Smithey Ironware

[rustwood]

Yet another entry in the high end cast iron market.  $160 for the 10" and $200 for the 12".  They are 100% made in the USA, but so is the Marquette Castings 10.5" and that goes for ~$115 (other Marquette sizes are not made in the USA).  Suddenly I am more interested in keeping a closer eye out for nice examples of vintage cast iron. 

Edited January 25, 2017 by rustwood
clarified rambling (log)

[kayb]

I didn't know for years there WAS any cast ironware other than Lodge, but I guess that comes from growing up in Tennessee. I was intrigued to see, looking at their website, that they also sell carbon steel; I had been contemplating a Darto, but now I think I'll go with a Lodge. For a Tennessean, no trip to Chattanooga is complete without a stop by the Lodge foundry in South Pittsburg. I've bought a fair number of skillets and casseroles there! 

 

ETA, I'm curious how anyone who knows would say Lodge stacks up against some of the higher-end cast iron products.

Edited January 24, 2017 by kayb (log)

[Paul Fink]

I'm from Minnesota and all my caste iron is Lodge from the local Fleet & Farm store.

[btbyrd]

I don't understand "high end" cast iron. I appreciate that they're offering a polished product, as opposed to the sand-cast offerings from Lodge, but I'm not sure that offers any benefit. Kenji Lopez-Alt at Serious Eats reported that "bumpy" cast iron didn't differ from smooth cast iron with respect to its non-stick properties. This accords with my experience; I have two vintage cast iron pans I inherited from my grandmothers, as well as a Lodge skillet I purchased new. I haven't noticed a difference between Lodge and vintage.

 

For $20, you can get a 12" Lodge from Walmart that has an almost 5-star rating on Amazon with 10,000 user reviews. Alternatively, you could get a 12" pan from Smithey for $200 which has basically zero customer reviews. Not that I doubt its quality; it's cast iron, and cast iron performs like cast iron. I mean... I'm sure it's nice and all. But there's no reason to pay that much money for it.

[rustwood]

... except maybe if you really like the way it looks when it is hanging in your kitchen (I guess).  I think several of these makers have touted their smooth finish.  That may be an attempt to lure the people who who have old cast iron with a smooth finish.  They often seem to view the new stuff with bumpy finishes as inferior.

 

[Lisa Shock]

One benefit of the older cast iron, in addition to being very smooth, is that it is a bit thinner-walled and therefore a little lighter. The Wagner-Ware I have is also more ergonomically designed than the Lodge pieces. I feel more confident flipping food or slipping a fritatta out of the classic stuff.

Edited January 25, 2017 by Lisa Shock (log)

[dscheidt]

2 hours ago, btbyrd said:

I don't understand "high end" cast iron. I appreciate that they're offering a polished product, as opposed to the sand-cast offerings from Lodge, but I'm not sure that offers any benefit. Kenji Lopez-Alt at Serious Eats reported that "bumpy" cast iron didn't differ from smooth cast iron with respect to its non-stick properties. This accords with my experience; I have two vintage cast iron pans I inherited from my grandmothers, as well as a Lodge skillet I purchased new. I haven't noticed a difference between Lodge and vintage.

 

The stickyness of my lodge skillet decreased dramatically after I took a flap disc on an angle grinder to it.  Not that I'm going to buy a $200 piece of cast iron for that, though. 

[Porthos]

Because I restore cast iron pans for a hobby I have lodge, Griswold and BSR pans. I have a made-for sears Wagner that I haven't finished restoring. Griswold is lighter, and I like the finish of the bare metal as manufactured. It just seasons up better. My large Lodge is heavy and the finish just isn't there.

 

I can't imagine shelling out the big bucks for today's heavy pans no matter what finish they claim.

Edited January 25, 2017 by Porthos
Missing word (log)

[Martin Fisher]

Smithey pricing is outrageous — but not as outrageous as that of Borough Furnace.

Vintage pieces are often available for a pittance

[quiet1]

1 hour ago, DiggingDogFarm said:

Smithey pricing is outrageous — but not as outrageous as that of Borough Furnace.

Vintage pieces are often available for a pittance

 

'I want something like the Braising Skillet on the Borough Furnace page, but not for that kind of $$$. Anyone seen something similar elsewhere?

[Martin Fisher]

34 minutes ago, quiet1 said:

 

'I want something like the Braising Skillet on the Borough Furnace page, but not for that kind of $$$. Anyone seen something similar elsewhere?

 

Lodge makes one but it's a bit bigger.