You are the hero r/castiron needed but didn't deserve! Lol I really appreciate that you actually try the real stuff out on camara instead of only just talking.

I thought I'd weigh in here, having cooked with the a family 12" cast iron skillet for years and having bought a similar Lodge skillet to replace it a few years ago. I've also used glass-smooth carbon steel pans for decades in restaurants and in my home. Carbon steel are my go-to pans for stove-top searing. The cast-iron gets used for single pan breakfasts or meals, frying bacon, potato pancakes, and anything that's more than middle acidic that might risk damaging the seasoning on my carbon steel pans, or when I have large quantities of things to fry or brown in batches. I also sometimes use it for recipes that start on the hob and then go into the oven, dutch oven style. The superb heat retention is the main reason I choose cast iron for large quantities and batch cooking over carbon steel. It is also the only pan I use to cook outdoors over a wood fire or popped onto my Weber kettle or Go-Anywhere. I might also mention that we had a massive black carbon pan in the family that stayed at the cottage, it was for cooking outdoors over a campfire or slapped on the BBQ when needed, it was also smooth but somewhere between a cast iron and a carbon steel pan in smoothness, and the seasoning IIRC was black all over and smoothish but nowhere near the smoothness of the cast iron. For info, I use lard to maintain my cast iron seasoning and vegetable oil to season it the first few times, which I do in the oven with slow cool down periods between the seasonings. it os the cool down that will give the best results, just cycling repeated seasonings one after the other doesn't really build up anything much better than a single seasoning, IME. The vintage pan was incredibly smooth, had a very thick glossy seasoning on it and was a bit thinner and lighter than my current Lodge. Unfortunately it got thrown out or given away at some point by my Mom, a real pity as i would have loved to have it still. For more info I exclusively use metal utensils on all me steel pans, and I scrub them in hot water pretty much exclusively, I know how and when to use them so nothing ever sticks that I can't scrape off with a spatula or silicone scraper, and that's really rare that I even need that. So now that I've written a book for context, what'y my verdict as a professional chef with 45 years of experience using cast iron pans? it's the there is NO DIFFERENCE, zero zilch, nada, nothing, between a seasoned cast iron pan that is smooth, slightly rough, or very rough, except, perhaps, that a very smooth cast iron pan is a bit trickier to get a seasoning started on. Here are a few random things I might add from my experience with cast iron and carbon steel pans that may be of use to people out there : - Best results with carbon steel, and as good or better than any other method for the first season of a cast iron one, is to fry potato peelings on a lot of vegetable oil and coarse or ordinary salt. This really works well for pulling out any impurities left over from bluing a pan, the manufacture (or the residue from sanding, I would imagine). it also gets oil deep into the prose of the steel, increasing the chances your first seasoning will bind well and smoothly. - When seasoning, you can't make your oil or fat layer too thin. I can't repeat this too often, wipe off all excess really well, until it feels you've wiped too much off. This is important for cast iron, and crucial for carbon steel. The tiniest amount of excess will create hardened drips, bubbles, or drops of pyrolized fat. This is a bad thing. - Pre-heat your cast iron pans slowly, or even in the oven, then onto low or medium heat stovetop. This is failsafe a great way to use cast iron effectively. - Don't buy expensive special oils to season, it's a waste of time and money. Any fat without a very low smoke point will work. Peanut, vegetable, or even olive oil (not EVO,) work just fine. - If you have a favorite cast iron pan you use daily, and use a metal spatula, it will get very smooth with time. - It could be my imagination, but I prefer using lard to season the cast iron pan I use often. It just seems to make everything taste better but I wouldn't swear on it, in fact it's probably just my imagination. - Try carbon steel. De Buyer and Matfer are the industry standards, for a reason. And don't sweat the seasoning, it will come and go andeer damaged and get better as use you use it, it's just part of the game and really won't change the performance. - Last thing : don't overthink things and go crazy wondering what is the absolute best way to do everything all of the time. Cast iron is extremely forgiving and the best way to use it is to just use it, often, never put it in the dishwasher, and don't let just anyone use it if they have never used cast iron pan before. But do show them how it's done, maybe they will end up getting one and leave their nasty Teflon pans in the cupboard and only using them for the extremely rare times that it would be a better choice.

