Is this 200 Cast Iron Pan Better than the Lodge? The Kitchen Gadget Test Show
video description
Date: 2020-05-20
Related videos
Comments and reviews: 10
DukeStreetBill
First off, weigh the pans, to see if one is more massive than the other. Second, measure the thickness of the bottom of each. If both are cast-iron, these parameters will be a better indicator of a pan's ability to transfer the heat source's energy more evenly. (The flour test has too many variables, and isn't as reliableIF, again, they're of similar alloys) Third, season each pan anew before using it: judging based on factory seasoning completely distracts from the quality of the pan. Fourth, you should be using a wok, which is better suited to the dish you're makingand, properly seasoned, offers the same metal as your cast-iron pan, and, being thinner, transfers heat from the source more effectively. The whole concept of stir-fry is based on stirring to rapidly (and evenly) distribute the heat from a hot source: one should not be relying on the pan, but on one's technique. If you want even heat distribution from a heavy pan, put an aluminum or copper plate between the pan and the burner: they're readily available. BUT, that kind of even distribution is better suited to making soups and simmering (where the ingredients aren't disturbed much. Woks came into existence where firewood was scarce, and grass might have been the fuel: high, temporary heat, distributed via stirring is the wok's raison d'etre. Using a cast iron pan for that purpose makes as little sense as using a double boiler for searing meat. (And if your wok has a cover, it's far better and faster for steaming and reheating than a cast-iron vessel)
reply
First off, weigh the pans, to see if one is more massive than the other. Second, measure the thickness of the bottom of each. If both are cast-iron, these parameters will be a better indicator of a pan's ability to transfer the heat source's energy more evenly. (The flour test has too many variables, and isn't as reliableIF, again, they're of similar alloys) Third, season each pan anew before using it: judging based on factory seasoning completely distracts from the quality of the pan. Fourth, you should be using a wok, which is better suited to the dish you're makingand, properly seasoned, offers the same metal as your cast-iron pan, and, being thinner, transfers heat from the source more effectively. The whole concept of stir-fry is based on stirring to rapidly (and evenly) distribute the heat from a hot source: one should not be relying on the pan, but on one's technique. If you want even heat distribution from a heavy pan, put an aluminum or copper plate between the pan and the burner: they're readily available. BUT, that kind of even distribution is better suited to making soups and simmering (where the ingredients aren't disturbed much. Woks came into existence where firewood was scarce, and grass might have been the fuel: high, temporary heat, distributed via stirring is the wok's raison d'etre. Using a cast iron pan for that purpose makes as little sense as using a double boiler for searing meat. (And if your wok has a cover, it's far better and faster for steaming and reheating than a cast-iron vessel)
reply
Fire
Hate to say it. but cast iron is cast iron. we have been making them for 100s of years now. They are all made with ductile cast iron. And if youre not using a gas stove or an open flame. youre using it incorrectly. Electric stoves just doesnt heat it evenly as an open flame. And you have to move the heavy skillet off the electric burner to remove the heat source, whereas just turn off the gas using a gas stove. Never just start cooking with a brand new cast iron skillet, you have to season it. This includes the ones that say they are seasoned before you bought them. They just dipped it in oil and baked it so you dont buy a rusted product. Its not read for cooking. Thats why your food was sticking to it. Your food will prolly have an off taste to it. Nice cooking there. And who taught you how to do a comparison test? Your electric stove was already hotter for the 2nd pan.
reply
Hate to say it. but cast iron is cast iron. we have been making them for 100s of years now. They are all made with ductile cast iron. And if youre not using a gas stove or an open flame. youre using it incorrectly. Electric stoves just doesnt heat it evenly as an open flame. And you have to move the heavy skillet off the electric burner to remove the heat source, whereas just turn off the gas using a gas stove. Never just start cooking with a brand new cast iron skillet, you have to season it. This includes the ones that say they are seasoned before you bought them. They just dipped it in oil and baked it so you dont buy a rusted product. Its not read for cooking. Thats why your food was sticking to it. Your food will prolly have an off taste to it. Nice cooking there. And who taught you how to do a comparison test? Your electric stove was already hotter for the 2nd pan.
reply
Babe-On
please learn how to fry be it on a cast iron or otherwise. When you don't give the ingredient a chance to seal at the bottom layer, and scratch it like that, do expect it to stick! Creating this weird thing? while you were jiggling the egg. It's called a crusting layer not a weird thing happening duh! The flour test was also in no way conclusive, neither pan was evenly browning the flour layer. Sorry not at all a professional product test. Nothing technical, all subjective with even a lack of basic understanding of cooking. I have had and still have the cheapest of non name cast iron, if you know what you are doing, you can work with almost all cast iron pans. The older the better, the more used, the better, the less pretty all the better.
reply
please learn how to fry be it on a cast iron or otherwise. When you don't give the ingredient a chance to seal at the bottom layer, and scratch it like that, do expect it to stick! Creating this weird thing? while you were jiggling the egg. It's called a crusting layer not a weird thing happening duh! The flour test was also in no way conclusive, neither pan was evenly browning the flour layer. Sorry not at all a professional product test. Nothing technical, all subjective with even a lack of basic understanding of cooking. I have had and still have the cheapest of non name cast iron, if you know what you are doing, you can work with almost all cast iron pans. The older the better, the more used, the better, the less pretty all the better.
