Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Is there any difference functionally between a Lodge or Camp Chief and a generic like a King Kooker? I mean what are the advantages of a brand name. Are they easier to cook with or easier to clean up or is it just a status thing? I have a 6 qt Red Stone or Something that I got off of Tractor Supply to begin dabbling in DO Cooking. I think it works pretty well especially with the bees wax seasoning. Since I am normally only making something for myself and possibly 1 or 2 other people, I think the 6 qt might be a little larger than I need. I've been thinking about getting a 4 qt and wondering if I should go with a brand name like Lodge or with a generic. In an Ideal world, because of space considerations in a TD as well as with my larger travel trailer, I was wondering if a 4 qt might even nest inside the 6 qt that I already have. Since I sometimes go camping with the whole family in the larger Travel Trailer, having two DOs might be better and make for more options than using just the one I have. That way I could have the main meal in the larger DO and a desert cooking in the smaller one. Some of you on this forum have considerably more experience than me. What would you suggest?

Art

Here is what I have read, heard, gathered, take it with a little skepticism...

If we are talking new cast iron....

Lodge is the only new American Made Cast iron. It is premium quality, density, finish, pre-seasoned, and about a 20% price premium. Amazon is having a great sale on 12-inch deep Lodge Duth Ovens right now. Free shipping, $50!

Camp chef is next. Good quality control China made. Finish, density, and pre seasoning is almost as good as Lodge.

The upper two, I would have no problem buying sight unseen.

All others are made around the world in various places other than the US and have inferior quality control. They may be OK, but must be inspected to make sure you get a good piece. Some are thin, warped, chipped, have ill fitting lids that do not seal, and not good pre-seasoned. Metal finish can be uneven making it more difficult to season and make nonstick. These are about 50% less costly than Lodge and Camp Chef.

There are other older, used US made Cast Iron. Some of those are even superior to what is being made by Lodge now. They were finished finer and lighter... Stamped Griswald, Wagner, and some others. But I can't find them in my area and I don't know much more about them.

Here is a link with much more info...

http://www.castironcollector.com/collecting.php

My advice... Get the lodge 12-inch now! Practice, play with it, you will not regret it. I got mine about a year ago. I wish I had found them earlier in life. I cook with mine at least 3 times a week, if not more!

Lodge is all I'll buy. The small premium is worth keeping some family in Tennessee fed...I'd hope they do it for me as well.

We use ours all the time...in camping season and out. For buying a cooking pot/skillet/griddle once and having it for a lifetime ... The price is my lowest concern. You would pay a LOT more for a Teflon coated whatever, and the life span is measured in years...not generations.

Cast iron doesn't have the toxic junk in it Teflon does, and frankly is just about as non-stick when seasoned correctly.

citylights wrote:There are other older, used US made Cast Iron. Some of those are even superior to what is being made by Lodge now. They were finished finer and lighter...

I have a friend at Nucor steel who claims there is extreme difficulty in keeping the reclaimed scrap to spec. The other trace metals and even some stubborn plastics get into the batches and weaken the reclaimed product. This in mind I feel this is the main reason that the old iron is so much better than our current selection.

I have five treasured pieces that see regular use. Only one is a newer camp chef 12" D.O. I have a ancient 14" so old the lift ring is hammer welded together circa 1870????.
My go to guy is a 10" spider skillet that happens to wear a 10" lodge camp oven lid well and creates fantastic desserts. Although cracked perhaps from a drop and blow to the handle long ago ( before I found it) it is used often without ever a problem. I will guess this little spider skillet to also be of the same 1870 vintage due to the presence of the long mold mark in it's underside. It's in the background in this pic you can see a bit of the gate mark.

I have a hammer finished chicken fryer given to me by a dear friend no longer with us. It is a product of the late 30- 40's It spent most of it's life in upper Wisconsin. I have, with reasonable certainty, traced it back to the Chicago foundry.

My fifth treasure is an ancient Modlin pot.( Seen hanging) Originally used largely to cook down jellies and jams this is a upside down bell shaped cast iron pot with tiny feet that also happen to fit the afore mentioned 10" Lodge camp oven lid. I use it for breads making a tall impressive loaf that can be laid on its side and sliced to large round slices. (Great for French toast ).

Sorry not a lodge pot in the bunch. My old stuff is as smooth and shiny as a babies butt and I personally find the new Lodge iron very course and grainy. Perhaps this is a direct result of the afore mentioned problems of reclaiming the iron and steel scrap.

I agree with Bob that the old stuff is the best. With that said, old camp ovens in good usable shape are hard to find at a reasonable price. I am always on the hunt for old cast iron and have only had the chance once in the past few years to find an old 12" in the wild that was reasonable. So most of my dutch ovens are Lodge. The quality is more then adequate and I have had great results with the new Lodge. Given a Lodge 12" on sale at Amazon now for 50 bucks or an old Griswold for 200 bucks I will buy the lodge. The food tastes the same.

Oh the rising bread ...............???


it came out just fine.

My Lodge 12" came in yesterday from Amazon. Wow is it heavy.....if I get a bunch of the other cast iron cooking items, my trailer will weigh a ton. Do y'all (yes I am writing this from the South) carry many different pieces with you when you travel?

And now I have to start experimenting. For sure I want to try it at hunt camp this November.

I carry one DO and 1 frying pan. If I am going to a gathering I take a 12" DO as most recipes are made for a 12. Sometimes I take 2 if I am making more then one thing. When I am just traveling I carry a 10"deep and a small #3 fry pan. The #3 is perfect for 2 eggs. Enjoy the new DO. You will love what you can make with it.

Wood butcher,
Ok, I think I get it. You plan ahead and only carry the pieces you think you will use on that trip. Makes sense.
I think a frying pan is next in order for me. But then again, I might have an old one from my mother. But it is warped I believe. I will dig it out and see.

When we go camping I use a 2 qt. and a 1 qt. DO since there is just the two of us and they use fewer briquettes and provide plenty of food. But my new 8 qt. from Amazon arrived yesterday (who can pass up that deal!) and when the rest of the family joins us camping we'll be ready for bigger meals!

I've also started taking a 12" iron skillet and use the DO lid stand http://tinyurl.com/oxgr9rj on the walker/sat dish table to cook stove-top style.

They are all Lodge brand as are the iron skillets we use at home.

I have both the older Wagner's and the newer Lodge skillets and Do's, they both perform well when properly seasoned with no complaints, but I do feel that the older Wagner stuff has slight an edge on surface finish compared to the Lodge brand. Could be that since the Wagner cast iron that I have is older, seen more wear and tear so to speak, could be why I think it's superior and maybe the Lodge will catch up with it in a 100 years or so.

Cast iron cookware is always my first choice even at home on the stove top. I've got a couple of little 6" +/- (without measuring) that will cook a couple eggs up stick free before you can say it.

I always keep my eyes open for a score at a yard sale and have outfitted my three kids with Lodge cast iron cookware.

I agree the older stuff is better as well. Maybe it's just the face the rough edges are warn away...but the base iron is much more smooth and more heft.

From a nonstick sided the argument, it doesn't matter much though....after a few layers of beeswax is applied, nothing sticks anyway....

I carry a lot of cast iron with me 2-12 2-10 2-8 1-6 waffle iron 2 skillets and a griddle 2- 21''x48'' tables for cooking on ya lots of weight but I tell the wife its ok the floor isn't sagging yet

Is the 12 inch lodge you are referring to a six quart capacity DO?

Art

They make 2 12's a 6qt and a 12 deep that is 8 qt.