# Smithey Ironware



## Dave Martell (Jun 17, 2018)

I searched and couldn't find this being discussed here and can't believe that so if there's a thread on it please share.

Anyway, in case there's not, have you folks seen these cast iron pans? 

https://smitheyironware.com/







They look soooooooooo nice! I can't afford one but I'd grab one if I could.


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## valgard (Jun 17, 2018)

those look real nice


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## boomchakabowwow (Jun 17, 2018)

Super nice. I saw those at a store near me.


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## Nemo (Jun 17, 2018)

There's an Aussie brand called Solid Kinetics that make pans very similar to this. I was about to buy one but I found out that the guy that "designed" them was the same guy behind "designing" Furi.

So I passed.

Don't have any idea whether these ones are related or not.


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## HRC_64 (Jun 17, 2018)

ugh...



> Price: $160


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## pc9111 (Jun 17, 2018)

Other cast iron skillet companies worth checking out.

Finex
Stargazer
Smithey 
Wagner
Grizwald
Lodge


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## McMan (Jun 17, 2018)

pc9111 said:


> Other cast iron skillet companies worth checking out.
> 
> Finex
> Stargazer
> ...



Wagner and Griswold went out of business years ago. The names were bought.


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## carlBC (Jun 17, 2018)

Finish looks amazing, esp vs Lodge etc. 
Someone told me recently they refinished their lodge by sanding down the interior to flat and it performed a ton better similar to my older griswolds. Debating trying to thin/refinish a lodge myself at some point, seems more cost efficient? God I want one though.


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## Sleep (Jun 17, 2018)

Nemo said:


> There's an Aussie brand called Solid Kinetics that make pans very similar to this. I was about to buy one but I found out that the guy that "designed" them was the same guy behind "designing" Furi.
> 
> So I passed.
> 
> Don't have any idea whether these ones are related or not.



Solidteknics. Their cast iron stuff is out of production but was very different and had some nice features. They only make stamped steel pans now (which IMO are much better than cast). Nothing like Furi knives.


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## boomchakabowwow (Jun 17, 2018)

carlBC said:


> Finish looks amazing, esp vs Lodge etc.
> Someone told me recently they refinished their lodge by sanding down the interior to flat and it performed a ton better similar to my older griswolds. Debating trying to thin/refinish a lodge myself at some point, seems more cost efficient? God I want one though.




That paint remover disc works. Watched a friend do it. 

I stripped seasoning from a crusty Griswold and it also worked. I simply wiped the inside our with wet/dry sandpaper under running water from my garden hose. It works too well. Seasoning a glass smooth cast pan is like seasoning a glass smooth carbon pan. Lets call it a challenge. 

Its non stick but not black. Its a Brown bronze color. I just cook with it and said to hell with making it perfectly seasoned looking.


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## valgard (Jun 18, 2018)

carlBC said:


> Finish looks amazing, esp vs Lodge etc.
> Someone told me recently they refinished their lodge by sanding down the interior to flat and it performed a ton better similar to my older griswolds. Debating trying to thin/refinish a lodge myself at some point, seems more cost efficient? God I want one though.


I refinished my Lodges and they work like a charm, it was a pretty decent amount of work (I should have bought more discs :O), but definitely worth it for me. Especially the smaller one finished perfectly smooth.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BUTKhLLDB1b/?taken-by=cev_valgard


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## Nemo (Jun 18, 2018)

Sleep said:


> Solidteknics. Their cast iron stuff is out of production but was very different and had some nice features. They only make stamped steel pans now (which IMO are much better than cast). Nothing like Furi knives.


Yeah Sold Tecknics. Danm auto correct!

Well, I guess it couldn't be worse than Furi.


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## ThinMan (Jun 18, 2018)

The Smitheys look nice. If you are comparing them to a vintage Griswold in good condition (which is what they appear to be aiming at), they are very reasonably priced (have you tried to buy a Griswold 12 lately?).

Refinishing Lodges sounds great but probably will not end up the same and sounds quite time consuming. Time vs money, as with a lot of things.


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## RonB (Jun 18, 2018)

I noticed that they did not list the weight in the specs. It might not matter to most of you, but weight is a big concern to my wife...


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## Dave Martell (Jun 18, 2018)

I was wondering about the weight too.


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## Dave Martell (Jun 18, 2018)

On refinishing cast iron pans....I have one very important tip to give....



