Anyone buying these?

I haven't heard of them before. Aside from being smooth, what's the sales pitch?

Smooth and light, I think.

Finex, Stargazer, Field Co, ButterPat, etc

All new 'boutique' cast iron manufacturers.  Cast iron is seeing a resurgence with the hipsters that want to be all natural.  They have always been popular with a small amount of people that enjoy cooking in cast iron and collecting vintage cast iron.  The new cast iron is actually beginning to rival what was found in vintage era pieces which is nice to see, but for a price tag that is a bit high IMO.  However, as sales increase I feel like the prices could come down assuming all these new age cast iron peeps stick with it and don't go running back to their non-stick coatings as soon as something sticks when they don't take care of their cast iron.

From what I've seen.  I like the Field Co pans the best and I believe they're the most price conscious of the new cast iron companies.  I'm sure more are coming online every month though.  I don't personally own any of them.  I'm all about finding old cast iron and bringing it back to life.  I might grab a few of these though before they go under.  Could be fun to own them 50 years down the road.

Lodge better up their game, or at least offer a 'premium' line of cast iron and they better re-brand it.  Price it at whatever is necessary, but make sure it's quality.  They should be able to undercut these new companies for the same quality pans without much issue already having fully functioning foundries and buying power.

I've pretty much switched completely over to cast iron. I'm kind of a bad hipster though.

I'm a pretty cheap date and stick w/ lodge stuff. Lard has been the non-stick solution for me. I know people use bacon grease, but sometimes the bacon-taste doesn't really go well with chicken or fish.

If you take a wire brush or a stone,  from harbor freight, chuck it up and you can smooth out the surface. I wish I could find the thread, but I think it was in the survival forum. The results turned out pretty good. IMO though, if you keep it seasoned and cleaned, you really don't need that smooth of a surface.

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Honestly, there's nothing at all wrong with Lodge cast iron.  I just make sure I inspect the piece before I buy if it's in a box.  They do see some QA issues with pock marks, voids, excessively rough textures, etc.  Rare, but they do happen.

I have several modern lodge pieces and they are non-stick as my early 1900's Griswolds and Wagners.  I have no issues using them and do regularly.

If you're happy with Lodge, stick with them.  The price is definitely right!

I have Finex, Stargazer and Butterpat skillets, no Field Co.

The Finex is super heavy, nice pan, but the wife and daughters complain that it is too heavy.  Handle gets hot enough even with the coiled spring that I need a pot holder.

The Stargazer is nice. It's weight is less than the Finex but more than the Butterpat. No complaints. The handle is cooler than the Finex, I don't need a pot holder, generally.

The Butterpat is probably my favorite. It has the thinest walls, but it did warp just a bit during use. If flatness is a big concern avoid their big skillet, for sure.  I like the surface finish on the Butterpat the best. The handle is short and makes no effort to beat the heat (like the coiled spring on Finex or the Y attachment on the Stargazer). Pot holder is mandatory.

My best cast iron skillet is a 6.5 inch, made in Taiwan, no name pan that I got from my grandmother...that thing is perfection. Perfect for two eggs.

Also have some De Buyer (I hope that's correct) carbon steel fry pans that work as well as any cast iron pans I have.

Off to look at Field Co pans.

Awesome, nice to get some first hand experience!

I also have been gravitating towards carbon steel pans as well.  They're not quite as heavy, and i don't get quite the sear on big hunks of meat as I do in a heavy cast iron pan(like lodge).  However, I don't see much difference other than that in performance.  Obviously carbon steel is lighter and a not prone to cracking/breaking if you drop them or subject them to thermal shock.  They can and will warp though due to thermal shock.  I think mine are Matfer...can't recall now.

Nice!

What's the recipe you have going in the last picture?

That's just a regular $3 grocery store frozen pizza. I put olive oil around the outside so the crust doesn't burn up as fast, so it bakes a lot more consistently.

Salt, pepper, cracked red pepper, sometimes ranch seasoning.

After about 20mins I throw more cheese & meat on to finish it off.

The cast iron makes the crust way better than baking sheets.

Ah, got it. I thought it may have been some fancy pepperoni lasagna concoction.  

I got one for Christmas last year. Great skillet. Nice and light with a mirror finish on the inside. They just recently came out with a bigger version and will probably pick it up.

Cowboy Kent Rollings cast iron review playlist

This thread is gold. I am just getting into cast iron cooking and like the video link posted, I started to get frustrated with my Lodge because I was chasing a baby butt smooth finish the wrong way.

I am open for suggestions for which brand to buy. I am using it for

1. Induction cooktop. I know all will work but I am extra careful about how I set the pan on the glass top... so weight will be a factor.

2. I would like to use it in my oven at baking temps.

3. I would like occasionally to throw it on my Kamado Joe to sear a steak.

Is there 1 of these brands that you would recommend?

There's really nothing wrong with lodge. I used mine on an induction top, and as long as you don't slam it or drag it across the top, it's fine. You can also buy glass cleaning kits that really polish those tops up really well, even if you do get some scrapes.

Thanks. Lodge $$ is definitely more appealing than the others.

Stargazer does mil discount and runs sales.  I love mine.

If you scroll up to the pics I posted.. my 12" pan probably gets used the most. Below is the amazon link, but if you shop around you might be able to find better deals.


This griddle is another good one to have. It works really well on the grill, or if your grill has a range.


This one is also excellent for inside of your grill. Mine stays in there all the time unless I'm cleaning it.

I use the Lodge Reversible Grill and Griddle Combo on my BGE all the time.  It fits perfect on the Large Egg, and it really shines for me when I do smashburgers.

Not sure where you are located down South, but if you can swing it, head up to the Lodge factory store in South Pittsburg TN. They have a section of "seconds" which usually
have a cosmetic imperfection, but are perfectly usable.   A couple of yrs ago I was at a rest stop coming into TN, & on the attraction display they had coupons for the
8" skillet (2nds) for something like $6.  I think at the time they were usually 12 or so.  I'm sure they've gone up some with the renewed interest in CI in the last few yrs.

IIRC, possibly in April, they have their Cornbread Festival there.  Never been, but am going to try... I'm sure it would be interesting..

I second both of these recommendations.  As I recall there are three or four of those Lodge Sales Stores.   Yep, here they are:   http://www.lodgemfg.com/locations
We've only been to the South Pittsburgh store.  Well, not anymore that is; my wife banned me from going there.  She says it's cheaper if I just go to a gun or tool store!  

Here's info on the yearly National Cornbread Festival.  It is the only time you can take a tour of the Lodge Manufacturing facilities.  My wife and I went during 2014's Festival.  Very worthwhile!  You could tell every employee there was very proud of working for that company.

Interesting note:  While we were taking the tour, the plant was closed for making cast iron, but they were still seasoning and boxing up their 12" skillets.  I asked about that and the tour guide (in this case, the QA manager) stated that those 12" skillets came from a foundry in Vermont.  Apparently the South Pittsburgh factory couldn't keep up with demand, so they contracted some manufacturing to Vermont.  The Lodge factory at that time was being renovated and enlarged, so it should be done by now.  He said it was specifically to take up all the demand they have for cast iron.

And if you do travel to South Pittsburgh for the Cornbread Festival, go about 65 miles to the NW and visit the Jack Daniels Distillery.  Also well worth it.

I just picked up a Smithey #10 skillet. The finish is really smooth and it’s a nice heavy skillet that retains heat well. The seasoning that came on it was pretty crappy, but I didn’t expect much as a preseasoning. I’ve been working on seasoning it and have cooked on it a few times and have been happy with it.  I’ve finally gotten the seasoning to a fairly decent point.