Very cool! Sadly, I have no experience with CS. One day hopefully, I'll get a pan or two. Definitely, let us know how you get along with them! Personally, I would keep the wok though. Always wanted a wok, and just haven't pulled the trigger yet.
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I bought a 14" wok a few years ago in January, and it became my preferred cooking method for the winter weekends I felt creative, but the winter weather and darkness were discouraging me from going outside to cook. I still tend to use it mostly when it is winter or inclement weather.
You can find fairly cheap Merten & Storck carbon steel skillets on Amazon and other places that are decent quality. I got a 10" last year, just to have a skillet other than cast iron or stainless.
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Congratulations on the win BBQandLove !!!
I'm with everyone else - keep that wok, especially if it is a 14", which to me is the ideal size for a wok for stove top use. That will be more useful than a deeper skillet.
The only carbon steel I have is my wok, a 10" fry pan I bought just to have a carbon steel skillet, and a grill basket I use outside, on the few occasions I remember I own the grill basket. I like the wok because the high sides keep spatter down, and of course, it is great for stir frying and such, and is my favorite method to cook when I don't feel like going outdoors and firing up the big griddle. The other skillets and pans you won are great too, and should be useful both inside AND outside if you want to throw them on the grill. That skillet with the two loop handles would be especially useful I think on the grill. I don't have one like that, and it means not being able to put the lid on the grill if you put the skillet out there.
The only piece I see that to me would be unusual is that oblong pan. Doesn't seem ideal for use on a stove top burner, but would be good on the grill or in the oven?
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Congrats!!!!!Comment
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Nice! Can I have the wok?? Just kidding!! 😎 Congratulations on your win, and I hope you use it in good health!Comment
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So….how’s that Smithey CS collection doing! Would love to see that collection in action!Comment
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How did I miss this? Congratulations on an awesome haul.Comment
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Congrats!Comment
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Update: I set these pieces on a shelf until we get our kitchen installed. They would work great on the camp stove that we’ve been cooking on for the last 18 months, but we don’t have much room for pots and pans while they’re not being used.
in the meantime, I got an answer to a lifelong problem, And it turns out I have a genetic mutation where my body does not get rid of iron. It’s hemochromatosis, specifically the kind where I got it from both parents.
It is recommended that people with this condition do not cook on cast-iron or carbon steel. Our plan had been to transition to cast-iron and carbon steel for everything once our kitchen is done, and winning this Smithey cookware was just a perfect part of this transition.
After much research, I came to believe that the proclaimed level of danger of using cast-iron or carbon steel was not supported by science. 99% of the warnings are based on studies that do not adequately answer the extremely pertinent questions that I need to have answered before I can assess the danger level.
I was really aggravated to find out how authoritatively everyone speaks, but then they don’t have the scientific information to base their authority statements on.
Anyway, I came up with a plan that I think will work for us.
1. 10” ceramic by Made In for eggs only.
2. 10” All Clad stainless steel for our “daily driver”.
3. Then for larger pans, or when we need more than one pan, I will break out the cast-iron or carbon steel.
4. For pots and sauce pans, for normal usage, we will use our existing 5 ply stainless steel and enamel Lodge Dutch oven. When I cook outdoors for guests, or when we go camping, I will use the regular cast-iron Dutch oven ovens.
I believe this plan is the right choice, considering the information that I was able to put together. It reduces our usage of cast-iron and carbon steel, but because I believe the danger level has been grossly overstated, I am not completely eliminating it.
I was really, really looking forward to the transition to cast-iron and carbon steel. Both for cooking reasons, as well as the aesthetics. They give me a tremendous amount of joy. Our kitchen in our “new” house that we are building (and currently living in) will be white washed T&G pine, with Hickory cabinets. The idea of cast-iron and carbon steel pans hanging in the kitchen, and then using them daily, makes me very happy. So everything considered, It’s all very disappointing to me.
But hey, for 35 years I’ve known that I have an iron problem. So I’m grateful to finally have answers. I just hope I didn’t permanently damage my liver, by delaying treatment until now. I think I’ll be OK, but I’m not confident. I am currently in the treatment phase, and then I will switch to the maintenance phase. Since it’s genetic, there is no cure.
i’m really grateful that my treatment literally helps other people live. The primary treatment for this condition is phlebotomy. I am donating blood every two weeks during the treatment phase, which could take up to 18 months. Then I will switch to the maintenance phase for the rest of my life, which is donating blood every 2 to 4 months. There could be further complications, but the risk of that is pretty small for my particular situation.
All that to say, after this diagnosis I traded the Smithey oval roasting pan, the wok, and the farmhouse pan for a Smithey deep farmhouse pan + lid, and the new 10” All Clad. So I’m actually down to two Smithey pieces, plus the lid.
Adapt and thrive!Last edited by BBQandLove; September 8, 2026, 10:59 AM.Comment
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2026 is definitely your year for winning!
(I say this referring to your winning physical items. Not your health announcement of course.)Comment
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