Le Creuset cooks perfectly and holds heat when you set a dish out on the table with a lid. I've seen a dish stay hot to warm for over 90 minutes with no reheat.

I cooks evenly better than most.

You can brown a roast with it on the stove and then toss the whole thing in the oven.

They are expensive but serve a real good purpose. :-)
[Reply]

The only negative I have experienced with cast iron is moving it from stove top to oven as they are heavy as hell as you do not want to spill grease on you or a flame, which would be tragic.

That's why for that application I like my stainless steel large frying pan.
[Reply]

Sure it does. Because it's cast iron.

Lodge ain't exactly using tin, fellas.

There's been a fair amount of homework done on stuff like this and ultimately you can go find yourself an expensive antique griswold or some artisanal knock-off and the performance vs. the lodge is within the margins either way.

The really old griswolds and the expensive artisinal ones are lighter becuase they were manufactured differently than the mass produced ones are now, but Le Crueset is manufactured using that same newer approach so they're just as heavy.

I've talked myself out of a Smithey Ironware skillet a couple of times because I know it's a stupid extravagance. The review on 'em are essentially "yeah, it's good...because it's cast iron. It's not better than my $50 job..." They're incredibly good looking but even that will go away as they build up a patina over time.

There just isn't a meaningful performance difference between the real high-end stuff and the 'representative' solid brands like Lodge. I'm sure there are some shitty companies that make really lousy stuff out there, but your reputable mid-tier brands are going to make stuff that's just as good at a price point 1/3 as high.

And for something that's designed expressly to be able to get the shit beat out of it, it seems that brand envy kinda defeats the purpose.
[Reply]

Thats like Wilma Flintstone stuff right there.
[Reply]

I clean my castiron with water only and the nylon lodge scraper and ss chainmail.

I tried the salt and had to recondition the pan.



[Reply]

These are good pans. I bought a couple of these for my parents back a few years ago, because most of their regular non-stick (Teflon-coated) pans were peeling. They work pretty much identically to Teflon-coated pans in terms of non-stickiness, but won't peel because there isn't a 'coating' to peel off. You can use metal utensils in there for that reason. For typical low-temp cooking these are great.
[Reply]

Several people have already posted about steel scrubber pads, and there's also copper scrubber pads that work just as well. If there's a lot of burnt on bits in the bottom of the pan, I'll typically allow the pan to soak in water for half an hour to overnight, depending on how lazy I feel at the time, then scrub off all those bits with a scrubber pad. Wipe out, throw on the stove and heat (med. high heat) for about 10 minutes. About once a month I'll then wipe on a very thin layer of oil/seasoning product. Allow that to bake on for about another 10 minutes, and done.
[Reply]

I've found that I prefer less expensive and lighter pots and pans for a lot of everyday cooking. T-Fal, for example, has a bunch of things that are a good value, in my opinion.

I have a Lodge skillet I bought back in the 1990's. It's seasoned well. I like it for cooking steaks on the range or for making dutch babies or other foods that start on the range and then go into the oven, but it's not very convenient. It's fairly heavy (dangerous for a hot pan with hot contents) and cleaning and occasionally oiling it (to preserve the seasoning) can be tedious.

We have several Calphalon pans and pots. Their best features are their weight (heavy enough to cook well, but not ridiculously so) and durability. I don't know if they are worth the price, though.

I have a big La Creuset stock pot, which I bought mainly because I liked its looks, blue enamel with a cream interior. It's well-made and good for stews and soups, but I don't use it very much and, still, the cream interior seems like it shows more wear than it ought to. I think La Creuset casseroles are beautiful. If I were to buy one, it would be more for aesthetics, although I do appreciate that its weight may be good for heat retention.

I'm someone who generally would prefer to buy something once and is willing to spend more to get something of good quality. But I've come to realize that pots and pans are one of those things where you might be better off going the cheaper route, especially for non-stick surfaces, where replacing it occasionally is less annoying than fretting over surface degradation! It's easy to overspend on pots and pans, so be careful!
[Reply]

Best bang for your buck at 20.00 for 12" non stick fry pan Sam's Club Members Mark.

I use for eggs especially omlettes with cheese.


[Reply]

https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/r...-cookware-set/

I have Tramontina non-stick thick aluminum commercial 3 skillets for 5 years. I only use wood or plastic utensils. I think I spent ~$150. They are heavy.

I have been through a lot of cheapies through the year and finally bought quality. I did a bit of research and couldn't be happier.

I bought them at Wal-mart.

Tramontina Commercial 8" Non-Stick Restaurant Fry Pan
Average Rating:
out of 5 stars162 ratings, based on162reviews
Tramontina
Walmart # 552023645
$27.69$27.69
[Reply]

Growing up my parents had the non stick frying pans and scrapping them with metal spatulas, the pans were in bad shape with the coating wearing off and all.

If I get alzheimer's I'll know where I got it anyway.

I thought these pans at Costco were very good quality and the price is right.

https://www.costco.com/henckels-capr...100671833.html
[Reply]

I have about every shape and size pan or dutch oven that LODGE makes. They work great! I don't think anyone needs to spend the extra $$ on the really expensive equipment.

I do have a few of the Amazon CAROTE skillet. Sometimes it is nice to have non-stick for eggs, etc. Those pans are a great value.

As for cleaning cast iron......I've never had a problem using coarse salt and a paper towel and/or deglazing the pan, with wine first, if need be.
[Reply]

If you thinking about using Lodge cast iron, at least sand down the cook surface before seasoning. Lodge has good cast iron but a much more of a rough finish than some higher end brands.
[Reply]

If you work at it, the great old Griswold or Wgner Cast iron can be found reasonable, some of the Birmingham stuff as well.

If its in rough shape, building an Electrolysis tank is super easy and that takes away the rust and gets you set to recondition and season your cast

one thing I have found in seasoning is how awesome beeswax can be in seasoning.
[Reply]

Die
[Reply]