Great comparison! There is a special joy that comes with cooking in an 80 year old BSR though. Of course having an elite new pan would be nice as well.
So, if you're coming from a pragmatic angle, whichever you can get your hands on for the best price is the answer. If you love cast iron, like so many of us here do, they're kind of like children, you love them all. I loved the versus video, but I don't think it needs a winner, I'm fine with confessing that this channel has helped me come to terms with having more pots and pans than I could possibly have need for!
Both choices look and perform great! Of course people will point out that you can get old rusty pans at a fraction of the price, but supporting new companies offering an old fashioned art form is pretty awesome as well 🍳🍳👍🏻🍳🍳
The Stargazer is a very good value for what you are actually getting. You can keep the Amazon pop-metal Chinese junk. Of course, it's going to take some time to season, it's not really fair when your great-grandmother cast Iron been used for 90 years or so. I have two Stargazers, one I bought and the other a gift, a friend bought one and well for some reason his wife didn't like it. So he gave it to me. it's a 12 inch and others than doing a seasoning I have done nothing but cook, value has little to do with what you actually pay for something, value comes from dose it does what you want it to do and better still if you only have to buy it once. Sure the vintage stuff is great but as I live it's becoming hard to find and it is priced accordingly. I myself am not a purist, I just want a skillet or a dutch oven to do what I need them to do. That's it. Yeah, there are some upfront costs. But the dollar amounts generally will be forgotten over time. That gifted Stargazer is the 12 inch one and boy does it do a cast-iron skillet pizza
Wow, VERY much enjoyed this video! Always saw my grandparents cooking with these but only recently decided to look into it for myself. As a person who isnt going "antiquing" the idea i can get a vintage pan in the mail from something like an amazon is GREAT for me. Videos like yours help me feel great in buying a Stargazer. Looks great to me, appears to cook like i want-one to. I think my Grandma would be happy to see people get this pan.
I picked up a BSR skillet off of ebay for $40 recently and I love it for everyday use like eggs. I started with a modern lodge and I keep it around for searing steaks, but the glass like finish of the BSR makes it so much easier to clean. Since everyone into vintage cast iron seem to go for wagner or griswold skillets, they're all typically pretty pricey, almost as pricey as the modern elite cast iron. That being the case, BSR skillets seem to be the best bang for your buck nowadays as they're less known.
I find more unmarked Wagner and three notch Lodge pans than BSR around here. They all sell for $3-10 at yard sales and none is superior to the others. Wagner and Griswold aren't any better but they command much higher prices.
As from Sweden, we have (had) another range of maufacturers here. The go to skillet here is an old Husquarna from the 30/40s, with a quite high straight rim. Then there is a couple of Skeppshult, from the 60s and 70s and 80s in the collection. Just as good, but with a lower, more angled rim. The advantage with a lower, more sloped rim is that one can flip an omelette over with less effort. The high rim one is more suited to doing final duty in the oven, finishing them precious meatballs after giving them the precious sear on the stove. (or as your video shows, Cornbread). Could not live without these two interpretations of skillets. The |_| versus the \_/ makes a lot of difference in a day to day handling. But.. if forced at gunpoint to live with one skillet only, though, I would go for the Husquarna. A true beast, but not kind to the wrist. Thankyou so much for your inspiring videos, Eric :)
I always love to learn about cast iron manfacturers from other countries. I fully understand the deep skillet vs. the sloped skillets. For years now I have been on the hunt for a vintage chefs skillet with the sloped sides. I have found them on eBay but they go for a small king's random.😁.
@@YukonHawk1 Go to Sweden. Here these golden nuggets are sold for pennies. I've got my ex stepfathers old skillet (Husqvarna) he had in his hunting rucksack since the 1950s. In second hand stores these old skillets are sold for less then 10 USD. Got a pristine dutch oven (swedish manufacturing, Skeppshult), 12 inch for about 60 USD. Hello, mr 1960s :) Not even rust on the underside.
