Antique Steel Frying Pans

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!
 
shaggist said:
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.
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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-Miner...22811644&sr=8-3&keywords=carbon+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.
 
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Those Lodge Seasoned Steel skillets are the best IMHO. The cast iron are just heavier.
 
Milton said:
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.
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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
 
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
 
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.
 
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.

frypan.jpg
 
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Mule Packer said:
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.

frypan.jpg
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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
 
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!
 
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.
 
shaggist said:
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.
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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.
;)
 
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.
 
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