[LasVegasMac]

Why don't you like the Lodge stuff?

I've had some of it for years, no problems.

Once in awhile you can see a defect (lid does not seal, thin spot) but I always look close before I buy.

Just curious.

LVM

[OKSooner]

I've picked 'em up off the shelf to look at them and seen machine marks where they've been ground with a VERY coarse stone. They should be smooth. Also, I once bought a Lodge brand Hibachi cooker (Knockoff of the classic Atlanta piece) and took it home to cook with it. After seasoning the grill, I lit it up only to discover that the unusual gray finish on the piece was actually some kind of petroleum-based stuff that had been smeared all over it!

The only thing worse in comparison, obviously, would be the cheap-assed stuff from China. No telling WHAT kind of nasty stuff found its way into the foundry where it's made.

[OKSooner]

The Lodge stuff is probably okay, but after the bad experience with the hibachi and the poor finish on the stuff that I've seen it's hard to accept that I can't find anything better SOMEWHERE. Maybe my nauseating experience with the hibachi has something to do with it. I would buy lodge before I'd buy the Chinese stuff that probably has nuclear waste leached into the cast iron.

The alternative, of course, is the French stuff that's coated with porcelain, which eliminates the nutritional benefit of cooking with cast iron.