I cook most nights and want one 10 inch pan that lives on the hob. Local antique shop has a smooth old skillet, no maker's mark, for £45. New one from a big brand is £30 and I know exactly what I'm getting. I don't want a collection, I want the pan I use for eggs and searing for the next twenty years. Is the vintage premium worth it for actual cooking?
£45 for an unmarked vintage 10 inch is a fair-to-slightly-high price, not a rip-off. If it's in good shape and you like the feel of it, buy it. Unmarked ones are cheaper precisely because collectors don't want them, which is perfect for someone who wants to cook.
Counterpoint: you can sand a modern pan smooth in about twenty minutes with an orbital sander and 80 then 120 grit, then season it. Costs nothing if you own the tool and you end up with a smooth pan for £30. Plenty of people do this and the results are indistinguishable in the pan.
True, though do it outside with a mask on. Cast iron dust is unpleasant and gets everywhere.
I don't own a sander so that's £30 plus a tool, which puts it above the vintage price. Useful to know it's an option though.
Whichever you buy, 10 inch is a good call. It's the size that does eggs, one or two chops and a batch of onions without being unwieldy. 12 inch sounds more versatile and mostly ends up in a cupboard.
@seasoned_sid · 4mo ago · 3 replies
For daily cooking the vintage one is genuinely better, and the reason is weight and surface, not romance. Old pans were sand cast then machined smooth, so the cooking surface starts nearly polished — food releases better from day one. They're also typically 20-30% lighter for the same size, which matters a lot when you're lifting it every evening.
Modern pans have a pebbly as-cast texture. It does smooth over with years of use, but you're doing the machining yourself with a spatula over a long time. £15 to skip that is fine.
Check before you buy: flat on a worktop with no rocking, no cracks especially where the handle meets the body, and no dome in the middle.
Reply
Report
@seasoned_sid · 4mo ago
That's the most common reason a pan doesn't get used. A pan that lives on the hob needs to be one you'll pick up without thinking.
Reply
Report
@carb_clean_cal · 4mo ago
Didn't know the weight difference was that big. That alone probably decides it — I've got a modern 12 inch that I avoid using because it's a workout.
Reply
Report