DO NOT use BRASS wire wheels! 



Unless you like copper looking cast iron pans. :shocked3:


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## Dave Martell (Jun 18, 2018)

Infomercial...

[video=youtube;nCetY5VA7Lc]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCetY5VA7Lc[/video]


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## Pensacola Tiger (Jun 18, 2018)

RonB said:


> I noticed that they did not list the weight in the specs. It might not matter to most of you, but weight is a big concern to my wife...



The Field Skillet may be of interest to you. My 12" weighs 2.6 kg, against my 12" Lodge at 3.2 kg. The difference is very noticeable. If you are looking for something lighter and smaller, my 10" Field Skillet weighs 1.8 kg. For comparison a 10" All Clad stainless is 1.1 kg.


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## Paraffin (Jun 18, 2018)

Are these Smithey pans machined completely flat across the entire bottom? No wobbles, or outer raised ring on the bottom? 

I've been considering an upgrade from our Lodge pan, but it would have to be dead flat across the bottom, for full contact with the steel burner plates on our stove. I've been looking at the Borough Furnace pans, but those are "artisan" priced and I'm not sure I want to spend that much. These Smithey pans are half the price of the Borough pans.


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## Dave Martell (Jun 18, 2018)

Well it seems these are pretty heavy. Here's a review...

[video=youtube;4KOcDFiMcDA]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KOcDFiMcDA[/video]


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## Paraffin (Jun 18, 2018)

Okay, so I just watched that video and it answered my question. There's a "heat ring" around the bottom, so the pan wouldn't make full contact with our stove burner hobs. It would be fine on a normal gas burner, or our Wok burner, but not on the main stove. So scratch that one (and many vintage ones with heat rings) off my list. I had emailed the Boroughs people earlier, and theirs are flat all the way across the bottom.


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## dwalker (Jun 18, 2018)

Vintage cast iron was my first kitchen obsession and I have collected around 75 pieces. You don't have to spend big bucks for quality cast iron. There are many, no name, brands that are as good or better quality as Griswold, Wapakoneta, Wagner, Erie, Piqua, etc. that are unbranded. The new boutique companies that are making machined bottom cast iron pans are gloming onto the renewed interest in the vintage stuff. That's not to say that they are not worth it, I'm sure they are. It represents the cost in manufacturing something of this quality by today's standards, which are not in any way superior to what was happening 100+ years ago. Some of my favorite pans are unbranded gatemarked pans from prior to 1900. They just perform so well. Griswolds and the like are collectable not just because they are quality pans, but mostly because they have interesting logos cast into their bottoms. Gatemarked pans, Birminghams, 3 notch Lodge, etc. can be had at a fraction of the price and perform as well or better. 

Just my .02


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## HRC_64 (Jun 18, 2018)

^^^I wanna see pics of your collection


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## dwalker (Jun 18, 2018)

Here are some crappy pics of some that are easy to get to. I've given many pieces away over the years and have many more in storage.


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## WildBoar (Jun 18, 2018)

Nice collection!

Which piece did you drop on your big toe? :biggrin:


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## dwalker (Jun 18, 2018)

WildBoar said:


> Nice collection!
> 
> Which piece did you drop on your big toe? [emoji3]


Thats my 6 year olds toe. He was curious so he had to come watch. Who knows how a 6 year old injures his toe, certainly not him.


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## Dave Martell (Jun 18, 2018)

dwalker said:


> 3 notch Lodge




My best cast iron pan is a 3 notch Lodge. No one ever believes me that it's a Lodge though, "it's not marked with an obnoxious LODGE logo" they say.


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## carlBC (Jun 18, 2018)

valgard said:


> I refinished my Lodges and they work like a charm, it was a pretty decent amount of work (I should have bought more discs :O), but definitely worth it for me. Especially the smaller one finished perfectly smooth.
> 
> https://www.instagram.com/p/BUTKhLLDB1b/?taken-by=cev_valgard



Nice Instagram and link! Guess this is a Canadian trend  

I definitely am going to refinish some newer cast iron as a learning/fun project at some point. That said, I am currently the lucky owner of an old Griswold 7, one side of the family passed down an extra and it's been my main cooking pan for 10 years.

