I have owned several different types of cast iron, and - in my opinion - Griswold tops all of them. Unfortunately, the company went out of business 55 years ago...so, you can only buy the pans in antique stores (or on eBay if you are desperate). I also do not know if they were sold in Europe (and- since some people collect Griswold cast iron like we collect video games - the prices are all over the place).elmagicochrisg wrote: Mine are Victors. One 8" and one 10" skillet. Probably the cheapest ones one can find. But it got good reviews both on Amazon and elsewhere. So I really didn't find the need to buy a more expensive one...
Cast iron is virtually non-existent here in Belgium, so I ordered mine from the UK. Only ones I found where I live were from Le Creuset and cost over €100 a piece. Which is a total rip-off for a cast iron pan if you ask me. On top of that they had wooden handles, unlike the Victors I bought...
Still need to replace my wok. But I think I'd like that one to be coated with enamel on the inside. Seems like the better surface for a wok. I could be wrong though...
That said, I also have a Le Creuset cast iron wok, and that thing is a beast. My wife and I did not think we would get a tremendous amount of use out of it, but it has become one of our "go to" pieces of cookware. It does not have an enamel coating (and it is not as well seasoned as our Griswold pans); so, it generally requires a little more cleaning than our other pieces of cast iron. It is getting better though, and it retains heat wonderfully.
Also...if you are looking for a relatively inexpensive alternative to Le Creuset, you may want to seek out Descoware. It was Julia Child's cookware of choice, and it should be widely available in Belgium. That said, the company - like Griswold - has been defunct for some time. (It is widely acknowledged that Le Creuset purchased and closed Descoware because it produced a superior product.) Accordingly, you will have to search antique stores and eBay to find it.
Finally, I do not think that you should be using olive oil to season you cast iron. (The smoke point for olive oil is too low, and you may find that if you continue seasoning with that oil, you will get a lot of smoke and "blackening" when you cook at high temperatures.) I think that you would be better off with peanut or vegetable oil.
The damn NCAA! It's supposed to be The Big Bang Theory at 8...but apparently some stupid-ass sport takes priority. God forbid they air this crap on a dedicated channel as God intended.
