# A Hodge-Podge of Lodge **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [August 17, 2024, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-hodge-podge-of-lodge/1005826 "2024-08-17T13:16:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DorkVader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2024, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-hodge-podge-of-lodge/1005826/1 "2024-08-17T13:16:18Z")
Or, just any old cookware really. Over the summer, I have managed to acquire four “new” cast iron skillets. One of which was a Lodge pan that was so caked with gunk that the giant Lodge branding “stamp” on the bottom couldn’t be seen. I say gunk because whatever was on that pan wasn’t good seasoning. It was very thick and some of it was peeling like bad wallpaper. It was nasty. But as a thrift store find, I figured a few dollars wouldn’t break me it the pan wasn’t salvageable. Anyway, couple of weeks of cleaning, I have a nice little oddball (to me) Lodge pan that is, I dunno, 7, 8 inches? Smaller than any of my 9 inch pans. It’s perfect for sautéing mushrooms and making grilled cheese sandwiches and I have an old pyrex saucepan lid that fits it exactly right. Thus my hodge-podge lodge pan. What about you, do you acquire and replace kitchen tools over time, building up a mishmash of items that works exactly right for you and your style, or do you buy sets of pans/knives/etc? Both ways of kitchen equipping have their pluses and minuses and neither is wrong, but some people do better using one style and some the other, what’s your style? ETA; I’m a mish-masher myself. ---
**Author:** ![Dogginit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dogginit/32/16920_2.png) [@Dogginit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogginit)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2024, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-hodge-podge-of-lodge/1005826/2 "2024-08-17T13:27:42Z")
I buy what I need at the time, so I very much have a hodge-podge. Most of my cast iron is 20+ years old, acquired at several points along the way, altough my dutch oven I bought just a couple years ago. My non-stick skillets change from time to time, based on whatever happens to be in the store at the time - Blue Diamond and Red Copper currently, have had Gotham and other brands. They normally last 5 to 6 years, then get replaced by whatever the new one is that the store is carrying. My stainless pots are all from a set I bought 30 or so years ago, other than my big stewpots, which were individual purchases. ---
**Author:** ![MagicEyes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@MagicEyes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MagicEyes)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2024, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-hodge-podge-of-lodge/1005826/3 "2024-08-17T14:05:04Z")
I have an assortment of cast iron in different sizes, mostly inherited from my grandmother. I need to strip and reseason all of them, so I won’t be using them any time soon. The only new one is a tiny skillet that’s just the right size for one egg, or a large chocolate chip cookie. I also have a Le Creuset gratin dish that I rescued from the dumpster. It had a lot of baked-on grease, which cleaned up really well. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2024, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-hodge-podge-of-lodge/1005826/4 "2024-08-17T14:13:31Z")
We have a full set of 12", 10", 8", 6.5", and a teeny little 3 5/8" one that I fry one egg for English muffin sandwiches in. Some of them are Lodge for certain but I’m not sure about all of them. I use the 12" the most. We basically store it on the stovetop anyways. We also have a non-enameled Dutch oven and an enameled Le Creuset Dutch oven that was a wedding gift. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2024, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-hodge-podge-of-lodge/1005826/5 "2024-08-17T14:34:01Z")
I’m definitely of the hodge-podge persuasion myself. I have a variety of cookware of varying quality, including a large heavy pot that I guess is basically a Dutch oven that I use rarely (for things like pot roast), a beautiful heavy KitchenAid saucepan that I use constantly, a lighter large pot that I use for pasta, and a bunch of others. Practically nothing matches. Also a bunch of mostly non-matching cooking utensils. I’m aware of the fondness for cast iron, but I’ve never been on that particular bandwagon. For example, I like to use crepe pans for stovetop toasting of things like buns and bagels, and I do have a cast iron one, but I find that the lighter Teflon crepe pans heat up faster and their lightness makes them easier to handle, so I prefer them for that purpose. Also a variety of frying pans, my favourites being a small Cuisinart stainless pan ideal for stir-frying mushrooms, and a large T-Fal non-stick that is perfect as a general-purpose frying pan. I’ve taken good care of it and after what must be at least 15 years its non-stick quality is as good as new – fried eggs literally slip right off. Also a large frying pan with a glass lid that is ideal for browning dim sum and then adding water and steaming it, the glass allowing me to see when all the water has boiled off. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2024, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-hodge-podge-of-lodge/1005826/6 "2024-08-17T14:35:12Z")
Yeah, a lot of different things. I have a whole set of Le Creuset stainless pots and pans. I use the pots often, the pans less so. My go-to breakfast pans are a well-used Cuisinart non-stick 12", an Anolon 10", and an old Berndes (German) non-stick 8". Those Berndes pans are indestructible and with the heavy steel bottoms, they never warp. My go-to pot is a 2 quart T-Fal non-stick. Great for oatmeal or making rice; also cheap and last a really long time. I used to have a cast iron pan I picked up at an antique shop, but I never used it and it ended up in a garage sale. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2024, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-hodge-podge-of-lodge/1005826/7 "2024-08-17T16:55:23Z")