@juantagalacad3185

2 жыл бұрын

Ok

@savagefrieze4675

Жыл бұрын

Adamr63 I agree with everything you’ve written here except that I haven’t tried lard. My go to has been shortening. The solid stuff not the liquid. But now a days it’s only made with soy so I’ll try lard.

@BornIn1500

Жыл бұрын

The big drawback to very rough cast iron (such as the China made Ozark Trail pans in Walmart) is that it will disintegrate a paper towel when you wipe down the pan with oil after cooking. It cooks just fine, though. I've never had that problem with a Lodge.

@adamr63

Жыл бұрын

@@BornIn1500 I agree those very rough pans are troublesome, but as with most Walmart hone brands you get what you pay for, cost-cutting to meet insanely low price points that result in products not really fit for purpose.

I have a Lodge sanded and smooth as a baby’s bottom . 5 more or so that were never touched. Honestly they clean up and cook the same. That’s why i only sanded one.

My Grandmother and Mom didn't have ANY pans except cast iron and they always used metal spatulas! I don't remember anything sticking to their pans....ever!!

@SuperLuckao

Жыл бұрын

How did thy smooth them? Of were thy rough?

I appreciate the video and your reasoning behind not smoothing down to a mirror finish. The reason I'm not into sanding my Lodge is the same, the textured finish allows the seasoning to hold and not flake off, but that's just me lol Edit - Throw 5 pieces of bacon in the sanded one and the season will take up easy, or use it for a pan fish fry :) Nothing works better for new seasoning than a good ol' frying

I am in the "smooth" camp myself. This should be an interesting experiment. can't wait.

@TimeforchangeTrudeaumustgoEndb

2 жыл бұрын

I have a modern lodge that I sanded the high spots off and just picked up a smooth GSW skillet no comparison the GSW is identical to Teflon no joke .....The lodge is great don't get me wrong but it's night and day...

The thing about a metal spatula on cast iron, it is the same as a taping knife for dry wall. The more you use them the thinner and nicer the edge. Doesn't hurt cast iron.

Just sand enough to take off the burrs and sharp peaks. The pits will fill in with seasoning over time. Eventually a steel spatula will glide over the surface like with an expensive machined pan. Backwoods gourmet is right, a steel spatula will never wear out your cast iron pan.

@jkdbuck7670

Жыл бұрын

Yup. There's a difference between sliding a steel spatula across the bottom and using said spatula to dig, gouge and stab it like Norman Bates.

I bought a new Lodge skillet. It had sharp points on the cooking surface. I tried using it for a while and I was not happy with it. I decided to sand it down, mostly on the cooking surface. It is amazing now. To all the naysayers, you do you and I will do me. It only took a few minutes of sanding to take the high spots off. It would be fun to get another pan and really really sand it inside and out.

Me thinks that while you are very good at sanding the skillet you are very very good at stirring the pot 😊😊😊 Semper Fi

@BackwoodsGourmetChannel

4 жыл бұрын

O0hh Rahh!

Great idea...I am interested to watch this series unfold.

Pay $60 to still have to sand off the bed liner. I'll stick with sanding a seconds pan for $20

I'm looking forward to the process here. What a great idea to try it both ways. KZread is about fun and going too far and being who we are, whether nutty or not. Great channel Mr. B!

I have used my lodge cookware everyday for 5 years and it’s smooth and easy to clean I never sanded just used it

@SuperLuckao

Жыл бұрын

Did u re season it ever?

@johnrode7109

Жыл бұрын

Yes a few times I burned the seasoning so I just re seasoned it works great

@shannoncombs3036

Жыл бұрын

Me too. Have new and old iron and never sanded any of them. I just don't understand the need to sand any of them.

@Baxxunderslash24

Жыл бұрын

Not everyone has five years of daily use into their pans. Used to be the factory would sand it down, but then they made progress on smaller, finer grained casting sand, and decided they could skip that step (saving the company money and making ones that had been sanded even more special).

