high dollar cast iron

[DoubleJ]

After having some of the newer stuff and now the older stuff, I (and my wife with weak arms) much prefer the older stuff.  The new stuff is machined and as I've heard, machines are too rough with the cast iron to have the walls of the originals so, the walls on the new stuff are thicker and thus, much heavier.  And as mentioned, they are very rough.  They can be seasoned to non-stick levels but it takes much more work

There are the options of the high dollar new stuff as seen in this thread but, I was looking at those and eventually settled on finding older stuff with smooth cooking surfaces from Ebay.  I ended up with 3 vintage pans for every high dollar new pan I would have bought.  between Ebay, the couple I've found at second hand stores, and the couple I poached from my dad that belonged to my grandpa, I now have a #6, 3 #8's, 2 #9's 2 #10's and a #12.

If you have an electric or glass top stove, make sure you look for FLAT cookware.  Make sure you know it's flat or, at most what is called "2 cards" level before buying.  It makes all the difference in cooking on a glass top.  If you have gas, no worries about flatness needed.  I didn't know this and now have 3 additional pans I will be reselling because they just spin on my glass top stove.

[DoubleJ]

10 in that i'm not sure of maker.

Post up a pic.  Let me see if I can figure it out for you

[Special T]

Duck breasts coated with Aleias Glueten Free Italian Bread crumbs. Done up in my sanded Lodge skillet on a glass top stove.

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[Boss .300 winmag]

Duck breasts coated with Aleias Glueten Free Italian Bread crumbs. Done up in my sanded Lodge skillet on a glass top stove.

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Yum yum. 

[DoubleJ]

That looks awesome.  I need to get some duck breasts

[DoubleJ]

My new mini addiction is Dutch Baby's.  Family loves them too

[KFhunter]

Protip:  DO NOT do this method on more than 1 or 2 pans at a time unless you want your house smoked out and your wife and kids SUUUUUPER pisssed off.  I learned this last night when I did 4 at once

You can also make a camp fire around it (them), does the same thing.  Just let it cool slowly.  I haven't done it but my folks have.

[quadrafire]

Here you go DoubleJ

[quadrafire]

My Nana gave me this when I left for college mid 80's

[DoubleJ]

Lodge post 1960

[DoubleJ]

Lodge makes the 3 notch pans like that.  After 1960, the Gov't mandated that everything have the country of origin on products.  Nobody put "Made in USA" on cast iron before 1960.

[DoubleJ]

Lodge Manufacturing Co. - South Pittsburg, TN

1900-1910 "Blacklock"¹ ²
- Skillets have outside heat ring
- Raised size number on top of handle
- Raised molder's mark letter on bottom at 6 o'clock
² Lodge founder Joseph Lodge was a partner in The Blacklock Foundry, predecessor to Lodge Mfg. Co. These characteristics are conjecture, as no marked Blacklock skillets are known to exist.

(From 1910 to the early 1930s, Lodge put its name on its products.)

1930s¹
- Skillets have inset heat ring with single notch opposite handle at 12 o'clock.
- Raised size number on top of handle or ¾" high size number at 12 o'clock
- Raised small molder's mark letter at 6 o'clock
- Some earlier "no-notch" patterns were re-purposed, but otherwise have the same characteristics
- All skillet & DO lids have grid of pointed tips for basting drippers, may have raised letter molder's mark on underside
- A line of pieces with an unusual "scalloped" heat ring consisting of crescent-shaped segments is believed to be from this time period

1940s-1987¹
- Skillets have inset heat ring with 3 notches at 9/12/3 o'clock.
- Pattern identifying marks incised at 6 o'clock or raised shift identifier on a small flat blob of metal above the size number at 12 o'clock (1940s-50s)
- Later, letters denoting pan type, e.g. "SK" skillet, "DO" dutch oven (1950s)
- After ca. 1960 "Made In USA" added at center
- Lids have grid of pointed tips for basting drippers, size number and diameter or pan capacity incised on underside
- Corn stick pans have 5, 7, or 9 uni-directional cups, outward-curved ends for handles, with round or elongated hanging holes, button or bar-shaped levelling feet, and often the number 27 and letter C on the 7-cup
- Divided cornbread skillets have hole in center
- Hammered toy skillets typically with 00, 0, or 1 markings

(After 1987, Lodge resumed putting its name on its products.)

[quadrafire]

Well it was new when I got it so fits the pattern. Thanks. Always wondered about it

[Special T]

Elk Tacos from the sanded cast iron skillet.

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[Special T]

Additionally I hit the local goodwill and no cast was found....

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