Your user size needs

Steven C

Member
I'm only stating from a user point of needs. I've thought about this from the beginning of getting into CI about what I really need to have to cook with. Ive come to the same sizes of a # 3, 5, 7, 8 and # 10. As a non-collector I don't see any reason to get one of every size.

What do some of you guys not use of the ones you have but just wanted a full set? About the only deviation for me i may add a #12 to use in the oven, it may be to big to heat evenly on my stove. I've thought about a #9 but doesn't seem that much bigger than a 8.

This is just on skillets, and 4 in 1, and hinge skillets ect. Are a different category of what I'd like.

Steve,
 
Those are good sizes. On the really old, unmarked ones, there seems to be a lot of variation in the sizes, so a #7 in one might be close to an 8 in another one.

For awhile, I was using a 5 and a 3 for breakfast every morning. Now it seems to be a 7 and either a 3 or 5 (depending how many eggs I'm cooking.) if my wife wants eggs, I have to scramble them ... so I use a 6. An 8 is a great size for most things, especially cornbread, browning meat, one pot skillet meals for two, etc.. It seems, most of the one skillet meal recipes I see, call for a #10.
 
Steven I am more of a user than a collector as well. From a pure user standpoint I would stick with a #8, #10 and my 9 inch chef skillet as my heavy lifters. 95% of what I do in skillets are in one of those three. I have also found that anything larger than a #10 is best suited for the oven and would also have one of those (probably a #14 with a lid).

So, to summarize, I would be happy with those 4 sizes (8, 10, chef skillet, and #14 with lid).

I also am a big fan of griddles, but I'm guessing that this is outside the scope of your post...
 
Spurgeon I do use a #7 off and on for cornbread, brownies, and it does a wonderful omelet. O have a couple of #5 waiting to be cleaned and I'll see what one I keep and find out if I use it often or not. Still looking for a 3, and 10 to add. There is a guy local that has a Victor # 9 but don't know if if be better off waiting for a 10.

Mike, I've got a large skillet griddle I really like but after doing four pieces of French toast it doesn't browns all the way around. It does better with three. That got me thinking anything bigger than 10 would be better in the oven. I do use two #8 at the same time often and are my workhorses for now.
 
I use a 3, 6, 8 and 10 every week. I have a few 7's but they are too close in size to the 8. I also have a few 5's but it never seems right. The 6 seems to be perfect for me.
kyle
 
It's a cozy fit but it does fit. It's one of those Lodge three notch tank skillets so I may need to do some advance weight lifting to make sure I can get it in and out of the oven when loaded and covered...
 
Steve, your question crosses the lines between users, collectors and flippers. My MIL did a family of 5 with one #7 BSR. When I’ve gone camping for a month at a time all I needed was a #10. I did take an egg pan just for S’s & G’s. I now have a #3, #5, #7, #10 & #12 (A Lodge 14SK. A lodge 14SK is not a #14.). With the #7 being a Red Mountain BSR I don’t have or need a #8. The #10 is the goto pan now that the meats come supersized. I seldom use the #3 or #12 but used the #7 tonight as the sauce would have been stretched in the #10 for pepper steak.



As a user, I have no urge for a full set of anything. I’d like to try, not own, a #9 BSR just to see how it compares with my #10 Lodge; but I neither need or want any other size skillet or more of the sizes I have. The size 0’s don’t count except for fun.

I think when one moves on to the collector category and beyond it becomes a mental or monetary challenge to complete a set without regard of personal usefulness. Owning a pile of #3’s makes sense, right? I think the bottom line is that it is an emotional thing.

Hilditch
 
Hilditch my 7 is a early BSR and one of my favorites. As for having a #3 I thought it would be useful mostly to melt butter for popcorn and certain recipes when needed. So much easier to wipe out CI than cleaning butter out of a glass bowl. They can be found cheap and I may find that 5 would be just fine instead.
 
#12 (A Lodge 14SK. A lodge 14SK is not a #14.).