I hand sand my pan down just to the point where papers towels do not lint up - when I am re-oiling. Seems to hold seasoning ok. The surface is close to 40% shiny, the rest is the original surface.

Looking forward to seeing the cooking videos. If the smoothed skillet was seasoned well, there should be no difference in cooking. But it's gonna be easier to clean. I sand down all my new cast iron skillets. Not only makes it cleaning much easier, they also no longer tear apart my cleaning towels which makes them last much longer.

We love your videos and information. We love cooking in cast iron keep it up and thanks for the info 👍🇺🇸

Looks good! Can’t wait for the test videos.

Beautiful job! ...and well explained. I just purchased the American-designed GreaterGoods 10-inch cast iron skillet ($39.95) on Amazon. It has a milled cooking surface and is outstanding. It passed the egg test on the first try. It might be worth a try for you.

Smooth vs Rough...I like this experiment.

I have them both.. I like the smooth better IMO!

I wish lodge would come out with a line of pans that are smooth finished so you wouldn't have to worry about this. Great video

@BackwoodsGourmetChannel

4 жыл бұрын

I have another video next week where we do the first comparison cook in these pans. Thanks for watching.

@j.a.1785

4 жыл бұрын

They recently bought Finex, but I doubt Lodge will lower the price on them. They are works of art, but you pay the premium for them.

@lilithgrace1175

4 жыл бұрын

@Keith Gardner, I share your wish that "Lodge would come out with a line of pans that are smooth finished so you wouldn't have to worry about this." Moreover, I'd even go a bit further and say that at $80/pan for a Blacklock 12" (per Lodge's website, here: www.lodgemfg.com/blacklock-skillet?sku=BL39SK), the Blacklock *should* have been that smoothed-down pan.

@gizzyguzzi

7 ай бұрын

Lodge says it would double the price

I bought a Lodge ten inch pan for making my monthly steak. At first the pebble finish was stick City. After about a dozen steaks, it doesn't stick and I just rinse it off while wiping with a paper towel to remove the crud. I put the pan back on the stove to dry while I enjoy my steak. Then I oil it and let it cool. Years ago I found a small iron pan at a thrift store that I wanted to use for my breakfast eggs. I seasoned it as directed futon a video on KZread and it had a mirror finish. The eggs stuck. I tried again and they still stuck. I threw the pan out. I regret that now since I know more. I have a pan in the garage that has seasoning and some rust spots. That I will try to clean with the sander.

Nothing wrong with factory rough pans. I have a few new rough Lodge pans and they work fine. I'd never take the time to sand them down to smooth for no good reason, other than they would be smooth. That is weird. Now if all my ol' gate marked pieces caught the measles. I'd wonder what the problem is.

After consistent use like every day. The ruff and pits will fill up with carbon and became as slick and smooth as the sanded one though time. It is the build up of this black carbon that makes it non stick. Logger John..

Very interesting thanks for sharing always enjoy watching

When my grandmother was close to 90 she wanted a cast iron skillet again, and my mom bought her a Lodge. She wouldn't even use it, the rough piece of crap. She was used to the smooth cast iron of years past. I eventually sanded that skillet fairly smooth. But why not just buy vintage to start with?

I’ve never sanded a pan. If it had too much season I cook a chili or tomato sauce. Too dirty with burned on stuff steel wool. A noticeable burr? Steel wool or my stainless steel spatula. Then warm pan, put on a thin coat of shortening to baked on or just cook. Keep it simple like ma, grandma and great grandma. Never understood why folks today baby cast iron. It just wants to be cooked in. ‘Course you got to warm it up before cooking’.

@SuperLuckao

Жыл бұрын

I agree. Definitely the grandma's didn't sand or season. Thy just cooked. It's what I'm going to do. No time for this sending and seasoning.