People either love or hate cast iron. If you get it _right_, it’s a great way to cook. Yes, I’m a hodge-podger. BTW you odd sized pan is a corn bread pan. At least mine is. ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2024, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-hodge-podge-of-lodge/1005826/8 "2024-08-17T21:56:55Z")
When I moved from Chicago to NC I left almost all of my cookware (as well as many other kitchen items) behind and purchased replacements. Most of what I’d had was in bad shape anyway, so I figured it wasn’t worth packing. A few years ago I picked up a 12" cast iron Lodge pan, which I’ve found sufficiently useful that I’m planning on buying a smaller one for times when the one I’ve got is too big. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2024, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-hodge-podge-of-lodge/1005826/9 "2024-08-17T22:49:36Z")
I’m definitely DEI when it comes to my kitchen. The cast iron was either inherited from Mom or stuff I’d gathered along the way, like the chicken fryer. There’s a couple of frying pans, a round skillet, a square skillet, a rectangular griddle and a pizza pan. La Creuset enamel Dutch oven. Pots and pans are mostly bog-standard restaurant stuff. Vollrath, to be exact. Plus the camping stuff, which is all light-weight aluminum and beat to shit. Knives are a mix of Henkel and Cutco. Laugh all you want, but I’m still using most of the knives I bought my first year of college. That was…never mind, wasn’t important. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2024, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-hodge-podge-of-lodge/1005826/10 "2024-08-17T23:02:03Z")
> [@DorkVader](#): > > Over the summer, I have managed to acquire four “new” cast iron skillets. One of which was a Lodge pan that was so caked with gunk that the giant Lodge branding “stamp” on the bottom couldn’t be seen. I say gunk because whatever was on that pan wasn’t good seasoning. It was very thick and some of it was peeling like bad wallpaper. It was nasty. But as a thrift store find, I figured a few dollars wouldn’t break me it the pan wasn’t salvageable. How can a Lodge pan not be salvageable? If there’s gunk on it, take it to a foundry and shot blast that sucker. Take it to the hardware store and strap it to the paint shaker. Drag it behind a stagecoach for a couple miles. Anything still on there will revolutionize our understanding of gunk. I have a bit of a hodge-podge; a Lodge, a non-stick Scanpan, and a stainless steel All-Clad. I got a set of pots and pans some years ago as a gift; the pots and the small skillet from that set get used regularly. And I have a corbon steel wok that’s still building up the seasoning. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2024, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-hodge-podge-of-lodge/1005826/11 "2024-08-17T23:02:14Z")
Hodge-podger here. I love having cast iron of all shapes and sizes. But I did rationalize the collection recently and put two pans on the free table: one was a ginormous fry pan (probably 14") that I had no use for and the other was griddle pan that we used once and decided it provided no additional flexibility to our cooking options. So now I have a cast iron Dutch oven, the lid of which is the day-to-day fry pan; a small pan perfect for one egg; and a very large but shallow fry pan that is perfect for pancakes or lots of fried eggs. I can’t imagine needing anything else, but estate sales and garage sales often tempt me. ---
**Author:** ![Dogginit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dogginit/32/16920_2.png) [@Dogginit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogginit)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2024, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-hodge-podge-of-lodge/1005826/12 "2024-08-18T00:25:17Z")
> [@CairoCarol](#): > > but estate sales and garage sales often tempt me. Altogether too much for my bank account’s liking 🤣 > [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > If there’s gunk on it, take it to a foundry and shot blast that sucker All it takes is a 4-1/2" or 5" grinder with a wire wheel. I’ve saved quite a few of them that way. Strip to shiny metal, then begin the seasoning process all over again. As for a griddle, my 1950s era [Wedgewood stove/oven](https://imgur.com/pJRJ0gL) has a griddle right in the middle of the burners, 2 on the left, 2 on the right. It’s gonna kill me when we move and I can’t take this with me. ---
**Author:** ![DorkVader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2024, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-hodge-podge-of-lodge/1005826/13 "2024-08-18T06:08:07Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > How can a Lodge pan not be salvageable It would mostly depend on if whatever was on it was more effort/expense to remove than I wanted to invest. I went the chemical route to stripping it down to bare metal with oven cleaner and a trashbag to soak in ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2024, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-hodge-podge-of-lodge/1005826/14 "2024-08-18T06:21:05Z")
> [@Dogginit](#): > > All it takes is a 4-1/2" or 5" grinder with a wire wheel. > [@DorkVader](#): > > I went the chemical route to stripping it down to bare metal with oven cleaner and a trashbag to soak in Did either of even try dragging it behind a stagecoach first? Where’s your sense of style? ---
**Author:** ![DorkVader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2024, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-hodge-podge-of-lodge/1005826/15 "2024-08-18T15:22:18Z")
It’s in the shop, you know how stage coaches can be sometimes, specially if it’s a high mileage one like mine.