Pellet Fan
All Things Considered => General Discussion--Non food Related => Topic started by: pmillen on February 13, 2019, 05:16:12 PM
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I've been thinking that the Stargazer CI pans are the most desirable. When you have an idle moment, check out the Grizzly nickel plated CI pans. I don't have one...yet.
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Curious what you cook in your CI, and how often?
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I have a stargazer pan and wouldn’t recommend it. The seasoning peels off. Tried reseasoning many times with the same results. Next time I will have it sandblasted. I think they’re finished to smooth
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I have a stargazer pan and wouldn’t recommend it. The seasoning peels off. Tried reseasoning many times with the same results. Next time I will have it sandblasted. I think they’re finished to smooth
You're not a rookie (I've enjoyed your posts for years), so it's obvious that your methods and choice of seasoning oil are appropriate. Do you know of other Stargazer users with similar problems?
Your pan may be an anomaly. It wouldn't hurt to talk with their Customer Service people.
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Curious what you cook in your CI, and how often?
All of my plain CI pans were sold in a church garage sale a while back. Now I have one that I use, maybe, a couple of times a month for searing after sous vide or smoking, raw fried potatoes and anything that requires a pan with good heat retention. It's the only frying pan that I'll put into the smoker.
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"It's the only frying pan that I'll put into the smoker."
You might say the proverbial: "from the frying pan into the fire."
I couldn't resist.
Z
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I had a look. Nice looking pans - expensive and on the thin side (light weight ). Not sure about the coating. Even polished stainless pans have food stick to them, especially for the several cooks..I suspect the
nickel coating applied to a polished surface would be similar.
Seasoning on cast cookware is an involved process taking several cooks making sure not to cook certain foods that are acidic or foods surrounded with water. Fried onions and potatoes with lots of oil and
frequent stirring are good example of getting cast iron off to a good start..Just oil coating and baking in the oven no matter how many times, only generates a base coat that must be followed-up with
subsequent cooks as described above..Trying to turn seasoning black comes with time ( many proper uses ) and if done in the oven on new C I will result in hard burnt coating that will not adhere resulting in
fine black flakes. Once a proper seasoning has been developed, is is impervious to almost anything cooking can throw at it... Some of C I seasoning tips are to wipe on a thin layer of oil, heat, wipe off and
bake on until dry, below the smoke point of the oil. After that, just keep using the cookware. Cook, clean, dry, heat, oil very lightly, wipe and store...Proper seasoning can't be rushed. :2cents:
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Olvida made nickel plated CI pans a few years ago and then just seemed to go out of business. Their pans looked a lot like the Grizzlys, but all CI pans look much alike.
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I will start this by saying I know nothing about cast iron pans. What makes the one's being discussed here better than Lodge? That is the only name I have ever seen in stores that I recall.
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Have you checked out Field Company cast iron pans?
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I will start this by saying I know nothing about cast iron pans. What makes the one's being discussed here better than Lodge? That is the only name I have ever seen in stores that I recall.
Supposedly these need absolutely no seasoning due to the nickel coating/infusion. So the heat retention of CI without the hassle of maintaining. Seems too good to be true.
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What makes the one's being discussed here better than Lodge? That is the only name I have ever seen in stores that I recall.
Lodge is my least favorite CI pan, although they have a broad user base. I don't care for them because they have such a rough finish. (Actually, no finish, I think. I think they sell them in the condition in which they come out of the mold.) But...some members here have stated that they like the rough finish. Those comments were in this thread (https://pelletfan.com/index.php?topic=3013.msg36686#msg36686).
Most of the old cast iron pans our grandmothers used were excellent, but the people who inherited them know that collectors snap them up, so they sell rather dearly.
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What makes the one's being discussed here better than Lodge? That is the only name I have ever seen in stores that I recall.
Lodge is my least favorite CI pan, although they have a broad user base. I don't care for them because they have such a rough finish. (Actually, no finish, I think. I think they sell them in the condition in which they come out of the mold.) But...some members here have stated that they like the rough finish. Those comments were in this thread (https://pelletfan.com/index.php?topic=3013.msg36686#msg36686).
Most of the old cast iron pans our grandmothers used were excellent, but the people who inherited them know that collectors snap them up, so they sell rather dearly.
I have 2 Lodge CI pans. One was quite rough when new and the other was not. The rough one did take longer to season and break in. They are both smooth now...I guess I wore the rough off.