I prefer the smooth finish on the old cast iron but I think you can make the newer rough surface cast iron work just as good. I always point to my ca.1925 Wagner waffle iron as proof - it has rough surface on the waffle side but with the right seasoning/oil application/temperature it's as non stick as you can get. My main problem with the standard Lodge product is the absurd weight of it, and my wife hates that as well. It is funny though, how Lodge is re-inventing the wheel after all these years.

I don't like the spray in bedliner finish on my cast iron, but I do want a slight texture to it, helps hold the seasoning better than a smooth one.

Now the new generation is teaching the new ways or ideas of how to use an iron skillet, when this great items almost indestructible and can last for a long time, the great thing about them is the owner can do whatever makes him happy. My mom is 92 years old and she still use her old iron skillets with metal spoons and unpolished with a great results and un damaged, she have a stash of old skillets collected to replace the posible damaged skillet, the funny thing never happened, the skillets will outlast my mom and my self. Enjoy your skillet every body the you like it.

I think if you put some vinegar in the freshly sanded skillet and let it sit for a day, it will etch the cast iron and allow the seasoning to stick better.

@CL_G

4 жыл бұрын

You can also take the vinegar and cover the bottom of the pan with it, then heat it up on top of the stove to boil and it does the same thing.

@CL_G

4 жыл бұрын

@James Michael We was talking about etching the cast iron prior to seasoning to make the seasoning stick better after the pan has been sanded.

@iamshruthithegreat

2 жыл бұрын

Can you elaborate more on this? I think I’ve smoothened out my pan too much and the seasoning just comes off after cooking. What is etching? Creating a few ridges? Thank u for ur time

Hi In 150 years of farmhouse cooking, NOT one cook has EVER sanded a cast iron fry pan! I'm stating that the cast I own is as non stick as any $400.00 Non Stick Pro pan available anywhere! Just my $.02. I agree with Cast Iron Chaos... simply a waste of time and energy, not to mention possible damage to the pan. When I get a new cast fryer, I scrub it with soap, and scalding hot water. I know that will draw deep breathes by the Cast Police, but it's just in case? I have NO idea where the cast was stored, or what vermin may have come in contact with it? I'd rater be safe, then I rinse it, dry it, and season it. THAT'S it!!! Never had an issue. Thank you for reading. Stoney

Great video. I will reserve judgement until the final result is given ! Great job!

@BackwoodsGourmetChannel

4 жыл бұрын

Stirrin' the puddin'! Thanks for watching.

I want you to polish that Blacklock cast iron skillet. Good luck 👍

Thanks for sharing always great videos here's my two cents. Lodge needs to at least give an option to get a smooth finish cuz the Finish that's on those pans now look like dogshit. All that pitting rocky road surface comes from their casting process not the seasoning process and it's crap Lodge biggest cutting a corner flaw so they can sell the pan to you for a reasonable price. All I'm saying is just give the option, people will pay a little bit more for a smooth finish. FYI Lodge

Great video, Thank you! I was curious, when you sanded down.. I know you purposely did not go to baby-butt smooth, but it looked like tjere was almost pitting on the pan surface. There was various dark spots. Was that just the slightly unevenness of the sanding? I have huge Gris #12, that is a pitted mess! I bought it only to try to sand the putting away. Not sure the 80 grit will do that?

@BackwoodsGourmetChannel

Жыл бұрын

Just go easy.

NICE JOB BUDDY

I sand mine. Just sand, though. Didn't need any machinery, just a 80 grit sanding paper then reseasoned it at least three times. I agree that there is no need to get to bare metal. Oddly enough, other than to make it smooth, it also showed me the imperfections. My dutch oven had two really big bumps. The one on the side didn't bother me much, but the one on the base bothered me that I went the extra mile to minimize it. Love the finish. Still in the bronze petina, but it'll be nice and black soon enough.

@katehillier1027

4 жыл бұрын

I just want to get rid of plastic lesion that I have used UK oven cleaner on, chainmail scrubber which has helped but not eliminated. I would sand it just to get rid of plastic lesion and get smoothness Lodge denying to its customers wanting to pay £30 for a pan.

@katehillier1027

4 жыл бұрын

I don't want to disrespect or ruin my pan which I adore in any way. But I feel awfully ignorant.

