wrote:

> Katra wrote:
> > In article >,
> > tenplay > wrote:
> >
> >
> >>I'm looking for a good quality skillet. The saleswoman at a local
> >>department store recommended Lodge iron skillets even though they don't
> >>sell them. That was impressive in itself. Does anyone own one? If so,
> >> what do you think? I see them on sale at Amazon for just $14.99. Thanks.
> >
> >
> > I would not buy one on a bet... They weigh a damned TON and are rough as
> > sandpaper,
> >
> > but then I've been spoilt by antique Griswolds. ;-)
> >
> > Cast Iron will last a lifetime. Get the best you can afford, not the
> > cheapest you can buy!
>
>
> Here's a thought: did women suffer from iron deficiency as much when
> they cooked with cast iron as they do now because of using non-iron pans?

That's kind of a moot point.
Griswold IS cast iron and I seldom cook in anything else...

and I'm anything but iron deficient. ;-) My hematocrit runs a solid 45%.
Can you say the same?

>
> Wondering if the decline in use of cast iron use coincided with a rise
> in iron deficiency in women.

No, our stupid idiot FDA preaching that "meat is evil" is the cause!

It's the best source of absorbable iron.

>
>
> jim
--
K.

Sprout the MungBean to reply

"I don't like to commit myself about heaven and hell‹you
see, I have friends in both places." --Mark Twain

Katra wrote:
> In article >,
> JimLane > wrote:
>
>
>>Katra wrote:
>>
>>>In article >,
>>> tenplay > wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>>I'm looking for a good quality skillet. The saleswoman at a local
>>>>department store recommended Lodge iron skillets even though they don't
>>>>sell them. That was impressive in itself. Does anyone own one? If so,
>>>> what do you think? I see them on sale at Amazon for just $14.99. Thanks.
>>>
>>>
>>>I would not buy one on a bet... They weigh a damned TON and are rough as
>>>sandpaper,
>>>
>>>but then I've been spoilt by antique Griswolds. ;-)
>>>
>>>Cast Iron will last a lifetime. Get the best you can afford, not the
>>>cheapest you can buy!
>>
>>
>>Here's a thought: did women suffer from iron deficiency as much when
>>they cooked with cast iron as they do now because of using non-iron pans?
>
>
> That's kind of a moot point.
> Griswold IS cast iron and I seldom cook in anything else...
>
> and I'm anything but iron deficient. ;-) My hematocrit runs a solid 45%.
> Can you say the same?
>
>
>>Wondering if the decline in use of cast iron use coincided with a rise
>>in iron deficiency in women.
>
>
> No, our stupid idiot FDA preaching that "meat is evil" is the cause!
>
> It's the best source of absorbable iron.
>
>
>>
>>jim

You missed the point, katra, about iron by talking about Griswold. I
could care less about what cast iron you use. It was about using iron
cookware, REGARDLESS OF BRAND.

My question still stands on whether or not there is a relationship
between the decline in the use of cast iron and the rise of iron
deficiency in women.

I am very happy you have a lot of iron. Can you say the same for all
other women? Not a chance. The rise in iron deficiency predates the FDA
stance on meat by many, MANY, years, so I don't think meat is the
primary cause. Could be, but that is after the fact.


I could care less about the Griswold. If they are lighter, then they are
thinner, are they not? And one of the very best things about cast iron
is that it is a great heat sink, especially if you are frying. Your
Griswold would be inferior in that capacity to the old Lodge stuff I have.