reply
Missingthe80's
The expensive stuff is lighter and easier on the hands. The Lodge stuff really benefits from a rotary disc sander going from 150 to 1500 grit. Sand the surfaces to a near prism and you won't regret it. I do this then season the surface and cool. I bead test with a 1/4 of water, anywhere the water soaks into the seasoning leaving a wet look gets as many smoking hot oil wipes as needed until the entire surface beads water. Perfectly non stick. After a Saturday afternoon worth of work it's just a quick high heat maintenance wipe after every other use. It's up to you to decide if 2 hours worth of work is worth your time. Maybe 200 is a better deal.
reply
The expensive stuff is lighter and easier on the hands. The Lodge stuff really benefits from a rotary disc sander going from 150 to 1500 grit. Sand the surfaces to a near prism and you won't regret it. I do this then season the surface and cool. I bead test with a 1/4 of water, anywhere the water soaks into the seasoning leaving a wet look gets as many smoking hot oil wipes as needed until the entire surface beads water. Perfectly non stick. After a Saturday afternoon worth of work it's just a quick high heat maintenance wipe after every other use. It's up to you to decide if 2 hours worth of work is worth your time. Maybe 200 is a better deal.
reply
Joshua
Anyone that knows me knows how much I love cast iron. Ive got a collection of pieces both new and handed down, and from a couple different brands. Theres not even the slightest chance that I would spend 200 on a cast iron skillet. Every lodge piece I have is well seasoned and well used. and Ive never had trouble out of any of them. Maybe Im partial because my collection started with Lodge, but I prefer it over the rest for sure
reply
Anyone that knows me knows how much I love cast iron. Ive got a collection of pieces both new and handed down, and from a couple different brands. Theres not even the slightest chance that I would spend 200 on a cast iron skillet. Every lodge piece I have is well seasoned and well used. and Ive never had trouble out of any of them. Maybe Im partial because my collection started with Lodge, but I prefer it over the rest for sure
reply
Richard
Flour test doesn't work, you didn't ensure a totally even and consistent layer on either pan. Heat in oven test doesn't work: one has had more chance to cool down than the other. plus the meat should have been ready to go the moment the pans were out. There was no temp measurements at that point. You're using two different sized rings on the stove top! The heat transfer isn't anywhere near the same! This is a joke right?
reply
Flour test doesn't work, you didn't ensure a totally even and consistent layer on either pan. Heat in oven test doesn't work: one has had more chance to cool down than the other. plus the meat should have been ready to go the moment the pans were out. There was no temp measurements at that point. You're using two different sized rings on the stove top! The heat transfer isn't anywhere near the same! This is a joke right?
reply
Sam
Have been disappointed with my last 2 Lodge purchases. One rocked because the logo on the bottom of the skillet was higher than the bottom and required filing the logo. I took the factory seasoning off the 12 inch skillet, and there was rust under the factory seasoning. Now I'm either buying from these other US manufacturers like butter pat, filed, stargazer or old Griswald / Wagner skillet.
reply
Have been disappointed with my last 2 Lodge purchases. One rocked because the logo on the bottom of the skillet was higher than the bottom and required filing the logo. I took the factory seasoning off the 12 inch skillet, and there was rust under the factory seasoning. Now I'm either buying from these other US manufacturers like butter pat, filed, stargazer or old Griswald / Wagner skillet.
reply
Cujo
So much wrong here. SO MUCH WRONG. No apparent seasoning of new cast iron, scraping the hell out of it with steel utensils, dumping oil in a 500 degree skillet (burnt oil, not adding and oil/butter/fat when making the fried rice. Any one of these things alone would jeopardize the meal. Combining all of them together tells me that it would be a miracle if EITHER pan provided an edible meal.
reply
So much wrong here. SO MUCH WRONG. No apparent seasoning of new cast iron, scraping the hell out of it with steel utensils, dumping oil in a 500 degree skillet (burnt oil, not adding and oil/butter/fat when making the fried rice. Any one of these things alone would jeopardize the meal. Combining all of them together tells me that it would be a miracle if EITHER pan provided an edible meal.
reply
Mike
Cast Iron used to get sanded completely smooth. Over time seasoning would build up and make it super non stick. Then they started selling pans pre-seasoned, and they stopped sanding them smooth at the factory (the rough texture makes seasoning at the factory easier. The butter pat costs more because theyre sanding it smooth, and has potential to become much more non-stick than the lodge
reply
Cast Iron used to get sanded completely smooth. Over time seasoning would build up and make it super non stick. Then they started selling pans pre-seasoned, and they stopped sanding them smooth at the factory (the rough texture makes seasoning at the factory easier. The butter pat costs more because theyre sanding it smooth, and has potential to become much more non-stick than the lodge
reply
codi
Yeah I bet if I took my angle grinder to that lodge and smoothed it out that 200 pan wouldnt touch it. Plus its uneven because you got it ripping hot in a 500 degree oven unless your seasoning with flax seed oil than its gonna burn off some of the seasoning. if your in the market for an iron skillet go to an antique store or a flea market and get a good smooth thick pan. Dont spend 200
reply
Yeah I bet if I took my angle grinder to that lodge and smoothed it out that 200 pan wouldnt touch it. Plus its uneven because you got it ripping hot in a 500 degree oven unless your seasoning with flax seed oil than its gonna burn off some of the seasoning. if your in the market for an iron skillet go to an antique store or a flea market and get a good smooth thick pan. Dont spend 200
reply
Add a review, comment
Other channel videos
