# Any experience with new cast iron start ups?



## MAS4T0 (Mar 13, 2016)

Hi KKF.

I've been looking for some smooth non-enameled cast iron for a while and recently came across some small companies whose products seem to fit the bill.

At present I'm looking at FINEX, Element Cookware and Borough Furnace; has anyone used any of these or does anyone have any other suggestions?

Would it be better to buy Lodge and sand it smooth?

Thanks.


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## DamageInc (Mar 13, 2016)

Have you considered thick carbon steel?


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## MAS4T0 (Mar 13, 2016)

DamageInc said:


> Have you considered thick carbon steel?



I've been meaning to pick up some carbon steel from De Buyer, but I don't think I've seen any substantial carbon steel pans.


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## DamageInc (Mar 13, 2016)

My De Buyer pans are 3.5mm thick. They don't really break all that easy. In fact, I would say you have a bigger chance of breaking a cast iron skillet as they are more brittle.

I've barely ever used my cast iron since I got carbon steel.


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## bkultra (Mar 13, 2016)

Also look into Turk one piece forged iron pans and Spring USA blackline. Blu skillet is another great option.

Edit: in the UK turk would be your best option


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## Kingkor (Mar 13, 2016)

The de buyer pans are amaizing we work with them where I work and they are about 3 years old in a pro kitchen and still have alot of life in them


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## Matus (Mar 13, 2016)

De buyer are great, have one myself (carbone plus, 32cm with helper handle), but I am not aware that they make anything thicker than 3 mm.


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## Iggy (Mar 13, 2016)

DamageInc said:


> My De Buyer pans are 3.5mm thick. They don't really break all that easy. In fact, I would say you have a bigger chance of breaking a cast iron skillet as they are more brittle.
> 
> I've barely ever used my cast iron since I got carbon steel.



Can't agree more, had some cast iron pans in the past... keyword is "had". 

today I use mostly de buyer Carbon. Also like my LeCreuset Enameled Cast Iron Pan (little sticky compared to my De Buyer but pretty good for some things and easy to maintain).


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## Ucmd (Mar 13, 2016)

Look at blu skillet and chefs armory. These are discussed elsewhere on this forum. Can some find link


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## DamageInc (Mar 13, 2016)

Blu Skillet are always sold out. Plus, shipping to the UK would be crazy.


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## aboynamedsuita (Mar 13, 2016)

Finex is quite heavy (could be good or bad I suppose) but they only machine the bottom. Another quibble I've heard is the brass tip on the handle gets really hot. 

If you want to get some decent info on CI, check out Jeff Rogers the Culinary Fanatic YouTube channel. He has recently tired out some new companies and has a lot of videos/reviews on lodge and finex. One recent brand which appeals to me is SOLIDTEKNICS AUSfonte and AUS-ION.

That said, I don't think I'll be trading in my lodge or DeBuyer carbon steel, on the Cast Iron Cooking Facebook group there is one member (I'm sure there are more too) who have completely polished up the interior of the lodge, and left the handle with a stencilled sandblasted "logo", looked pretty neat from what I remember. Lodge certainly can't be beat for the price although the time you put into it may change that


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## Chicagohawkie (Mar 13, 2016)

I bought some vintage cast iron on Craigslist recently at give away prices. Have to be careful your buying pitted or warped. Nice value and quality seems to be fantastic. Carbon steel pans are now the new buzz, won't pay these prices......


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## DamageInc (Mar 13, 2016)

"New buzz"?

They've been using carbon steel pans in French kitchens since the late 1800's. In Europe, a De Buyer pan won't cost any more than a good cast iron pan. In fact, it's probably less.


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## bkultra (Mar 13, 2016)

DamageInc said:


> Blu Skillet are always sold out. Plus, shipping to the UK would be crazy.



This is why I recommend Turk one piece forged pans... That are available from Amazon.uk and have no rivets since its forged entirely out of a single piece of steel. 

[video=youtube;wGL7nok8CDQ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=wGL7nok8CDQ[/video]


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## Matus (Mar 13, 2016)

I would only note that there are apparently 2 types of Turk pans - the cheaper ones have the handle welded on the pan and then there are the ones made out of one piece. There is factor 2-3 in price difference. I am wondering whether there are other (more relevant) differences between these two types ... ?


