Thanks for posting this! Good information for newbies and that spreads the joy of cast iron. I see some on the list I somehow missed and need to watch. I don't see the 3 mistakes video and, for me, that one is your best. Learn that and you've learned to cook with cast iron.
Mike all I have ever had is lodge. I have seasoned them correctly and treat them correctly and will never have any other brand. With mine nothing sticks including eggs. I cook goulash in them and it is delicious. Love them.
I am new to CI, got rid of all non-stick chemical skillets/pans for safety reasons 5 years ago. First buy was a Pioneer Woman 12" CI, cooking surface needed some seasoning and began to cook/bake extremely well, large robust handles, pour spouts, very clean casting edges, and flat bottom tech. make it a winner, it's heavier than the Lodge 12". I have become a fan of Victoria CI, design features are well thought out and executed with skill, cooking surface is incredible, taking seasoning very easily and displaying all the great traits CI is known for. I have the Victoria 10" skillet, Victoria 12" skillet, Victoria 6qt Dutch Oven, with lid doubling as a 10" round grill pan, and 10" Pioneer Woman skillet. High end CI is nice, with many options, but the high price isn't needed to get world class CI.
The best cast iron skillet is the one I have on the stove cooking something. Old or new. Thank you for sharing this with us, Mike. Stay safe and stay warm
Mike, my favorite overall is my Erie 2nd series #8. It is super light and cooks great. Favorite brand and series is hand scribed BSR Red Mountain because they are so smooth and have big pour spouts. Favorite modern is Lodge, I use Lodge a lot and you cannot beat their baking pan selection and they have great camp ovens. Best boutique cast iron is Smithey, I have a 12 and it took forever for the seasoning to hold, but now it works like a champ. Best enameled I believe is a tie with Lodge, Descoware and Le Creuset, all perform exactly how they are supposed to. I am restoring a Lodge chef skillet to compare it with my BSR to see which one works best. The point is that everyone will have their different "best" skillet, and it depends a lot on what they are cooking in it and their personal preference. But I agree a full skillet is the best skillet.
I bought a field. It’s great and I love the smoother interior. It’s also not as heavy as a Lodge. Lodge is good too, but some are better. I also have some vintage ones that are great. Love the smooth interior.
Mike that's a difficult question. I've got to vote for the early 1900s Erie due to the smoothness and light weight. We use a #9 as a daily user. Wapak comes to mind as a light skillet also, they closed in 1926..Several old skillets have the smooth texture but are usually thicker and heavier. I wouldn't use the new stuff for a bedpan plus you can find the older skillets cheaper even at some antique stores than what is sold as premium cast iron. I make spatulas from new Lodge skillets to fund my vintage cast iron addiction so they aren't totally worthless. There's something cool about a 100 year old skillet that still works and looks new.
My favorite cast iron skillet is the one my grandmother left me. It is old, unlabeled, and about 7 inches across. The cooking surface is as smooth as silk. She baked a pan of cornbread in it almost every day for years. My grandmother was born in the year 1900, and she got the pan from her mother. My grandmother passed away in 1998. I guess all that fat back and bacon grease finally caught up to her, just like the well-paid heart doctors warn us about. 😂 I guess if you are only going to live to be 98 years old, then go ahead and enjoy some pork products.
Mike I have a lot of old and new lodge I prefer old griswold bsr Wagner pans I tend to stay away from Chinese steel and I’ll make a video on that but the best cast iron pan is the one you can afford period
Yeah, I heard that! Thanks for sharing this with us! I think Lodge made it affordable for almost everyone, and I’d say that has a lot to do with their success, too!
Mike, you have asked a tough question. I own a lot of cast iron skillets. They run the gamut: ancient; old; recent; and brand new. My preferences generally are ancient/old over newer, smooth surface over rough surface, lighter over heavier (particularly when I have a full batch of food in them). If I had to rank them, I would say Griswold large block logo, Erie (also Griswold), Lodge no-notch, Lodge 1 or 3 notch, Borough Furness (new artisan skillet), Lodge newer.
