Smooth or Rough Cast Iron

[TheDan]

It's crazy how seriously people take this stuff. My grandma just cooked with hers, I'm sure she never thought twice about any of it.

My daughter has one of my grandma's pans. I know neither my grandma, mom, or her put any thought into it. My mom would even wash it with soap

The thing has over 100 years of seasoning. Don't think it's possible to hurt it anymore.

It's smooth on the cooking surface, BTW. The outside of the pan is rough where it was never polished, so you can see where they took the time to finish the inside.

 

[leVieux]

The marketing wank from Lodge says their rough texture helps hold the seasoning better, but Lodge also owns Finex where they sell polished cast iron pans for ten times more. So which is better?

View attachment 418990

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This must be some alloy or coating.

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[reddog]

Been cooking on cast for 40 years or so, my best pans are smooth bottomed, run a fingernail over them smooth smooth. I have some newer pans that have some texture on the bottom that you can see and feel with a fingernail but it won't catch that seasoned and cook just fine. I have a Lodge griddle that is Lodge rough and it seasoned fine but cooking on it is nothing like the griswald I later found and use daily which is smooth.

 

[cav2108541]

The marketing wank from Lodge says their rough texture helps hold the seasoning better, but Lodge also owns Finex where they sell polished cast iron pans for ten times more. So which is better?

View attachment 418990

depends what you like to look at, doesn't make too much difference for the cooking. Smooth looks gooder but seasoning is what prevents sticking and adds to the food flavor