jim

JimLane wrote:
> Katra wrote:
>
>> In article >,
>> JimLane > wrote:
>>
>>
>>> Katra wrote:
>>>
>>>> In article >,
>>>> tenplay > wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> I'm looking for a good quality skillet. The saleswoman at a local
>>>>> department store recommended Lodge iron skillets even though they
>>>>> don't sell them. That was impressive in itself. Does anyone own
>>>>> one? If so, what do you think? I see them on sale at Amazon for
>>>>> just $14.99. Thanks.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> I would not buy one on a bet... They weigh a damned TON and are
>>>> rough as sandpaper,
>>>>
>>>> but then I've been spoilt by antique Griswolds. ;-)
>>>>
>>>> Cast Iron will last a lifetime. Get the best you can afford, not the
>>>> cheapest you can buy!
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Here's a thought: did women suffer from iron deficiency as much when
>>> they cooked with cast iron as they do now because of using non-iron
>>> pans?
>>
>>
>>
>> That's kind of a moot point.
>> Griswold IS cast iron and I seldom cook in anything else...
>>
>> and I'm anything but iron deficient. ;-) My hematocrit runs a solid 45%.
>> Can you say the same?
>>
>>
>>> Wondering if the decline in use of cast iron use coincided with a
>>> rise in iron deficiency in women.
>>
>>
>>
>> No, our stupid idiot FDA preaching that "meat is evil" is the cause!
>>
>> It's the best source of absorbable iron.
>>
>>
>>>
>>> jim
>
>
> You missed the point, katra, about iron by talking about Griswold. I
> could care less about what cast iron you use. It was about using iron
> cookware, REGARDLESS OF BRAND.
>
> My question still stands on whether or not there is a relationship
> between the decline in the use of cast iron and the rise of iron
> deficiency in women.
>
> I am very happy you have a lot of iron. Can you say the same for all
> other women? Not a chance. The rise in iron deficiency predates the FDA
> stance on meat by many, MANY, years, so I don't think meat is the
> primary cause. Could be, but that is after the fact.
>
>
> I could care less about the Griswold. If they are lighter, then they are
> thinner, are they not? And one of the very best things about cast iron
> is that it is a great heat sink, especially if you are frying. Your
> Griswold would be inferior in that capacity to the old Lodge stuff I have.
>
>
> jim


Try a Griswold before you make anymore statements like this Jim. They
realy are good pans. Better than Wagner and exponentially better than
Lodge. A good old Griswold pan is not thin but it is lighter in weight
than the mammoth has to be huge, heavy and cheap pans that Lodge sells.

Cooks don't spent the upwards of $1000 for certain Griswold pans because
they are inferior to Lodge.

Jessica

Jim,
Interesting theory. Except for one thing. The iron in cast iron is
undigestible in the human digestive system. It's in the wrong form.
Just passes through your system and is excreted. BTW, I'm a
metallurigical engineer, and I know a little about metals and their
behaviors.

Katra wrote:
> In article >,
> JimLane > wrote:
>
>
>>Katra wrote:
>>
>>>In article >,
>>> tenplay > wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>>I'm looking for a good quality skillet. The saleswoman at a local
>>>>department store recommended Lodge iron skillets even though they don't
>>>>sell them. That was impressive in itself. Does anyone own one? If so,
>>>> what do you think? I see them on sale at Amazon for just $14.99. Thanks.
>>>
>>>
>>>I would not buy one on a bet... They weigh a damned TON and are rough as
>>>sandpaper,
>>>
>>>but then I've been spoilt by antique Griswolds. ;-)
>>>
>>>Cast Iron will last a lifetime. Get the best you can afford, not the
>>>cheapest you can buy!
>>
>>
>>Here's a thought: did women suffer from iron deficiency as much when
>>they cooked with cast iron as they do now because of using non-iron pans?
>
>
> That's kind of a moot point.
> Griswold IS cast iron and I seldom cook in anything else...
>
> and I'm anything but iron deficient. ;-) My hematocrit runs a solid 45%.
> Can you say the same?
>
>
>>Wondering if the decline in use of cast iron use coincided with a rise
>>in iron deficiency in women.
>
>
> No, our stupid idiot FDA preaching that "meat is evil" is the cause!
>
> It's the best source of absorbable iron.
>
>
>>
>>jim

You missed the point, katra, about iron by talking about Griswold. I
could care less about what cast iron you use. It was about using iron
cookware, REGARDLESS OF BRAND.

My question still stands on whether or not there is a relationship
between the decline in the use of cast iron and the rise of iron
deficiency in women.

I am very happy you have a lot of iron. Can you say the same for all
other women? Not a chance. The rise in iron deficiency predates the FDA
stance on meat by many, MANY, years, so I don't think meat is the
primary cause. Could be, but that is after the fact.