@@jerrym3261 glad I live to far away from the lodge factory I would buy so much of their cast iron , the springs on my truck would break on the way back home !!!
@@frankmarullo228 Born, raised and spent most of my life living in Kentucky but, lived 4 years in SW Florida. I made the I-65, I=24, I-75 drive a lot and South Pittsburg is right along the way. It wasn't Lodge that got me most of my cast iron but, thrift shops, yard sales and FB Marketplace. There are deals too good to pass up if you have the time to hunt. Old people die and the heirs don't want their stuff. I really try to avoid the multiple pieces, one price deals.
@@jerrym3261 I agree with you but the only thing I disagree with is I can't pass up a cast iron deal , even if I have a few of them. Thank you for your response. PS maybe I need cast iron therapy lol.......
@@frankmarullo228 Oh wow, you do have a problem. I really should stop looking. I recently passed up a Lodge wok, a #5 old Lodge skillet and a unmarked Wagner chicken fryer all 3 for $30 but, it hurt. There's #5 Wagner Ware Sidney O I've been watching for weeks, $15 and I'd like to have it but, I don't need it. Good luck with your cast iron.
Uncle Mike, the best cast-iron to cook with is the one that you enjoy cooking with the most and gives you the best results. It’s the one that you grab more than any of the others. I like my food different than you like your food and best for me may not be best for you.
I like the older ones better but I have taken the newer Lodge pans and sanded the inside till it was smooth and then seasoned them. After that they get a nice finish are much better than what comes from the foundry.
The best cast iron is what you like and can afford. I dont like supporting china, but I have a camp chef that i just happened to come up with. It is my most used skillet. I use it most mornings for breakfast, and then it depends for supper. I just prefer the longer more comfortable handle.
Hey buddy I got a question. I found a 12 inch cast iron skillet for 5 dollars and it says food network on the bottom lol it's half the weight of my 2 other 12 inches. It's about half the thickness of a regular iron skillet. I looked it up and it was marketed as a light weight skillet. Do you think it's aluminum coated with cast iron? I've heard some companies make them like that? But I have to say I love it! It heats up really fast and surprisingly even too. Stay warm brother it's fixin to get cold!
All good for different things. My older milled lodges are my work horses and nothing sticks. My stargazers and fields are my 12 inch and used for larger meals and breakfast when I want to use them, and nothing sticks! Then my newer lodge that’s have a rougher feel and used for my baking of cornbreads and things of that nature and again.. nothing sticks. They are all good and all have their place in the kitchen!!
I don't have much but I like enameled when it comes to Black cast iron if it is a family heirloom that is always the winner. I think one of the deciding factors at least for me is it going to be over open fire or on a stove . another thing throw in as a consideration is weight. If you're young and tough you got plenty of time to handle that heavy cast iron and work up a good seasoning. Older folks I would suggest if weight is a problem to consider the old stuff
I agree with Larry ! but The best C.I. skillet is the one that works for you and cooks the best. I am lucky that 99% of the ones that I have (and I do have a lot of them ) do the job that I want them to do and that is cook food. Even my Wall Hangers work great.
Thank you for your videos. Can you advise me of the safety of using my cast irons skillets on a glass top stove. I've read that it is safe and then again to never use cast iron on glass . Looking forward to hearing from you.
I would agree that the best CI skillet is the one you are using to feed yourself and your family. The food doesn't taste any better out of a $250 skillet than it does out of a $10 garage sale find. Personally, I'm enjoying my Lodge 3.2 qt ComboCooker very much for baking bread 2-3 times per week. FOR ME, that's the best cast iron.
In this day and age, where no matter how hard you try, it can still be difficult to support the home team(U.S.A.) ,when it comes to cast iron it is an absolute slam dunk, no brainer fall off a log easy to do with all the U.S.A made options out there!!!! Absolutely no way, shape, or form will i EVER have anything to do with sweat shop, Asian, cast iron!!!! Let's support ourselves and support our own hard-working mericans!!!!! 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸!!!! That is my thoughts on why I won't have a damn thing to do with any asian cast iron!!!! Awesome video!!!!!! Absolutely love lodge cast iron 🇺🇸! My only vintage pan is my grandmother's unmarked wagner that i was fortunate enough to inherent!!!! Have a good safe one!!!!!!!
