Is there an actual reason why old cast iron pans are better than the ones made nowadays? Was there a change in production methods or something?
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Old cast iron pans were made by hand. New ones are made with higher production methods. They also used much better sand at the turn of the century. When they made them, it took as long as it took to make them right. They were going to last for a century or more.
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Generally, there isn’t, and they aren’t.
Two things to take into consideration, though:
Most old cast-iron cookware that survives to this day was reasonable to high quality to start out with. It’s unsurprising it would compare favourably to new cheap&nasty ones. Yes, they were ‘only five bucks’ back in the olden days, but that used to be a worker’s wages for a day or five, back then…
Cast iron cookware gets better with use over time, if it’s reasonably cared for. Yes, you can force that process a bit by artificially seasoning your cookware, but even well-seasoned new cookware will improve with use over quite a while, if properly cared for…
That 50yo cast-iron skillet you inherited from your Grandma? It has half a century of a headstart, where seasoning/patina is concerned, on your newly acquired one. And was probably one she paid the equivalent of 300 of today’s Dollars/Euros/Pounds for back then.
A brand new 300 € cast-iron skillet or casserole is going to be top notch quality, and will be quite alright after a quick seasoning, but improve over the next decade or so. In home use. In a commercial setting, it will have acquired all the patina it might ever need in a week or so.
Which brings us to the next difference: Your Grandma likely used that thing every single day, and not infrequently twice or three, four, five times. That builds patina/seasoning a lot more quickly than dragging it out for ‘special occasions’ every other week.
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It was explained to me at a hardware store in an Amish community in Indiana that the manufacturers used to turn the pans on a lathe to get the smooth surface. If you examine old pans closely you can sometimes still see the circular machining lines. The smooth surface helps the crispness on your fried potatoes and the char on your steak stay on your food instead of sticking to the pan.
I had great success smoothing my skillet using a flap disk in my 4–1/2” angle grinder. This process creates a lot of very fine iron dust. It will sift right through your clothes. Everything turns black. If you do this, I recommend doing it outside. Also wear eye protection and a hat. A face shield and a good face mask like an N95 is helpful. When you are done you will want to season your pan. It will be as smooth as a baby’s skin. The effort is worth the hassle.
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The main issue with modern cast iron is most people only see the cheap stuff with cooking surfaces that are as rough as a cob.
Take that same pan and a grind it flat with a cup-stone on an angle grinder and your el-cheepo flea market find will cook as well as your Grannies heirloom “Griswold #6” worth $350….
This is rough shit and worthless for cooking…
THIS is an “improved” Lodge pan after being ground and polished…
Choose Wisely Pilgrim…
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I can’t speak to the manufacturing methods, but a 100 year old pan has most likely been used, and broken in, and worn smooth, and seasoned, and heated and cooled so many times, it has changed the cooking surface in ways that a modern manufacturing method can’t duplicate. Cast iron pans get better every time you use them.
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Old ones tend to be a tad heavier. That aside there is no difference at all.
The problem is that now people do not know how to correctly season and use the pan. Making old ones only seem better because they have had decades of seasoning.
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Today’s cast iron pans are left with the rough texture of the casting process on the bottom. Fir all their carping about preserving the factory seasoning, the coarse sandy texture encourages food to stick and burn.
A hundred years ago, it was common for the manufacturer to machine the bottom to an extremely smooth finish, far superior for frying.
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The old pans that weren’t any good were thrown away many years ago.
It’s classic survivorship bias.
When you compare these to new pans you are comparing to all the pans available including cheap ones that won’t last as long.
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The old cast iron pans are no better than new ones.
The old pans did take way longer to manufacture because it used to be polished, but that step for bulk commercially made pans has stopped.
Note, however, smooth or rough makes no difference to how non-stick it is. That property is entirely one of how well seasoned the surface is. Seasoning is the act of building up a polymer layer from heated fats. If the food comes into contact with the actual iron, it will stick whether the surface is smooth or rough.
