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If flaxseed was readily available here at a reasonable price, that would definitely be my first choice. Since it's not, I've used grapeseed oil with excellent results. To a lesser degree it offers a lot of the same polymerization benefits as flaxseed. That being said, one of the most important keys is applying the oil in the thinnest possible layers.
 
KM Thank you for re-posting your information . while I understood the relation between the two some "Wood" Not . as many Newbie folks do skim through the post they may have seen only a few words and used the wrong Oil.

Sam
 
I love vintage cast iron cookware.... some of the old stuff was thinner, not very porous and very smoothly finished. I love going to flea markets and bringing back a pan! Wagner and Griswold are my favorites!
 
I used to season with all kinds of different oils, but my son's BSA Troop uses Crisco. They wipe all pans when cleaned... I have started this and VERY happy!
 
Maybe it would help to compare what flaxseed oil and linseed oil look like so people won't be confused. On the left, organic food grade flaxseed oil which I use for seasoning pans. On the right, linseed oil for wood. From what I understand from my woodworking friends, this particular type of linseed oil does not contain driers and is safe to use on wooden kitchen utensils. One you get at a health food store, the other at the hardware store.

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I picked up some old griswolds and love them but, I also got a Favorite Piqua Ware #12 for $50 shipped and that is my absolute favorite. It's so much lighter than the griswolds and cooks like a dream. Wish I'd held off on the griswolds.

Edit: sorry for the blurry pic. I forgot to sharpen after I resized it :scared4:
 
I've done the same thing in my home. I have various old griswold and wagner skillets of every size from 3-11. I also have a few older Lodge ranging from 3 up to a 14 skillet. The Lodge's are made in the USA and are very good quality. I have both enameld pieces from France and USA(Lodge) that I also use as well. I love my CI Dutch Ovens and have various old Griswolds, Wagners and Lodge from 2 quarts up to 12 quarts and I use them all the time. Nothing beats them IMHO. I use my old round griddles size 12 and 14 with the bail handles for pizzas. Mine are so well seasoned that I can cook tomato based chili in them and the seasoning stays unaffected by the tomato sauce. I've heard pros and cons but a little extra iron sure can't hurt lol. I've found most of my old CI at thrift stores, antique shops, craigslist and a few good guys on eBay.
We have almost completely shunned our non-stick pans and use cast iron almost exclusively now. I mainly use vintage cast iron (griswold, wagner and piqueware) but also use my wife's lecreuset quite a bit. I love both the plain cast iron and the enamel coated lecreuset but it depends on what you want to cook. I am considering picking up a debuyer 12-14" fry pan for frying up potatoes and when I want something a little lighter but my cast iron can handle it with no sticking issues whatsoever.

You can pick up some fantastic vintage cast iron on ebay if you are willing to wait to get a good price. If you want high price Griswold is considered the best and will be priced accordingly although I personally think my the quality of Wagner and Piqueware is just as good. I personally would stay away from lodge unless you want to sand / grind it smooth. Key is get something that sits flat without any serious rusting issues. My most recent purchase was a 12" Wagner griddle for eggs for about $45 with shipping in December.

If you want LeCreuset - My wife has pretty much the whole collection - I personally really like the enamel coated pots. We have an outlet center within an hour and a couple of times a year they have 35% off mailers so we usually hit that. Otherwise some of the online suppliers sometimes have good deals. My other favorite is the six inch non-enamelled fry pan - omelettes are a breeze with it and no sticking issues.
 
the difference is what the collectors have set the prices to be, there is no difference how they cook or are used in the kitchen. the quality is the same. anything Griswold is great quality . if it has wagner on it with griswold then its not the same quality as the Griswold.
Does anyone have a griswold large logo and small logo or a griswold and Wagner that can tell me if there's a big difference in them to warrant such a big price difference?
 
I started out with cast iron and still love it! Bayou Classic is my brand now. Great stuff and many sizes. I use salt for crusty cleaning but baking soda works good too.
 
My collection now consists of:

#3 Piqua
#6, 7, 8, 9 Griswold sm logo
#10 Wagner Ware (not 1891 original)
#12 Piqua

I got a really good deal for a set of small logo griswolds 3-9. I sold 3, 4 and 5 since I didn't need them which made the deal even better. Now I have to get a #11 of something to round out my collection. So far I've not noticed a bit of difference in cooking with any of them. I like the piqua because it's very light but I can't use the 12 on my stove, it's too big for our tiny burners. I have a few more to clean and season then that will be all done. It's a pain in the butt but very worth it in the end.
 
I use my 7 and 8 Griswolds every day for eggs,omelettes and to saute veggies for the omelette's. The 8 makes a perfect 4 egg omelette.
 
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