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I am fully prepared to believe that the Stargazers are awesome. And I am not tempted by them in the least, because I have reached my cast iron nirvana, and it says Griswold on the bottom.
I am fully prepared to believe that the Stargazers are awesome. And I am not tempted by them in the least, because I have reached my cast iron nirvana, and it says Griswold on the bottom.
If I could have found a 12" Griswold that wasn't warped or cracked for the $145 my Stargazer cost, I'd be game to give it a try. My Griswold searches over the past three years have been fruitless because of the high prices or warped and cracked skillets on offer for what I paid for my Stargazer.
but it was some years ago. I guess they got discovered.
stargazer handles are WAY better than most other cast iron, the lip is super useful, and it's just more maneuverable.
Sure, you can sand a Lodge down and smooth out the rough edges and rough casting but, that won't fix the thin short hot handle or the heavy sides affecting the balance
my personal advice is get 1 nicer cast iron in the main size you use and then for your lower use sizes it's not as important.
These guys are a bargain compared to the Turkish guys
I did not know that things had become like that. I got my big one for about that, and a set of three smaller ones for less than that, but it was some years ago. I guess they got discovered. Unfortunate.
I agree with these assessments. I dont have any new, fancy cast iron. I have Lodge and I have sanded some of them down. They are fine skillets. But... Their handles are short and stubby (hot).... The side walls are thick. The pouring lip is not amazing. You can't fix these issues.
I dont mind the thick walls but it adds weight. A 10" lodge skillet is manageable for me. The 12" the skillet is bordering on too heavy. I can manage it one handed when it is relatively empty. For now. I only imagine this will get more difficult as I age. When it is full... forget about it. Dont even mention larger sizes!
Given the weight issue... I would also add: the bigger your preference, the more worthwhile a 'modern' skillet may be from a handling point of view. Thick cast iron is heavy!!
Given the weight issue... I would also add: the bigger your preference, the more worthwhile a 'modern' skillet may be from a handling point of view. Thick cast iron is heavy!!
My stargazer is amazing, and the handle can’t be beat, but my butter pat is just as good and you can buy a glass lid to go with
I prefer the butter pat. The cooking surface seems a lot more forgiving. I’ve got a harsh “stain” on my stargazer from a few uses but the butter pat seems to go back to almost the same color/finish as out of the box after some coarse salt. Obviously that could be attributed to what I cooked, but I don’t vary what I use my cast irons for very much. The one thing is the handle on the butter pat sucks. If you wrap a towel around it, it’s fantastic, and the ridges on either side on the bottom (of the handle) seem to even grip the towel better so it doesn’t slide around. On its own though it’s uncomfortable, and the stargazer handle is much nicer. I very rarely find myself grabbing the handle full on unless I’m moving it around my kitchen between uses, so it doesn’t seem to make a big enough difference for me. Butter pat is slightly better to me, but they’re both outstanding.
I’m not sure, and I have a 12 inch of one and a 10 inch of another so I’m not sure they’d compare properly.Butterpat has a thicker bottom right?
I waited 8 weeks for mine
Their site currently gives a six week wait for the twelve inch.
I waited a long time for my 12". I got my 10" very quickly.
I can’t overstate how nice the lid is for the butter pat. I’m 100% convinced if something were to happen to the pan, I could just flip the lid upside down, remove the knob, and cook in that
Field is one brand I don't see mentioned very often that seems to compete in this marketspace. I'm not sure why.
If I were in America... I would look seriously at Field.
The one problem with these smaller companies is that their systems/range are immature. This is another advantage of Lodge. With Lodge you know you can buy a dutch oven, a skillet or a deep dish skillet of the same diameter and know that they will share a lid... I like that. I try not to be superficial... but it is also nice when your kitchen tools have the same matching styling...
Field and Butterpat have dutch ovens and (i assume) cross-compatible lids. Stargazer need to catch up in this regard.
If I were in America... I would look seriously at Field.
The one problem with these smaller companies is that their systems/range are immature. This is another advantage of Lodge. With Lodge you know you can buy a dutch oven, a skillet or a deep dish skillet of the same diameter and know that they will share a lid... I like that. I try not to be superficial... but it is also nice when your kitchen tools have the same matching styling...
Field and Butterpat have dutch ovens and (i assume) cross-compatible lids. Stargazer need to catch up in this regard.
Anyone tried the SpringUSA carbon skillets? KaTom has the 12.5 inch for $100. I never used the product or supplier, but it looks interesting.
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