Hey fellow Iron-friends,

finally finished swapping out all my non-sticks and other products. Of course it was quite a learning curve, but I was done with buying a new pan every year.... For some acidc stuff I use my stainless pan. Liked the Staub and Le Creuset pans for some time, but the first started chipping. So my trust in these also startet to kind of crumble 🙈

Newest and final CI addition is a small Lancaster no. 6 for some side dishes or smaller things like eggs, when I don't want to heat up the bigger Smithey no.11 or the Stargazer 10,5. Will see how the Lancaster performs, but so far I absolutely love my Smithey. By far my favorite piece of cookware atm.

Quite happy to have these three over here in Europe and took some time to gather as I did not want to pay like 350€+ for a Smithey....

Cast iron skillets are not popular in Poland, but they should be. They're great!

Hello, I inherited this cast iron a couple of years ago. It may have not been in the best condition then and it’s certainly not now. I try to take care of it but haven’t done a great job seasoning it before.

There is a flakiness to it and also some exposed rust looking parts. How do I go about fixing this? I scrub it with a chainmail to clean it btw but it still flakes and leaves a lot of residue on a paper towel when I wipe it down.

Had it a couple of years. It's well used!

While I wouldn’t cook like this every time (I prefer the easy slide and taste that comes of a bit of fat), it’s proof that a low/slow temp control and a bit of patience goes a long way.

I'm guessing this is from the postwar era, or else a relatively high quality reproduction? I can't really find much information on corn stick pans on the internet that isn't just AI hallucinated garbage.

Just received a new Stargazer 12” skillet as a wedding gift, and I absolutely love the looks and ergonomics of this pan.

After three rounds of seasoning with avocado oil, I cooked some eggs and toasted sourdough. Unfortunately, the eggs stuck a bit and required some scraping. I used the same method as with my Griswold No. 8 (pictured on the left), which never gives me any issues.

I know it takes time to build a good cooking surface, but what foods would you recommend cooking to help darken the seasoning quickly and improve its nonstick performance?

Would love to hear your experiences. Thanks!

I noticed what I thought was carbon build up and started scraping with a metal spatula. Then I couldn’t get the corners so I used a dinner knife. ChatGPT first told me seasoning can’t be scraped off, and is now saying I likely removed seasoning with the knife. Now I’m irritated, have wasted an hour taking ChatGPT’s advice, and I’m left with an uneven looking pan.

Human advice appreciated… do I need to strip the pan?
First 2 photos are mid scraping and 3rd is after cleaning with dawn and a scrubber

I used the sodium hydroxide (SH) method to reset my already working pan, for learning purposes, here is the result. After the SH, I seasoned it 3 times using rapeseed oil, 230 degrees celcius, 1 hour.

Question: My exact formula for my stove (induction) to fry eggs is 5,5/9 heat for 8 minutes -> apply oil -> crack egg into pan. Before the reset this worked perfectly and the egg almost slided around. After the reset however, the egg got heated way quicker and stuck a lot more to the pan. Anyone know if this is expected? I believe the seasoning went fine.

I keep trying to get thia pan to look good and seasoned but I never can. I tried baking it with a thin layer of canola oil. Food sticks to it and I cant get the carbon off. How do I reset it and make it non stick

I'm talking on the center plate how it looks uneven. It cooks fine idk how this happened tho

Has anyone else ever come upon a Canadian pan that was made after the 1960's. This was too neat to pass up. It's definitely heavier than any of my smaller vintage pans.

Lye bath and 2 rounds of grapeseed oil seasoning in 450 degree oven.

So i bought (admittedly) a cheap cast iron pan. After being on this thread I did 2 rounds of seasoning with vegetable oil and have used the pan maybe 5 times. Each time it seems to smoke quite alot and its already started looking patchy. I only cook with olive oil and after every use I scrub using only hot water, dry with a towel, finish on a low heat, then wipe with a bit if veg oil and kitchen roll. When i wipe it with oil after cleaning the kitchen roll always goes black. What am I doing wrong and how can I fix this pan? Thankyou all in advance

Quite proud of my Mac and cheese. Cast iron is the best baking vessels I’ve come across.

Here’s my confession: I rarely use my skillets on the range top anymore. Used to use them constantly until about 3 years ago when I got 2 new skillets (not cast iron) as a gift. Better temp control, lighter and handles always stay cool plus they’re ergonomic. Not saying what they are because that’s not the point. Point is that I’m learning to better use the tools that work best for you. Love my cast iron for baking, and braising in Dutch ovens. Soups and stocks in cast iron too. But range top cooking is where I reach for a different type of pan.

ETA: Recipe below

It was easy to make. I made 8 oz of pasta that I cooked a minute less than al dente per package instructions. Set aside in the strainer. Made a béchamel using 1/4 c flour, 1/4 c butter and 2 c milk. Added spices (1/2 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp mustard powder and pepper to taste). Melted 8 oz shredded Gruyère into the béchamel off the burner. Mixed pasta and sauce into 10” cast iron skillet and added more shredded cheese (Colby jack) to cover top. Baked in 375 deg F preheated oven for 18 min then finished under broiler (hi) for a minute or 2. Watch it when broiling so it doesn’t burn.

Cleaning out my dad’s things and found this bad boy. Hoping to keep it:3 I just am unsure on how to help it! Any advice is welcome

I had a disappointing experience with Lodge customer support over a chipped enameled Dutch oven.

I bought a Lodge 6-quart enameled Dutch oven through amazon.ca, relying on its limited lifetime warranty. Recently, the interior enamel chipped during normal household use, so I contacted Lodge.

After providing photos and details about how I use the pot, Lodge refused the claim because it was purchased through Amazon outside the US and directed me to Amazon. Amazon said the order was too old for a return and sent me back to Lodge.

I escalated the matter, and management's final response was:

“Lodge will no longer support ANY warranty request for Items bought from Amazon outside the US. It does not matter if the item was damaged during shipping, during the first use, or 5 years after purchase.”

I wasn't aware of this restriction when I bought the cookware. It's frustrating to be caught between the retailer and manufacturer, with neither willing to help.

Has anyone in Canada had a similar experience with Lodge? Were you able to get help through the Canadian distributor or find another resolution?

Homemade pizza dough for the first time too! Thinking a lodge pizza pan might be in the future. This turned out so good and was relatively easy!

What thing should I look for? I know it should not be chipped. What are some things that are a red flag do not buy?