Lodge Cast Iron

Many of us have those wonderful memories of grandma cooking with big heavy cast iron pots and pans. Not ever really caring who made them; they were probably made by The Lodge Cast Iron Company out of the Cumberland Plateau, the town of South Pittsburg Tennessee is where it all started. When Joseph Lodge started making his cast iron pots in eighteen ninety six, he started a legacy that continues on today. They are, some say the best on the market then and today and is still family owned and operated.

Lodge Cast Iron pots and pans are made of the highest quality of metal a formula that is still adhered to today. The exact mold wall thickness and the precision molds are the result of years of devotion to improve the quality, starting with the first skillet made from a sand mold.

Even the most expensive stainless steel or aluminum cookware out there today can hold a candle to the Lodge Cast Iron cookware. Nothing beats the even heating, durability, the value or the heat retention. Many great chefs use nothing but the cast iron as well as the everyday cook in the home.

The Lodge Cast Iron company still holds today the title of making the best cast iron cooking pots around. In its line you will find deep fryers, Dutch ovens for camping, griddles and so on and so forth. It is still family owned and operated, getting high reviews from Good Housekeeping and Fine Cooking magazines, not to mention the thousands of people who use it everyday.

Enamel cast iron is now in the line of Lodge Cast iron pots. They are hand crafted by the pouring of hot iron into individual sand molds. These molds are then destroyed but the sand is reused. The pieces then go through several processes to move all of the rough edges. There are at least four layers of chip resistant enamel poured on the cast iron. It is hand applied and is then baked. The enamel coating gets rid of the process of seasoning the cast iron.

There are few easy and simple rules for the Lodge Cast Iron pots and pans. Cast iron will rust no doubt about it. So it is not advisable to put it in the dishwasher as the hot water will rust the cast iron. To season a new pot or pans just rinse it in hot water, using no soap, and dry very well. Some people will set it on the stove top and turn the heat on it to dry it. Once the pan is thoroughly dry and still on the burner, place a few drops of cooking oil in the bottom of the pot. Always start with low heat and then slowly raise the heat. Once this is done, you are ready to cook that wonderful meal. But remember the handles will get hot, and so take caution when moving the pot.

If by chance the Lodge Cast Iron pot gets a metallic taste or smell, do not throw it away or be worried. This is caused by putting in the dishwasher, letting it rust or using soap on it. Just scour off the rust by using a fine grain of sandpaper or steel wool and it is good as new, if not better. Using cast iron pots and pans is not hard to do. In fact, food cooked in these tastes better for some reason.