Just purchased my first cast irons that God willing will be passed down to my kids and make many delicious meals before then 👍🏼 Thanks for the comparison
#35 thumbs up! I always enjoy seeing your cooking videos. They’re very relaxing and quite entertaining. I have a preference for vintage cast iron but both of your pans performed like champs!
Very good comparison video. I decided to start upgrading from my Lodge cast iron and the first thing I ordered was a Field Company #10 or 12" skillet. My wife uses a 12" for large batch scrabled eggs and the Field is nice for her being lighter than the Lodge. Highly recommend Field Company. Will probably get a #6 from them at some point. For my 10" skillet upgrade I went with a Startgazer just like yours. Will hopefully be delivered some time next week. I went with Startgazer for the 10" because I like that size for gravy and it is supposed to have the best lip for pouring with no drips. Helper handle also good for oven and liquids. Seriously considering a Field #16 for the Weber Kettle grill. The new Stargazer dual handle skillet is smaller at 13.5" but may be nice to have that instead.
I ordered a Stargazer a few days ago before seeing this video. I will probably still use my Piqua more often but I wanted a bigger skillet so I got the 12 inch Stargazer.
Its relative to the times. When you consider the cost of manufacture relative to the lifespan of use with proper care and maintenance the Stargazers are a bargain. Say you pick up a #8 or #10 and you're 25 yrs old today. You can expect to live to 85-90 now maybe longer with new developments over your lifetime. These aren't buy, burnout, flakeout, and throw away after 10 yrs. and then add in inflation to get a replacement. The beauty of CI is food tastes better. Scrape them out, wipe them out and over with a paper towel and you're ready for the next meal. CI will never let you down. The cooking trick is to always bring the pan to temperature, with oil, butter or fat, before adding your ingredients esp. meats. Never start with a cold skillet! You'll be grumpy.
I agree with Rob Clancy down below. What ever you can get your hands on if it is GOOD cast iron. Old 3 notch Lodge, Wagner, even new Lodge that has the porous surface. My most used cast iron skillet is made in Tiwan. I know shoot me down for that but I am just not a cast iron snob. It is a very good thick smooth bottom skillet. ANY good piece of cast iron can be made non stick. Just follow your favorite You Tube cast iron channels on how to season and take care of your skillets and pans and your good to go.
Love ur videos! I have 1 stargazer; 3 Lodge; and 2 cuisinal. I'm VERY HAPPY with all of my cast iron. Favorite is Lodge because of price. All offer unique features and I'm very happy with each. Thank you for sharing all your knowledge and your side by side comparisons as I find them so very helpful. I just got my Lodge blacklock in the mail... So excited to try it out! Stay blessed! Peace, tranquility, and happiness! The CountryChola
Nice video and effort!! Look into a Victoria cast iron pan from South American. Best pan you can buy for a budget. Pre seasoning is fantastic as well as final product.
When Butter Pat reopens and ships my skillet, I want to try this same test to see how it stacks up against my Griswold. I expect the results will be the same. But it will be fun trying this out!
Your head-to-head test was fair and interesting. A nice companion test would be to do the same with a Lodge with the pebbly finish and a pan from a $30 Chinese set that is readily available at Costco (which has a very pebbly finish). Most of us would make a choice of pans from what we can buy on a store or easily online (excluding EBay from this category), not going to garage sales or estate sales to look for an antique. BTW, you should have included some thoughts about the likely quality of the latter. “Old iron” has the reputation of warped and/or cracked pans. As for ease of cast iron... Obviously you’re used to cast iron care but I think you have to admit that the additional time required for regular seasoning is an additional burden vs. a standard skillet. My experience with carefully washing a cast iron skillet without soap, getting the little bits off, drying it carefully, reseasoning after a use (as Cowboy Kent says: EVERY time), and wiping off the excess oil - that’s a fair bit of work. Worth it, but by no means trivial.
Field made a lid for their #8 skillet and it fits perfectly on the Stargazer 10.5 skillet which is my favorite Cast iron skillet, but at the end of the day, I love them all.
Great video, and thank you. I wasn't too surprised by the similarities and tie. Would you consider doing Stargazer vs. Lodge at some point? I'd be very curious to hear your thoughts on "premium" new vs. "standard" new.