@demoneyeslaharl

4 жыл бұрын

@@katehillier1027Plastic lesion? What's that? Also, in regards to disrespecting a pan or being ignorant... For me, the only way to disrespect your pan is to not use and take care of it. As for ignorance, aren't we all? So don't worry too much on that end. 👌

Question... are you happy in life??? If so, notify tour face!!! You do a great job you tubing so let us know you enjoy it too! Let the dog join you more often... he always has you grinning! Great video, I'm in the camp for sanding. Let's Eat!!! w.w.

The polymerized layer that is a proper seasoning is too bonded to the surface of the pan to be compromised by a metal utensil. The spatula isn't scouring the surface mechanically, nor chemically.

After you found the bur on the handle an shocked the the blacklock was not as smooth as thought, I knew this was coming.....lol

I have a lot of lodge skillets and I have never had a problem with them cooking right out of the box. But I have a stargazer skillet and it does cook better then the lodge. But I don’t see a new to sand them down

@BackwoodsGourmetChannel

4 жыл бұрын

Stay tuned because I will be comparing these to a brand new Field Co 12 inch very soon. Thanks for watching.

As far as using metal on cast iron, I think some people confuse cast iron with teflon. You can't use metal on teflon but cast iron is fine to use metal on in my opinion .

As I said in a previous comment, even as a professional chef I have never been a fan of cast iron cookware. I've always been a stainless steel guy, it didn't make sense to me to crap around with a pan just to cook with, take it out of the box and throw it on the stove and cook. But that's just me, every cook in the world has the right to use what ever cookware he or she prefers. That being said, I got a chance to cook with a cast iron pan that I loved. A friend of mine had one and let me try it out, It was made my a handed created company called Borough Furnace and it was great. The price was somewhat off-putting, my friend said that she paid $300 for her 9" skillet, but it was a great pan.

Does it matter having those puddles of oil circles when you are seasoning it ? I swear I try to do the same thing but it never goes well and always sticks or makes streaks? Please help if you have a secret way that’s better! Lol

Hey Backwoods, just an FYI. Still can`t figure out how to join the Channel Membership.

@BackwoodsGourmetChannel

4 жыл бұрын

Try this link. kzread.info/dron/ZlbqHy8lvGjryf2A-XT4ag.htmljoin

Yeah, I read some gripes that smooth cast iron doesn't hold on to the seasoning layer as well as rough iron. I don't own any glass-smooth pans, so I can't say for sure one way or another.

@larryspiller6633

4 жыл бұрын

I have both. Not a difference between them at all.

@comesahorseman

4 жыл бұрын

@@larryspiller6633 might have been the way the seasoning was applied. Thanks!

Hi! Do you remember what grits you used?

Can you do this with a cast iron wok ? I would really like to see if that would work.

smooth

I may be in the minority, but I am firmly against sanding a Lodge skillet because it's a waste of time, effort and resources. I'm going to go out on a limb and state you'll find little to *no* difference between the two pans when you use them. :) I haven't had a problem cooking in any of my Lodge pans, new or old. This includes a vintage "three notch" Lodge skillet from the 1940s, as well as a modern day Lodge made in 2019 for Cracker Barrel. (If you don't mind, you can see both of those in this video, which I hope the folks at Backwoods Gourmet have already seen. :) kzread.info/dash/bejne/aa2hlK2KcZCpdLg.html ) Also, I'm enjoying this and I hope I'm not sounding hostile towards you folks.

@BackwoodsGourmetChannel

4 жыл бұрын

Hey Cast Iron Chaos. Thanks for your input to the conversation. Like I said, this is the first video in a series of videos comparing the two. BTW, if you don't want to end up in my " held for review" folder, don't include links in your comments. Thanks for watching.

@castironchaos

4 жыл бұрын

@@BackwoodsGourmetChannel I understand, I included the link as a reference to back up my statement.

@jeffcanto

4 жыл бұрын

If you have to sand a skillet to cook your food then you’ve got a cooking problem not a skillet problem.

