I have no affiliation with this company. Just saw their ad on a site I visit. Great story. SMOOTH cast iron pan made in America. Expensive. I know Paul talks a lot about non-stick being a function of smoothness. So here you go: https://fieldcompany.com
I have owned a Field Skillet for a little over 2 years now (backed them when they were a Kickstarter). It's the best cast iron pan I own, and the one I use the most. Lighter than vintage, just as smooth. Can't recommend it enough.
Have you looked into carbon steel pans? They're a little thinner than traditional cast iron but once seasoned provide a stick-free smooth cooking surface. They're popular in European kitchens, though because it requires seasoning they haven't made it into the mass market in the states.
Another option that I know is actually affordable. It is Barebones, though it is made in China for a US company. But it is one of the few low cost that is actually smooth that I have found so thought worth mentioning.
For those of you with the Field skillets, how do you like the handle? I only have Griswold, Wagner or no name very old cast iron. We have one Wagner 1891 pan that is newer that has an upswept handle that my wife likes better than the standard handles on the other pans.
Another smooth US cast iron I had trouble tracking down the link for, or even remembering their name. It is http://www.stargazercastiron.com/ They are a newer company and only have 2 pans. When I had first heard of them they only had 1.
A video because they just make threads more interesting.
Perrin Hendrick wrote:Have you looked into carbon steel pans? They're a little thinner than traditional cast iron but once seasoned provide a stick-free smooth cooking surface. They're popular in European kitchens, though because it requires seasoning they haven't made it into the mass market in the states.
Perrin Hendrick wrote:The great thing about carbon steel is the pans are CHEAP! Similar to cast iron you'll also have it for a lifetime.
Funny thing, in my looking around at the Finex, I came across a Carbon Steel line I really like. Though they are not US made they are Australian and they aren't exactly cheap. It's the Solidteknics AUS-ION
* edit to add, I found out they do have US made as well as the Australian. US-ION wrought iron (made in Chicago from clean USA iron) https://solidteknicsusa.com/solidproducts ** edit to add again, a bit more research and I found that the satin finish is not available in the US-Ion only the Aus-Ion. The smooth finish was actually discontinued in the Aus-Ion then reintroduced later, but the satin was taken up due to the smooth finish having trouble with loosing the seasoning. For the smooth finish and US-Ion it is recommended to abraid the cookware with high grit sand paper or steel wool to give the seasoning somewhere to grip. Or if you would prefer the Aus-Ion satin finish and not so worried about US made, you can order Aus-Ion with the satin finish from Amazon.
** in addition the US distribution has nöni ferritic wrought stainless cookware is made in the USA from highly conductive US-made ferritic stainless steel. A new product line they have just started.
This video has me pretty much sold on picking at least some of these up to round out my needs for what I don't have yet with Grizwald and wagner pans.
I might end up getting the full set from Solidteknics, or maybe eventually save up for the Finex. Who knows if I win the lottery I could get sets of both.
Here is a link to their site for anyone interested http://www.solidteknics.com/ion you can also find some of them on Amazon
*edit here is the US distribution https://solidteknicsusa.com/shop
And for those who don't watch videos or click links, here is picture that explains what makes these so interesting.
Don't know if this is old news to the cast iron pan lovers out there but found this tidbit on instructables.com that may be of interest: Resurfacing-Cast-Iron-Pans
I've always been a cast iron fan. My brother in law gave us a big carbon steel skillet for Christmas. It's great! I seasoned it up like I would a cast iron skillet. I think it's about the same as my good (smooth) cast iron skillets as far as cooking. We care for it the same as our cast iron stuff. I think it's a little lighter, but it's still heavier than other types of pans.
Gerry Parent wrote:Don't know if this is old news to the cast iron pan lovers out there but found this tidbit on instructables.com that may be of interest: Resurfacing-Cast-Iron-Pans
Caroline LaVin wrote:I have no affiliation with this company. Just saw their ad on a site I visit. Great story. SMOOTH cast iron pan made in America. Expensive. I know Paul talks a lot about non-stick being a function of smoothness. So here you go: https://fieldcompany.com
I’ve been a cast iron and carbon steel fan for most of my life. I have some stainless as well but I stay far far away from aluminum and anything non-stick (especially the new stuff that “claims” to be safe but isn’t.
I’ve collected antique cast iron, found it in yard sales and thrift stores. All the older cast iron is as smooth as glass and performs really well. Most of the inexpensive modern stuff is really rough and gives folks a lot of issues and tends to be discouraging. But it’s nothing that some sandpaper cannot fix (for the cast iron).
I’ve seen people ruin carbon steel pans (warps and improper seasoning. Some of those can be fixed with heat, a piece of 2x4, a mini sledge hammer, and a fresh tree stump... And then some sand paper.
That field company pan looks really nice and smooth and looks like a really good pan. But for those who don’t want to break the bank and don’t mind a little labor (and buying some sand paper), you can spend a few hours on any inexpensive (rough as tree bark) lodge pan or whatever Walmart sells and do just fine.
I refuse to do oven seasoning because I think that’s just a cruel joke played on people that don’t know any better. Pyrolizing oil to iron should be done with the highest heat you can get and a small rocket stove (made out of anything, including cobb) can do a really good job at getting the level of heat needed to pyrolize a very hard thin layer of oil to iron. Baking in the oven makes a soft layer that tends to fail as well as be sticky. I scrub my cast iron with a stainless scrubber pad and soapy water and it doesn’t even leave a scuff on my seasoning. Maybe you can’t get away with that with an oven seasoning, but you can on a good seasoning.
If you can’t afford the pan you love, love the pan you’re with... if it’s cast iron and it isn’t cracked, it can be an awesome pan if it isn’t already.
Good Luck!
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Good things happen to those who hustle --Anaïs Nin ... feel the hustle of this tiny ad!
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