LOL... I just watched your $10 Chinese unboxing video. I have the Costco pans mentioned below. The scraping sound is about to drive me over the edge. Thankfully my Stargazer is on order... not everyone can afford a $110 pan, but I figure if it’s going to last a lifetime, that cost will be pennies per meal soon enough.
Didn't know yankees ate cornbread at all,learn something new everyday, here in Texas my mother made cornbread fritters with jalapenos, cheese, corn and sometimes onions, good stuff.
I think BSR gives you the same cooking quality of a Wagner or Griswald. And typically perform slightly better than newer cheaper pans like Lodge, Victioria, Cuisinel, or Fresh Australian Kitchen. Nice thing is BSR pans are fairly easy to find for as cheap, or cheaper than cheap modern pans.
I just finished hashbrowns in a skillet idk what it is found at thrift store with meat circle someone stuck their meat and got rid of it my gain their loss I haven't worked much on it but the hashbrowns in butter turned out beautifully not hardly any stick at all I have my grandma and mom and dad's skillets and my own I bought years ago still wouldn't mind having the stargazer as well
I have never gone out of my way to find vintage cast iron, I buy new stuff and make it my own. A lot of older cast iron users scare people away from the hobby with all their contradictions and opinions about brands.. my grandmother left me a vintage BSR but my sister was more emotionally connected to her stuff so I gave it to her. I didn’t like how light it was, didn’t sear steak well. I’m not sure why I’m even saying this other than I’m tired of all the vintage vs new stuff. Your videos are nice and neutral but I’ve ditched many other channels because I’m tired of the bs. Thanks for all your videos.
Thin pans are “better” for cooking, where thicker pans are better at searing meat and such. A thick pan can be used for either but thin heats quicker and is easier to handle.
Well done sir. However, I have to admit that I shiver when I think of sweet cornbread. LOL Also, I have 2 10 inch and one 8 inch vintage BSR pans and love them. I paid $35 for all three at an estate sale.
Wow, I got my Dexter knives about a zillion years ago from Merle Ellis, the original TV celebrity butcher. I enjoy my Shuns and Wusthofs, but the Dexters are the ones I'd take to a desert island.
I cook with Wagners, BSR's, vintage Lodge, (the smoothies), and new Lodge. I'm very interested in the new light wt. cast iron Stargazer. I think they'll make great gifts for my kids. Thx amigo!
Yummy vittles, as always! I'll stay with my vintage irons, however it was great to see the head-to-head test. Stay safe, & thanks for the very informative entertainment.
First! Loved seeing the hand-me-down pan perform as well as the modern, expensive cast iron pan! I’m going to stick with my old cast iron pans (unless someone wants to gift me a new cast iron wok)! Thanks for the demo. Good to see you feeling better!
Great comparison. Your BS&R should not stick at all with the multiple layers of seasoning on them. I'm still considering a Stargazer pan for my collection. I have seen many excellent reviews on them. I wish you would have weighed them for comparison and mentioned which handle felt better in your hand with the cornbread in it. Great work as always! Get your food delivered and never leave the place. lol
I looked online and the Stargazer skillet is $115, since I live in the BSR region they are common and about $10 - $15 in great shape just needing to be cleaned and re-seasoned because I don't know where it's been. The $100 dollars may be the biggest difference in these pans. The old ones have a certain wow factor to me. In SE Tennessee I find a lot of BSR Red Mt, Century and Lodge 3 notch. The one notch and two notch Lodge are less common. The metal drive of WWII got a lot of this old cast iron.
The factory seasoning is to keep the pan from rusting. It isn’t meant to be permanent. I have a Stargazer, 3 Field, and an old smooth bottomed Lodge skillets. I’ve used cast iron for 20 years and to this day I always use a tiny bit of dish soap when cleaning my pans with zero problems.
I tried to replace my father's Griswold 12" skillet that I gave to my daughter, the cheapest one that I found was $675, so I said the hell with it and bought a Stargazer. Good choice, its a great pan.