@seasonstudios

4 жыл бұрын

I really enjoy both Backwoods and Chaos channels and the truest thing one can say is that there is still two schools of thought on this discussion. It's been my limited experience that the more you use the new the better it gets over time. Not better than old but as one cleans and yes, scrubs the pans they become smoother and smoother... but over time.

I have a few lodge pans use them often and don’t feel the need to sand them down

@larryspiller6633

4 жыл бұрын

You are correct. There is no reason other than the "Purist's" mind.

I am surprised at how much pitting there is in the pan you sanded down. I have a 40 or so year old skillet that I have had, and sanded it down smooth, and it didn't have nearly that bad of pitting. The whole surface is smooth. My guess is that they are not using the same type and/or grits of sand that they used to use in the old days. I have a couple of wood lathes with cast iron beds, and they are much smoother than that, and I mean MUCH smoother. One thing about salt, which I do use some times, it is an oil emulsifier. So, it actually pulls oil out of the pan. Not sure about what it does to the cured finish on the pans, but it does get the surface oil that you cooked with off. I do treat my pans every time I use them. Grandma did....

I'm surprised you didn't go thru the pan when you sanded it down and ingraved it..... I looked at a blacklodge they are super thin.

Fairly new sub here. Where do you film your videos? I am assuming it is your home. Have you ever done a outdoor kitchen tour video?

@BackwoodsGourmetChannel

4 жыл бұрын

Yep, here on the back porch and pool area. Good idea for a tour. That will go out to members first, so check out the join button.

How do you find the lodge brush. Read a lot of bad reviews saying they break very easily. Head of brush falls right off almost immediately.

@BackwoodsGourmetChannel

4 жыл бұрын

Lodge doesn't actually make that brush. Mine fell off also, but I used some 5 minute epoxy to re-attach it about 2 years ago. Still using it. Thanks for watching and sharing your opinion.

@j.a.1785

4 жыл бұрын

My lodge brush lasted one camping trip before the head fell off. We weren't hard on them and it was regular scrubbing use.

@chriscarter7182

4 жыл бұрын

I have several of these brushes and haven’t had any problems yet. In my house of just the wife and I, the cook is always the last to eat, that person would be me😩! Most of the time I’m able to get a clean paper towel and gently wipe the still hot skillet to clean it. I do have one salvaged vintage lodge that is still a bit temperamental with my scrambled eggs, but I’m working to cure that problem. The biggest, and only, gripe I’ve got with this brush is when I use hot water in a heated skillet, the bristles tend to lay over and not scrub as well as a new brush.

thanks for your videos i think it just takes years of using cast iron the right way like grandma to get it right

I tried sanding a lodge skillet once, could never get it to hold a season. I think the iron smeared over all the pores or something.

@be.A.b

2 жыл бұрын

I cleaned mine till paper towels came up clean. Also, my seasoning technique has gotten a lot better after I started using a method where you: 1. Warm up pan 2. oil very liberally 3: let pan sit for a couple of minutes so the pores can soak up oil. 4. Completely buff out oil with cloth to get a thin micro layer. 5: Bake to 350 degrees, check pan for any oil “spotting.” If there’s any spotting, wipe off excess oil. This step makes sure the oil layer is as thin as possible. 6: crank up to 500 and bake for an hour. I’ve found that making the first layer as thin as possible creates a good foundation for the seasoning. Especially in sanded cast iron. This prevents any flaking or unevenness in the seasoning. I guess it’s kind of like painting furniture. You get a better result by doing multiple thin layers over a single thick layer. I repeat this process 2 more times because I’m extra. I suppose you could just make some fries or something if you can’t be bothered with the entire process. I got a “glass polished” cast iron to hold a good seasoning using this method. I gotta admitted though. I ended up doing the process 5 times, then exclusively deep fried to make sure it gets a really strong seasoning. The pan was a lodge wanderlust series 10inch that I “perfected” to give to a friend as a gift. I gave the pan a lot of TLC.. Including cleaning up the edges with a dremel. They LOVED it, but it’s mostly used for display purposes now unfortunately lol.