EDIT: Only after the conversation with this acquaintance did I realize why the f & f on my beloved pan was so nice! I knew I loved it but not why, or what it was. Definitely makes me want to polish it up and eventually get that set of Lodges to refinish so I can put it into semi-regular use and maybe hang it up or something.


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## valgard (Jun 19, 2018)

Damn Dwalker that collection is sick, those pans look slick.


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## valgard (Jun 19, 2018)

carlBC said:


> Nice Instagram and link! Guess this is a Canadian trend



:cool2:


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## Dave Martell (Jul 20, 2018)

Here's another company...

https://butterpatindustries.com/


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## pc9111 (Jul 20, 2018)

Those look really nice.


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## Noodle Soup (Jul 21, 2018)

Dave Martell said:


> Here's another company...
> 
> https://butterpatindustries.com/


$400 for a 12-inch skillet!!? I don't think so. Lodge may be a little rough new but the longer you use one the smoother it gets.


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## Paraffin (Jul 21, 2018)

Noodle Soup said:


> $400 for a 12-inch skillet!!? I don't think so. Lodge may be a little rough new but the longer you use one the smoother it gets.



I've been using a Lodge skillet that's finally getting to that point where I can barely see a texture, but it does take a while. 

One thing that might be worth the money on these fancy-pants skillets, is that some are a little lighter in weight than the Lodge skillets, while still being heavy enough for good heat retention. Maybe that's due to removing metal during the polishing grind. Or just a lighter handle design with some models. 

I still have an eye on getting a Borough Furnace pan one of these days. As far as I can tell, it's the only one of these modern takes on cast iron that doesn't have a "heat ring" and is smooth across the bottom.


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## DitmasPork (Jul 22, 2018)

I like the design of the Smithey skillets, also don't mind the price, like to support smaller manufactures doing high quality products—American made, instant heirloom. One could get cast iron skillets in the $25 dollar range, but I can see the value of buying something special for the kitchen rack. Same goes for buying knives—spent $500 on a Kato gyuto for something special, I could still cook just as well with a sub-$100 knife.

As much as I like the Smithey, I'm unlikely to get one. The Griswold skillets I got from my grandmother will work fine at least through the next five decades.


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## erickso1 (Jul 22, 2018)

WildBoar said:


> Nice collection!
> 
> Which piece did you drop on your big toe? :biggrin:



I can confirm that that is not what a big toe looks like after dropping a 12” cast iron skillet on it. My wife used the term “exploded grape”.


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## Noodle Soup (Jul 22, 2018)

I think the same could be said for supporting Lodge. I'm sure they are just hanging on by a thread against imported cast iron and they are pretty much the last American company of any size doing it. Having had to clear out several older relative's stuff I know the "family heirloom" aspect tends to be over stated. Most people just want to clear out their parent's stuff anyway they can even if it means hauling it to the dump.


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## Luftmensch (Aug 1, 2018)

Adding some other modern options to the list:

Marquette Castings
The Field Company
there is also Oigen for Japanese cast iron.

I'd say the best thing about vintage pans is that many were cast thinner than a comparable modern Lodge pan. A thick walled 12" skillet or Dutch oven gets pretty heavy before ingredients get added! You can smooth out a rough pan but you'd be insane to try and thin a thick one...




boomchakabowwow said:


> That paint remover disc works. Watched a friend do it.
> 
> I stripped seasoning from a crusty Griswold and it also worked. I simply wiped the inside our with wet/dry sandpaper under running water from my garden hose. It works too well. Seasoning a glass smooth cast pan is like seasoning a glass smooth carbon pan. Lets call it a challenge.



Listen to this advice.

I made a similar error. I smoothed down a cast iron pan using a sanding disk and flap wheel. It was fast and easy work. What wasn't so fast... I polished the surface smooth using wet and dry. I got manic thinking 'the smoother the more non-stick". I ended on 1200 grit with a fairly reflective surface - you could use the pan like a 2.5kg hazy mirror. It was _too_ smooth! The seasoning took longer to build because it kept coming off. Now, a couple years later, the surface is well seasoned and pretty nice.

If I were to do it all again, I would probably stop at around 220 or 400 grit - enough to remove the course power tool marks but textured enough to give the seasoning something to latch onto.




boomchakabowwow said:


> I just cook with it and said to hell with making it perfectly seasoned looking.



Amen. I did what I could to try and fast track a good seasoning. After a lot of stuffing around I learnt that there were no real shortcuts to a good seasoning - just time and use!