I could care less about the Griswold. If they are lighter, then they are
thinner, are they not? And one of the very best things about cast iron
is that it is a great heat sink, especially if you are frying. Your
Griswold would be inferior in that capacity to the old Lodge stuff I have.


jim

"JimLane" > wrote in message
...
> Here's a thought: did women suffer from iron deficiency as much when
> they cooked with cast iron as they do now because of using non-iron pans?
>
> Wondering if the decline in use of cast iron use coincided with a rise
> in iron deficiency in women.
>
>
> jim

That's a good question. I just switched from various teflon skillets - they
just can't take the heat - to all cast iron. I'd forgotten the taste of
scrambled eggs cooked in cast iron. TI'm sure it's not cooking temperature
or evenness of heat. They have a better flavor. Maybe you've put your finger
on it - a little iron gets in.

Kathy

In article >,
JimLane > wrote:

> Katra wrote:
> > In article >,
> > tenplay > wrote:
> >
> >
> >>I'm looking for a good quality skillet. The saleswoman at a local
> >>department store recommended Lodge iron skillets even though they don't
> >>sell them. That was impressive in itself. Does anyone own one? If so,
> >> what do you think? I see them on sale at Amazon for just $14.99. Thanks.
> >
> >
> > I would not buy one on a bet... They weigh a damned TON and are rough as
> > sandpaper,
> >
> > but then I've been spoilt by antique Griswolds. ;-)
> >
> > Cast Iron will last a lifetime. Get the best you can afford, not the
> > cheapest you can buy!
>
>
> Here's a thought: did women suffer from iron deficiency as much when
> they cooked with cast iron as they do now because of using non-iron pans?

That's kind of a moot point.
Griswold IS cast iron and I seldom cook in anything else...

and I'm anything but iron deficient. ;-) My hematocrit runs a solid 45%.
Can you say the same?

>
> Wondering if the decline in use of cast iron use coincided with a rise
> in iron deficiency in women.

No, our stupid idiot FDA preaching that "meat is evil" is the cause!

It's the best source of absorbable iron.

>
>
> jim
--
K.

Sprout the MungBean to reply

"I don't like to commit myself about heaven and hell‹you
see, I have friends in both places." --Mark Twain

Katra wrote:

> I would not buy one on a bet... They weigh a damned TON and are rough as
> sandpaper,

Actually, when I did purchase some Lodge years ago, I amazingly got them
to a state of where they worked quite nicely. I just kept on forgetting
them on the stove when I would dry & reseason. I kept burning the nice
seasoning off & filling the house with smoke. After one too many times
of doing this, DH got mad at me & threw them out.

> but then I've been spoilt by antique Griswolds. ;-)

I can relate. The pans I inherited are a mix of Griswolds & Wagners.
All perfectly seasoned. I also got a really cool rectangular griddle
that I'm not sure of the brand, but it's soo cool. Needless to say, I
treat these like babies.

> Cast Iron will last a lifetime. Get the best you can afford, not the
> cheapest you can buy!

I'm still of the opinion that Lodge is not the "cheapest". I have
actually seen worse! They are good starter pieces IMHO.

Denise~* wrote:
> Katra wrote:
>
>> I would not buy one on a bet... They weigh a damned TON and are rough
>> as sandpaper,
>
>
> Actually, when I did purchase some Lodge years ago, I amazingly got them
> to a state of where they worked quite nicely. I just kept on forgetting
> them on the stove when I would dry & reseason. I kept burning the nice
> seasoning off & filling the house with smoke. After one too many times
> of doing this, DH got mad at me & threw them out.


Jumping in, all my Lodge are smooth. Of course, they are about 50 years
old. The exterior is not as smooth, but certainly is not rough in terms
of sandpaper.

BTW, I can relate to the burning and smoking. I had to unlearn a lot of
stuff and re-learn to use cast iron instead of the light weight stuff I
had when I inherited these.