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## Jovidah (Mar 13, 2016)

I have the deBuyer Carbonne in both 28 and 32 cm and they are awesome. The carbonne is the thickest / heaviest line. Don't go for Mineral B; it's just fancy packaging and marketing.
They are 'just' 3 mm (which is pretty much the thickest they come in) but it works well enough. They won't warp or bend. Handles don't come loose no matter what you do. It's like the Toyota Hilux of the kitchen; incredibly unsexy, boring and ugly, but it can take an incredible beating and just keep going and going and going.
Only thing to watch out for is that their bottom surface is relatively small for a certain pan size. So my 28 cm feels really small and I often have to use the 32cm to get any 'frying space' real estate. Also, they don't make a 30 cm fry pan - only a grill pan in that size.
I use them for all my serious meat work these days and my stainless frying pans are seeing a lot less use since I got them.

And yes, they are definitly a lot cheaper than cast iron here. But that's also because there's just a few producers here making cast-iron and they're all sort of aiming at the higher budget (whether enamelled or not), whereas the carbon steel stuff is standard restaurant gear and priced as such.


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## bkultra (Mar 13, 2016)

Matus said:


> I would only note that there are apparently 2 types of Turk pans - the cheaper ones have the handle welded on the pan and then there are the ones made out of one piece. There is factor 2-3 in price difference. I am wondering whether there are other (more relevant) differences between these two types ... ?



There are actually four different lines. 1) Hand or hot forged (one piece as shown in the video I posted) 2) forged (welded handles and not hot formed. Also has the rhombus embossed pattern) 3) heavy version (similar to De buyer thicker lines) and 4) light version (similar to De buyer thinner lines)

http://www.cookplanet.com/manufacturers/pans-turk-iron-pans.html

Edit: Hand-forged iron pans are not absolutely planar and are rather apt for gas stoves and induction stoves.


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## MAS4T0 (Mar 13, 2016)

Thanks guys!

I was planning on picking up some De Buyer frying pans anyway, but didn't think they had enough thermal mass to really take the place of cast iron. It seems I was wrong, which is great!

I was somewhat dubious about the quality as they are so incredibly cheap.

So should I go with the Mineral B or the Carbone? Are they both steel (I ask because the site lists them both as Iron)?

I must admit I like the limited edition handles much more than the standard:


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## bkultra (Mar 13, 2016)

Don't forget the lesser known Mineral B pro line (cast stainless handles)
http://www.debuyer.com/en/products/mineral-b-pro-frypan-with-cast-stainless-steel-handle


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## DamageInc (Mar 13, 2016)

As far as I know, owning both, there is no difference between Mineral b and Carbone other than the fact that Mineral b comes coated in beeswax and has a small silicone button in the handle.
They are both carbon steel and the same thickness.


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## Chicagohawkie (Mar 14, 2016)

DamageInc said:


> "New buzz"?
> 
> They've been using carbon steel pans in French kitchens since the late 1800's. In Europe, a De Buyer pan won't cost any more than a good cast iron pan. In fact, it's probably less.




As in trendy! Stamped carbon pans were a dime a dozen years ago. To each his own, I'll pass.


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## Matus (Mar 14, 2016)

Gget the carbone. It is the same pan as MineralB, you just do not have to fight with the bee's wax. The 'standard' handle on the carbone does not get all that hot (on glass-stoove, gas will be a different sotry) and from size 32cm you get a simple stainless helper handle. It helps 

Do not get one with tall sides/walls - those have much bigger problem with flatness (physics, really). If you have glass-top (or induction) stoove make sure that the heated area is at least as large as the pat bottom, otherwise the problem with flatness will be much stronger (iron is not very good in heat conduction so the pan will not be evenly hot)



MAS4T0 said:


> Thanks guys!
> 
> I was planning on picking up some De Buyer frying pans anyway, but didn't think they had enough thermal mass to really take the place of cast iron. It seems I was wrong, which is great!
> 
> ...


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## Iggy (Mar 14, 2016)

MAS4T0 said:


> I must admit I like the limited edition handles much more than the standard:



Have three different types of handles with my deBuyers (ok... different sizes) but I must say I really like mine with the limited edition handle. First bought one just as a gift for my mother (she loves Paris and everything associated with it...) but I find (for me) it's the most ergonomic handle plus it does not have the stupid polymer coating and it doesn't get hot. And it wasn't more expensive so why not


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## Jovidah (Mar 14, 2016)

DamageInc said:


> As far as I know, owning both, there is no difference between Mineral b and Carbone other than the fact that Mineral b comes coated in beeswax and has a small silicone button in the handle.
> They are both carbon steel and the same thickness.


