Stargazer skillet, after about a month (photo)

[Mosca]

I’ve been using this a couple times a week, I still use the regular PTFE skillet for omelets (my most skilleted food) because, sloped sides. I mostly use this for steaks and burgers, and a couple times for mushrooms & onions, and a couple times for eggs and cheese. Here’s how it looks now:



Thats about right,I think. The lighter parts aren’t unseasoned, they’re just less seasoned. A single burger or steak will season more in the middle. Two burgers or steaks will season more side-to-side like this.

It is decidedly non-stick. Today I made eggs and used a rubber spatula to slide them out, just like if it were PTFE.

This is an excellent skillet. That being said, for steaks, burgers, chicken, etc, I don’t see any advantage over a Lodge or Wagner. And you can usually find a used one of those by hitting up a few garage sales, it shouldn’t take more than a couple weeks. I don’t think that is anything against one of these; rather, it highlights what an incredible value an inexpensive cast iron skillet represents. If you want cast iron, you don’t have to pay high prices to get quality. The quality is in the iron itself. The extra is for the style and the finishing.

[Polarbear777]

Stargazer is among the more reasonable of the satin finish variety, which I like the best. I really appreciate the longer handle since it stays significantly cooler.

I’ve been cooking omelettes in my smithey carbon steel (sloped sides) which is very well seasoned now and slick. Of course smithey is not on the value end of the range.

[Oak Smoke]

I couldn’t agree more. I enjoy going to antique malls, estate sales and such looking for the older really good cast iron. You will be amazed at how inexpensive some of them are priced. My omelet skillet is an old ERIE. It is so smooth and well seasoned I don’t need a spatula to plate the omelet, it just slides out,

[Mosca]

I haven’t had much luck at antique malls and stores. They usually "know what they have" and aren’t really motivated to sell quickly. On the other hand, garage/yard/estate sales usually want to get rid of everything NOW. Maybe Salvation Army? IDK, never tried there.

I’m not in the market. If I’m doing more than two steaks, I can fire up two skillets on two burners, or use the double half-moon cast iron griddles on the BGE. But if I was, garage sale is where to go.

[Oak Smoke]

The mall people here must not be as well educated as where you are. I went in an antique mall in a near by town last month. I found a beautiful old number 8 Wagner hanging in a booth with $15.00 on it. I thought that was cheap enough, but when I got to the check out the woman said every thing in that booth was half off. Got it for $7.50. Our area is a very fertile hunting ground for cast iron.

[Mosca]

Yeah. We have a decent 8 room walkthrough store near us. Old kitchen utensils are .25 a piece, old cast iron skillets start at $50 and go up from there, depending on provenance. That’s okay, I’m not collecting them, I’m cooking on them.