Need Knives & Cast Iron Pots

[geek with fire]

I meant to add this in my previous post, but forgot. I read this article some time ago, and found it to be very helpful. It's only about chef's knifes, but much of the info is applicable with other knives as well:
http://www.cookingforengineers.com/a...s-Knives-Rated

 

[pduke216]

Thanks for all the help everyone. My wife also found a great article in Cook's Illustrated that will also help. I am not sure if I will buy some today because I still have some research to do. Oh well, I have to snow blow and then off to the outlet malls. Having lunch at the Brat Stop in Kenosha Wis, Some of the best brats in the world. I will probably get a couple dozen raw to go. I will smoke these later on in the year. I will update later when I get home. Thanks again.

Paul (pduke216)

 

[pduke216]

Thanks for all of the help. I ended up with a set of Chicago Cutlery (Insignia 2) knives. I like the way they felt and for my first set $150 was not bad. I also picked up a Lodge 7 Qt cast iron pot and as well as 2 lodge skillets (8 & 10.5). A side note I found a Jalapeno rib remover for my ABTs which I thought was cool. Now to start using all of it. Once again thanks!

 

[walking dude]

don't forget to season that cast iron before you use it


nice haul dude

 

[welder]

I like lodge. Sometime you can find good deal at a flea market or an estate sale.

 

[packplantpath]

I like my lodge pans, but they were far harder to get seasoned the first time than my old ones. The bottoms are rough, almost like low grit sandpaper. It took me quite a few coatings to get it seasoned to my liking, whereas my older pans (grandmas) are seasoned in about one coating because they are already pretty smooth to start with. May be that years of use smoothed them, who knows.

 

[walking dude]

plus they were seasoned HOW many years ago.........once seasoned........unless TOTALLY scrubed clean.......(d88de turns away), i would think some of that seasoning would still be around

 

[zapper]

I dont know for a fact if the sand casting of olden days was better or if the manufactures did a little more touch up or polishing on the pans back then, but I do tend to notice that some of the older stuff has a smoother cooking surface. You can get smoother surfaces yourself by scouring with a hand full of sand and a brush or using a stainless scrubber when you do clean your pans. I have also used a wire wheel (actually a wire cup) and a right angle drill (actually about a 45 degree drill) to touch up bad spots


There is actually a parting dust and or a finer sand that is supposed to be the layer in the sand casting that the iron is supposed to contact for finer smoother finished product. This would be an extra step and cost more money, so I would suppose that it has been deleted from modern production in leiu of some more cost effective method or material.


Yes, in time the cast Iron will wear smooth from use, but long break in periods may lead to less use and in return, longer break in times and so on.

 

[oldvirginiajoe]

don't let anyone tell you the smoothness of "old" pans just got that way from years of use. I am a daily user of cast iron and collector and have quite a collection (>140 pieces) and bought my first pan of my own at the drugstore when I went out on my own 28 years ago. It was very smooth when brand new. Whatever this technique is that they are selling today is something else entirely, and I am sad that so many people today are buying this "pebblestone" finish and trying to convince themselves (and others) it is all just so great. It is not that hard to find a good piece of the old, smooth stuff out there to buy, and read online how to clean off the rust or excess grease caked on, and you will be starting with a piece of iron like when it was brand new years ago. Then get busy seasoning it a little bit, and start using it.  When buying a used piece, just be sure to tap it lightly with something hard, like a ring or key while holding it suspended, loosely, and be sure you get a nice "ring" to the sound, not a "clunk" sound, to avoid buying a (hidden) cracked piece by mistake. Good Luck!

 

[woodcutter]

We've had a set of Chicago Cutlery knives for years now. I'm not sure what they cost now, but I don't remember them being all that expensive when we bought them. They've lived through life in a drawer and use by teenagers and younger learning how to cook.
Our Chicago Cutlery is 25 years old, used everyday, used on every deer. Just like the day we bought them.

 

[bigblue]

I wanted to reseason my Lodge pan so I just threw it in hot outdoor fire pit for a while, pulled out let it cool a little swabbed on some crisco grease, let finish cooling and repeat a couple more times .

Came out good.

 

[jcurrier]

as far as cast iron goes there isn't a "modern" cast iron pan that can hold a candle to 50+ year old Wagner and Griswald stuff- take care of it and it will out last you.  My daily use pans are being used by me as a third generation user (used by my or my wife's grandparents when they were younger).  Don't As for knives try them, got to a cooking store and discuss features and quality.  Buy good quality and take care of it.  I agree with everyone else here that knives belong in a block or dedicated sleeve if going in a drawer, and a sharp knife is definitely safer than a dull one.