Does Cast Iron Brand Matter

I've got a relatively inexpensive Cabela's 12 inch pan that I love. The Lodge seems a little thicker though.

Origin of manufacture matters, so in that regard, brand does matter.

It is of my opinion that it's better to seek out old cast iron over new, but USA made Lodge is readily available and is pretty cheap. But not all Lodge is made in USA.

All of my Cast Iron is vintage (probably 50+ years old) - I'm 45, and most of what I have belonged to my grand parents and we recovered it from their travel trailer after they had both passed away, so I can't vouch for modern stuff, but definitely pay attention to where it's made.

Lodge makes most of their stuff in the US, but some is sourced from other countries (China) outside the US and is a lower quality iron, so it may or may not handle temperature changes as well (flexing, distorting, or cracking even.)
Also, some seem to have a smooth cooking surface, and some seem to be textured, I've always had better luck with the smoother surfaces.
The key to all cast iron is the maintenance, seasoning and cleaning.

Curt.P said:

Origin of manufacture matters, so in that regard, brand does matter.

It is of my opinion that it's better to seek out old cast iron over new, but USA made Lodge is readily available and is pretty cheap. But not all Lodge is made in USA.

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^^^This^^^


Buy American pans. Generally American made uses better materials (not melted down engine blocks).

You can get older pans for about the same price (sometimes much cheaper) as new Lodge. I'd inspect used ones carefully (some have cracks/repairs). Even if rusty they, can be rehabbed very easily.

Lodge is perfectly fine if you want to use CI occasionally.

Before dropping serious coin on Finex (the new griddle they just released is SICK, btw!) see if you like cooking on CI. Some people really love it. Me...its fine, but I generally prefer stainless, carbon steel, or even enameled CI (like Le Crueset) when I'm cooking.

You could also look at Field and Stargazer if you want to bump up from Lodge.

Curt.P said:

Origin of manufacture matters, so in that regard, brand does matter.

It is of my opinion that it's better to seek out old cast iron over new, but USA made Lodge is readily available and is pretty cheap. But not all Lodge is made in USA.

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This - my favorite cast iron pans are vintage Griswold. I have some Lodge stuff but the Griswold pans have a smooth finish and seem lighter, without sacrificing heat retention/recovery. I'd be happy with a US made Lodge if I couldnt track down something vintage.

Made in America is a good indicator of quality, although I have one 10" frying pan that was made in Tiawan I bought about 30 years ago as a camping skillet. It has just as nice a finish as my vintage skillets and I used it this morning when I made breakfast.

I have many vintage pieces, so if you frequent garage sales, have a second hand store in town or shop on e-Bay, be on the lookout for Wagner or Griswold. they both have small makers marks on the bottom. :roll: These brands are top quality.




When buying used, flatness is the most important consideration. Cleaning and seasoning are somewhat easy, and even rough looking skillets can turn into gems.



I have 3 griddles with bails, very handy for cooking on your grill or stove as there are no handles to get in the way. With a trivet you can serve on them too.





I have a Lodge Camp Oven (like a Dutch oven, but with a dome lid and without legs). I also have a Lodge drop biscuit pan I like very much. Smaller skillets come in handy too, for indoor and outdoor cooking.







This is a two-sided Lodge griddle, the other side has ribs... and the last one is a rectangular Lodge griddle the newest CI in my collection.





Bottom line, I like cast iron, it's easy to cook on, not that bad to clean (but no dishwasher), not expensive if it's passed down to you or bought at a garage sale and easy to maintain.

All of Lodge's raw cast iron cookware is made in the USA. Only their enameled & carbon steel line is Made in China. Personally I don't see a reason to seek out the more expensive brands or even vintage brands with polished surfaces. Regular old "bumpy" Lodge works just fine if you know what you're doing. If for some reason I needed a polished surface (which I don't and don't know why anyone else does either) then Carbon Steel pans are cheap and relatively affordable.

Mike in Roseville said:

Buy American pans. Generally American made uses better materials (not melted down engine blocks).

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I'm sitting in a US steel mill right now. Guess where 100% of the steel we produce comes from? Yep, melted down engine blocks, vehicles, washing machines, railcars and every other source of steel scrap there is. You don't need a blast furnace and raw iron ore to make high quality steel. You need highly skilled engineers and metallurgists - that's the advantage of the US steel industry over China.

