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[pmillen]

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.

[Bentley]

Curious what you cook in your CI, and how often?

[Jimsbarbecue]

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

[pmillen]

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.

[pmillen]

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.

[ZCZ]

"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

[Canadian John]

 
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. 

[pmillen]

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.

[Bar-B-Lew]

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.

[GatorDave]

Have you checked out Field Company cast iron pans?

[glitchy]

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.

[pmillen]

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.

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.

[ICIdaho]

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.

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.

[Jimsbarbecue]

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

[LowSlowJoe]

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.