See for yourself. This guy took the time to mirror polish a new cast iron pan.
Lastly, cast iron cookware sucks . Buy carbon steel pans instead, because:
They weight half as much as cast iron
They transfer heat much faster. This means much more uniform temperature across the entire cooking surface; no cast iron hot spots.
They have no associated nostalgia or mystique. This means they’re cheap. A skillet should be no more than $20. This is why these are the standards of commercial kitchens.
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They aren’t necessarily better. They’re usually a bit thinner and they used to be sanded down to be smooth. Today the big producers leave the sand mold so the pan has like an orange rind texture. I just sand them down with a disk sander because I like the smoother finish.
Other than that, there’s little difference. Most of mine are a lot older than I am, but I have a few new ones too.
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There are pans made with thin walls and those made with thick ones. Which ones will last longer, thick or thin. Older pans are thicker and heavier, hence that last longer. A well seasoned pan can be washed with soap and water and not affect the seasoning.
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I have 3 CI pans that I estimate to be over 50 years old. Recently i bought a fourth one. I can’t see anything inferior in the new one in comparison with the older ones.
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The problem with cast iron, in our age of instant gratification, is it takes time to learn how to use well, and the build up the “seasoning” layer. Cast iron is a horrible material for a pan; it’s got hot and cold spots and it isn’t non-stick until you’ve already cooked your 500th fried chicken.
But if you get one that’s well seasoned, and you know how to cook with cast iron generally, they can’t be beat. As is generally observed below yes; the finish inside the pan makes a difference in how it will develop the seasoning layer. Finishing a cast iron pan is difficult and expensive. It makes sense the manufacturers have stopped doing it. Unfortunately, it does take longer to build up the seasoning layer.
But you can, if you’re willing. And if you do… yes. Cast iron is the best we have. You can taste the difference. Maybe this doesn’t make sense in a commercial kitchen. Acceptable substitutes are available, and they’re easier to use. But if you pursue cooking as an art form, rather than a job… Buy the pan and learn to cook with it. It’ll give you better than you give it.
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It has less to do with age than with the manufacturer. In my experience Griswold is far better than any other brands. Always was and perhaps always will be. There seem to be some new firms getting into the biz. I don’t know how they compare to Griswold.
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No there isn’t. Cast iron is pretty much the same.
Here’s the difference. The really old cast iron pans were used over wood stoves and were subjected to much higher temperatures than most modern ones. 500°F in an oven is not hot enough.
The biggest mistake modern cooks make with cast iron is believing you can get a good seasoning indoors on a stove top or in a oven. The truth is, they simply will not get hot enough. You need at least 700°F-800°F to properly season cast iron. These temperatures cannot be reached indoors on an oven. A wood or charcoal fire is needed…
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Aside from the generalization that an old pan must be of good quality to have survived into the modern age, there are now a plethora of absolutely crappy cast iron pans available from supermarkets and online sellers. There are still reputable companies producing high quality cast iron cookware, but it’s rather expensive, and so the makers of the crap-pans have a ready market because their prices are cheap. It’s harsh, but you really do tend to get what you pay for!
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Prior to WWII, cast iron pans had a machined cooking surface that was flat & smooth. Most of the cast iron manufacturers went out of business by the end of the war. In a money saving move to stay in business, the survivors stopped machining the cooking surface. This means it takes many more applications to season a pan. In that respect, the older pans are better. Some of the new entries in the cast iron pan race are now maching the cooking surface again.
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While I’m not an expert on the old pans, it’s well-known that cast-iron improves over the years due to applying oil (or other fat) after each use. It gets more and more well-seasoned. I got my first cast-iron (an unseasoned 10” Lodge skillet) about 15–20 years ago and everything stuck to it, at first. Now it’s very slick and nothing sticks to it. It’s become one of my favorite pans over the years, and I’ve since added to the collection.
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