Everyone else has said it, so I will also add: Buy and American brand. Lodge started a new line called “Blacklock.” Also check out Field brand.

Don’t ignore carbon steel. Much lighter than cast iron and same cooking properties.


Question for Third Eye: where do you get flat griddled with the bale handle? I’d love something like that. Never even seen one.

Everybody worries about the quality of materials coming from China (rightly so), but never mentions that it was fairly routine for people to use their cast iron pots to melt lead for bullets and sinkers.

Something to think about when you see an old cast iron pan.

Don't forget to take weight into consideration. Finex is a great pan, but it's also probably the heaviest you can buy. I don't use mine anymore, sadly, because of the weight.

Blizzard said:

Everyone else has said it, so I will also add: Buy and American brand. Lodge started a new line called “Blacklock.” Also check out Field brand.

Don’t ignore carbon steel. Much lighter than cast iron and same cooking properties.


Question for Third Eye: where do you get flat griddled with the bale handle? I’d love something like that. Never even seen one.

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Talk to your Grandmother, one of mine belonged to my Great Grandmother and has a few pits on the bottom from using on a wood burning stove. :mrgreen:

Actually I did find one on e-Bay and the price was not that bad. The bails fold down in one direction only, there is a stop when you lift it in the opposite direction.

There are varying opinions on this but if you acquire old CI pans and don't know their history you may want to check them for lead contamination. Many ole timers used cast iron pots and pans to melt lead for sinkers and bullets. You can't tell by looking.

I just heard about butter pat industries which is priced similar to finex. They polish finish their pans. Anyone know the advantage to that? I would think unpolished might hold seasoning better?

Look like nice pans but I cant figure the why at that price it's worth it. My US made lodge pans work well.

blackdogbbq21 said:

I just heard about butter pat industries which is priced similar to finex. They polish finish their pans. Anyone know the advantage to that? I would think unpolished might hold seasoning better?

Look like nice pans but I cant figure the why at that price it's worth it. My US made lodge pans work well.

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There is no functional benefit unless the weight of a regular old $18 Lodge from Walmart is an issue. Butter Pat is obnoxiously over-priced. The practical benefits of a polished cooking surface is minimum, if any, and doesn't justify the cost difference.

About the only fry pans I use are Griswold, Wagner, Flavorite or the old unmarked smooth as glass pans. Thirdeye knows what he's talking about. Watch out for cracks from cleaning in a fire and warps that cause pans to spin when on a flat surface

I have Lodge CI pans in 8/10/12/17, plus a Lodge Dutch oven. I’ve used their stuff on gas, electric, and charcoal routinely. It’s never been anything but great for me.

SonVolt said:

There is no functional benefit unless the weight of a regular old $18 Lodge from Walmart is an issue. Butter Pat is obnoxiously over-priced. The practical benefits of a polished cooking surface is minimum, if any, and doesn't justify the cost difference.

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Respectfully, I have to disagree. A polished cooking surface in cast iron helps to keep food from sticking, and makes cleaning so very much easier.

A few years ago for Christmas, my wife gave me a new Lodge pan. Before using it, I sanded it smooth. I did a great job, and spent a few hours making the inside of the pan completely smooth. It is light years ahead of my other Lodge pans which have the "factory" finish. They will NOT smooth out with use. General use of a Lodge pan isn't abrasive enough to smooth out the factory finish.

A lot of the new "higher end" cast iron, have a smooth finish. This is one reason they cost more. Lots of hand labor involved.

Smithy Ironworks is another brand to check out. They specialize in a smooth finish.

Butter Pat isn't the only brand to do that. There are many ways to get a smooth flat bottom. An orbital sander and various grades of sandpaper will do that to a cheap Lodge skillet too.

Things to think about include overall weight and the size of the bottom of the skillet. Now, do you want straight sides or curved sides? How tall do you want the sides to be?

If you aren't cooking cornbread, personally I like something like a Crepe pan which is easier to work with eggs and pancakes.

Don't overlook steel pans from DeBuyer, Mafter, and, Darto. They are super smooth and generally a more agreeable weight (not too heavy or too light).