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## Chef Doom (Sep 28, 2018)

I just saw a video where a guy mounts a new lodge pan to a wall and use a angle grinder with a 120 grit disc to remove the black finish followed by polisher and then a palm sander. Claimed it was better than vintage.

Lodge should probably offer a raw version of their skillets to those that desire them.


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## boomchakabowwow (Sep 28, 2018)

Just got back from elk hunt. Found my old 14” lodge in my brothers camper. I gave it to him when I had a home with a tiny kitchen. I kinda want it back. It’s a pan fried chicken making beast. It’s fairly smooth st this point. 

I don’t mind the heft. It’s the mass that makes it do great as a cooking tool. (For me).


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## Paraffin (Sep 29, 2018)

Chef Doom said:


> I just saw a video where a guy mounts a new lodge pan to a wall and use a angle grinder with a 120 grit disc to remove the black finish followed by polisher and then a palm sander. Claimed it was better than vintage.
> 
> Lodge should probably offer a raw version of their skillets to those that desire them.



That's not their business model, and if it was, we couldn't get their pans this cheap. It's low-end, commodity cookware available everywhere (at least here in the USA). The hardware store down the street, 5 minutes from my house carries a few Lodge pans in the "camping gear" section.

There are other outfits offering the ground-out smooth finish at a high price. I hope Lodge doesn't go there, so we always have a good baseline, cheap cast iron pan you can buy anywhere. All it takes is time, patience, and using the pans over enough years to get a smooth seasoned finish. So what's the rush? 

P.S. that doesn't mean I'm not sorely tempted by some of these artisan pans, like the Borough Furnace stuff. I just have a hard time justifying them ahead of other cooking gear I want.

P.P.S. the Lodge pans also have completely flat bottoms, which work on my stove top, unlike some of the fancy "replica" models with an outer heat ring cast into the bottom.


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## Chef Doom (Sep 29, 2018)

It wouldn't be more expensive production wise. Just give it to me raw with no lubrication.

It would be the limited production that would jack up the price. I wonder what it would take to snatch one off of the factory floor before the seasoning is applied.


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## bkultra (Sep 30, 2018)

Chef Doom said:


> Just give it to me raw with no lubrication.


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## Luftmensch (Oct 7, 2018)

Chef Doom said:


> It wouldn't be more expensive production wise.



Do you mean selling without the seasoning? If so... then I agree! They would be skipping a step in current production. This could be provided at relatively little cost.

If you mean grinding the finish smooth or casting with moulds that have a higher surface finish... then it would have to bump up the price. Neither of those options would come for free given the retooling required. Like Paraffin suggested - that aint their business model! They were in the game long before the recent revival of (niche) interest in cast iron cookware.

If you want a bare pan, stripping off the seasoning is easy. A long soak in a sodium hydroxide (lye) bath with periodic scrubbing will likely do the job. For a brand new Lodge, it is not work the risk. The seasoning isnt bad and caustic soda is nasty stuff - dont use it unless you have to. A second hand pan is another matter. You don't know what is baked into the seasoning so I would strip it back.



Chef Doom said:


> I just saw a video where a guy mounts a new lodge pan to a wall and use a angle grinder with a 120 grit disc to remove the black finish followed by polisher and then a palm sander. Claimed it was better than vintage.



If you mean grinding the finish smooth; this is what it takes. It is not complicated (just a bit of a grind... bah-doom!). It is more a question of where you want to spend your time and money. Should you just hunt down a good vintage pan? Should you pay more for a newfangled smooth pan? Or should you get a rough pan and spend an afternoon staining your hands with iron dust?

I chose the latter because I enjoy that sort of thing. What you _cant_ fix easily is the wall thickness. Vintage pans tend to be thinner. This is a neither a good thing nor a bad thing. It makes the pans lighter and conduct heat faster but it also makes the pans more prone to warping/cracking and gives them less heat capacity. Depending on their previous life, some of the larger vintage skillets may rock on a flat surface due to warping. This is likely to be annoying if you have a completely flat surface like an induction cooktop where the pan would spin on the apex of the warp.


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## rstl87 (Oct 11, 2018)

Luftmensch said:


> Adding some other modern options to the list:
> 
> Marquette Castings
> The Field Company
> ...