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I have a stargazer pan and wouldn’t recommend it. The seasoning peels off. Tried reseasoning many times with the same results. Next time I will have it sandblasted. I think they’re finished to smooth
You're not a rookie (I've enjoyed your posts for years), so it's obvious that your methods and choice of seasoning oil are appropriate. Do you know of other Stargazer users with similar problems?
Your pan may be an anomaly. It wouldn't hurt to talk with their Customer Service people.
There have been others. Hopefully now they have had the issues resolved. If the seasoning would stay like on our Griswold pans I would use it all the time
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I'm not a cast iron connoisseur and generally speaking, I'm not too picky about my cookware. However...
My mother always had cast iron pans, and I grew up using them , at least occasionally. At times she had other cheap pans , with Teflon and such, but the only pans that really survive from her kitchen are the cast iron ones. So, if nothing else, they do tend to have a long life span.
I bought high carbon steel frying pan from Lodge a few years back, and I actually prefer it over cast iron , for two reasons. It's smoother... and lighter. I bought a second high carbon steel Lodge pan, with a lower lip on it , and then I bought a third one because I found it on sale once ( Still haven't even used it ).
I have high carbon steel wok that I use daily, I don't know who the manufacture is.
Personally, I have no problem at all , maintaining my cast iron or high carbon steel pans. If I could stop my wife from boiling water in them or washing them when I tell her not to.
I hate stainless for frying or sauteing , but love it for virtually everything else.
So, while I'm not a connoisseur. I do like what I like and so far haven't felt any need to try new stuff. :)
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What makes the one's being discussed here better than Lodge? That is the only name I have ever seen in stores that I recall.
Lodge is my least favorite CI pan, although they have a broad user base. I don't care for them because they have such a rough finish. (Actually, no finish, I think. I think they sell them in the condition in which they come out of the mold.) But...some members here have stated that they like the rough finish. Those comments were in this thread (https://pelletfan.com/index.php?topic=3013.msg36686#msg36686).
Most of the old cast iron pans our grandmothers used were excellent, but the people who inherited them know that collectors snap them up, so they sell rather dearly.
Actually Lodge CI pans are preseasoned. But I also flaxseed oiled my new one and baked at 350 for an hour. After several uses I have my own personal assessment of CI pans. They are all archaic and a pain in the --- to work with. Heat retention is over rated, if you can control the your application of heat whether by gas, propane or electric, or induction then you ought to be able to heat a fry pan hot enough to do your searing, potatoes, or what ever. I don't hear much about induction lately, but I know that you can set your temps up to 450 and know that you will get constant 450.. So a good SS or aluminum and steel hybrid pan should do the job nicely. I plan to look into an induction (portable type) stove for just this purpose.
Meanwhile think of the work time you waste with CI. Heavy, lubricate and heat it up. Fry or sear, wait a long time for it to cool, then carefully clean, oil, wipe down etc before you can put it away. With a good quality non stick steel bottom pan you can heat it up faster, do your sear, turn off, and five minutes later soap it up , rinse, dry and put it away. I am ready for any "incoming" as a result of my comments.
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Put it away? My iron/steel pans are almost always out on the stove, or right next to it. I find it actually odd that people seem to think it's difficult to keep steel pans seasoned, never really been a issue for me, except as I said, when my wife boils stuff in them. Boiling water or foods with a lot of liquids will get it down to bare metal, but very little I personally do with them removes the seasoning.
As for induction cook tops... I have a single burner portable thing, that sits next to my $4000 gas range. It sits there and gets used, for one purpose really, and that is simmering large pots of stuff like spaghetti sauce. While it will get hot enough to fry food in a pan, I don't use it for that, even though it probably will get a pan hot faster than the same pan will get with my 22,000 BTU burners, it won't get as hot and I just simply prefer to use a gas burner, I can lift the pan off the surface, if I want , without the heat reducing instantly, etc.. So, I love induction for low temperature stuff, not so much for high temperature. Oh, another reason I like the little induction burner, is it has a timer on it, so I can set a pot of stuff on it at a low temperature , walk away , and even if I forget about it, the cooktop will shut itself off.
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Have you checked out Field Company cast iron pans?
It's difficult for me to "check out" CI pans, except for Lodge. Field Co. pans aren't carried in my local stores. So, no, I haven't really "checked out" any of the Lodge alternatives.
As I read reviews I decided that I ranked the CI pans that I could research–
- Butter Pat (excellent smooth finish that I prefer, rather expensive)
- Stargazer (nice finish, has drip-free pouring
spouts lip) - Field Company (better finish than Stargazer but no pouring spouts so it dribbles)
- Lodge (the pebble finish rules them out for me but others don't mind it, inexpensive)
EDIT: Clarified Stargazer pouring ability
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Yeah, but the fine pebble finish goes away in like 30 years. :)
I know one of my mothers old cast iron pans had a very smooth surface, but it was at least 50 years old. I have a cheap cast iron pan that I bought about 20 years ago, that is a bit smoother now, that when I bought it. I never minded it that much , even early on though.
