Antique Steel Frying Pans

[Milton]

I am in need of a little help in looking for a gift.My wife wants an antique steel frying pan with a bottom diameter of 9 inches or so.She has looked at the new ones; she don't like!!!
I cannot afford a collectors piece but am looking for one she can actually use in the kitchen,anyone have any suggestions?
If you are not familiar with these they are not cast iron.The steel ones are lighter and easier for us to use while cooking.

[Bob R]

Try the local thrift shops, or restaurant supply shops. That is where I get most of my not so common cooking stuff. A lot of people don't understand steel frying pans so they end up with goodwill. They all want the latest and fanciest non-stick. That's fine by me, I get good tools at cheap prices.

bob

[labworm]

I would try eBay.

Last year I purchased this Lifetime Stainless Steel Tea Kettle for $19.99 plus shipping. Solid stainless not like today's products.



Seller to follow, sells many items regarding cooking:

mgunnerm203

Lifetime Stainless is still in business, but sales are to be made through one of their representatives only and is expensive.

I believe they only sell sets, I never really checked. So google the above name.

I am a die hard cast iron user.

[photobiker]

Like others I like my cast iron. If you can give me some insight to cooking with a steel frying pan. I'm always up for something new.

[Milton]

photobiker;two things,they are much lighter than cast(when you are 75 that makes a difference!!) and my wife loves the way they cook eggs in the morning.They also appear easier to take care of.

[tops]

Antique steel pan? Do you mean a tin pan? Larry

[Qball]

Originally Posted by Milton

I am in need of a little help in looking for a gift.My wife wants an antique steel frying pan with a bottom diameter of 9 inches or so.She has looked at the new ones; she don't like!!!
I cannot afford a collectors piece but am looking for one she can actually use in the kitchen,anyone have any suggestions?
If you are not familiar with these they are not cast iron.The steel ones are lighter and easier for us to use while cooking.

You need to get here one as light as possible
When she start pounding on your head with it (ding ding ding) you will thank your self.

With the he heavier cast iron or steel, it's THUD.. lights out

[THE PILGRIM]

How does she feel about cast iron from Tinnysee?
After a little seasoning, it can be used forever and passed to multiple generations.

https://www.lodgemfg.com/mobile.asp

[zelda]

Dad used Gramma's old cast iron pan for making bullets once. Mom found out and he had a ''bad day''

[da gimp]

I have my grandpa's old pressed steel frying pan, that he used when he, his brothers & then his kids went fishing on the Missouri River.....it weighs but a fraction of a similar cast iron pan & does as good a job on fried fish, chicken, chicken fried steak, bacon etc...........I agree with your lady on it's weight. We use two cast iron skillets every day, one 9" , one 14" but they are HEAVY...........

[GrayGhost99]

For stainless or non stick you will never beat restaurant supply stores. I have never found one where john q public was unwelcome. In fact most welcome with open arms.
You will find wonderful things in them, I buy half sheet pans for less than 3 dollars a piece and they are better than any cookie sheet you'll ever buy.

[Nevada Ed]

I got a steel from the cook store and it was nice and heavy
with reinforced bottom and looked nice.

Got it home and tried it out..........
every thing stuck to the bottom.
Tried butter...oil.....even took steel wool to the inside to smooth it out.

Cast iron or non-stick pans for me.

[Captain Hornet]

Lodge makes several differant sizes of steel, not cast fry pans. Best place for purchace is Restaurant Supplies | KaTom Restaurant Supply. Check it out. David

[shaggist]

Nevada Ed has it right. There is nothing that won't stick to a steel pan. There is no way to 'season' them like a cast iron skillet, so you end up having to scrub them with steel wool and soap evertime you use them. Talk about a pain in the fingers! Just get cast iron and both of you lift it together. It's called teamwork and y'all are a team.

[johngalt]

A steel pan interests me. Do they distribute heat as well as iron, or ate they best used on a gas stove?

[FTG-05]

Originally Posted by Milton

I am in need of a little help in looking for a gift.My wife wants an antique steel frying pan with a bottom diameter of 9 inches or so. She has looked at the new ones; she don't like!!!
I cannot afford a collectors piece but am looking for one she can actually use in the kitchen,anyone have any suggestions?
If you are not familiar with these they are not cast iron.The steel ones are lighter and easier for us to use while cooking.

Which ones has she looked at that she doesn't like?

If it's not the Lodge steel pans, get her one of those. Lodge : Seasoned Steel

Far cheaper to buy the Lodge steel fry pans here: http://restaurant-supplies.katom.com...l-Skillet.html


Good luck!

