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FINEX Cast Iron 12" Skillet w/ Lid
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FINEX Cast Iron 12" Skillet w/ Lid
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Product Description
Cast iron has long been a favorite for serious chefs. This skillet will take center stage the next time you want to fry eggs, sear a ribeye, bake a pie, or braise a lamb shank Read More
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keyboard_arrow_downScroogeMcDuck
260
Nov 25, 2018
great skillet 3x too expensive compared to very good made in USA alternatives
ScroogeMcDuck
260
Mar 6, 2019
Yeah Marty McFry, you're clearly a cast iron genius. Get me a couple for comparison. O&O
Iluvtoonz
24
Jul 24, 2019
ScroogeMcDuckMore of a luxury item. I have tri-ply stainless that is as good as All-Clad at a third of the price.
Finex is beautiful stuff for fancy kitchens. I have a vintage Griswold 9 that sits perfectly flat and is smooth as a baby’s butt. It was $12 at a yard sale years ago. I tried the Stargazer skillet; it was so beautifully polished it had a hard time hanging on to seasoning.
My new “want it” skillet is the smooth and lightweight Field.
Daisy_Cutter
1288
Oct 12, 2018
https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-cast-iron-skillet/
Read this before you buy. Wirecutter reviews are about the most thorough product reviews on the web. Finex skillets were tested but didn't even make it to the top 3:
"The overdesigned Finex 12-inch octagonal skillet is part of the indie movement of cast iron producers trying to make pans the old way. Finex skillets have a polished cooking area, but the walls are left with the casting texture. While the spiraled polished stainless steel handle is designed to stay cool, it didn’t in our tests. The handle is too thick to grasp securely with a folded towel, and it slipped in my hand when pouring drippings. The helper handle is small and doesn’t offer much for support. The eight corners of the skillet are touted to offer versatility when pouring, but every corner dribbled on our counter."
Unsurprisingly, Wirecutter's top pick is the $15 Lodge cast iron skillet. In my own experience (3+ years of cooking with one), this is an extremely reliable skillet that keeps getting better with use. If the grainy surface bothers you, just cook with it enough and the layer of seasoning that develops over time will smooth the surface out.
Read this before you buy. Wirecutter reviews are about the most thorough product reviews on the web. Finex skillets were tested but didn't even make it to the top 3:
"The overdesigned Finex 12-inch octagonal skillet is part of the indie movement of cast iron producers trying to make pans the old way. Finex skillets have a polished cooking area, but the walls are left with the casting texture. While the spiraled polished stainless steel handle is designed to stay cool, it didn’t in our tests. The handle is too thick to grasp securely with a folded towel, and it slipped in my hand when pouring drippings. The helper handle is small and doesn’t offer much for support. The eight corners of the skillet are touted to offer versatility when pouring, but every corner dribbled on our counter."
Unsurprisingly, Wirecutter's top pick is the $15 Lodge cast iron skillet. In my own experience (3+ years of cooking with one), this is an extremely reliable skillet that keeps getting better with use. If the grainy surface bothers you, just cook with it enough and the layer of seasoning that develops over time will smooth the surface out.
Gunnersmate2
1646
Oct 14, 2018
My lodge dutch oven came relatively smooth. It's not polished by any means but doesn't destroy paper towels when wiped and it doesn't leave any fibers behind.
DiMora
263
Nov 24, 2018
Lodge is OK, but it requires mechanical grinding ( I use a paint stripper wheel) to smooth out the rough casting. You get what you pay for.
Aegypti
38
Oct 13, 2018
I have restored 100's of vintage skillets. I have cooked with most modern skillets and Lodge still makes a great product. Finex is much too heavy for the size and the handle is not manageable.
If you want a modern skillet go with The Field Co. or Stargazer. However if you want to actually use your cast iron and are not looking for a display piece search for BSR skillets on EBay they are cheap and built like tanks. Older Lodge are even better. Wagner and Griswold are steps up from there. An honest seller will describe any flaws and will list pans as sitting flat.