@@douglaspierce8480 This doesn't look too bad. I wouldn't be surprised if it's slightly warped, though. www.ebay.com/itm/193900196145?hash=item2d255a3131%3Ag%3AKg4AAOSwJeBgJA5T&LH_BIN=1
Thank you for the side by side. A wooden spurtle will help you with omelettes. Are you thinking about getting a new range? If you do, I'd love to hear your journey.
Can I have the cornbread recipe? I love sweet cornbread and I’m from Texas :) though my dad is from Montana and mom from Missouri. I recently finished restoring a #8 red mountain skillet and it’s great! It was sooo crusty, it’s amazing what it looks like now.
These new pans are often made with a level of precision and manufacturing that didn't exist when Birmingham Stove & Range existed. I will always prefer modern 'elite pans'. Just my .02
Isn't the non-stick of both your pans more of a complement to your seasoning than the quality of the pan? As you know Lodge is often criticized for the pepply nature of their pans but they are made that way to hold the factory seasoning, perhaps an advantage over the Stargazer?
That's certainly true, and as you know many people unfairly criticize Lodge because of the rougher surface of the pan...even though we can still cook with Lodge pans and get non-stick cooking with no difficulty at all. There's one difference between the polished surface of these two pans, versus the Lodge pan: the glass-smooth polished surface *feels* better. That doesn't necessarily mean it cooks better, it just means it feels better. Many people prefer the smooth surface for that reason.
Well done, a very nice comparison. In the end it shows that good quality either young or old is worth the effort. As for the non-stick, I've haven't had any issues with sticking in a properly seasoned pan since I learned the keys of using enough oil or fat and to not let it get too hot. One thing I was wondering that actually had nothing to do with these pans. Back a few years ago when I had an electric stove I too had your same uneven heating issues. That's part of why I got a gas stove that was super cheap and too good of a deal to pass up. Anyway... Was wondering if you've had any issues with electric stoves getting too hot on one side and warping your cast iron? Which is a problem I have not seen on the gas stove.
Yes, I warped a couple of my pans when I was first learning to cook on electric. For this reason, I make sure to never heat the stovetop range higher than 7 out of 10 when cooking. That's enough to get the pan to between 500 and 600 degrees Fahrenheit, which is good enough to sear any meat.
Anyone else thought that a tablespoon of butter was a lot of butter? Great video though and reinforced my desire to buy a stargazer once I can go back to work.
Do you have issues with the metal utensils scratching the seasoning? I tend to use wood spoons and plastic spatulas so I don't damage the finish. I made corn bread last week using your hot oil into the corn mix method. Both my wife's glutten free corn bread and the regular kind were perfect! Thanks!
You're wise to use wood or plastic utensils on your cast iron pans. You should, especially, use silicone or wood utensils on pans with a smooth machined surface as scratches in the metal can cause sticking.
I use whatever utensil is handy at the time and don’t have any problems with scratching. But, our grandmothers didn’t have plastic or silicone for use on their pans. They used plain old metal. I think we pamper our cast iron too much these days. But, by taking such good care of them we are showing how much we appreciate our vintage pans.
Stargazer's FAQ page says it's OK to use metal. From their FAQ page when asked of you can use metal: "Any kind you like. You don’t have to worry about scratching cast iron with metal utensils. In fact, we recommend metal utensils. The best tool for the job seems to be a basic, old-fashioned metal spatula. Find one with a straight, flat edge and rounded corners. The flat edge will help you get under your food, while the rounded corners will prevent any gouging."
Hello, I have a question. I have a cast iron skillet that I purchased in 1986 from a hardware store. The only markings on the bottom are USA 10 which I know means the pan size. But who made it? It only has one handle.
@@castironchaos Hi, after removing some baked on crud from the bottom, there is the letters SK under the 10 which is above the USA. I bought it new in 1986 so I cannot see how it was made in the 60's or 70's unless it was old inventory. But you think it's still a Lodge?
