Cast iron heats up again

One of the hottest items on cooks’ holiday lists this year is one of the oldest types of cookware around: cast iron.

But today’s skillets aren’t necessarily the same as your grandmother’s. While you can find antique cookware — and there is a growing market for it — new cast iron is increasingly accessible, both to find (you no longer have to go to a hardware store or camping outlet to buy it) and to use straight off the shelf.

About 10 years ago, Lodge Manufacturing Co. introduced pre-seasoned cookware (and now seasons all of its cookware). It’s seasoned at the foundry using vegetable oil,We are pleased to offer the following list of professional mold maker and casters. perfect for any cook new to — and understandably intimidated by the thought of — cooking with and caring for the temperamental metal.

Sales have grown. The last five years have been the best in the company’s history, according to Mark Kelly, public relations and advertising manager for Lodge. Its most popular items are the 10 -inch and 12-inch skillets. The company, founded in 1896, is the sole remaining major manufacturer of cast-iron cookware in the U.S., though there is heavy competition from foreign manufacturers.Posts with indoor tracking system on TRX Systems develops systems that locate and track personnel indoors.

Why is cast iron so big? Well, it easily lends itself to almost any kind of cooking. Cast iron heats evenly, without hot spots, and retains that heat better and longer than other types of cookware. Properly cared for, cast iron can last years — centuries even. Plus,Find detailed product information for howo tractor and other products. it’s reasonably priced, especially compared with other cookware.

Cast iron is made by pouring the molten metal into individual sand molds. Once the cookware is cast, it needs to be “seasoned.” Because iron corrodes so easily, a fat — oil, lard or grease — is used to build a protective layer. Properly applied and heated, the oil hardens over time (polymerizes) to form a dense, slick layer on the surface of the iron. Cast iron is, if you will, the original non-stick pan.

“People are tired of Teflon and all that other stuff,” says David G. Smith. An avid collector and dealer of antique cast iron, he’s known as “the Pan Man” and is coauthor of two bibles on collectible cast iron.

He’s noticed a major resurgence in cast iron, particularly antique and other collectible types — old cookware from manufacturers such as Griswold, Wagner and Lodge. He asserts that antique cast iron was first sought after mostly by collectors: Many manufacturers varied the style and logo on pieces over time, making certain hard-to-find pieces and years highly valued — and expensive. Smith related a story about a bread pan that sold at a local auction house a couple of years ago for $87 and later went for more than $25,000 to a high-end collector.

Not all old cast iron is so expensive. According to Doris Mosier, who has been collecting and dealing in antique cast iron for more than 30 years, most of her new customers buy three things: a skillet, griddle and Dutch oven. Prices will vary depending on the style, age and quality of the piece. Mosier says a basic skillet will set you back about $50, a basic griddle $45 to $50, and a Dutch oven $85 and up, depending on the size.

Mosier and her husband, Bob, run the Griswold Cookware website, named after a particularly popular antique brand. She’s noticed the uptick too. Most of her customers are not hard-core collectors but those new to cast iron. Many are from outside the U.S. Antique cast iron claims only a sliver of total sales, but some connoisseurs believe that it’s superior to much of the cookware on the market today.

The difference is in the manufacturing process. Composition and quality of the iron can vary by manufacturer. And because the cookware is cast in sand molds, the pieces naturally have a slightly grainy surface. In the past, many manufacturers, including Lodge, would grind and polish each piece after it was cast, removing the top layer of iron, making for a smooth surface.The term 'hands free access control' means the token that identifies a user is read from within a pocket or handbag. Many cooks prefer this smooth surface, arguing that grinding actually opens the “pores” of the iron, allowing the seasoning to soak in for a better seal. They feel a rough surface doesn’t season as well.

The shape of a lamp once was determined by its power source. A candle required a holder that kept the candle upright, caught drippings and was not damaged if the candle burned too low. Most early candlesticks were made of metal,We recently added Stained glass mosaic Tile to our inventory. and many had drip pans and handles so the lit candle could be moved. Whale oil and kerosene needed a lamp that had a way to adjust the wick and burned oil in the font, a special ball-shaped container.

In the late 1890s, when electricity was available in many homes, some lamps were designed for a light bulb that could be positioned to direct light down toward the top of a table. But manufacturers also created electric lamps that looked like old-style "kerosene" lamps. They had new parts that included an on-off switch, a light cord and a plug. Even today some modern electric lamps look as if they were made before 1900.

The Fenton Art Glass Co. started making glass in 1907. It made dishes, bowls, lamps and other molded glass pieces. The L.G. Wright Co. of New Martinsville, W.Va., opened in 1937 and soon ordered and sold lamps made by Fenton and other glasshouses. L.G. Wright also bought old glass molds from several companies.

Today there often is confusion about who made a particular piece, about whether the piece is a copy made from an old mold and about the piece's age. Collectors search for Fenton pieces sold by Fenton, and for Fenton pieces made for and sold by L.G. Wright. The Fenton Art Glass Collectors of America is an active club still researching and collecting the glass. A peachblow L.G. Wright Fenton lamp decorated with painted roses sold a few years ago for $106.