Hello, I am looking to get myself a cast iron skillet, and I have a couple of questions I’m not finding immediate answers for:
- Does it matter what brand of skillet I get? Is there one brand better than another, especially for beginners?
- What size should I get? My main interest in CI is to make my own pizzas, but I’ll probably expand out from there.
- Should I get a set with multiple sizes?
Thanks! Also, am I missing asking anything else? I don’t know what I don’t know. :)
All cast irons should basically perform the same. Where the difference would be is in weight, finish, and ergonomics. Lodge is the best cheapest option but it’s a bit thicker and has a bumpy surface. More expensive ones are ground down after casting so they’re a bit thinner and lighter and smooth. For example, field makes a skillet that’s about a lb lighter than the same size lodge and you can definitely feel it. Other than that the main difference would just be the shape.
If you don’t care about any of that I would just go with lodge.
Brands don’t matter that much, however the smoothness of the cooking surface and the weight does. For starters Lodge 10" is a great bang for your buck reference pan.
There’s nothing preventing you from making pizza on a griddle either, if you happen to have one of those lying around.
As for sets, the only thing I can think of is pan/lid combo. My two 10"'s are being used a lot. A 12" is a lot heavier, but great for larger dishes. I have lids for both of them and use them quite often.
I’m not very familiar with modern CI brands other than Lodge. I think all modern CI is heavy and unwieldy.
Look around for Wagner Wear, Griswold, and maybe even some older Lodge pieces.
I like my size 8 Griswold. I think it’s a 10" pan, so only big enough for a small pizza.
If you buy an old pan from eBay or somewhere, it might need to be stripped and seasoned. There are various methods of doing those tasks, and it’s worth the effort.
Older pans are thinner, lighter, and machined smooth. Lodge pans are thick and heavy, and have a rough cooking surface. Both options will cook well as long as you use plenty of butter/oil/fat.
Lodge makes a bunch of different sizes. They’re good value. It’s cast iron, a very basic material, you don’t need to get super expensive stuff like Le Creuset. 10-12 inch would be a good all-round size and be great for personal pizzas. I wouldn’t get a set unless there was a specific size(s) you knew you wanted.
OP, what finite here said all rings true.
One of my favorite parts of cast iron is how easy and forgiving it is. Look up some videos and do some research on seasoning the skillet and you’ll be making some awesome pizzas!
Been using the same lodge skillet since like 2013. I Bea the shit out of it and abuse it more than anyone ever should. Bought it when I bought my first house because we gutted the kitchen and the only way to cook was in the fire pit 😂 since then I haven’t touched a regular non stick pan. I have more cast iron than I can count but that first one from Walmart is the only one that really gets any use.
I do 99% of my cooking in a 12" lodge. It’s cheap, good quality, and ready to rock right off the rack.
Just be sure to wash it with soap, scrape all the bits of food off, and heat it dry and run some oil on it. I keep a rag near and every so often I sprinkle some oil in the pan, doesn’t matter the kind really, and I wipe it around the hot pan. It lives on the stove.
Seriously, just get a 12" lodge. I’ve done plenty of pizzas in it too.
As far as brand, I’m not that knowledgeable yet. One thing to look for is smooth surfaces. Older cast iron and good, more expensive, cast iron is smooth and easier to cook with.
Hmm, I wrote out a reply, but seems like it didn’t post. My apologies if you get two versions of kinda the same thing.
If you buy a modern Lodge off the shelf, it will have a pebbly surface. This is from the sand they use to cast the iron when the piece is manufactured. And in the olden days, they used to have a second step of grinding that pebbly surface smooth so it was a better cooking experience brand new. Somewhere in the 60’s, they stopped doing that as a cost saving measure (yay capitalism!)
That being said, your new Lodge skillet will get smooth with time and use. It may take a few months of daily use, or longer if you’re not using it as often. But the seasoning will slowly fill in all those little hills and valleys, and it will smooth out with use. So more expensive manufacturers have added that stone grinding step back in, and they are nicer to work with straight off the shelf. But your Lodge will get there too with time and use.
Is it not better to sand/grind out the pebble surface than to let it fill in? I just bought a new lodge skillet for my 17 year old son. All of my cast iron has been purchased second hand or inherited so I never had to deal with this.
Hard to say when you’re talking about modern manufacturer’s that are still producing. I’m a hard no for any power tools in restoration of antique pieces, but those are old pieces that are not being made anymore. Any power tool that modifies an antique piece is a bit of history that can’t be replaced.
But for a basic Lodge, if you feel comfortable enough with the tools and want to go for it, there’s probably no real harm there. If you mess it up, you can replace it for not much money.
