Polished Cast Iron Skillets

Greg said:
I've been looking for a polished cast iron skillet for a while now and all I've found up to now is the $150, $200, $300, and higher "nope" variety.

This should be around 3 lbs. and it's $60.
https://www.carolinacooker.com/10-polished-cast-iron-skillet/p/126926/

There's a 12" version too for around $70 and 4-5 lbs.
https://www.carolinacooker.com/12-polished-cast-iron-skillet/p/126927/
Click to expand...
I've always wondered if you could just polish one up? Start grinding and work your way towards finer grits until you reach the desired smoothness.
 
WashingtonTaco said:
I've always wondered if you could just polish one up? Start grinding and work your way towards finer grits until you reach the desired smoothness.
Click to expand...

You can. It's just choosing between spending time or money. I polished a Lodge cast iron round fajita skillet with a palm sander to create something I can just set it on top of the coals to cook with it and it takes very little space. A polished fajita skillet a unique piece of cookware though.

Buying Smithy cast iron skillet for $160 or getting a $30 Lodge and spend time and elbow grease to remove 2lbs of cast iron? I choose the latter. An extra $30 seemed reasonable though.
 
Greg said:
You can. It's just choosing between spending time or money. I polished a Lodge cast iron round fajita skillet with a palm sander to create something I can just set it on top of the coals to cook with it and it takes very little space. A polished fajita skillet a unique piece of cookware though.

Buying Smithy cast iron skillet for $160 or getting a $30 Lodge and spend time and elbow grease to remove 2lbs of cast iron? I choose the latter. An extra $30 seemed reasonable though.
Click to expand...
Sounds like a winter setting in the garage drinking beer job!
 
WashingtonTaco said:
Sounds like a winter setting in the garage drinking beer job!
Click to expand...
:like

Got one of these sitting under the counter and 80, 120, and 220 grit for the palm sander in the garage. The Carolina Cooker nearly the same weight as a OXO skillet I have and if it works as well as it use to* I'll have some small winter projects.

* I picked of a OXO camp skillet a while ago on sale and it worked great for a while. "pre-seasoned" is misleading though. It's more like Teflon coating and can't be re-seasoned. A little too much heat, not enough oil, and a scouring pad during cleanup did it in.
 
Greetings,
I polished a Lodge cast iron skillet with success.

I also found a American made option:
https://finexusa.com/our-story/

I have a few and the handles are great.

KIMG2089.JPG
KIMG2088.JPG
 
Per their website:

Carolina Cooker is headquartered in North Carolina. All cast iron and enameled cast iron products are imported from China

Smithey:

We design and craft our cookware in the USA, and our talented team of craftsmen and women individually inspects every Smithey multiple times throughout the manufacturing process.

Smithey looks like works of art.
 
TACMEDIC said:
Per their website:

Carolina Cooker is headquartered in North Carolina. All cast iron and enameled cast iron products are imported from China

Smithey:

We design and craft our cookware in the USA, and our talented team of craftsmen and women individually inspects every Smithey multiple times throughout the manufacturing process.

Smithey looks like works of art.
Click to expand...

I agree completely but if I ever spend $200 for a Smithey, or it's like, it's going in the kitchen and not in a chuck box to be used once in a while.
 
I have family inherited cast iron pans. My go to is my 12 inch Griswold.
It's from the family ranch in Wyoming.
It's smooth as butter and works flawlessly as its been "polished" for years.
I have several (wife says too much) but I don't care.
 
Tim R. said:
I have family inherited cast iron pans. My go to is my 12 inch Griswold.
It's from the family ranch in Wyoming.
It's smooth as butter and works flawlessly as its been "polished" for years.
I have several (wife says too much) but I don't care.
Click to expand...


From what I've read Griswold used high quality casting to create a smooth surface to begin with and then machined the inside cooking surface.

There's one with a spider emblem selling on eBay for $6.5k.
 
I have used cast iron for many years. I grew up with them being used on the stove top and atop a pot belly stove. It is only my opinion but they are very easy to smooth out and restore. The secret is getting them up to temperature before putting any food on them. Make sure you put oil or butter etc and then your food. You have to let the food meld and release from the hot pan otherwise it will stick if you try to move it prematurely creating other issues. Be mindful of your cooking heat so as to not make it too hot and remember to properly clean and oil your cast iron. There is a youtube personality that really knows his cooking and cast iron very well and is super easy to follow if you aren't sure about how to handle this kind of coking:

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=kent+rollins

If you can't follow along and make some amazing meals after his instructions you might want to go back home and plug in your Easy Bake Oven... :D
 
Celt II said:
I have used cast iron for many years. I grew up with them being used on the stove top and atop a pot belly stove. It is only my opinion but they are very easy to smooth out and restore. The secret is getting them up to temperature before putting any food on them. Make sure you put oil or butter etc and then your food. You have to let the food meld and release from the hot pan otherwise it will stick if you try to move it prematurely creating other issues. Be mindful of your cooking heat so as to not make it too hot and remember to properly clean and oil your cast iron. There is a youtube personality that really knows his cooking and cast iron very well and is super easy to follow if you aren't sure about how to handle this kind of coking:

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=kent+rollins

If you can't follow along and make some amazing meals after his instructions you might want to go back home and plug in your Easy Bake Oven... :D
Click to expand...

Yah Kent knows his stuff with cast iron. His recipes are great as well. I use his mesquite spatulas.
 
Tim R. said:
Yah Kent knows his stuff with cast iron. His recipes are great as well. I use his mesquite spatulas.
Click to expand...
I really enjoy his videos and believe him to be a genuine decent person. I bought one of his recipe books and he added a hand written note on the inside of the cover.
 
Greg said:
I've been looking for a polished cast iron skillet for a while now and all I've found up to now is the $150, $200, $300, and higher "nope" variety.

This should be around 3 lbs. and it's $60.
https://www.carolinacooker.com/10-polished-cast-iron-skillet/p/126926/

There's a 12" version too for around $70 and 4-5 lbs.
https://www.carolinacooker.com/12-polished-cast-iron-skillet/p/126927/
Click to expand...
Well why don't you check out on amazon? There 10inch-12inch skillet for $40-$50
 
bobbywilson said:
Well why don't you check out on amazon? There 10inch-12inch skillet for $40-$50
Click to expand...

I did and when I read one product description that proclaimed "No filler metals such as aluminum or lead!" (emphasis mine) I decided to stay away from cast iron made in China.
 
So, a bit of a rookie here (although a Kent Rollins fan as well) - is polished that much better to cook on, or?
 
Volzkes said:
So, a bit of a rookie here (although a Kent Rollins fan as well) - is polished that much better to cook on, or?
Click to expand...
Generally lighter and heats quicker because of the excess material removed. Easier to clean w/o the potential of removing the seasoning on the high points.

Unpolished is a cost cutting method. Given iron of equal quality, the machining adds significantly to the pricing.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom