Ya gotta love Lodge!

[Las Vegan Cajun]

Is there anything that a cast iron skillet not appropriate for cooking?  I have noticed that sometimes cooking a tomato based dish will pick up the "iron" taste. True or my 'magination?  Dee

Dee..that is the main reason that I went with the enameled cast iron..to stop the iron taste from the tomato based products...and it works great. Then it was just so useful for everything else, my stainless steel stuff doesn't get used much any more. A couple of pieces would do ya, but you know me..I can't just have 2 pieces..LOL.  Pam    .☆´¯`•.¸¸. ི♥ྀ.

Same here I've learned my lesson the hard way that cooking anything tomato based in cast iron does not turn out too well and it destroys the seasoning on the cast iron.  So I did as Pam did, for the same reason, and invested in some enameled cast iron.  Pricey but we'll worth it. 

[deestafford]

I now use enamel CI pot from Lodge that I got from Academy for 50-60 dollars for many dishes I used to use my CI pot for.  Definitely us it for tomato containing stuff.  The bottom of it has turned from white to black but that doesn't seem to have effected anything.  I don't think it's worn out the enamel, just discolored or coated it.  Some of those with the Frenchy names are really expensive.  Dee

[CDN Smoker]

I have an enamel cast Dutch Oven, should have had it years earlier.

Looking for a lodge skillet now.

[bbqchef]

I recommend the deep skillet... it's great for stews and soups.

[Las Vegan Cajun]

The bottom of it has turned from white to black but that doesn't seem to have effected anything.  I don't think it's worn out the enamel, just discolored or coated it.

When I clean my enameled CI I use a citrus based cleaner (orange) to clean the brown marks off the bottom.  So far they look like the day I bought them.

[Pam Gould]

The bottom of it has turned from white to black but that doesn't seem to have effected anything.  I don't think it's worn out the enamel, just discolored or coated it.

When I clean my enameled CI I use a citrus based cleaner (orange) to clean the brown marks off the bottom.  So far they look like the day I bought them.

baking soda works well here too..just sayin.   .☆´¯`•.¸¸. ི♥ྀ.

[Las Vegan Cajun]

The bottom of it has turned from white to black but that doesn't seem to have effected anything.  I don't think it's worn out the enamel, just discolored or coated it.

When I clean my enameled CI I use a citrus based cleaner (orange) to clean the brown marks off the bottom.  So far they look like the day I bought them.

baking soda works well here too..just sayin.   .☆´¯`•.¸¸. ི♥ྀ.

Thanks Pam, I'll give that a try too. 

[TwoPockets]

I have downsized my cast iron collection. I sold about 300 pieces when we moved into this townhouse. I probably have close to 100 pieces of mostly old Wagner Ware and Griswold in storage to sell "one day".  I have been to the Lodge foundry and to the Cornbread Festival, it is a great trip. As information, when you are at a flea market or garage sale and see a piece of cast iron that is marked on the bottom simply as USA and a designation like SK-8 (size 8 skillet) or DO-10 (size 10 dutch oven) it is probably a Lodge. According to two different people I have talked to at Lodge they did not start putting the Lodge name on the bottom until the 1990's. You will also find the older stuff is more finely cast and smoother.

We have 10 or 12 cast iron pieces we use regularly to cook with and most of that is my wife's grandmothers. She won't let me use those but I have my own to cook with. I have 4 different griddles and a Lodge Combo Cooker and two sizes of the Lodge enameled dutch ovens. I like to cook on the Camp Chef stove on a cast iron griddle. Hard to beat a ribeye seared on cast iron. I like to cook a half pound of bacon on the griddle then throw some hamburgers on the bacon grease and cook them for a delicious and really bad for you bacon cheeseburger.

[spuds]

TwoP,thanks for the info.My DO I researched and found it was a Lodge,but sure didnt know about the USA marking.That makes sense,my USA are really nice pans with super smooth finishes.I see more nice USA I will grab em.

Thank you Sir,awesome info! 

[Las Vegan Cajun]

I have downsized my cast iron collection. I sold about 300 pieces when we moved into this townhouse. I probably have close to 100 pieces of mostly old Wagner Ware and Griswold in storage to sell "one day".

OMG You are the cast iron king with that collection. 

[TwoPockets]

I have downsized my cast iron collection. I sold about 300 pieces when we moved into this townhouse. I probably have close to 100 pieces of mostly old Wagner Ware and Griswold in storage to sell "one day".

OMG You are the cast iron king with that collection. 

Although we have sold a lot of stuff, we still have way too much. My wife and I were both hoarders collectors when we got married. We downsized from 3 rental storage buildings to 1 and had 2 huge garage sales when me moved but still have way too much stuff.

[deestafford]

I think a cast iron skillet should be called a "Husband Adjustment Tool".  Dee

[spuds]

Are the rings on the bottom of some cast iron pans a good gauge of a certain time frame they were made in?

[Pam Gould]

Are the rings on the bottom of some cast iron pans a good gauge of a certain time frame they were made in?

Those are a heat ring, I don't think they are a timeframe  .☆´¯`•.¸¸. ི♥ྀ.

[TwoPockets]

Are the rings on the bottom of some cast iron pans a good gauge of a certain time frame they were made in?

Those are a heat ring, I don't think they are a timeframe  .☆´¯`•.¸¸. ི♥ྀ.

One thing people use as a timeframe is a "gatemark" or those ridges on the bottom where the cast iron was poured into the mold in really old cast iron. You will see a lot for sale as pre-1800's and some of it is, but some third world countries are making iron using that method today and it is just cheap iron made from who knows what metal as melted down to make it. It is better to look for a brand name and pay a little more for it. I like Griswold, Wagner Ware, Piqua Ware and any nice smooth USA iron.