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zizirex

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Hi,

I'm looking for a recommendation for these newer gen Cast Iron skillet.

My eyes are staring at Stargazer because it looks so nice and performs pretty good on youtube reviews.
Lodge now releases the Black lock series which pretty nice, but not as smooth as how other Cast iron.

Do any of you have any other experience compare with other brands? Butter pat, Field etc..

Thanks
 
How about carbon steel? Cast ion too heavy & scratch up my glass stove top , I switched to French carbon steel instead & been very happy.
 
I find cast iron too heavy as well. I have Starlight and I gave my lodge away. There's one on FB/kickstarter now which looks nice and polished, but I've long lost my attraction to cast iron skillets. I go for carbon steel (I have one French skillet that I've used for 25 years).
 
Aus Ion skillets are great. Seamless pressed wrought iron, about half the weight of cast. I think they had a Kickstarter for some pans made in the US but are an Australian company.
 
I already a couple of Carbon steel pan, Ballerini and de Buyer. I love them but sometimes you want to have extra weight for searing the rib eye and the picanha. Seems there are a lot of choices, I don't know where to start. The Blacklock looks pretty nice for the price, but the polish is not so great that's why I was thinking should I spend more for the expensive stuff or it's good enough.
 
I have a set of Field cast iron skillets, very smooth finish and a lighter side wall than lodge and such, highly recommend. I also have several carbon skillets and gratins, Blu Skillet is the brand I have, hard to get but very enjoyable pieces in the kitchen. There is a lot of choices for both cast iron and carbon, Id do some research and not just buy the first thing your interested in. The Field skillets are really refined, their website has a lot of good videos and specs, same with Blu Skillets, more of a rustic look but very well made and done by hand.
 
Field also has a presence on Facebook where their user group shares a lot of experience using the skillets and a lot of recipes for cast iron cooking.
 
rickbern said:
In general this is great advice but I have to mention that I had a hundred year old Wagner family heirloom, passed it on to my daughter two weeks after I got my first carbon steel pan.
Click to expand...

Yeah, definitely—carbon steel is wonderful. I like it especially for steaks. But I also like good old heavy heirloom cast iron. For me, both have their place.

So, OP you might be after two pans now... [emoji41]
 
i did two steaks side by side. i think i like Cast Iron better for searing a steak.

having said that, my Carbon is working nicely these days. took infinitely more time to season than Cast Iron, but it is doing great now. the season is delicate tho. i think i could wash my Cast pans in soapy water with a green scrubby pad and it wouldnt affect the seasoning. same move on the carbon pan and it is game over.

i have seen Field pan in the stores up here. the cost makes me gently put them back.
 
McMan said:
Yeah, definitely—carbon steel is wonderful. I like it especially for steaks. But I also like good old heavy heirloom cast iron. For me, both have their place.

So, OP you might be after two pans now... [emoji41]
Click to expand...
to the flea market then... LOL

i saw field cast iron, it's really nice but the handle is slightly bit too short.. maybe I will check it out again.
 
I don't really need another cast iron pan, but I really want a Finex for some reason...
 
I didn't need a new cast iron skillet but, buying one that weighs significantly less then the others on the market is very attractive for an old folks like me and my wife.
 
oh, now I want an Aus-Ion skillet. if only I had a job.
 
I don't actually see the weight of the 12" skillet on Field's website but Googling listed it at 8lbs. I don't have any from Field but I love my Smithey pans which I think the 12" is the same weight. Just throwing out another name if interested.
 
I'm not suggesting that lighter is better than heavier, or the other way around. But be aware that there is a trade-off: a lighter pan has lower heat capacity, so it will heat up and cool down more quickly.
 
Taken from a review in Epicurious;

"We don't see much benefit in spending more than $100 on a cast-iron skillet, though we did test a few in that price bracket. The best of the bunch was the Field Company's No. 8 Skillet ($125 at the time of writing) which, at 4.3 pounds, was the lightest of all the 10-inch skillets we tested and the only one we could comfortably hold with one hand. Field Company advertised that they've brought back the smooth cooking surface found in vintage cast-iron pans, which looks new-agey but requires a bit of work to achieve a nonstick surface. The Smithey Ironware's No. 10 Skillet ($160) is in the same satin-smooth, needs-seasoning boat, and happened to be the heaviest of the 10-inch lot, weighing in at 5.8 pounds."
 
To me, the weight of the pan really isn't that important because, realistically, all cast iron pans are bloody heavy. Doing a one-handed toss is out of the question, and I have to use two hands to move a pan with food in it, no matter what its exact weight.

With that out of the way, it comes down to performance, that is, surface texture and shape. I use a Lodge skillet, which has the fairly rough finish it came with from the factory. Surprisingly, I haven't had any issues with sticking despite that. I might at some point sand it down a bit if I ever decide to re-season the pan. But I'm not motivated to do all that work because the pan performs very well as it is.

When it comes to shape, that's mostly the same for most skillets. Just pick one you like.
 
I bought the 10" Field and used it for a while and followed up with the rest of their offerings since I only had stainless steel All-Clad pans. All of the Field skillets have smooth machined cooking surface and after using them they are getting quite smooth and slick.
 
Michi said:
To me, the weight of the pan really isn't that important because, realistically, all cast iron pans are bloody heavy. Doing a one-handed toss is out of the question, and I have to use two hands to move a pan with food in it, no matter what its exact weight.

With that out of the way, it comes down to performance, that is, surface texture and shape. I use a Lodge skillet, which has the fairly rough finish it came with from the factory. Surprisingly, I haven't had any issues with sticking despite that. I might at some point sand it down a bit if I ever decide to re-season the pan. But I'm not motivated to do all that work because the pan performs very well as it is.

When it comes to shape, that's mostly the same for most skillets. Just pick one you like.
Click to expand...

Well said. I'd add, that weight would only matter for a pan dedicated to searing.
 
I have a full set of field skillets. They are well done, a bit lighter than most you can buy and certainly finished much much better with a very smooth cooking surface. I have an older Griswold and a Wagner, I like them for their age and personality but if I had to choose between them and the Fields the Fields would win. Plus I like the fact that they are made here in the USA and I had a very pleasant buying experience from them. I had a few questions which they answered and didn’t do so in a snobby way or in a way where I felt like I was bother. They also have a great website with a good amount of information including how they like to season. A lot of guys get frustrated when someone asks how to season cast iron, they act like it doesn’t matter what ya use just start cooking and shush. Fields actually explained, via their website, their preferred oil and why, I liked that.
 
Question here. Are most of you satisfied with a 10-inch skillet? I use an old Lodge every morning for my personal breakfast. 3-4 strips of bacon and one chicken egg. To me that is all this fry pan is good for. I wouldn't consider anything under 12-inches for general use.
 
Twelve inches is the right general-purpose size for me. Large enough to do anything reasonable, but not too large for my largest hot plate. If I need more room, rather than using a large pan, I do things in batches or use a wok instead.

I don't have a 10" cast iron skillet, but use a 9.5" non-stick pan for smaller jobs.
 
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I feel there is always room in the arsenal for a proper coated non-stick skillet.
 
I love my 10" Stargazer. Great weight. I also cook in 9" de Buyer Pro carbon steel pans.
 
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