I have the field. Only con I'd say is that it is quite thin and may not transfer the same amount of heat to steak/other high temp frying compared to some of the thicker stuff (Lodge, Smithey, etc.). It is good on the wrist, though so pros and cons of both.


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## physiognomy (Oct 11, 2018)

I've cooked with Lodge pans for years & was recently gifted a Smithey. It's honestly one of the nicest presents I’ve ever received. Definitely has its own cooking character & sears like nobody’s business. The 10.25” Lodge lid fits perfectly as well.


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## Luftmensch (Oct 11, 2018)

Yum!!




rstl87 said:


> I have the field. Only con I'd say is that it is quite thin and may not transfer the same amount of heat to steak/other high temp frying compared to some of the thicker stuff (Lodge, Smithey, etc.). It is good on the wrist, though so pros and cons of both.



I haven't had a chance to use one. They do look really thin. Is it your go-to pan or do you have a different favourite?


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## rstl87 (Oct 15, 2018)

Luftmensch said:


> Yum!!
> 
> 
> 
> ...



It's my only bare cast iron pan and I don't use it too much. I actually find it a bit small (ex. I'd rather have a pan I could put a whole spatchcocked chicken in). I'm temped by the Smithey for sure...


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## Pensacola Tiger (Oct 15, 2018)

Luftmensch said:


> Yum!!
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I've got both the #8 and the #10 and they are used daily. They replaced a pair of Lodge skillets and I've never looked back. They are thinner than the Lodge skillets, but they heat up faster, just like carbon steel pans. My only objection is the price, but then I look at the Smithey and think I got a bargain.


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## Chef Doom (Oct 25, 2018)

Awaiting an arrival of an 8" raw caste iron from housecopper. Steaks seared in stainless steal constantly left me dissappointed. 

Yeah, I should have a carbon pan, but I don't.


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## mc2442 (Oct 25, 2018)

I recently got a 10" Smithey and have been a big fan so far. I do wish I started with the 12" from them (have a 12" Lodge), a bit undecided whether to replace the Lodge with one from them or try another, like one mentioned in this thread. Leaning towards the Smithey but have not pulled the trigger yet.


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## ThinMan (Oct 25, 2018)

Chef Doom said:


> Awaiting an arrival of an 8" raw caste iron from housecopper. Steaks seared in stainless steal constantly left me dissappointed.
> 
> Yeah, I should have a carbon pan, but I don't.



Vintage. Griswold is best but there are plenty of no names that are just as good. They finished the cast iron much better back then.


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## Chef Doom (Oct 26, 2018)

ThinMan said:


> Vintage. Griswold is best but there are plenty of no names that are just as good. They finished the cast iron much better back then.


If vintage wasn't selling for such a high price I would agree with you. If I could find a decent Griswold #8 for maybe $60 or $80 that would be golden, assuming it was genuine.


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## ThinMan (Oct 27, 2018)

Chef Doom said:


> If vintage wasn't selling for such a high price I would agree with you. If I could find a decent Griswold #8 for maybe $60 or $80 that would be golden, assuming it was genuine.



Agreed, Griswold gets pricey. If you stay on it you though should be able to find a #8 for about that. 

There is always unmarked vintage.


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## Rodin326 (Oct 27, 2018)

I apologize for being a bit late to this thread but if I may make a recommendation. Go to etsy.com and take a look at the forged carbon steel pans from Newquist forge. I bought one last summer and it is far and away my favorite pan. Nothing sticks to it, cleans up very easy and just keeps getting better and better. It is a bit pricey compared to a mass produced carbon steel or cast iron pan but in this case you do get what you pay for.


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## Chef Doom (Nov 16, 2018)

Thanks to every one who recommended the Field Co. pan. It is great to look at and has a good weight. My wallet hates you all.


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## btbyrd (Nov 17, 2018)

I don't find that smooth/sanded cast iron cooks differently from unsanded/textured cast iron. Neither does Kenji Lopez-Alt over at Serious Eats. But it does cost more, and I suppose it satisfies your inner hipster (or inner a priori intuitive physicist who never bothered to do any experiments). I guess that's something.


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## HRC_64 (Nov 17, 2018)

> I don't find that smooth/sanded cast iron cooks differently from unsanded/textured cast iron,,.


I'd disagree with that, we grew up with "old cast iron" before it was hipster ...


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## Luftmensch (Nov 17, 2018)

Chef Doom said:


> Thanks to every one who recommended the Field Co. pan. It is great to look at and has a good weight. My wallet hates you all.