An old smooth skillet is best for me, I dislike the noise my metal utensils make with Lodge skillets manufactured today. And I trust what went into cast iron compared to modern cast iron.
to me there is a difference between cheap and cheaply made, i dont think Lodge cast iron products are cheaply made products, yes they are cheap in sense in terms of years used and kept versus the other items like the none stick pans where they are cheap for the sets compared to many cast irons but in long term they are pricey considering they need to be replaced every 5 years giving the best conditions
I was gifted a lodge cast iron skillet hubby bought at Bass Pro shop it’s not smooth and it is not flat on cooking surface all the butter I cook with goes to outer edge in a ring I really hate it. I’m looking for a nice one that is smooth and flat not humped up in center of cooking surface Lodge is crap.
Knee jerk, I would agree with Larry. Now I'm going to sound stupid. The one that is the most precious to me is my #8 The Favorite, made 1882 to 1902 and it is a good skillet, light, pretty for a cast iron skillet. It's with the cast iron I have stored, haven't used it in months. If I had to only have one piece of cast iron, it's a skillet I don't have, a #8 Lodge. I can do anything with that heavy pan but, I'm limited if I choose a light pan. I like Lodge as company. I think they could make more money if they charged more for their stuff. One of those boutique pans would always make me think I overpaid. I like a skillet that looks like the skillets I grew up with. It's probably wrong but, if there's a cast iron video and the person is using a Lodge, I'm likely to agree with them. If they're using a fancy pan, they're going to upset me pretty much every time.
@@2enigma8 There are a few reasons I like my The Favorite pan beyond that I know it was made 1882 to 1902. It's a lot like my slant Griswold Erie 1906 to 1916 or my Wagner Ware Sidney O with heat ring and 4 digit pattern number 1924 to 1935 so, a good old skillet, just as light and smooth. I like that it might have been made by prisoners in the Ohio State Penitentiary. I like that I got it for less than $10 in a thrift shop I'm guessing because the guy thought it was a bad fake of a Favorite Piqua skillet which would have likely been made 1916 to 1935. I have an unmarked skillet that is so close to the same as my The Favorite, I think it was also made by Columbus Hollow Ware. There's no way I'd pay what is being asked for The Favorites on Ebay. I wouldn't pay Ebay price for Griswold or Wagner either. I'd be more worried about lead being melted in a smaller skillet than those #8s
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Thanks for posting this! Good information for newbies and that spreads the joy of cast iron. I see some on the list I somehow missed and need to watch. I don't see the 3 mistakes video and, for me, that one is your best. Learn that and you've learned to cook with cast iron.
Thanks Jerry! I sure appreciate you!
Mike all I have ever had is lodge. I have seasoned them correctly and treat them correctly and will never have any other brand. With mine nothing sticks including eggs. I cook goulash in them and it is delicious. Love them.
I heard that!! Thanks for sharing this with us Larry!
I am new to CI, got rid of all non-stick chemical skillets/pans for safety reasons 5 years ago. First buy was a Pioneer Woman 12" CI, cooking surface needed some seasoning and began to cook/bake extremely well, large robust handles, pour spouts, very clean casting edges, and flat bottom tech. make it a winner, it's heavier than the Lodge 12". I have become a fan of Victoria CI, design features are well thought out and executed with skill, cooking surface is incredible, taking seasoning very easily and displaying all the great traits CI is known for. I have the Victoria 10" skillet, Victoria 12" skillet, Victoria 6qt Dutch Oven, with lid doubling as a 10" round grill pan, and 10" Pioneer Woman skillet. High end CI is nice, with many options, but the high price isn't needed to get world class CI.