[FTG-05]

Originally Posted by shaggist

Nevada Ed has it right. There is nothing that won't stick to a steel pan. There is no way to 'season' them like a cast iron skillet, so you end up having to scrub them with steel wool and soap evertime you use them. Talk about a pain in the fingers! Just get cast iron and both of you lift it together. It's called teamwork and y'all are a team.

And it appears your both wrong: steel fry pans can be seasoned, according to Lodge the maker of them:

Lodge : Seasoned Steel

And here's a video from a pro chef for cast iron and carbon steel pans: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoIO8YOpyN4

And another: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7zxQg2nmS0

[da gimp]

heck we never have any problem cooking with my grandpa's pressed steel frying pan... but I've got it hidden out....... all the kids , grandkids, even my brothers, sisters & cousins are looking to "acquire" it...........It does a delightful job on fish, chicken, chicken-fried steak, bacon, eggs, sausage, red-eye gravy etc.

[Chik a Boom]

Revere Wear with the copper bottom and stainless steel inside has been my cookware for many years. These are my favorite due to the light weight. I find cast iron too heavy and high maintenance and I am a little leery of the coated finishes, although, the ones I have do cook and clean nicely.

For those with "sticking" issues: Make sure skillet is hot before applying oil or hamburger patty or butter or whatever you're having for dinner, and you will find clean up much easier.

[Onomea]

I'm with Chik. I just picked up a 9" Revere Ware frying pan -- copper clad bottom and stainless pan -- for $6 at the local Salvation Army a few days ago. Bought some Bartenders Friend scouring powder and put in about 15 minutes of elbow grease. Looks and cooks great. Have an 8" I inherited from my mom that is my favorite omlette pan.

Different pans cook differently, so ya need to get used to the pan and how it cooks. Revere Ware is very light, and heats very fast, but I like it.

[Milton]

Thanks for all the help!!She has cast iron but she LIKES the thin steel pans.She already has an old 6 inch pan and it is the" cats pajamas" for cooking eggs,meat,vegetables etc. and not sticking.I will give a look to the restaurant supply sources noted and see if she likes those,she already turned a thumbs down on some of the new steel cookware because she does not like the handle placement.I guess I will try some thrift stores and maybe an antique store or so.We don't do fleabay so that is out!

[chaparrito]

Originally Posted by shaggist

Nevada Ed has it right. There is nothing that won't stick to a steel pan. There is no way to 'season' them like a cast iron skillet, so you end up having to scrub them with steel wool and soap evertime you use them. Talk about a pain in the fingers! Just get cast iron and both of you lift it together. It's called teamwork and y'all are a team.

I have to take exception to this. I use both cast iron and blue steel pans. My omelet pans are both blue steel saute pans. They season just like cast iron. Once steel wool is taken to them they are useless. Amazon has good prices on blue steel pans if a restaurant supply is not close. A well seasoned carbon steel pan is every bit if not more non-stick than an iron pan.
http://www.amazon.com/DeBuyer-Minera...+steel+skillet

A steel pan can be seasoned with a number of oils, but Flax seed oil is best as it is a "drying oil" - it patinates very well. Set the oven to 300, rub the pan in and out, handle and all with a sheen of oil and put it in for an hour. Remove and let it cool. Polish the inside with kosher salt and a paper towel. Recoat only the inside and repeat the process.
When cooking, always preheat the pan. NEVER put oil in a cold pan and try to heat both pan and oil at the same time. After putting oil in the hot pan, allow it to come to temp before adding food. Clean the STILL WARM pan after cooking by polishing it with kosher salt and a paper towel. Never put a steel pan in the dishwasher. If burnt bits won't come off with salt, use a nylon scrubber and plain water, but dry it on a burner on the stove and recoat it with oil before putting it away.

[Maddog 521]

Those Lodge Seasoned Steel skillets are the best IMHO. The cast iron are just heavier.

[Milton]

Chaparrito:Thanks for the heads up on seasoning the steel pans!!!!!

[BMCM]

Originally Posted by Milton

I am in need of a little help in looking for a gift.My wife wants an antique steel frying pan with a bottom diameter of 9 inches or so.She has looked at the new ones; she don't like!!!
I cannot afford a collectors piece but am looking for one she can actually use in the kitchen,anyone have any suggestions?
If you are not familiar with these they are not cast iron.The steel ones are lighter and easier for us to use while cooking.

