High end frying pan recommendation

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btbyrd said:
Edit: the mustard is for my wife.
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Wait a second! Whats wrong with mustard? Mustard on BLT is the best! I prefer a cheap dijon style mustard in sandwiches, but I'd take any mustard over the best mayo any day of the week!

I usually make thicker cut bacon though (~1/4" raw). The thicker slice bypasses the problem with curling or crowding in the pan (2 slices per person is quite a lot...). You need to scoop out the rendered fat; if not, you get deep fried bacon, which isn't really as crispy.
 
btbyrd said:
I understand why they cost more than the cheaper brands. There is the added labor, yes, and there is also the ********* tax. But in terms of materials and performance, you're not gaining anything. I think smoothness in cast iron is mostly woo woo nonsense (like so much stuff surrounding cast iron and its maintenance). I have smooth vintage pieces and "rough" Lodge stuff, and I have not noticed any difference in nonstick performance or in their ability to take/hold seasoning. Others may experience a difference with their particular pans. I don't. They're the same. And they all work just as well as my carbon steel pans, which are "smooth" and inexpensive by their nature. Frankly, I'd rather be cooking in those most of the time anyway.

The Stargazer looks really nice, don't get me wrong. But since I don't care about the added labor of smoothing the surface and I don't want to pay the ********* tax, I'll remain happy with my $25 Lodge.
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horses for courses.

also worth noting a 12" stargazer is, handles? much lighter than a 12" lodge by a huge amount.

I dunno I own both and I would pay for the stargazer again in a heartbeat.
 
Jovidah said:
Actually come to think of it.... is there any good reason why we don't have damascus pans yet? Wouldn't do anything for performance but that hasn't stopped people from damascussing all the other things.
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Now I’m imagining an Ortho surgeon with a Damascus hammer.

“Hey hey hey. Don’t send that to Sterile Processing! That’s mine. I’ll do it myself.”
 
Or the surgeon taking glamor shots of the beautiful blue patina his custom made carbon scalpel has taken on after a heart surgery...
 
Jovidah said:
Or the surgeon taking glamor shots of the beautiful blue patina his custom made carbon scalpel has taken on after a heart surgery...
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and be sure they'll find a way to charge the extra cost of the custom to the patient ;-)
 
MarcelNL said:
and be sure they'll find a way to charge the extra cost of the custom to the patient ;-)
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"Mr Hanna. Everything went well; you did great! Hey. Check out the patina i got cutting fat from around your heart. I got a new custom coming in about a month; how do you feel about some lipo around then?"
 
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Jovidah said:
I think most of what you just said also applies to knives. ;)
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Hahah... sorta but not really. There are higher material costs with good knives but not so with "good" cast iron. You're not paying for better metal. And the increased labor costs incurred by manual forging and sharpening create positively impact the performance of the final knife, at least when they're done well. The increased labor involved in producing boutique cast iron is turd polishing that creates no functional benefit. Paying more for a knife gets you more knife, at least up to a certain price range where diminishing marginal utility kicks in. Paying more for cast iron gets you nothing more than bragging rights and a pan that conducts heat poorly.

This is overstating the case. The better boutique stuff also has nicer shapes and better ergonomics. But when I reach for cast iron, I don't care about any of that really. I just want a slab of hot iron that I can throw down a sear with. Or maybe make cornbread.
 
btbyrd said:
The Stargazer looks really nice, don't get me wrong. But since I don't care about the added labor of smoothing the surface and I don't want to pay the ********* tax, I'll remain happy with my $25 Lodge.
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Ain't gonna find no $25 Lodges in Australia.

It's almost sold as a premium brand here. Sounds like someone is making a bit of money. Probably not Mr Lodge.
 
Nemo said:
Ain't gonna find no $25 Lodges in Australia.

It's almost sold as a premium brand here. Sounds like someone is making a bit of money. Probably not Mr Lodge.
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Same here. My guess is high shipping and import costs play a role... Especially since it's more of a niche product here.
 
coxhaus said:
I just read this and I thought I would post it. This bacon has about the best color that I have seen when I cook it in my pan.
https://www.wrightbrand.com/how-to/...41b9a2dec63a144df68ac62b286b37cd&gclsrc=3p.ds
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this is my fav brand of bacon. i made some on the stovetop the other day and i thought it came out better than the batch i posted that i did in the oven a few days previously. i did have to manage the bacon and move it around more, the oven is more set it and forget it. but made me realize there probably is no bad way to cook bacon.
 
Jovidah said:
Or the surgeon taking glamor shots of the beautiful blue patina his custom made carbon scalpel has taken on after a heart surgery...
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Before the disposable blade surgeons actually have to sharpen their own blade like barbers, I’d imagine one or two of them got some custom blades.
 
blokey said:
Before the disposable blade surgeons actually have to sharpen their own blade like barbers, I’d imagine one or two of them got some custom blades.
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Actually, in some places barbers used to do surgery in some eras.
 
btbyrd said:
I understand why they cost more than the cheaper brands. There is the added labor, yes, and there is also the ********* tax. But in terms of materials and performance, you're not gaining anything. I think smoothness in cast iron is mostly woo woo nonsense (like so much stuff surrounding cast iron and its maintenance). I have smooth vintage pieces and "rough" Lodge stuff, and I have not noticed any difference in nonstick performance or in their ability to take/hold seasoning. Others may experience a difference with their particular pans. I don't. They're the same. And they all work just as well as my carbon steel pans, which are "smooth" and inexpensive by their nature. Frankly, I'd rather be cooking in those most of the time anyway.

The Stargazer looks really nice, don't get me wrong. But since I don't care about the added labor of smoothing the surface and I don't want to pay the ********* tax, I'll remain happy with my $25 Lodge.
Click to expand...

The Stargazer design works a lot better for me than my Lodge options which includes not only the "Walmart" stuff but, the cook's special editions with their different profile which is a lot better than the $25 Walmart special. That being said, my Stargazer outperforms both of those by a wide margin, at least for me. Handling is far superior!!!
 
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