[Canadian Tire] Lagostina Black Cast Iron Frying Pan, 10-in, $19.99

I bought one at the beginning of the pandemic and it has been hell getting used to it.
I felt the need to re-season it after every use (after scrubbing off burnt food using nothing more than sponges), otherwise it smelt of raw iron.
I think I've re-seasoned it at least 20 times following online tutorials and Im still not satisfied.

Eventually I bought a Staub last month - much happier

+1

Heavy as usual. Mine has rust once in a while. Overall happy owner.

Go to Winners / Homesense and buy Lodge. Or sale on Amazon.ca.

It’s a long term investment and you will not regret the quality and experience for a few extra bucks. Shit, the cost and effort alone to keep reseasoning this already makes it more expensive. I bought the lagostina as a cast iron newbie. Gave it away after 3 months and replaced with a few Lodge. Got lucky at Homesense and a deal on Amazon. Much happier and cooking like a champ, but still an amateur. Not skilled enough or wealthy enough for Staub or higher end cookware.

At minimum buy a LODGE.

You are only ever going to buy ONE cast iron skillet. They last for generations. No point in getting a cheap one. I made the mistake of buying a cheap one and I'm stuck with it and too stubborn to throw it out.
I have an 8" Lodge and a 12" cheap winners one and you can tell the difference. The Lodge is way better. I suspect Staub will be better than lodge. Please heed my advice.

Bidjaan wrote: ↑Go to Winners / Homesense and buy Lodge. Or sale on Amazon.ca.

It’s a long term investment and you will not regret the quality and experience for a few extra bucks. Shit, the cost and effort alone to keep reseasoning this already makes it more expensive. I bought the lagostina as a cast iron newbie. Gave it away after 3 months and replaced with a few Lodge. Got lucky at Homesense and a deal on Amazon. Much happier and cooking like a champ, but still an amateur. Not skilled enough or wealthy enough for Staub or higher end cookware.

jellytime wrote: ↑ At minimum buy a LODGE.

You are only ever going to buy ONE cast iron skillet. They last for generations. No point in getting a cheap one. I made the mistake of buying a cheap one and I'm stuck with it and too stubborn to throw it out.
I have an 8" Lodge and a 12" cheap winners one and you can tell the difference. The Lodge is way better. I suspect Staub will be better than lodge. Please heed my advice.

It's $50 for Lodge 12" in amazon.ca Is that a good price, or do they go on sale once a while?

Arrgh wrote: ↑ It's $50 for Lodge 12" in amazon.ca Is that a good price, or do they go on sale once a while?

They've been on sale before, I got it last time it was posted, it was around 34 bucks.

Prev Thread: amazon-ca-lodge-12-inch-cast-iron-pan-b ... r-2372464/

I ground my Lagostina cast iron pan for a smooth, flat finish on the cooking surface but not the sides. It works perfectly for me. I followed this video:

Also a good video to check out for a smoother experience. Takes a few extra steps

It's cast iron folks, cast iron is cast iron -- just season it and it will last, if you get a bit of rust on it just scour it off with a pad and re-season, it will last for a millennia -- even with rust

I have this one. It's OK but I find it too textured and struggle to get it well seasoned. Mine is also slightly crowned in the middle.

I never looked into the Staub but I see they are 50% off on their website, possible stackable with the 10% mark-up. I'm not sure if these prices are good for the product, but is much lower than what other websites are currently advertising. I'm going to stick to my well seasoned Lodge.
https://www.zwilling.com/ca/staub/cast- ... -skillets/

Sorcerer wrote: ↑ I ground my Lagostina cast iron pan for a smooth, flat finish on the cooking surface but not the sides. It works perfectly for me. I followed this video:

Did the same. When I first got mine I HATED it, it takes time to learn how to use it. To people new to cast, you NEED to let it preheat for 10-15 mins. Add fat, whether butter or oil, and then do your cooking.

jdmhfx wrote: ↑ I never looked into the Staub but I see they are 50% off on their website, possible stackable with the 10% mark-up. I'm not sure if these prices are good for the product, but is much lower than what other websites are currently advertising. I'm going to stick to my well seasoned Lodge.
https://www.zwilling.com/ca/staub/cast- ... -skillets/

Zwilling has perpetual sales with marked up pricing similar to Canadian tire so just be aware of that.

Their shipping and customer support is also very slow with most orders prior to christmas being 3-4 weeks before delivery (as some users were stating on a previous thread).

Good products but just don't expect it to arrive fast.

Would this be large enough to pan fry two 12 oz striploin steaks or would I need something larger like a 12" skillet?

Gutty96 wrote: ↑
On what stove top?

With Gas, I am good to go in less than 5min.

American test kitchen recommends to put a cast Iron pan in The cold oven, set it at 500F, and when it reaches temp your pan is properly and evenly heated to use. I'm sort of doubtful you're heating several pounds of metal to an acceptable cooking temp evenly across the surface in just 5 minutes.

dpw198 wrote: ↑ Would this be large enough to pan fry two 12 oz striploin steaks or would I need something larger like a 12" skillet?

depends on the shape of the steaks, I'd get the 12

Ruciz wrote: ↑ American test kitchen recommends to put a cast Iron pan in The cold oven, set it at 500F, and when it reaches temp your pan is properly and evenly heated to use. I'm sort of doubtful you're heating several pounds of metal to an acceptable cooking temp evenly across the surface in just 5 minutes.

Don't doubt that works, but if I have to do that everytime I want to fry something that may be a dealbreaker for the whole enterprise, assuming I'm not needing the oven preheated for other reasons anyway.

superscoots wrote: ↑ It's cast iron folks, cast iron is cast iron -- just season it and it will last, if you get a bit of rust on it just scour it off with a pad and re-season, it will last for a millennia -- even with rust

It’s the manufacturing process and the end result. For $10 more you can get a Lodge from Homesense. I got a couple of types on clearance at Homesense. And a 12” marked down at Walmart for my folks. Not suggesting you need to spend a boat load of money, but instead not wasting your time on CT products with nonsense pricing/sales.

I have an induction stove, and it gets temp in 5 to 6 min. You can obviously do all kinds of things to be a perfectionist.