Lodge Classic vs Blacklock?

the seasoning in my 120+/- yr old Griswold is thick enough to flatten out any of the dimpled ‘new’ cast iron - but for those starting out, cast iron that has been machined to a smooth bottom surface will be far superior in becoming non-stick than dimpled or sandy finishes.

after I ‘found’ it, it was sand-blasted to bare metal. I simply cooked fatty stuff (sausage, bacon, etc) in it until it hit that mystical “seasoned” condition. couple weeks. no other effort.
so I’m exceedingly skeptically about the myriad of excruciating twenty thousand step methods to season cast iron. those who insist on cleaning the cast iron to the bare metal after every use . . . will never achieve a carbon non-stick cast iron surface.

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I really hope it works out for you… so please let us know.

Still looking for any method that justifies using these hard to clean “grill” pans. There just doesn’t seem to be anything “grill” about them.

And thanks for the vid, however I don’t think his fish looks all that attractive. The grill marks are marginal and uneven, and I am not sure I wouldn’t prefer the more even cook of a flat pan.

I found this:

P.S. This one also:

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Thanks. I have read both of these articles at least twice (the first one three times) and I am still trying to find a reason for using them. They both say “thin slices”, and that may be ok for steaks (don’t usually do them), but I like thin (2.5oz) burgers and get much better results from flat pans with a smash. On the grill pan the cook is inconsistent.

Plus while they intimate they are better than flat cast iron, I don’t see a single demonstrable reason why (other than maybe grill marks). Am I missing something?

TL;dr More detail when it comes to “grill”. Grills store heat in a pattern above the heat source. Their pattern (surface) is the only source of stored heat above that source. Grill pans store heat over the entire surface of the pan, and as @biondanonima pointed out, the lower areas between the ridges are often times hotter than the ridges themselves. Clearly not a grill.

Again… hope your steaks come out great, but I am still looking for a method that justifies the use of this pan. Cook those pups and let us know.

P.S.: Honestly, I am not trying to be argumentative here (regardless of how the opposite seems to be the case). I just find these things useless and am trying to discover how that assessment may be wrong. (c;

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One more thing…

The 12" skillet and the square grill pan were my first cast iron pans purchased over a decade ago (other than LC enameled dutch ovens). At the time, I ordered the same two for my brother as a gift 'cause I know he LOVES steak (thinking the grill pan would be a major asset).

I am gonna reach out to him to see if/how he uses it and report back. (c;

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I don’t find your comment argumentative. You are searching for answes as I am.
This grill pan has to have some value otherwise why would everyone keep manufacturing it?
They were sold as a set yet have seen them sold solo as well.

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I like the results from my CI grill pan. Using high heat, the ridges give nice grill marks after 3-5 minutes. Meanwhile, the low areas radiate heat to cook the meat not on the ridges, After the first side has grill marks, I turn the meat to mark the other side, again 3-5 minutes. I then rotate the item 90 degrees while turning the pieces back onto the first side, That causes crossed grill marks. Depending on how much cooking time is needed, doing a 90 degree rotation for the original second side completes the process. The thin hamburgers don’t need the rotations.

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Oh, and my favorite tool for cleaning a CI grill pan is a wire brush, a tool usually used for removing rust from iron. (Because of the high heat I use, I don’t bother seasoning a grill pan.)

Thanks for your post please explain more.
Is your high heat from the stove top, oven or BBQ ?

You’ll be looking a long time. They suck. The lack of open grating (and solid contact) means the food doesn’t get enough heat fast enough to do a decent job.

There is a little “Flavorizer” effect from the minimal spatter, but only enough to talk about among cooks who don’t have real grills available, IMO.

You might look for a Lodge BBQG2 fine-mesh grate. Discontinued, and thefore now pricey, but an excellent, versatile tool.

Precious little value, except for the marking. They continue to be made because of the segment of the cooking population who’d like to grill, but can’t or won’t.

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High heat on a gas range. Preheat grill pan, making ridges very hot and the troughs re-radiate heat upwards, like the radiant heat from a true grill.

Unless you have some super powerful gas hob, a grill pan will top out at about 600F. Compare this with 1200F over charcoal and over 2000F for restaurant-grade steak broilers.

Perhaps. My infrared thermometer tops out at 600 degrees when I try to read the temp of the grill pan. Whatever its temperature, it is enough. When much younger, I learned cooking over a charcoal grill or open fire, so I appreciate the ability of those two methods to incinerate meat. Not having a true fire to grill over, the grill pan is my best option.

Absolutely viable position. The opinion that a grill pan is “as good as” a grill is an extreme outlier.

I am in the course of evaluating an electric 1800W tabletop grill made by Kenyon. I’ve used it quite a bit, and It’s a very good value at around one Benjamin. If I were prevented from having a fired grill, I’d spend my money there instead of on a pan.

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I would not recommend the Lodge CS skillets. They are thinner , as you state, and warp very quickly. Might I recommend Mauviel M Steel of you’re looking CS. I don’t own a Darto, but have heard great things.

I’ve had a Lodge classic 12" for long enough that the surface is perfectly flat, and still love the thing. I’ve never understood grill pans. Use the grill, that way you get the flavor and the marking.

Seared a couple of sous vide steaks in my new 12” Lodge Classic last night. The result was the most even sear I’ve ever gotten and pretty easy cleanup. I did re-season it twice before use. I’m thinking it’s likely that it’s predecessor (the LeCreuset enameled 12”) may not ever have been seasoned properly. At around $37 the Lodge is areal bargain.

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Happy you like you new skillet!
I didn’t doubt a moment it would perform better than your former LC. ECI is notoriously not as good a performer at searing as properly seasoned bare cast iron or carbon steel or even as a quality stainless steel pan. And seasoning does not really work on enameled cast iron.
To maintain the seasoning of your new pan, deglaze with water and then just brush under running warm water, no soap and you should be golden.

Thanks. I’ve been to their site and a small amount of soap is part of what Lodge specifies in their instruction on the cleaning process if necessary. What’s behind your admonition against it?

https://www.lodgecastiron.com/discover/cleaning-and-care/cast-iron/how-clean-cast-iron

LOL… he doesn’t use either of them as he prefers his outdoor grill.