The best cast iron skillet is the one I have on the stove cooking something. Old or new. Thank you for sharing this with us, Mike. Stay safe and stay warm
Mike, my favorite overall is my Erie 2nd series #8. It is super light and cooks great. Favorite brand and series is hand scribed BSR Red Mountain because they are so smooth and have big pour spouts. Favorite modern is Lodge, I use Lodge a lot and you cannot beat their baking pan selection and they have great camp ovens. Best boutique cast iron is Smithey, I have a 12 and it took forever for the seasoning to hold, but now it works like a champ. Best enameled I believe is a tie with Lodge, Descoware and Le Creuset, all perform exactly how they are supposed to. I am restoring a Lodge chef skillet to compare it with my BSR to see which one works best. The point is that everyone will have their different "best" skillet, and it depends a lot on what they are cooking in it and their personal preference. But I agree a full skillet is the best skillet.
That’s cool!! I appreciate you sharing your favorites with us, my friend!! Now I’m getting hungry, lol! 😂
My favorite cast iron skillet too buy is lodge have a great week mike 😀
Thanks Nate!! Have a great week bud!
A Lodge pan always makes me think of good people. I think the Lodge owners and the people that work there have a servant's heart.
Well, I’ll tell you, when we went to the Cornbread Festival and factory, there were a bunch of very friendly folks
@@MrCastIron It's been a while but, I have been there a few times, kind hearted people all around.
I bought a field. It’s great and I love the smoother interior. It’s also not as heavy as a Lodge. Lodge is good too, but some are better. I also have some vintage ones that are great. Love the smooth interior.
Mike that's a difficult question. I've got to vote for the early 1900s Erie due to the smoothness and light weight. We use a #9 as a daily user. Wapak comes to mind as a light skillet also, they closed in 1926..Several old skillets have the smooth texture but are usually thicker and heavier. I wouldn't use the new stuff for a bedpan plus you can find the older skillets cheaper even at some antique stores than what is sold as premium cast iron. I make spatulas from new Lodge skillets to fund my vintage cast iron addiction so they aren't totally worthless. There's something cool about a 100 year old skillet that still works and looks new.
My favorite cast iron skillet is the one my grandmother left me. It is old, unlabeled, and about 7 inches across. The cooking surface is as smooth as silk. She baked a pan of cornbread in it almost every day for years. My grandmother was born in the year 1900, and she got the pan from her mother. My grandmother passed away in 1998. I guess all that fat back and bacon grease finally caught up to her, just like the well-paid heart doctors warn us about. 😂 I guess if you are only going to live to be 98 years old, then go ahead and enjoy some pork products.
My favorite is my Field , Lancaster and Finex also love the vintage skillets. As for raw cast iron. And Le Creuset for enameled
Mike I have a lot of old and new lodge I prefer old griswold bsr Wagner pans I tend to stay away from Chinese steel and I’ll make a video on that but the best cast iron pan is the one you can afford period
Yeah, I heard that! Thanks for sharing this with us! I think Lodge made it affordable for almost everyone, and I’d say that has a lot to do with their success, too!
Mike, you have asked a tough question. I own a lot of cast iron skillets. They run the gamut: ancient; old; recent; and brand new. My preferences generally are ancient/old over newer, smooth surface over rough surface, lighter over heavier (particularly when I have a full batch of food in them). If I had to rank them, I would say Griswold large block logo, Erie (also Griswold), Lodge no-notch, Lodge 1 or 3 notch, Borough Furness (new artisan skillet), Lodge newer.
Am a loyal lodge owner. Just received a blacklock 12". 👍
The best cast iron is the one people like the best they are all good in my opinion!! Thank you Frank from montana
I saw recently that Lodge makes close to 2 million pieces of cast iron a month. That's a lot of liking.
@@jerrym3261 glad I live to far away from the lodge factory I would buy so much of their cast iron , the springs on my truck would break on the way back home !!!