The roughness acts as oil pockets which keeps the food from sticking once it's well seasoned that's my experience anyways it works great just the way it is out of the box.

@BackwoodsGourmetChannel

4 жыл бұрын

This is the first video in a series where we will show your our experience with these 2 pans. Thanks for watching.

I LIKE MY WITH A NICE SHINE FOR COOKING SIS

i have sanded a few that were nasty, they work just like the ones ive never sanded.

Until 50+ years ago Lodge pans were smooth as well as other earlier companies’ pans. The rough surface on the Lodge is due to the company being lazy and cheap.

did yours cost $60 and where did you buy it exactly, tried lodge but couldn't find it, please lead me to it

@BackwoodsGourmetChannel

4 жыл бұрын

shop.lodgemfg.com/blacklock/bl39sk.asp

@ge45gecalled39

4 жыл бұрын

@@BackwoodsGourmetChannel thank you very much

@beverlyfitzgerald7675

3 жыл бұрын

ge45ge Williams-Sonoma is also authorized to sell Blacklock and sometimes has a multi-piece special

So which camp won?

The rough surface was never a big deal to me, so I don't bother sanding, and my Lodge pieces work just fine. But that's just me. Personally, if the smooth surface was that important, I would save up some money and buy a Field, or Finex, etc. But again, that's just me.

Peanut oil would be better due to it not smoking till a much higher temp

smooth for me plz!

I have always sanded and had way better results. There’s no comparison.

If you can get your over over 600öF it will turn black as night.

Sanding your Lodge makes no sense. And yep, I know a lot of people do this. The sandy surface carbonizes perfectly smooth with use. You cook on carbon, not iron. When you sand it down and create a "seasoning", it's not going to stay that way. Burn one hamburger and that "seasoning" will be gone. Plus people tend to clean them too much. Only use as much force as you need to get the gritty bits out. And soap is fine, we don't make soap with lye anymore. People complaining about the gritty surface on a brand new pan don't understand how to use and clean them. The gritty surface is not a cost cutting method, it's there for a reason.

Yea and you put sugar in your cornbread too! LOL... Love the discussion on this topic... Bring on the popcorn...

@BackwoodsGourmetChannel

4 жыл бұрын

That's the plan. Thanks for watching Larry.

@BackwoodsGourmetChannel

4 жыл бұрын

Really stirrin' the puddin' right now!

I don’t care at all about texture. My Lodge pieces (Classic and Blacklock) with factory texture cook exactly the same as my super smooth Stargazer, and my smoother machined Field pieces and my one Finex. I see no need to sand and smooth them for my use. Just my $.02

@GilaMonster971

7 ай бұрын

Agreed

In my opinion, your using wayy to much oil. Seasoning layers should be micron thin layers otherwise it will flake. When you pour oil into there it’s fine to slosh it around but you should take a towel and wipe off as much as u possibly can before applying heat.

The people screaming about metal spatulas are idiots. Cast iron cookware has been around since 200 BC (2200 years). Cheap Rubbermaid plastic spatulas have been around for only about 50 years. Now think it through... What you think they've been using more than 2000 years without any problems? 🤔

I see no way the smooth ground skillet is not going to win this contest hands down over time as a new seasoning gets built up on it, but I'm enjoying this comparison.👍🏻👍🏻

I imagine Lodge will eventually have a line available of smooth finished cast iron. Rougher surface still works great for me!

@BornIn1500

Жыл бұрын

I doubt it. They used to have smooth pans, but stopped for a reason. I don't think they'd revert back to the old days for a product line. But if they did, it would probably be closer to the $100+ price point like all the other smooth boutique cast iron brands. It just doesn't make sense economically for them.