This. The actualy body of the pan is the same...but there might be minor differences in the handle. The beeswax thing is mostly a bonus for storage in the store, but first thing you do after purchase is wash it off.... so that's mostly a gimmick. 
The original handles from the Carbone series were fine by me, but they are of the 'flat piece of metal to be grabbed with a towel type'.


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## MAS4T0 (Mar 14, 2016)

Thank you!

I have one final question. I just moved and the hob is halogen. Depending on which size pan I go for it'll either be slightly bigger or slightly smaller than the 'burner', which is best with a carbon steel pan or does it not matter?


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## DamageInc (Mar 14, 2016)

MAS4T0 said:


> Thank you!
> 
> I have one final question. I just moved and the hob is halogen. Depending on which size pan I go for it'll either be slightly bigger or slightly smaller than the 'burner', which is best with a carbon steel pan or does it not matter?



It should not really matter heat-wise, but I would go for bigger pan size for more surface area for frying.


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## MAS4T0 (Mar 14, 2016)

DamageInc said:


> It should not really matter heat-wise, but I would go for bigger pan size for more surface area for frying.



That's what I was thinking.

Thank you.


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## superk17 (Mar 15, 2016)

I have SpringUSA skillet and deBuyer and I like them both. Recently however I really like my spring USA skillet since it does have any rives. I really dislike rivets, but I suppose it is personal.


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## Mucho Bocho (Mar 15, 2016)

I'd never heard of SpringUSA Backline pans before. They look like their lighter than debuyer but heavier than modern cast iron. I picked up an 11" to give a go. Do they require much in way of seasoning?



superk17 said:


> I have SpringUSA skillet and deBuyer and I like them both. Recently however I really like my spring USA skillet since it does have any rives. I really dislike rivets, but I suppose it is personal.


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## Bill13 (Mar 15, 2016)

MAS4TO,

This may work even better for you since I could only find them on the Amazonuk at a reasonable price. Very comfortable handle, whether or not it's worth the price jump is personal.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00NSHWEHE/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20


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## MAS4T0 (Mar 15, 2016)

Bill13 said:


> MAS4TO,
> 
> This may work even better for you since I could only find them on the Amazonuk at a reasonable price. Very comfortable handle, whether or not it's worth the price jump is personal.
> 
> http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00NSHWEHE/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20



Thanks Bill!

I actually ordered that exact pan (from that link) last night! 

It should arrive later today - you've got to love Amazon prime.


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## superk17 (Mar 15, 2016)

btw - I have heard of this company from Argentina - http://www.darto.org I hear their skillets are awesome! I don't own one, but I am interested getting one, if the shipping isn't excessive.


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## Matus (Mar 16, 2016)

Thos Darto pans look really nice. I would grab a smaller one if these were available in Europe.


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## MyScarGo (Mar 16, 2016)

I have a Finex 10" CI skillet. The pan works flawlessly with the machined smoooooth finish, but keep in mind that it is heavy. Defiantly not for hand flipping of food. Heats evenly and a great presentation in the pan. I also have SS allClad ( almost never used unless tomato based) , and tons of vintage CI as well as Matfor Borgeat french pans. I use the Matfor Borgeat the most. I prefer them over the DeBuyer B/C the handles are plug welded in three spots instead of using rivets. This leaves a nice smooth finish in the entire pan. With plug welding ( as opposed to tack) the handle will never come off. I would say this pans could be part of my back up home defense system. If I swing ti Im gonna take you head off! ( think Odd Job from James Bond)


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## MAS4T0 (Mar 16, 2016)

The De Buyer skillet is great, thanks guys!

I did notice that the base bulges upward in the centre of the pan, it doesn't really cause any issues, but I just wanted to check if this is normal.


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## RubbishCook (Mar 16, 2016)

Is the bottom of the De Buyer flat and smooth? I love the look of the handmade carbon skillets but they aren't really right for induction. I just bought a Spring USA Swisscarbon skillet and if the bottom isn't perfectly flat or smooth De Buyer probably will be next.


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## Talim (Mar 16, 2016)

We use induction stovetop and the debuyers are what I mostly use. On the larger fry pans and the thinner blue steel pans they do tend to bulge upwards in the center. Recently bought the omelette pan and it's probably my favorite pan now along with the country fry pan.


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## Pensacola Tiger (Mar 16, 2016)

RubbishCook said:


> Is the bottom of the De Buyer flat and smooth? I love the look of the handmade carbon skillets but they aren't really right for induction. I just bought a Spring USA Swisscarbon skillet and if the bottom isn't perfectly flat or smooth De Buyer probably will be next.



