Bruntmor Cast Iron

[Superman]

The lady of the house bought a new Bruntmor cast iron grill. Rectangular. Fits over two stove burners. One side is flat, the other side is ribbed. No porcelain coating. 1-year warranty. Bruntmor seems to be a reputable company, but now I wonder if this is a knock-off. I can take a pic if necessary. Here is my concern:

The surface is VERY rough. Like very coarse sandpaper. In my mind, it would be difficult for this surface to become seasoned to the degree that the coarseness becomes smooth. I cook on cast iron exclusively. All my cast iron tools are nicely seasoned, smooth, non-stick.

I cannot see any indication of where this grill was manufactured. Comically, the accompanying literature says it is "pre-seasoned." Again, this grill surface has a texture like coarse sandpaper. I feel like taking a grinding wheel to it. Please advise.

[peppy]

No advise, but I have a Lodge griddle that is rough like you describe.

[Superman]

Perhaps new cast iron cookware has a rough surface. ? I've always bought them at thrift stores, pre-seasoned.

[vash]

i think my buddy has one similar. he uses is on his camp stove out in the wilderness. very rough. hot dog and steaks.

i did a quick search on Amazon, and there is a a guy that did exactly that. he sanded it down. his pics look glossy. DO IT!!

i imagine a flat surface like that; the superpower would be pancakes. no way "Sandpaper" texture will get you there.

google, sanding cast iron on youtube and you will see tons of great ones. they use a drill and one of those paint remover disc things. full half mask respirators!! the dust will JACK you up.

[vash]

btw. all my mexican grocery stores sell carbon steel flat griddles. smooth as glass. very cheap.

[Superman]

Originally Posted by peppy

No advise, but I have a Lodge griddle that is rough like you describe.

With a surface like that, does food stick to it?

[vash]

Originally Posted by Superman

With a surface like that, does food stick to it?

yes. steaks not so much..but eggs are a pipe dream.

i have a lodge like that. it is purely dedicated to pan frying.

[Zeke]

No harm in sanding it. But the ribbed side is going to be a bear.

[peppy]

Originally Posted by Superman

With a surface like that, does food stick to it?

Yes it does. I figure it will get better as it gets seasoned.

[vash]

pics after sanding. poached from Amazon.

[tabs]

When America made good stuff..the cast iron pans were all had ground smooth interiors....Griswald, Wagner and others without marking.


Now Lodge etc don't pay the same attention to detail. They all skip the grinding process. That is why I only buy vintage cast iron..

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by tabs

When America made good stuff..the cast iron pans were all had ground smooth interiors....Griswald, Wagner and others without marking.


Now Lodge etc don't pay the same attention to detail. They all skip the grinding process. That is why I only buy vintage cast iron..

Vintage is better and I think heavier in many cases. But having to buy new shouldn't be a barrier to cooking with CI. Just takes more work.

I'll say this, if you have to work a pan to get it right, you will appreciate that pan.

[Superman]

Ah Hah!

[GH85Carrera]

I see the problem right there. ^^^^^

[drkshdw]

Like Tabs said, old cast iron was machined on a lathe whereas new Lodge stuff is sold right out of the sand mold. Also, old cast iron is thinner and lighter than the new stuff which means quicker and more even heating. The old smooth stuff is also easier to season.

That said, I do like Vash and use a plain steel plate on the grill as a griddle. I got it from some Mexican store and it may as well be a street sign that's had the paint burned off of it. And iirc it was less than $5. But I seasoned it just like my carbon steel and it's a dream to cook on. Basically just like a wok but it's completely flat and no egg sticks to it.

[p911dad]

My wife bought me a $10. Chinese-made cast iron rectangular griddle from ALDI. Ribbed and flat sides. The flat side is smooth and it works great as a flat top on the gas grill. So far it's lasted 2 years.

[Superman]

I'm thinking this goes back to Amazon. I'm thinking the alternative would be to send it to a machine shop for grinding, which would be significantly expensive given all the angles. Here are two more pics. The other side of this griddle is ribbed, which would be quite difficult to grind. The surface is.....no kidding....about the texture of 40 grit sandpaper. This thing would damage a steel spatula. There ain't no way it could be 'seasoned' smooth.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Superman

Perhaps new cast iron cookware has a rough surface. ? I've always bought them at thrift stores, pre-seasoned.

I'm not a widely experienced cast iron expert, but yes, almost all modern cast iron has a rough surface. The only cast iron that I see with a smooth surface is either something like Le Creuset that is enameled or old/vintage cast iron.

[Tobra]

Smooth it with a grinder and season it. It used to be that it would be smooth out of the box. Now we have crappy chinesium cast iron stuff. It is cheap, but you get what you pay for, so you have to tune it up a bit.

[Brian 162]

I ground all my cast iron pans smooth a few years ago. I'm happy with the results.
My g/f gave me a Pampered Chef non-stick griddle a couple of months ago. It covers 2 burners of my stove, similar to the above pic. It's a quality piece, made in Germany.