There's a YouTube channel something about Cowboy cooking with some guy I can't remember but he did a one of his videos on seasoning cast iron and I believe he showed how to smooth down a little bit a brand new Lowe's cast iron skillet check it out.
How does a rough texture help retain heat?it also allows the cast iron to retain heat longer
Better pull that hair...Don't most like it rough? Oh crap I'm thinking sumping else neva mind.
All of the little humps, bumps and dips create more surface area (metal) so the skillet will stay hot longer.How does a rough texture help retain heat?
That's backwards. Do you mean mass instead of surface area?more surface area (metal) so the skillet will stay hot longer
Paint? Do you mean enameled like this?The only smooth cast iron I've seen is that stuff with the layer of paint.
Correct. Been tempted to get a few kettles like this but I'm still partial to making popcorn on a cast iron wok.Paint? Do you mean enameled like this?
They're not painted, they're enameled. We've got a bunch of LeCruset stuff. As much as you might hate the French, they know how to cook.Correct. Been tempted to get a few kettles like this but I'm still partial to making popcorn on a cast iron wok.
Its a common mistake I make but it is a coating of sorts.They're not painted, they're enameled. We've got a bunch of LeCruset stuff. As much as you might hate the French, they know how to cook.
I don’t know what the hell I was saying.That's backwards. Do you mean mass instead of surface area?
I got a Lodge "chicken fryer" skillet for Christmas last year and it does seem to be pretty rough. It was supposedly "pre-seasoned" but I've had to spend a lot of time seasoning it to get it where I want it and we're still not quite there. I agree, it seems to me you want a little texture but not as rough as this. The mirror-polish finish like the one in the OP's picture seems way too smooth.The poll is too binary.
Some roughness is needed. The ones polished to a mirror shine are, IMO, a bad idea.
However, current Lodge production is too rough. Look at the old pans from premium makers who went out of business somewhere around WW2. Those have a texture that's much finer than current Lodge. They also tend to be thinner. That's not a problem; any cast iron pan will act as a good heat sink. The thinner ones heat up faster, though.
There's a reason that some old pans from makers whose names I've forgotten sell for such premium prices.
I've seen some of those. Very informative.Cowboy Kent Rollins. If anyone knows about this stuff, it's him.