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Actually Lodge CI pans are preseasoned.
:) Yeah, I didn't word that comment on the finish very well. I was referring to the texture under their factory seasoning.
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I read some time ago that the reason Lodge is rougher s because it is easier for them to season them. I bought one of their griddles an noticed it right away.
If you are happy with the build of the Lodge, why no just sand the pan smooth and refinish?
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I though to myself, lets surprise pmillen and send him one, he has been so good to the site, sent things to be reviewed (which have not been...) at his own expense, adds good content...how much could they cost?
Expensive is an understatement...sorry I did not study hard enough in school and have more disposable to spend on you! :pig:
- Butter Pat (excellent smooth finish that I prefer, rather expensive)
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If you are happy with the build of the Lodge, why no just sand the pan smooth and refinish?
Yep. I ran across several reports of people doing that when I was researching CI pans and seriously thought about it. I even have a few grinders and sanders that would work. Never did it, tho'.
I wrote about it in this thread (https://pelletfan.com/index.php?topic=3013.msg36683#msg36683).
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I have several hand me downs from family. All of them were a smooth finish. Some were so badly abused that it took tools to remove the caked on crust from decades of use (outside the pan). When chiseled off, the outer layer was as smooth as the inside.
They were all smaller pans and I was looking for something larger. I found a Lodge skillet about 30 years ago (12") and it had the rough finish. I didn't care for it so I took it down. All is well now.
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My kids asked me what I want for Fathers' Day. I said, "A 12-inch Grizzy cast Iron frying pan." They tell me that the web site shows them as "Sold Out."
"He who hesitates is lost."
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I have had the 10-inch and the 12-inch Grizzly pans for about 3 months. I suppose that about a quarter of my frying pan use is done in the 12-inch pan.
(https://nixeea.ch.files.1drv.com/y4mTRJH6lb_ivogH0tckwpchuZzdRHCVDrFgLm0RMQVbqztLmcGVG3zNEkO1qLVHsHTFeujeXGTfYCpWuoip-OEfY5f6rCRIvar_y7v_Sz3QG7YwjlZAICAwQShBBabwZDkG9vzi-1L15oFovB-fLdCA7atuphbGuktr2A8471apQ7LAbKtfPgcgALBEpynV1-gyYnauld6B7ekQZRPFejhfQ?width=660&height=495&cropmode=none)
This is the 12-inch, although the 10-inch would make exactly the same photograph.
I use them almost exclusively when I want to brown or sear something even though I have other pans that do the job equally well. My thoughts–
- They're pretty. So they look nice and shiny on the range.
- They're heavy. I can't pick the 12-incher up by just the handle.
- Some items stain them a bit. Liquid Barkeeper's Friend easily removes them.
- Like any cast iron pan, they retain heat amazingly well. It's called Thermal Mass, a lot of heat energy is required to change their temperature but they store it well.
- I thought that I'd be putting it in my pit for some cooks, but haven't so far.
- It's about as non-stick as a stainless steel pan. Like any frying pan, don't put the food in it until after it's at your desired cooking temperature. That reduces the sticking. Oil helps, but sometimes there's a bit of browned bits and caramelized drippings of meat and vegetables that are stuck to the bottom of the pans. It's of no concern.
I'm interested in comments from other owners.
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Grizzly is offering 20% off and free shipping on all pans and casseroles until July 5th.
Use Discount Code JULY2020.
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(https://xbmejq.ch.files.1drv.com/y4mCPScyY7MsGJOFAWjV9_a3LMxPVFd4CxvbomRyVAbzR6atVPywq5lD6sVQvdCsXg0Su4of0Szma73pIyW3tC0kiHYdUrijIjZOmBnwyWgHhbfKInBIPbu2e4RId7ActQVfCFT5_CUxfW9gql9IqdGjcbWbUddCUwQPENuY0DBD0ney3UyJY4WunOSEvVcVcqeYqGV3r5ExiLeITGAIOB07w?width=660&height=495&cropmode=none)
I rendered these fat trimmings in a Grizzly casserole in my pit as I roasted and seared a beef loin. The casserole took on smoke coloring, somewhat like a brass color. A bit of rubbing with liquid Barkeeper's Friend easily removed it. Dish soap water may have have done as well. I didn't try it.