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11-27-2018 08:41 PM
Hi All- I'm in total agreement about these pans being very heavy. Yet there's something about them that is so satisfying - if you can lift them. The first piece I purchased was just earlier this year, the Lodge 11" skillet from here. Love it. Great size. Make pork roasts in it for my father. Then I got to thinking, wouldn't it be nice to have one that's a little bigger to do veggies along with a roast, etc. so I went to the A site and bought a used Lodge skillet in 13-1/4" for $35. It scares me it's so heavy! What was I thinking!!!! I need to just get over myself and use it bc am sure it will be wonderful. It does not have the heat treatmemt for anti-rust that the 11" one has, but it's still beautiful. Large. Lodge makes them even bigger.
Do any of you use those steel mesh sheets for scrubbing your cast iron? I wonder if something like that would be great for the job or if it's actually damaging. Thoughts?
11-27-2018 09:23 PM
@Thats MeMy black cast iron pieces have been handed down for three generations. Doubt you need to worry about rust in a home situation. Clean your pieces, dry completely and oil (I use EVOO) lightly. They will be good to go forever. Enjoy!
11-27-2018 10:11 PM
BirkiLady, I have used my cast iron pans on my glass stovetops many times with no problems, but I admit, I am very careful not to drop them or to even set them down "lopsided", i.e. one edge before the other, I set them down as close to perfectly level as possible. If we had natural gas available to my house I'd have a gas cooktop and electric oven (a hybrid stove) so I wouldn't have to worry about a glass cooktop, but it isn't. I looked at coil burners on stoves the last time we bought a new electric stove last year, but could not find many models that had that top along with a convection oven or a proofing setting in the oven, so I got a glass cooktop again. So far I've been okay with cast iron on them, I hope my luck continues!
11-27-2018 10:27 PM
@BirkiLady wrote:Like some of the previous posters, I also love my inherited black cast irons pots and pans. Unfortunately, my stove/oven is almost 30 years old and probably going to bite the dust in the near future. I do not want a glass top stove! Not willing to give up cooking with those wonderful cast iron pieces from my grandmother and mom. Food tastes so much better when prepared in cast iron!
Has anyone else encountered this problem yet? Are drop-in stoves with burners still available? Afraid replacing my stove may involve an entire costly redo.
Hi, @BirkiLady. I purchased a coil burner electric stove about two years ago, if that's what you mean. They're out there. It's what I would call a "drop in" - just a free standing range that slides in between countertops/cabinets, and it has the controls on the back.
The delivery guys had never seen the likes. I did have to have an outlet installed by an electrician, though, as when the house was built, by code it was allowable to hard wire the unit to the breaker box. Now there are (in my state, anyway) safety rules specifying how far away the panel can be from the range; otherwise, a quick disconnect (plug) needs to be available, in case of fire.
I like my coils. Great conductors of heat. No glass to scratch.
11-27-2018 11:23 PM
@Sweetbay magnolia Good to know coil burners are still availabe on stoves! Yes, I do prefer them. Have cooked on glass cooktops and simply not a huge fan. I do a lot of stirfry and Thai cooking; am not overly gentle with my stainless steel pans when cooking those foods! Don't want to worry about cracking the glass.
You have the general idea of a "drop in" . . . mine doesn't slide in. It drops in from the top of the Corian countertops and cabinetry. It is a custom kitchen we installed shortly before moving into this home. If I cannot find another "drop in" model, the counters and cabinetry need to be retrofitted to accept a slide-in model. UGH!
And, yes, I am aware all newer models must have an electrician. It's a good fire protection, which I fully support. I've always kept a working fire extinquisher in the pantry just in case. Thanks!
11-28-2018 10:30 AM
We have Lodge cast-iron cookware, Made in the USA. Love 'em. Yes, they are heavy. Yes, the cook great.
11-28-2018 10:37 AM
When I was growing up, my mother and grandmother used cast iron pieces, and I always had a skillet and dutch oven.
I switched to no-stick years ago ... but after having "killed" so many no-stick skillets over the years, I just recently returned to cast iron ... just a skillet. I plan on getting a dutch oven.
They are heavy ... two hands needed to lift the skillet. But - it's a pleasure to cook on!
11-28-2018 11:38 AM - edited 11-28-2018 11:42 AM
@BirkiLady - My electric coil range is on its last legs as well! The clock died first, then the lights and alerts when the oven was heated, and then one burner went into overdrive to the point where it gets too hot to be used for most cooking. I cannot wait to trade in this beast for a glasstop model—I have spent decades with the coil ranges and will be thrilled to have a single, solid surface to clean instead of coils plus drip pans plus the main stove surface. I have many friends and relatives who use their cast iron pieces on glasstop surfaces without worry; as others have noted, you simply need to be a bit more careful.
I've seen a few drop-in electric coil models at Lowe's and Home Depot, but you may have to order online and get the range delivered because they often don't have them set up in the stores.
11-28-2018 12:23 PM - edited 11-28-2018 12:23 PM
I've owned and cooked on all types of stoves. You probably will love the ease of using and maintaining a glasstop, as opposed to coils or gas grates.
There is a learning curve (easy) when cooking on glass, because it will stay hot after you've turned it off. You learn to cut it off a little sooner and let the pot stay on the burner for a little while to finish cooking.
Glass is not nearly as fragile as some people seem to think. It can take high heat as well as anything else, and I never saw a scratch or a crack in the couple of decades that I owned one.
I want one again. Can't stand my gas cooktop.
11-28-2018 12:30 PM
@novamc1 - Fortunately, I've been helping my mother with her cooking for a few years now using her glasstop range, so I know I'll be happy with the results when I finally get my new one. I've been surprised at how picky I am about the burner arrangements and the size/style of window in the oven door; those issues have prevented me from taking the plunge as yet, but I'll be checking out the new year and Presidents Day sales to see if there are any good bargains.
I always thought I was the only one who disiked gas ranges—it's nice to know there's at least one other person in the world who shares my feelings.
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