Congratulations! Enjoy it. I am sure it will treat you to some delicious meals.




btbyrd said:


> I don't find that smooth/sanded cast iron cooks differently from unsanded/textured cast iron. Neither does Kenji Lopez-Alt over at Serious Eats. But it does cost more, and I suppose it satisfies your inner hipster (or inner a priori intuitive physicist who never bothered to do any experiments). I guess that's something.



Depends what you mean by "cook differently"? Sure, the thermal properties don't change. Why would they? My smoothed pan is the same pan as it was before it was sanded (sans a negligible amount of material). Seasoning will accrue on ground or raw/textured cast iron. Once a good seasoning takes hold, the pan gains non-stick qualities whether smooth or rough.

I would say that even if a smooth surface did not change the non-stick properties, it satisfies my posteriori inner haptic preferences better. Cooking implements like spatulas or spoons glide over the surface and dont bump along. Similarly food can slide around a little bit easier.

But then again, you are also misrepresenting J. Kenji Lopez-Alt (see Myth #6):

_Metal is metal, cast iron is cast iron, the new stuff is no different than the old Wagner and Griswold pans from early 20th century that people fetishize.

The Reality: The material may be the same, but the production methods have changed. In the old days, cast iron pans were produced by casting in sand-based molds, then polishing the resulting pebbly surfaces until smooth. Vintage cast iron tends to have a satiny smooth finish. By the 1950s, as production scaled up and was streamlined, this final polishing step was dropped from the process. The result? Modern cast iron retains that bumpy, pebbly surface.

The difference is more minor than you may think. So long as you've seasoned your pan properly, both vintage and modern cast iron should take on a nice non-stick surface, but your modern cast iron will never be quite as non-stick as the vintage stuff._​
He does think there is a difference between smooth and rough pans - albeit a minor one. I agree. Nothing wrong with trying to squeeze out as much benefit from a situation as you can. That bit of improvement? Whether spending the money or time is worth it to the individual - each to their own!


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## Jville (Nov 17, 2018)

I definitely like the smoother vintage one better. It definitely a seems more nonstick, but I haven't done extensive testing. My aybe I will.


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## Anton (Nov 17, 2018)

HRC_64 said:


> I'd disagree with that, we grew up with "old cast iron" before it was hipster ...


you mean you do find smoother performing better? Or is the improved satisfaction is non-performance based ?


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## boomchakabowwow (Nov 17, 2018)

There is no way a new bumpy pan can match a smooth one. Even if both pans are seasoned the same. You won’t tell doing simple meals like steak and potato hash; but break out an fried egg or something delicate. Yea, you’ll notice. 

When I had my lodge, I could cook eggs but it had to be after the accompanying pork chop or something. I couldn’t start with the egg. My pan was super seasoned from me trying to learn how to cook pan fried chicken. It was super slick, but the bumps were always there. My super seasoned bumps. I can’t see how you smoth those out with just seasoning layers. That a deep level of molecular thick layers of seasoning.


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## btbyrd (Nov 17, 2018)

I misremembered Kenji's exact words, but oh well. In my experience, I've never found a difference between smooth and rough cast iron in terms of nonstick performance. And most of what I read online seems like people are going off of their intuitions about the compartive "stickiness" of a textured versus a smooth surface rather than any sort of testing. Not that my own experience is anything more than anecdotal, but in this sample where N=1, my Lodge performs just as well as my Griswolds -- even for fried eggs. Many nonstick pans feature a micro textured surface that in no way diminishes their nonstick properties. In fact, it can enhance it. On a much larger textural scale, this is the rationale behind the All Clad D3 Armor line of stainless "kinda nonstick" pans. They're sort of like pans with a grantoned bottom. I wonder how many knife nerds simultaneously believe both that (1) smooth pans are more nonstick than bumpy pans and (2) mirror polished blades are more prone to problems with sticktion than non-polished blades with the same grind. Not that these beliefs are necessarily inconsistent, but there's a bit of a tension between them at first blush.


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## WildBoar (Nov 17, 2018)

We have a mix of newer 'preseasoned' (i.e., bumpy) Lodge pans and a few smooth vintage. We definitely notice a difference between the smooth and bumpy when non-stick is desired. The smooth wins hands-down.