I'll stay with them until I cannot handle the weight, but that may be
quite a few more years.


jim

walmart sells them in a 3 pk for $16 (unseasoned). QVC sells the pre
seasoned for much more

On 2005-01-13, Witchy Way > wrote:
> walmart sells them in a 3 pk for $16 (unseasoned). QVC sells the pre
> seasoned for much more

I would be careful of anything Walmart sells. They are very good at luring
vendors into low price death spiral, often forcing a change to an inferior
product.

nb

On 2005-01-13, Witchy Way > wrote:
> walmart sells them in a 3 pk for $16 (unseasoned). QVC sells the pre
> seasoned for much more

I would be careful of anything Walmart sells. They are very good at luring
vendors into low price death spiral, often forcing a change to an inferior
product.

nb

tenplay wrote:
> I'm looking for a good quality skillet. The saleswoman at a local
> department store recommended Lodge iron skillets even though they don't
> sell them. That was impressive in itself. Does anyone own one? If so,
> what do you think? I see them on sale at Amazon for just $14.99. Thanks.

Personally, I'd search flea markets and garage sales for Griswolds.

--
Steve

Every job is a self-portrait of the person who did it.
Autograph your work with excellence.

Then again, what is a rookie supposed to do when there are fake
Griswolds out there?

On Tue, 11 Jan 2005 19:31:43 -0800, tenplay
> scribbled some thoughts:


>I'm looking for a good quality skillet. The saleswoman at a local
>department store recommended Lodge iron skillets even though they don't
>sell them. That was impressive in itself. Does anyone own one? If so,
> what do you think? I see them on sale at Amazon for just $14.99. Thanks.


Check the camping section at Wal-Mart. Check at garage
sales as some people may not appreciate the value of cast
iron skillets. Check at hardware stores they may sell some.
Also check at general stores as opposed to department
stores.

--

Sincerely, | NOTE: Best viewed in a fixed pitch font
| (©) (©)
Andrew H. Carter | ------ooo--(_)--ooo------
d(-_-)b | /// \\\

tenplay wrote:
>
> I'm looking for a good quality skillet. The saleswoman at a local
> department store recommended Lodge iron skillets even though they don't
> sell them. That was impressive in itself. Does anyone own one? If so,
> what do you think? I see them on sale at Amazon for just $14.99. Thanks.

We have a couple but they really aren't any better than the cheap
Chinese or Korean cast iron frying pans we also have. One of the Lodge
pans just doesn't heat evenly and didn't from when it was new.
Whatever sort you buy check that the metal is thick enough, the bottom
is flat and the handle well secured.

I'm curious about all the re-seasoning some people reccommend here.
I've been using CI skillets for a almost 2 years now, first a borrowed
pair, then a pair I bought at a garage sale last summer. I got 2 large
skillets for $4. They were rusty and hadn't been seasoned correctly. I
brought them home, seasoned them (one took a second, longer 2 hr
seasoning) and they both work fine. The only time I re-seasoned one was
when my sons came for Thanksgiving. One of them put one of my CI
skillets in the dishwasher and I didn't know it until I unloaded it
later. I just re-seasoned it.
I think the reason I don't have to re-season them is how I clean them.
I never wash them with soap. I have a special coarse scrubber I use on
them and my wok that never sees soap. I scrub out the food with it,
then scrub them with Kosher salt (coarser, more abrasive than table
salt) and a paper towel to remore any lingering food particles and any
excess oil. It makes them almost as slick as non-stick, yet you can
still glaze and deglaze in them!
Cleaning them this way keeps the seasoning intact. Of course, every
time I cook with oil, I'm actually re-seasoning them. I'm told this
works for years, if not indefinitely. I've only done if for a little
over a year, so far. But it works great. (I've been doing it with my
spun steel wok for several years now, and can't remember the last time
I had to season it. Of course, CI is far more porous than spun steel,
so it might be different this way. Only time will tell. Still, if I had
to re-season once a year, that would be fine!)
Until I can afford All Clad, I like my CI skillets. They are cheap,
easy to cook in, and last forever. I've never cooked in the expensive
ones, so I don't know if there's any difference. Before I'd buy
expensive CI, I'd get the All Clad.

tenplay wrote:

> I'm looking for a good quality skillet. The saleswoman at a local
> department store recommended Lodge iron skillets even though they don't
> sell them. That was impressive in itself. Does anyone own one? If so,
> what do you think? I see them on sale at Amazon for just $14.99. Thanks.

