Cast Iron Cookware

SweetCharade · July 2010

So, the fiance and I registered for a set of stainless cookware to replace the nonstick stuff I bought a couple of months ago and really don't like (we picked the Calphalon Contemporary Stainless stuff) but I'm wanting to register for a couple of good cast iron pieces since everyone says that after awhile it's just as non-stick as, well, non-stick. I was thinking about a 12" skillet, a dutch oven, and a griddle.

I'd love to register for the Le Creuset, but it's just so expensive I'd feel kind of bad putting it on the registry. I was looking at the Emerilware stuff just because of the cost effectiveness of it, but will the Emeril stuff last as long or perform as well? Which one should I register for?

Brie2010 · July 2010

Register for what you want. If it's Le Creuset, choose that. Nobody HAS to buy it for you, and if you don't get it, you can buy it with gift cards and your completion discount after the wedding!

mysticl · July 2010

Ask for the good stuff. We registered for All Clad. Good cast iron that is properly cared for will last longer than you.

jagore08 · July 2010

I agree, register for what you want. DH and I put a couple of things on our registry that we didn't really think anyone would buy. Some people actually bought the items and I am so glad that we didn't register for the more cost conscious things.

gottahavashorti · July 2010

Don't feel bad about putting a couple of expensive things on your registry.

I believe Lodge is the only company that still makes their cast iron cookware in the U.S. if that matters at all to you, and their pieces are reasonable. I love my dad's giant Lodge skillet (probably at least 18" diameter and 3-4" high sides). We opted to get vintage pieces of Griswold and Wagnerware in 12", 10" and I believe 6" that we just finished reseasoning.

aplatanada · July 2010

I agree that you should register for what you want.

FWIW, we registered for Emerilware cast iron stuff. It got high grades from and was recommended by Consumer Reports.

KatyRoseM · July 2010

Ask for what you want. Quality makes it last and when I buy a wedding gift I want it to last so they always have it. Also, you don't want to feel like you didn't get what you want, you'll enjoy it more if it was what you wanted.

SweetCharade · July 2010

Thanks for all of the replies everyone. I guess my concern is if I register for the less expensive cast iron, is it going to last? I don't want to register for something and have someone be considerate enough to give it to us just to have to replace it a couple of years down the road

pirategal03 · July 2010

I have 4 cast iron skillets, they're all Lodge. I've only purchased one, the rest are hand-downs from my great-grandmother. I also have a Lodge brand enameled dutch oven and a grillpan/griddle (the kind that fits over 2 stove burners).

I'd recommend Lodge brand cast iron any day. The only issue (if you could even call it that) I've had with any of it is that the handle on my dutch oven was plastic and only rated to 350 or 400 degrees, I don't remember what, so I replaced it with a metal cabinent knob from the hardware store that was rated to a higher temperature.

America's Test Kitchen consistently rates the Lodge brand as good in quality as Le Cruset.

gottahavashorti · July 2010

[QUOTE]Thanks for all of the replies everyone. I guess my concern is if I register for the less expensive cast iron, is it going to last? I don't want to register for something and have someone be considerate enough to give it to us just to have to replace it a couple of years down the road
Posted by SweetCharade[/QUOTE]
As long as you care for it properly (reseason occasionally, don't wash with dish soap or let it soak in the sink), a cast iron piece should last more than a lifetime. Like I said, our pieces are vintage cast iron purchased from a flea market. I believe my mom's are pre-owned as well. Hers have lasted even though she doesn't take care of them correctly - really the only issue due to that is that hers don't act like non-stick.

pirategal03 · July 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_registering-gifts_cast-iron-cookware?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:34Discussion:98a52f23-6a7d-433e-914c-373332ba2db8Post:b3fda4f7-f38c-4dae-acac-539b2c68c4c7">Re: Cast Iron Cookware</a>:
[QUOTE]Lodge cast iron is the best. I'm using the skillet my mom got for a wedding gift in 1954. Go for a skillet, dutch oven, griddle and cornbread stick mold. It's never a waste of time to buy the rusty skillet at the flea market, either....sand it down with steel wool and re-season it. <strong>You can't ruin cast iron. It's always re-seasonable</strong>. I wash mine good, grease it all over (inside and out) with Crisco and then let it cook outside on the grill.
Posted by RetreadBride[/QUOTE]

This is true. My parents bought a skillet at an antique store that had been blackened with shoe polish. It took a while, but it's now useable and it has a non-stick surface.

Cast Iron Cookware

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