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## HRC_64 (Nov 17, 2018)

Anton said:


> you mean you do find smoother performing better? Or is the improved satisfaction is non-performance based ?



Used to cook crepes in them, so perhaps I'm a bit more particular.


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## Chef Doom (Nov 17, 2018)

btbyrd said:


> I don't find that smooth/sanded cast iron cooks differently from unsanded/textured cast iron. Neither does Kenji Lopez-Alt over at Serious Eats. But it does cost more, and I suppose it satisfies your inner hipster (or inner a priori intuitive physicist who never bothered to do any experiments). I guess that's something.


I find it does but to each his own. I am not going to tell someone not to cook on their lodge if they enjoy it.

Although I am no fan of hipsters the one thing people seem to not appreciate is making certain traditions cool.


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## WildBoar (Nov 17, 2018)

Today was an all-cast-iron skillet day for me. Made paninis at two different times, made a batch of crispy potatoes, a batch of onions and bell pepper, two batches of fried eggs and one batch of scrambled. Made use of a large Lodge, a small Lodge and small vintage. The Lodges were modern ('preseasoned').

Fried eggs stuck a bit in the small Lodge. And scrambled eggs stuck a lot. The fried eggs in the vintage slid all around, and came right out with zero fuss.


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## Dave Martell (Nov 18, 2018)

I've stripped all the pre-seasoning off of my newer Lodges and they're so much better now. The factory seasoning would come lose and get into the food and everything stuck even with multi-coats of additional seasonings added. The best of the bunch is the 12" skillet that I sanded to baby butt smooth - now that's a joy to use. Did the same to a 3-notch Lodge from the '80's and man that sucker is impossible to stick an egg to now. 

BTW, I wouldn't sand vintage skillets but a new Lodge is junky enough that you can't make it much worse.


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## Luftmensch (Nov 18, 2018)

Just to play the devil's advocate here...

Is there any possibility that surface friction and the ability for food to bond with the surface are confused? For example, I purchased a cast iron dutch oven and skillet at the same time several years ago. Before using them, I smoothed the skillet but not the dutch oven. After several years of use they approximately have the same quality of seasoning. The dutch oven releases food just fine but it doesn't slide around as easily as the smooth skillet - so the rough dutch oven does seem stickier! 

The ability to slide food around with less force or even without a spatula/spoon has a fair amount of value. You can jiggle the pan around to keep the food from settling in one spot. This is great for fragile food like eggs with runny yokes.




Chef Doom said:


> Although I am no fan of hipsters the one thing people seem to not appreciate is making certain traditions cool.



Or that age does not necessarily make a design obsolete! I am yet to experience a better material for searing meat.



Dave Martell said:


> I've stripped all the pre-seasoning off of my newer Lodges and they're so much better now. The factory seasoning would come lose and get into the food and everything stuck even with multi-coats of additional seasonings added.



Definitely. Also, if you want to know exactly what makes up the surface of the pan - make it yourself. I trust Lodge's seasoning from a food safety point of view but I would approach minor-brands and second-hand goods with more caution. If it flakes off do you want to be eating some unknown substance?


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## Luftmensch (Nov 18, 2018)

Anton said:


> you mean you do find smoother performing better? Or is the improved satisfaction is non-performance based ?



Is it greedy to say "both"...


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## playero (Nov 18, 2018)

nice dish washer. is it good?


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## Cutting_Edge (Nov 28, 2018)

I sandblasted two lodge cast iron pans then used a flappy sanding disc to remove the sand residue and then I cured the pans two times. 
Smooth as a baby's butt. They get used a lot so I do have to reseason them every three months or so. I don't care about the name on the pan. To me it's all about performance.


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## Luftmensch (Nov 28, 2018)

Cutting_Edge said:


> then used a flappy sanding disc



What grit did you stop at? I mentioned earlier; I went overboard and polished the surface for laughs. What I didn't anticipate is how long it would take for the seasoning to adhere well. I wonder where the sweet spot is? I bet the final grit could be pretty low. Maybe 120? The scratch marks would get filled pretty easily I imagine.


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## Cutting_Edge (Nov 28, 2018)

I use 90 grit. Seemed to work well.


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## Luftmensch (Nov 29, 2018)

Nice! Thanks. 

Why did you sandblast? To strip back the seasoning on the pans? Or to reduce the amount of work you'd need to do with the flap-wheel?


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