@@FrazierMtnCheese The SK mark would definitely indicate it's a Lodge. Lodge added the "Lodge" logo to its pans beginning in the 1970s. If that pan has a 10, MADE IN USA, SK but no Lodge logo, it's a Lodge from the 1960s or early 1970s at most.
You have shown us in another video that a cheap Chinese pan with its rough surface can be nonstick enough to cook an egg with a few layers of seasoning. Should anyone expect anything less from an expensive Stargazer?
I had the same problem with my new Stargazer and from what I read it may be the sugar content in the bacon. Some brands of bacon contain more sugar than other brands.
I would tend to believe that. I think when people say "my Griswold cooks the best!" I wonder if it's just because of the sentimental value it has for them, or maybe that they just prefer the lighter weight of the skillet. How much better can it actually perform?
I have 7 skillet and one dutch oven 6 vintage one modern lodge 1 modern Dutch oven I found my vintage cost iron In the back of people yards rusted thrown away like trash. Last week I found a number 10 Marked made in USA vintage I can't identify it. It has the letter R under the made in usa i also found a fajita skillet unmarked.
Could you describe exactly what the markings are underneath? Does it say NO. 8 or 10 INCH SKILLET or does it just have a big number 8? See also: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-2hmDBvgTWFE.html
Yankees & their “cornbread”. *heavy sigh* 🤣🤣🤣 Great test but you didn’t mention which one was your favorite. They performed almost the same if course, but which one did you prefer?
I've been using the BS&R #8 for a few years, and the Stargazer for only a few weeks. This would mean I prefer the BS&R just because of familiarity. That doesn't mean the Stargazer isn't an outstanding pan, of course. :)
Vintage cast iron has gone up in price recently. I see prices cheaper than the new better cast iron but it's not as much as it was. Unless you buy from a reputable dealer your vintage cast iron may not be in that great a shape. The advantage of new is that it comes with a warranty. YMMV.
No amount of money you pay for a cast iron skillet is going to make you a good cook. These modern cast iron pans are what I consider designer pans just like the designer clothes craze.
Does one have to wash cast iron? I wonder if I'm being bad for not washing mine. I never wash any of it. I wipe them out and maybe put a bit of oil in them for next time. That's it. Haven't been sick yet. Maybe I shouldn't be telling people this.
Why? I just received my Stargazer and it looks like it will long outlast me. The handle is integral to the pan, *not* separate and welded/riveted on. It merely has a rougher finish for a less slippery grip. That makes it look like a different material in photos and videos. I’ve also watched a video of the Stargazer manufacturing process -which entails an impressive amount of hand-finishing- and in it you can see that it’s cast as one piece, with the handles, just like a Lodge.
It's sacrilege to compare anything modern to the absolutely beautiful antique skillets. You take away from the experience when you dint choose a hundred plus year old cast iron. It matters. At least to me.
Everyone who ever used cast iron before it became hipster-chic, used metal utensils. It's just this latest crop of users who think previous generations ran around with bamboo spatulas and avocado oil for seasoning.
I gave you thumbs down because I keep seeing the same thing with all of the cast iron cooking . Everyone uses butter and this seems to be the only thing that keeps eggs from sticking. Try cooking with oils a few times and then I want you to say the pan is non stick .Point is, eggs WILL STICK when using oils . I think it is safe to say we are not being told the truth on these videos. Im cooking on my grandparents cast iron IM almost seventy years old , I have been cooking all my life in cast or stainless steel. I love the cast iron except when cooking with acidic foods. then i switch to stainless.
@@Mikewgoogle537 I just started to use GHEE ( clarified butter ) I don't used high heat cooking eggs, Med heat for the potatoes, onions, mushrooms , garlic. To find the food is sticking. Using butter and a splash of oil to get the best results.
He's cooked eggs in straight bacon grease on this channel before and they fell out of the pan... If you are having sticking problems with cast iron or carbon steel I wonder if you have a one size fits all approach to how much heat you put in the pan.
not anything with seasoning but I think your omelet folding skill will improve with a plastic spatula with a bit of flex to get under the egg better before fol, I could be wrong but worth a try