You can only watch the potato challenge if your a member???? I can’t become a member on an iOS. So I guess I wasted my time subscribing to backwoods

@BackwoodsGourmetChannel

4 жыл бұрын

Did you Try our direct link on IOS? Others tell me it works. All of my feature length video will be available for everyone. Members will get them a few days before they are released to everyone. You won;t miss out either way. But if you still want extra stuff, try to join for $1.99

Let’s see...since the beginning of time man has messed with everything man makes, the ‘ole “my D... is bigger than your D..., oh yea prove it”, so we put a turbo on flat head engine, or fly an f-16 under the Golden Gate Bridge, why? They both will cook just like they were designed a long time ago, one right out of the box the other with several hours of men messing with it...your welcome to dinner in my camp anytime, cooked on original finish cast iron and it will be very good, just like I would get on your sanded cast iron. Thanks for you devotion to cast iron cooking. Great vlog.

@BackwoodsGourmetChannel

4 жыл бұрын

This interaction with the community was what I was hoping to achieve. Thanks for watching.

I cringed when the sander hit the blacklock. Glassing is overrated and a waste of time. It's like adding a grain of salt to the ocean, it doesn't make a difference. Seasoning is all that matters. Never had an issue with cast iron right from the factory.

@rickl7024

4 жыл бұрын

LoganDustin7 amen!! Just use it and it works great!!

No need to sand or smooth cast iron stop with the BS on the subject I have spoken

I don't know what to even say for a comment on this one, This sort of thing is like the Barrel Break-in craze of the 1990s. It's where you shoot one round then clean then shoot again then clean again it was supposed to smooth out the barrel. You did this till you put 20 or 30 shots thru a new barrel and it was supposed to not build up copper fouling and it was supposed to shoot better. It was bullshit but some were really into this time-consuming BS for a while, myself included. This is pretty much the same thing or close to it. In the meantime, that 12-inch stargazer skillet has become my favorite pan, so I really should stop flapping my gums on this. I admit I had a hard time with cast iron cooking when I started out, it had less to do with the skillets I started out with and more to do with not heating the skillet up first and turning the burner on full blast. I thought at the time there were only two settings off and full blast sort of like when you drive a car, no fuel or you are floored. Lodge makes a good product they always had. Yeah, the old stuff is nice but damn it took somebody 80 years to get that smooth black shine on them too. Oh well. another good one never the less.

@BackwoodsGourmetChannel

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks for sharing George.

Advise KZread tha a xaleltro ad that lasts 10:30 is disrespectful and abusive to subscribers.

@BackwoodsGourmetChannel

4 жыл бұрын

Youtubbers have NO control of any ads that play on our videos. Thanks for watching and you always just one click away to skip.

Are you kent rowlands?

I have several cast iron pans. My opinion is that they are NOT worth the effort and time to work with. They are old fashion items. You wouldn’t watch a black and white tv would you? Of course not! Cast iron is not as great as some want you to believe. WTF is a spatula test? Never heard of it. Does anyone really think this is all worth the work? F NO!

@SuperLuckao

Жыл бұрын

It's nice as a hobby I think but no, otherwise it's not worth the effort.

You need a grinder and Lodge just ain't gonna because they'd grind through the pan chasing deformities. That is the difference between good new cast iron, good old cast iron and Lodge. Lodge just pours junk iron and coats it with truck bed spray and calls it good.

@BackwoodsGourmetChannel

4 жыл бұрын

Love everyone's opinion being shared here.

Just plain sacrilege Mr. Backwoods. Don't let the "Buzzywax" sponsored group know, the haters will be rampant. People keep wanting Lodge to make a smooth machined pan, but would they be willing to pay the difference?

@BackwoodsGourmetChannel

4 жыл бұрын

They are falling into my trap.....

Sanding cast iron is a waste of time. Why are there so many videos with people doing this? Because people are clueless about how cast iron cookware works. Seasoning sticks to the pan so your food doesn’t. If you smooth down your cookware, then the seasoning won’t stick, and your food will. This isn’t rocket science guys…. And no, you shouldn’t use metal spatulas or any metal utinsels because those scratch up the seasoning, which is what you don’t want to do. Again, basic understanding of what “seasoning” is, and how it works, will avoid most of these videos with people sanding down their cast iron.

To much sanding

Come on you can do better than that. My is real smooth with swirl.

You talk too much...