Are cast iron skillets worth it?

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They're good for making rare steaks because they can make a nice crust, but I'm drawing a blank on what else cast iron skillets can do that other frying pans can't. I guess they heat more evenly, but so can good-quality frying pans. They're good bludgeoning weapons in a pinch, though.

Cast iron pans seem like a hassle in general, since you have to constantly coddle them (drying them on the burner or in the oven because air drying will just encourage rust, and constantly needing to season them after use).
 
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I remember living with a pretentious roommate in college with a shared kitchen before I knew any of the "cast iron" lore.

I used his skillet one time and was having a hard time cleaning it afterwards. So I filled it with water and left it in the sink like I would do any other pan or pot.

I came back into the kitchen later with the empty & clean skillet having a Post-It note stuck to it on the stove reading "Water = Rust" or something similar.

I did use my own cast iron skillet I bought at a five&dime store for 15$ afterwards for many years once I got my own place.

I seasoned it when I first got it and did dry it own the stove after washing it using the element.

I did enjoy its use, but couldn't be bothered reseasoning it or avoiding soap&water. It's also heavy as fuck when it's full (making a breakfast skillet, etc).

My personality type can't be bothered obsessing about pristine aftercare to preserve its magical qualities though.
 
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Hamstirer said:
The lodge ones will work fine, you just gotta strip it and reseason a few times. I took a orbital sander to mine and knocked down the really rough spots on mine but left it a little rough to help with the seasoning. It looks and works great now after a few years.
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If I remember correctly, Lodge pans are pitted partially because the company use (and reuse) sand for their casting; eventually the sand gets a shitton of small metal particles in them that prevent the casting from being smooth. I think the most the company grinds is the edges of the pan and blowtorches off a tiny droplet off the handle.

I don't have a sander, so I guess if I do get a lodge pan, I'll probably just have to deal with it.
 
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Idaho Battle Barn said:
If I remember correctly, Lodge pans are pitted partially because the company use (and reuse) sand for their casting; eventually the sand gets a shitton of small metal particles in them that prevent the casting from being smooth. I think the most the company grinds is the edges of the pan and blowtorches off a tiny droplet off the handle.

I don't have a sander, so I guess if I do get a lodge pan, I'll probably just have to deal with it.
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Wash it, oil it, cook in it.....Sanding is unnecessary, I just like piddling around and did it because I felt like it. They make $200-400 machined smooth "artisanal" hipster pans of you really are worried about it but it completely misses the point. Buy a lodge, throw a couple coats of extra seasoning in it if you can/want and cook fatty stuff in it for the next 6 months.... Wash it if it's gross, simmer a little.water in it and scrape it if it just has burnt on stuff. If you masssssivly fuck it up some how, coat it in oil and try again.
Short of breaking them in half you can't ruin them. It has taken me a couple years of use to start appreciating cast iron and they won't replace non stick completely but they are definitely worth having.
 
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Yes. Not just for steaks but for like almost all your cooking it's way better to use cast iron.

You can get really good results on cheap pans, but the higher quality ones are well worth it. Most of our pans are really nice Made in Japan Iwachu cast iron products, feels good every time I use them.
 
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The Mass Shooter Ron Soye said:
I think carbon steel pans are the nightmare mode of cast iron. Either that or I was being really, really retarded when I tried using one.
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Iv been wanting to try a carbon pan but I'm kind of scared. I think you are supposed to season carbon like cast iron so maybe that's your problem. I have a carbon wok and it works decent when seasons but I don't use it very often.
 
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I bit the bullet and bought a 26 cm Lodge skillet from Target; it was cheaper and had the hot handle holder thing already on it (shopping on Lodge's website has the pans slightly more expensive than Target, and the holder is sold separately for $8 more). The store was also selling a Lodge chain mail scrubber, but I didn't see the point of it when a normal scrubber can do the same job. The pitting isn't as bad as I thought it would be. It's actually smoother than my calphalon pans.

I thought I saw an enameled cast iron the other day, but I guess it sold out when I came back today.

The Mass Shooter Ron Soye said:
carbon steel pans
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I'm ashamed to admit I didn't know those types of pans existed until you mentioned them. I knew teflon was terrible for your health and the environment (thanks, 3M), and was looking at other alternatives besides copper cookware. I know that there's companies like Hexclad and Blue Diamond that have a similar non-stick pan shtick, but the non-stick properties usually wear off within a year or two. I will give Hexclad props for offering to replace the pan if it happens, though. Not sure how carbon steel holds up in terms of non-stickness after a few years of use.

Anyway, I'm looking at Misen carbon steel pans because it's the first website I saw, and... $170 for 10" pans? Also, I like how the company claims that it can withstand temps of up to 1000F, but that's not a brag when other pans can withstand high heat too - unless they mean their coating can withstand repeated exposure to super high temperatures and not be worse for wear.
 
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Idaho Battle Barn said:
I bit the bullet and bought a 26 cm Lodge skillet from Target; it was cheaper and had the hot handle holder thing already on it (shopping on Lodge's website has the pans slightly more expensive than Target, and the holder is sold separately for $8 more). The store was also selling a Lodge chain mail scrubber, but I didn't see the point of it when a normal scrubber can do the same job. The pitting isn't as bad as I thought it would be. It's actually smoother than my calphalon pans.
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Good man, though I kind of feel like a gimp applying those handle condoms, I always have kitchen towels nearby to deal with anything hot so they kinda seem pointless.
 
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BIG BILL HELL'S said:
Cast iron will make you a God damned culinary tyrannosaurus!
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Chad tyrannosaurus cast iron chef.
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Idaho Battle Barn said:
I bit the bullet and bought a 26 cm Lodge skillet from Target; it was cheaper and had the hot handle holder thing already on it (shopping on Lodge's website has the pans slightly more expensive than Target, and the holder is sold separately for $8 more). The store was also selling a Lodge chain mail scrubber, but I didn't see the point of it when a normal scrubber can do the same job. The pitting isn't as bad as I thought it would be. It's actually smoother than my calphalon pans.

I thought I saw an enameled cast iron the other day, but I guess it sold out when I came back today.
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Enjoy the cast iron. I have the americas test kitchen cook it in cast iron cookbooka and it's quite nice. They have some of the stuff on their website if you want to check it out: https://www.americastestkitchen.com/guides/cook-it-in-cast-iron
 
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