@@frankmarullo228 Born, raised and spent most of my life living in Kentucky but, lived 4 years in SW Florida. I made the I-65, I=24, I-75 drive a lot and South Pittsburg is right along the way. It wasn't Lodge that got me most of my cast iron but, thrift shops, yard sales and FB Marketplace. There are deals too good to pass up if you have the time to hunt. Old people die and the heirs don't want their stuff. I really try to avoid the multiple pieces, one price deals.
@@jerrym3261 I agree with you but the only thing I disagree with is I can't pass up a cast iron deal , even if I have a few of them. Thank you for your response. PS maybe I need cast iron therapy lol.......
@@frankmarullo228 Oh wow, you do have a problem. I really should stop looking. I recently passed up a Lodge wok, a #5 old Lodge skillet and a unmarked Wagner chicken fryer all 3 for $30 but, it hurt. There's #5 Wagner Ware Sidney O I've been watching for weeks, $15 and I'd like to have it but, I don't need it. Good luck with your cast iron.
Uncle Mike, the best cast-iron to cook with is the one that you enjoy cooking with the most and gives you the best results. It’s the one that you grab more than any of the others. I like my food different than you like your food and best for me may not be best for you.
The Lancaster pans look nice but for 250 $ I can buy alot more from Lodge. My wife the Lancaster wooden spoons and they are nice.
Yeah, I know what you mean. They are pricey!
I like the older ones better but I have taken the newer Lodge pans and sanded the inside till it was smooth and then seasoned them. After that they get a nice finish are much better than what comes from the foundry.
I heard that! Thanks for sharing
The best cast iron is what you like and can afford. I dont like supporting china, but I have a camp chef that i just happened to come up with. It is my most used skillet. I use it most mornings for breakfast, and then it depends for supper. I just prefer the longer more comfortable handle.
The Best Cast Iron is the one you use.
Hey buddy I got a question. I found a 12 inch cast iron skillet for 5 dollars and it says food network on the bottom lol it's half the weight of my 2 other 12 inches. It's about half the thickness of a regular iron skillet. I looked it up and it was marketed as a light weight skillet. Do you think it's aluminum coated with cast iron? I've heard some companies make them like that? But I have to say I love it! It heats up really fast and surprisingly even too. Stay warm brother it's fixin to get cold!
All good for different things. My older milled lodges are my work horses and nothing sticks. My stargazers and fields are my 12 inch and used for larger meals and breakfast when I want to use them, and nothing sticks!
Then my newer lodge that’s have a rougher feel and used for my baking of cornbreads and things of that nature and again.. nothing sticks. They are all good and all have their place in the kitchen!!
I don't have much but I like enameled when it comes to Black cast iron if it is a family heirloom that is always the winner. I think one of the deciding factors at least for me is it going to be over open fire or on a stove . another thing throw in as a consideration is weight. If you're young and tough you got plenty of time to handle that heavy cast iron and work up a good seasoning. Older folks I would suggest if weight is a problem to consider the old stuff
Yeah some of it is heavy! Thanks for sharing this with us Wes!
For me it's Lodge. Lodge performs great, and so much less expensive than other brands.
I agree with Larry ! but The best C.I. skillet is the one that works for you and cooks the best. I am lucky that 99% of the ones that I have (and I do have a lot of them ) do the job that I want them to do and that is cook food. Even my Wall Hangers work great.
The hand me down to the one you get for free or the best cast iron
Thank you for your videos. Can you advise me of the safety of using my cast irons skillets on a glass top stove. I've read that it is safe and then again to never use cast iron on glass
. Looking forward to hearing from you.
I have used it on my mothers glass top stove and it works well. She only uses Cast Iron for cooking.
I would agree that the best CI skillet is the one you are using to feed yourself and your family. The food doesn't taste any better out of a $250 skillet than it does out of a $10 garage sale find. Personally, I'm enjoying my Lodge 3.2 qt ComboCooker very much for baking bread 2-3 times per week. FOR ME, that's the best cast iron.
That is very true! Some of my favorites I got from a flea market or yard sale, too!
I have hundreds. And yes one does this better than that. Cook and see what does what better
I hear ya John!! Thanks for sharing this with us!