Perhaps you're thinking of the requirements for a glass/ceramic cooktop? I've been using an induction range for six years, and the bottoms of the pans do not need to be perfectly flat.


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## bkultra (Mar 16, 2016)

Pensacola Tiger said:


> Perhaps you're thinking of the requirements for a glass/ceramic cooktop? I've been using an induction range for six years, and the bottoms of the pans do not need to be perfectly flat.



This is correct... It's a common misconception that induction requires a perfectly flat pan. I use the handmade Turk pans on my induction cooktop without any issues (in fact they are listed by the manufacturer as suitable for gas and induction only).


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## RubbishCook (Mar 17, 2016)

Interesting. I have this Gaggenau CX 491 and they call it induction. I have a horrible Staub grill pan that works fine on the cooktop and it's enameled cast iron but because the top is so smooth it will slide around...no chance of doing anything one handed and it will scratch if you aren't careful that's why if the bottom isn't smooth I want to avoid it. I have also used some cheaper stainless pans and they will rattle or vibrate which I attributed to them not being flat. 

It's not a cooktop I would go for again...Gaggenau EB 388 oven, yes...cooktop, no thanks.


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## Matus (Mar 17, 2016)

MAS4T0 said:


> The De Buyer skillet is great, thanks guys!
> 
> I did notice that the base bulges upward in the centre of the pan, it doesn't really cause any issues, but I just wanted to check if this is normal.



Yes, you are not going to get a dead flat bottom on these guys. What I would propse is to heat up the pan slowly. Putting it on a full power stoove introduces much larger temperature gradients that may magnifiy this behaviour. Once the pan thermalises at the desired working temperature it gets somwhat flatter again.


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## Jovidah (Mar 17, 2016)

I actually never had any problems with my deBuyers warping (3mm carbone model). They always have been and always have remained flat. That's on a gas stove. I do have to point out though that I mostly use them on one of those double ringed wok burners, so that has probably spreads out the heat a bit better.

Also, these are pressed / machined, not cast... so no rough bottoms.


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## Ucmd (Mar 17, 2016)

I like the no rivet idea. Seems easy to clean.


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## boomchakabowwow (Mar 18, 2016)

my DB min-B is NOT trumping my vintage griswolds for stove time. i like my old cast iron better, and my old pans are slicker..and hold seasoning better. 

i find my DB pan so smooth any aggresiveness with food or tool kinda pulls all the hard work of seasoning off. annoying. my Griswolds are black as sin and slick as snot.


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## MAS4T0 (Mar 18, 2016)

Has anyone with a De Buyer mineral B felt the need to round the spine? 

The rim is quite sharp but I'd probably scratch up the shiny handle and the interior if I took sandpaper to it.


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## DamageInc (Mar 18, 2016)

MAS4T0 said:


> Has anyone with a De Buyer mineral B felt the need to round the spine?



Nope.


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## MAS4T0 (Mar 18, 2016)

I only asked because I felt the need to take a small piece of sandpaper to the rim to remove sharp edges. It's a big improvement over how it was out of the box.


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## aboynamedsuita (Mar 18, 2016)

That must have been an irregularity from the factory, they've put a bit of a "chamfer" for lack of a better term (to knock the edge off) around the perimeter (inside and outside) on all the mineral B pans I have. That said some have been better than others


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## MAS4T0 (Mar 18, 2016)

tjangula said:


> That must have been an irregularity from the factory, they've put a bit of a "chamfer" for lack of a better term (to knock the edge off) around the perimeter (inside and outside) on all the mineral B pans I have. That said some have been better than others



I found it a little odd too. I actually got two of them and while they do have the chamfers there was a burr around the rim at the top of both chamfers (inside and out).

I'm going to be getting some of their higher end pans soon, I'm thinking that the stainless interior copper pans should make ideal saucepans. I'm hoping that there's no sharp edges on those as I'd hate to ruin the nice finish with sandpaper, and unlike with a knife I don't think I would much enjoy refinishing a pan.


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## Ucmd (Mar 20, 2016)

Solidteknics
Spring USA black line
Turk
De Buyer
Finex
Element
Borough furnace
Blu skillet
Cheri armory
Lodge
Darto
Matfor borgeat


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## Ucmd (Mar 20, 2016)

Darto and blu skillet look good


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## Noodle Soup (Mar 23, 2016)

I had one of the Borough furnace skillets on loan from them for a while. It worked OK but it was too small for anything but a one person breakfast. They need a greater range of sizes and maybe lower prices. A lot of money for an 8-inch pan eco-cool or not.


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