Is this $200 Cast Iron Pan Better than the Lodge? — The Kitchen Gadget Test Show

On today's episode of the Kitchen Gadget Test Show, host Esther Choi is testing the $200 Butter Pat pan against the standard $26 Lodge.

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[fellok]

My great great grandmas cast iron that has been passed down in my family for almost 130 years still works just fine.

[discourius]

I love my Lodge pans. It took me a few years to get the seasoning built up. I think a lot of the learning curve with cast iron is the seasoning. I remember when I first starting using them everything was sticking, but now it's like the best nonstick pan I have.

[MrEborel]

Man, you killed me scraping that fork on the pan! I still have goosebumps.

[HillTrekkerSarge]

get the Lodge...can't go wrong and the price difference buys a lot of ribeyes

[dougrobinson]

I watched Kent Rollins video on removing the truck liner finish on the Lodge with a sander and then re-season. It is really smooth now.

[jerualem]

Re: sticking...it’s brand new! Factory seasoning be damned. Every piece of cast iron needs cooking time to become nonstick.

[SheepdogSmokey]

I don't ever trust a factory season, I do it again myself and I've never had any issues with Lodge products.

[jakeMontejo]

Fried rice in a cast iron is supreme. I actually have a cast iron wok, for that reason.

Also- don’t oil entire pan for steak and you’ll avoid excess smoke. Oil your steak instead. And use ghee or beef fat, instead of a vegetable type of oil.

[fluffycritter]

I would have been interested to see how the stick test happens after the pans are properly seasoned.

[teriparizeau]

Cast iron pans need to be seasoned after you buy it even if it is preseasoned.

Cast iron also doesn’t heat evenly it just retains heat better.

[jmac]

Anyone that knows me knows how much I love cast iron. I’ve got a collection of pieces both new and handed down, and from a couple different brands. There’s 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 I’ve never had trouble out of any of them. Maybe I’m partial because my collection started with Lodge, but I prefer it over the rest for sure

[uncledavesfrontier]

The lodge pans from the 80s were the best. Slick finish and have held up. I bought my set in the 80s and they're still the best pans ever.

[andrewdickinson]

I'm gonna test out deep fryers by making hollandaise in them.

[calebrabion]

Regardless of how much it costs, the "preseasoning" is never good enough.

[TwistedTc]

I just use my grandma's cast irons from the 30s and they are amazing

[BennyTheButcher]

The nonstick polymer layers form over time and use. You should never expect a brand new seasoned cast iron (or carbon steel) pan to be nonstick out of the box. It doesn't work like that.

[johnnyly]

If you are looking for even heating, you need to look toward copper or aluminum core pans. It's not the Lodge pans fault. It's the nature of iron. The heat will be uneven if you do not preheat the pan properly. However, cast irons best quality in heat retention which is why they make great crust around your steak. Start with a medium low heat at first and have it sit for 20 minutes or so. After that you can turn up the heat.

[j-manb]

My Griswold pans are smooth and thin like the Butter Pat, when they are properly seasoned, they're awesome.
I would recommend using them for a week or two and then revisit this test.

[defyingentropy]

My lodge after about 10 meals is now perfect, I can fry eggs in it.

[gavinhirt]

Cowboy kent Rollins did this w a wood fire and shows how to make the cheaper cast iron as good as the expensive pans and dutch ovens