In this day and age, where no matter how hard you try, it can still be difficult to support the home team(U.S.A.) ,when it comes to cast iron it is an absolute slam dunk, no brainer fall off a log easy to do with all the U.S.A made options out there!!!! Absolutely no way, shape, or form will i EVER have anything to do with sweat shop, Asian, cast iron!!!! Let's support ourselves and support our own hard-working mericans!!!!! 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸!!!! That is my thoughts on why I won't have a damn thing to do with any asian cast iron!!!! Awesome video!!!!!! Absolutely love lodge cast iron 🇺🇸! My only vintage pan is my grandmother's unmarked wagner that i was fortunate enough to inherent!!!! Have a good safe one!!!!!!!
The best cast iron skillet is the one that you are used to and know how it cooks!
The best cast iron skillet is the one your mom made your meals in and her mom made meals in it before her.
An old smooth skillet is best for me, I dislike the noise my metal utensils make with Lodge skillets manufactured today. And I trust what went into cast iron compared to modern cast iron.
Interesting! Thanks for sharing with us!!
Pre 1900 would potential have lead In then though. Modern lodge can be sanded down to being smooth
to me there is a difference between cheap and cheaply made, i dont think Lodge cast iron products are cheaply made products, yes they are cheap in sense in terms of years used and kept versus the other items like the none stick pans where they are cheap for the sets compared to many cast irons but in long term they are pricey considering they need to be replaced every 5 years giving the best conditions
I was gifted a lodge cast iron skillet hubby bought at Bass Pro shop it’s not smooth and it is not flat on cooking surface all the butter I cook with goes to outer edge in a ring I really hate it. I’m looking for a nice one that is smooth and flat not humped up in center of cooking surface Lodge is crap.
Look into field , Lancaster, or Finex. It is more expensive but all made in America and cook beautifully.
Anything made in the USA 🇺🇸 is the best in my opinion. Personally I collect Lodge and older cast iron.
That's an easy question to answer: the best cast iron is the one you use every day
Lol!! I must agree with you, Steve!
For me, that would be a #3 BSR so, I'd say that's not it in my case.
Knee jerk, I would agree with Larry. Now I'm going to sound stupid. The one that is the most precious to me is my #8 The Favorite, made 1882 to 1902 and it is a good skillet, light, pretty for a cast iron skillet. It's with the cast iron I have stored, haven't used it in months. If I had to only have one piece of cast iron, it's a skillet I don't have, a #8 Lodge. I can do anything with that heavy pan but, I'm limited if I choose a light pan. I like Lodge as company. I think they could make more money if they charged more for their stuff. One of those boutique pans would always make me think I overpaid. I like a skillet that looks like the skillets I grew up with. It's probably wrong but, if there's a cast iron video and the person is using a Lodge, I'm likely to agree with them. If they're using a fancy pan, they're going to upset me pretty much every time.
Oh I know you like those! But, Lol!! Don’t get upset Jerry!
I’ve heard the favourite to be good but I worry about pre 1900’s cast irons to have lead In then.
@@2enigma8 There are a few reasons I like my The Favorite pan beyond that I know it was made 1882 to 1902. It's a lot like my slant Griswold Erie 1906 to 1916 or my Wagner Ware Sidney O with heat ring and 4 digit pattern number 1924 to 1935 so, a good old skillet, just as light and smooth. I like that it might have been made by prisoners in the Ohio State Penitentiary. I like that I got it for less than $10 in a thrift shop I'm guessing because the guy thought it was a bad fake of a Favorite Piqua skillet which would have likely been made 1916 to 1935. I have an unmarked skillet that is so close to the same as my The Favorite, I think it was also made by Columbus Hollow Ware. There's no way I'd pay what is being asked for The Favorites on Ebay. I wouldn't pay Ebay price for Griswold or Wagner either.
I'd be more worried about lead being melted in a smaller skillet than those #8s
Haha I'd kinda be interested to read those angry comments you had to delete, people crack me up haha.