I hadn't really thought about it until you mentioned it, so I grabbed my lodge 14 out of curiosity and it measures 16+ at the spouts

https://www.flickr.com/photos/139658521@N07/shares/P4hjXd

If I don't include the spouts I'm about an inch less (so 15+). I know the modern SK's have tiny spouts, so is it possible that the cooking area is the same size when the spouts are not considered?

---------- Post added at 08:53 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:48 PM ----------

Also that pepper steak looks great!
 
Number 3's are perfect for frying two eggs. I also found a recipe I was going to use during Christmas that uses #3s as individual dessert servings. I'm still hoping to make that one before my daughter goes back to California.
 
My 14SK has no spouts. It has a 12” cooking surface and is 15” in diameter. It weighs 10 lbs. 13 oz. Lodge has been screwing with sizes and numbers for years. Yours is probably older than mine. An old Griswold or Wagner #14 should have a 14” cooking surface and be at least 16” on diameter not including the spouts if it has them. Yours should be an SK 14.

Hilditch
 
Interesting. The cooking surface on mine is 13 (measured on the inside) with a diameter of 15+ excluding spouts. No sk mark on the back -- just 14.
 
The smallest skillet I have is a #5 slant Griswold. Seems to be the perfect size for cornbread for two of us. Sometimes use a #6 single notch Lodge for cornbread if we need more. For regular cooking of bacon and eggs I use a #10 or #11 Wagner. I don't like trying to flip eggs in a little skillet or trying to fry bacon when it's curled up around the sides of a pan.
 
I inherited a #3, 5, 6, 7, & 8 skillet set, #9 griddle, aebleskiver pan, and a #7 Dutch oven. I'm a user as well and I find I use all these. I don't seem to need any other skillet sizes. I have added a second #6 so I can make smaller pies and desserts in them better suited for 1-2 people. The #6 also makes individual meals that can be served right in the pan (gets a few ooohhh's and aahhh's). I use my #7 the most. I've thought about looking for a #9 or #10 for use in cooking larger roasts and chickens in the oven but so far my #8 handles my roasting needs well. And though not significant to this post I have just added a #8 Dutch oven to my inventory. To sum up, as strictly a user I have all I need in the sizes I was given. Doesn't mean I am not a victim to the 'wants'. Hope this helps.
 
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I don't like trying to flip eggs in a little skillet or trying to fry bacon when it's curled up around the sides of a pan.

I cut my bacon in half. This has two benefits. First, the bacon fits in a #7 or #8 without curling up the side of the pan. Second, it fools my eyes into thinking I'm eating more bacon than I actually am. Ha!
 
I see a #6 mentioned a few times and that one never occurred to me of one I would use. But then again I've never had one yet. Kinda on my thoughts at the start of this post was to narrow down just what I'll use but didn't mention a TM or timeline. That one I've recently decided and will start to put a scaled down set of that. But I do have a few different ones that don't match the set in mind that I'm keeping by how they perform.

I do know of a #9 local but just don't know if I would use it. Do any of you that have one grab it to use over say a 8 or 10. That one is still troubling me of do I need it?

Steve,
 
My gotos are #8 & #10, but Christmas morning I broke out a #12 to accommodate the hash with all the kids home. I will occasionally use a #14 if I'm making a lot of fried chicken.
 
I buy , clean , season and resell allot of cast iron . So I have or have had every size from the #3 to #12 . My stove is an electric with the older style round elements on it . So the largest skillet that I find will heat to the outside edge properly is a #9 .
I happen to have two ERIE skillets from the 1800's and one of them lives on my stove top ALL the time and does most of my cooking by far . I use a #6 , because a #6 (Griswold at least) measures 9" and that's a standard cake pan size . Making it work great for any recipe calling for a 9" cake pan , like corn bread . And I find a #3 great for frying 1 or 2 eggs , melting butter , cooking one burger or a small omelette .

So out of all the pans I have I actually use the #3 , #6 and #9 about 90% of the time .
 
Um, yeah, sold my #14 LBL Griswold because it wouldn't fit in my oven--several years ago, and got big bucks for it--just lucky, I guess. I use my #12 for pizza mostly.
 
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