Here's the thing, one can buy a truck for the price of a mini cooper, we can survive with one smoker but we go for 7. This is one of those situations, as a cast iron fanatic, I completely understand. I'm actually eyeing a finex with a lid. Otherwise I'd have pulled the trigger on this.
-
-
-
I cooked in a Finex skillet this weekend. There's a good reason why Lodge is cheap. I'm sorry but there's a huge difference in performance.
I started looking at my beloved Lodge sideways.Comment
-
Steve B I'm experimenting with smoothing out the lodge skillets. I'm guess is you'll be happy!Comment
-
Hmmm... if we lined up 10 brands of Cast Iron skillets and pre-heated them All to exactly the same cooking temperature and put a 1 1/2" Prime Ribeye with beef love on each steak and cooked each one for the exact time per side, you guys are telling me some would be done better than others?
I've been cooking with Cast Iron for 50 years... I really just don't see your claim to be true.
If your skillet is well seasoned and you know how to sear a steak... my Lodge 12" will work just as good as your Finex or this $100 10.75" skillet, no?
The light skillet would be nice because it's half the weight, not because it sears better.🙈Comment
-
There is a bit of science involved. Initial disclaimer: I have Lodge except for an old fryer passed down from my grandmother.
The heavier skillet has a higher total heat capacity due to more metal. CI, in general has a lower heat transfer coefficient than some other metals --silver having the highest, then copper and aluminum, hence the clad cookware of today. Even stainless steel will transfer heat faster than cast iron.
Finally, the heat transfer is also slowed by the surface condition of the particular piece. An uneven surface, such as unpolished metal will have a lower heat transfer coefficient than a smooth surface, BUT, the polymer coating that seasoning creates is lower still, so a thick seasoning (to make a lodge pan smooth, for example) will transfer heat slower than a thin coating on a polished piece.
Everyone has has to find there own balance of all these factors. I've cooked so much food over the years in lodge CI that I'm familiar with its performance. However, I did intentionally buy a heavy, well polished, carbon steel pan to see if I could tell a difference-- I could. It was obvious. But the pan was way more expensive. I will be selective if I decide to get more carbon steel! The Lodge works fine for me!Comment
-
Histrix first, the non stick performance right out of the box. Finex won by a landslide. This is huge
Hot spots/ even heating across the cooking surface, Finex won.
Flaking, my lodge, which I've been using for almost a decade, still left black flakes under my sunny side up eggs. Finex eggs, spotless.
So, I smooth out two Lodge skillets gave them a good seasoning. Guess what? I'm going to smooth out all my lodge skillets. Yes, even the oldest ones that have a good seasoning.
I'm not saying go and spend. Lodge are fantastic. But I have zero regrets with my Finex purchase. ZERO
Comment
-
Ernest Glad you like your Finex so much. As I mentioned earlier, it's a nice skillet but of the three "new make" CI pans I've bought in the past year it ranks #3. It does have a cool look, in my opinion, tho I know a few people that really hate the way it looks. With the lid it is a heavy sucker but it does make for a nice presentation at the table (which is the main reason I was attracted to it).
No doubt that right out of the box the Finex is smoother which may translate into less sticking than an equally new Lodge. Use both equally/similarly for a year and I'll bet the differences in that regard are minor.
If your Lodge is leaving black flecks under your eggs that's hardly the fault of the Lodge. Those black flakes are bits of carbon from items that were previously cooked. It could be seasoning flaking off but if it were you would have other visual cues in the pan itelf that would indicate that. Give the Finex a few years of similar use/care and let "stuff" build up on it and tell me there is a difference.
As far as even heating. CI sucks at evenly heating, that is not it's forte. Here's a pix I took this morning with my thermal imaging device of my Finex and a Lodge of about the same size showing a heat map of both pans heated to about the same temp:
They both look a little splotchy but the variations in temp gradient across the surface of each pan are minor - a few degrees. It appears to me that the Lodge appears more even out near the edges but, again, the temp difference is insignificant.
Sanding out a Lodge can be fun (and messy) but I've never felt the need to do that to mine (I've helped a few friends do that to some of their's). That Lodge in the pix above is used for nothing but cornbread and has had nothing done to it to try and improve its behavior in the decades I've used it. Without fail, the whole cornbread lifts/slides right out in one loaf with nary a bit of sticking anywhere and a nice uniformly golden crust. I'll likely never bother making cornbread in my Finex but I can't really imagine that it would take my cornbread to a higher level. I'm sure tho that it too would allow the whole cornbread to slide right out.
If you really like smooth skillets then you should consider the Stargazer and Field pans. Both of those have the entire interior surface of the skillet smoothed out unlike the Finex which has rough interior sidewalls and only bothers to smooth out the circular bottom of the interior surface.
Comment
-
Just received my #8. Very nice finish. And I can't believe how light it is. Will probably become my everyday pan.Comment
-
Mine should be here tomorrow. I am looking forward to using it.
We should have all of those who bought Field Skillets, post them here. It will be cool to see them all in use, or hanging. Let get those new CI pics posted! Thanks dudes!
Mr. Bones Hulagn1971 Ernest David Parrish ComfortablyNumb Thunder77 DWCowlesComment
-
Steve B Are the ones sold via the Anova deal preseasoned?
Perhaps it's just a trick of the camera/lighting but that looks rather blackish. The one I got many months ago was rather brownish right outta the box.Comment
-
Histrix the pan is quite black with maybe a little brownish to it. They do have an oily feel to them.
But in their instructions they want you to wash them with soap and water. "the only time they recommend this ".
I'm thinking it's because they may have put an oily substance on them to keep them from possibly rusting before you receive them???? Maybe??Comment
-
Since my new smoker has been put on the back burner for a decade or so I think I might get a canoe to access some hard to reach deer hunting spots on public land.Comment
-
-
MBMorgan and Jerod Broussard Hahahahah! Ok. This comment thread needs to be /should be on the Joke sticky!
-
-
Here she is!
Comment
Comment