Look for vintage "Revere Ware" These are copper clad stainless steel cookwares introduced in 1939. They heat very nicely due to the copper cladding. Plenty of nice pots & pans to be had out there, look for Rome, NY in the bottom logo. These are all I use at home aside from a few hundred pounds of antique cast iron.

Cheers
Bill

[Oldiron]

Milton, not antique but you should be able to pick up a new one over at Bresco. They are on 6th ave. south just over from Full Moon. They are a restaurant equip supply house and I have bought several stainless pans from them that I use for bluing and parking. Prices are reasonable and you should be able to find what your wife is looking for. Larry

[bagga]

griswold is the cadillac of the cast iron pan world. lots of them on ebay. antique stores might have them too. get her a griswold she'll be happy.

[Mule Packer]

Are you talking about something like this?? You can find them at antique stores and I'm sure some specialty shops still carry them.

They aren't bad. I have an old packer/saddle maker friend that still uses one over the coals. One advantage is that some of them have an open handle where you can cram a long stick and stay a reasonable distance away from the fire while you're tending to your meal.

Even though they can be "seasoned" to some extent, my buddy still greases his up pretty liberally before cooking anything in it.

[tops]

Originally Posted by Mule Packer

Are you talking about something like this?? You can find them at antique stores and I'm sure some specialty shops still carry them.

They aren't bad. I have an old packer/saddle maker friend that still uses one over the coals. One advantage is that some of them have an open handle where you can cram a long stick and stay a reasonable distance away from the fire while you're tending to your meal.

Even though they can be "seasoned" to some extent, my buddy still greases his up pretty liberally before cooking anything in it.

That looks like what I have always heard called tin pans. Mama died a few years ago and she had a couple and my wife or my brothers wife didn't want them so they went in the trash. They should be cheap at estate sales. Larry

[Milton]

Thanks guys for all the help and suggestions!!! I will give Bresco a look and will check out some junk shops,surely one of these will pop up somewhere!

[GatorFarmer]

Couldn't most any machine or metal shop make one?

[shaggist]

The image that MulePacker posted is what I think of when someone says 'steel pan', not something made of stainless or clad in copper or made in France. And I will tell you from personal experience as a young Boy Scout, there is nothing that won't stick to this pan. I don't care how much bacon grease or butter you use, or when you put it in the pan, it is going to stick. When Lodge give you instructions on 'how to season a pan', keep in mind that this is part of the advertising from a company that makes and SELLS iron and steel cookware. Not all advertising is always truthful. If you can cook eggs without them sticking to this pan, you are doing something wrong. And, it will take steel wool and soap, or at least soap and sand to get them off the bottom. Nevada Ed and I have used these pans and personal experience trumps what some company told you in their literature everytime.

[FTG-05]

Originally Posted by shaggist

The image that MulePacker posted is what I think of when someone says 'steel pan', not something made of stainless or clad in copper or made in France. And I will tell you from personal experience as a young Boy Scout, there is nothing that won't stick to this pan. I don't care how much bacon grease or butter you use, or when you put it in the pan, it is going to stick. When Lodge give you instructions on 'how to season a pan', keep in mind that this is part of the advertising from a company that makes and SELLS iron and steel cookware. Not all advertising is always truthful. If you can cook eggs without them sticking to this pan, you are doing something wrong. And, it will take steel wool and soap, or at least soap and sand to get them off the bottom. Nevada Ed and I have used these pans and personal experience trumps what some company told you in their literature everytime.

Oh ok, that clears it right up.

NOT!

Did you watch the two youtube videos I posted earlier? Is the professional chef also lying as well as the other youtube person? They both show successfully seasoning a steel pan; one even shows sliding fried eggs right off the pan, no sticking at all. Oh, and don't forget the poster above that has done the same thing as well. Is he lying as well?

No thanks, I'll take the easier and probably far more accurate answer and just state that there is always someone who can't, for some reason, season and use a steel pan - just like some people can't season and use cast iron.

Those types should just stick to teflon and/or take out.

No offense.

[Milton]

Mule Packer;I can't get your image to open!! I did find a pan at Dixie Gun Works but it is a 10 inch which is a bit larger than needed.

[TheHobbyist]

Personally, I'm not a big fan of steel frying pans. Cast iron on the other hand is a different story.

[Mule Packer]

Originally Posted by Milton

Mule Packer;I can't get your image to open!! I did find a pan at Dixie Gun Works but it is a 10 inch which is a bit larger than needed.

See if this works.