Cast Iron

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A community for cast iron cookware. Recipes, care, restoration, identification, etc.

Rules: Be helpful when you can, be respectful always, and keep cooking bacon.

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Newb Questions (self.castiron)

submitted 1 year ago by dohpaz42 to c/castiron

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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. :)

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

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.