I'm still using some my mother's Lodge frypans I got when I set up
housekeeping. And I'm not your spring chicken anymore. Use & maintain it right
& it lasts forever and ever. OTH, my husband was concerned with some cast iron I
bought at a garage sale. He thought that perhaps "foreign" cast iron might have
impurities that would leach out to the food. Anybody comment on that one?
Edrena

In article >,
tenplay > wrote:

> I'm looking for a good quality skillet. The saleswoman at a local
> department store recommended Lodge iron skillets even though they don't
> sell them. That was impressive in itself. Does anyone own one? If so,
> what do you think? I see them on sale at Amazon for just $14.99. Thanks.

I would not buy one on a bet... They weigh a damned TON and are rough as
sandpaper,

but then I've been spoilt by antique Griswolds. ;-)

Cast Iron will last a lifetime. Get the best you can afford, not the
cheapest you can buy!
--
K.

Sprout the MungBean to reply

"I don't like to commit myself about heaven and hell‹you
see, I have friends in both places." --Mark Twain

walmart sells them in a 3 pk for $16 (unseasoned). QVC sells the pre
seasoned for much more

Lodge is a good name, but I have other's as well. Cast iron is cast iron.
I found a few of mine at garage sales at not real cost to myself and have
been using them for years.


"tenplay" > wrote in message
...
> I'm looking for a good quality skillet. The saleswoman at a local
> department store recommended Lodge iron skillets even though they don't
> sell them. That was impressive in itself. Does anyone own one? If so,
> what do you think? I see them on sale at Amazon for just $14.99. Thanks.

"MOMPEAGRAM" > wrote in message
....
> Cast iron is cast iron.

Ah, no. There are many books written about cast iron explaing the different
alloys, casting processes, heat treating, stress relieving and a few dozen
other attributes.

"MOMPEAGRAM" > wrote in message
....
> Cast iron is cast iron.

Ah, no. There are many books written about cast iron explaing the different
alloys, casting processes, heat treating, stress relieving and a few dozen
other attributes.

>"Phyllis Stone" wrote:
>
>All this talk of CI so I was looking at my oldest one and it is
>looking bad. The outside has a coat of burned on stuff, not the bottom
>but the sides. We don't camp so I can't put it in a campfire. I have
>heard you should put it in a selfcleaning oven. Does this work and can
>it hurt the pan? Is there another way to clean it?

Over heating cast iron is not a good idea... cast iron engines crack/warp from
over heating all the time. Removing years of baked on food is easy... place
cookware in heavy plastic trash bag, add a few ounces of ordinary household
ammonia and seal bag. Do this outdoors. Do not breathe fumes. Do NOT ever add
bleach to ammonia. After 48 hours clean cookware with ordinary dish liquid,
baked on crud will slide right off.




---= BOYCOTT FRANCE (belgium) GERMANY--SPAIN =---
---= Move UNITED NATIONS To Paris =---
*********
"Life would be devoid of all meaning were it without tribulation."
Sheldon
````````````

tenplay wrote:
> I'm looking for a good quality skillet. The saleswoman at a local
> department store recommended Lodge iron skillets even though they don't
> sell them. That was impressive in itself. Does anyone own one? If so,
> what do you think? I see them on sale at Amazon for just $14.99. Thanks.

Personally, I'd search flea markets and garage sales for Griswolds.

--
Steve

Every job is a self-portrait of the person who did it.
Autograph your work with excellence.

walmart sells them in a 3 pk for $16 (unseasoned). QVC sells the pre
seasoned for much more

>"Phyllis Stone" wrote:
>
>All this talk of CI so I was looking at my oldest one and it is
>looking bad. The outside has a coat of burned on stuff, not the bottom
>but the sides. We don't camp so I can't put it in a campfire. I have
>heard you should put it in a selfcleaning oven. Does this work and can
>it hurt the pan? Is there another way to clean it?

Over heating cast iron is not a good idea... cast iron engines crack/warp from
over heating all the time. Removing years of baked on food is easy... place
cookware in heavy plastic trash bag, add a few ounces of ordinary household
ammonia and seal bag. Do this outdoors. Do not breathe fumes. Do NOT ever add
bleach to ammonia. After 48 hours clean cookware with ordinary dish liquid,
baked on crud will slide right off.




---= BOYCOTT FRANCE (belgium) GERMANY--SPAIN =---
---= Move UNITED NATIONS To Paris =---
*********
"Life would be devoid of all meaning were it without tribulation."
Sheldon
````````````