If you are willing to spend $170 you can buy a set of restored vintage pans. Or one amazing piece.
If you want a modern skillet go with The Field Co. or Stargazer. However if you want to actually use your cast iron and are not looking for a display piece search for BSR skillets on EBay they are cheap and built like tanks. Older Lodge are even better. Wagner and Griswold are steps up from there. An honest seller will describe any flaws and will list pans as sitting flat.
If you are willing to spend $170 you can buy a set of restored vintage pans. Or one amazing piece.
Dworks
11
Oct 19, 2018
Cools off quicker. I think that was the idea behind the design. I have in occasion caught my hand towel in the handle. Old restaurant habit of using towels to grab pans. Nothing's gone sideways though. I don't own the Finex Dutch Oven though, might have to try it. Nothing beats the great old iron.
Aegypti
38
Oct 19, 2018
Glad this works for you the coiled handles do lose heat better than solid iron. I love the vintage pans so I start with some bias. My main beef is with the weight and cost. Also not a huge fan of the design I prefer one or two pour spouts.
seedeevee
97
Oct 15, 2018
They claim to have a "tight-fitting lid".
I viewed one of these at a Crate and Barrel and thought they looked very very nice. Well, you know, $250-cast-iron-pan-nice. The lid was anything but tight fitting though. When I inspected the lid I noticed there were three raised sections on the underside of the lip that would be sitting on edge of the pan. This would make sure that there would, in fact, not be a tight fit. I couldn't figure out if it was to let steam escape or what. It didn't make much sense to have such a heavy (and very very pretty) lid that did not seal.
I viewed one of these at a Crate and Barrel and thought they looked very very nice. Well, you know, $250-cast-iron-pan-nice. The lid was anything but tight fitting though. When I inspected the lid I noticed there were three raised sections on the underside of the lip that would be sitting on edge of the pan. This would make sure that there would, in fact, not be a tight fit. I couldn't figure out if it was to let steam escape or what. It didn't make much sense to have such a heavy (and very very pretty) lid that did not seal.
seedeevee
97
Jan 3, 2019
There is a big difference between a few droplets of steam rising to the top of a pot and a boiling cauldron knocking that lid off. I take it you do not cook very much - a tight fitting lid is essential in keeping unwanted vapor loss.
TheDude13
1
Jan 4, 2019
seedeeveeThe amount of steam leaking out through small gaps is going to be negligible. This isn't a pressure cooker.
whomad1215
755
Oct 12, 2018
What makes this $170+ cast iron pan better than the $20 lodge cast iron pans
ErikBiesemeier
4
Oct 14, 2018
Lodge pans are an "as cast" finish; on old Grizwolds, etc. the cooking surfaces were hand smoothed. I don't have an data to back it up either, but I would assume they wouldn't have gone to the added effort and cost if there weren't some advantage.
MikePanic
63
Mar 3, 2019
I've pined over these after first seeing them in person, in all places a small shop in Europe (I'm from Pennsylvania). Absolutely amazing in person but I've never cooked with them. I couldn't pull the trigger because of the price and honestly, my 70+ year old Griswold is simply amazing.
Doing a bit of research online it appears that the handle doesn't really keep the heat out and after wrapping it in a kitchen towel is nearly too big to hold comfortably (based off several reviews). Not that I 'need' another cast iron pan, but I found a company called Stargazer, looked good and an older review on Saveur calls it the Lamborghini of cast iron skillets.
Still haven't bought one... and a chance encounter brings the owner into my office 2 months ago, turns out they are made 4-5 miles from where I work, love supporting local, hometown businesses! I ended up with both 10.5 and 12" skillets, pre-seasoned (they sell them unseasoned if you prefer for $8 less) and they are absolutely beautiful.
Cooking with the skillet has actually forced my Griswald into retirment, the old beaut is nice to look at but the bottom isn't totally flat so it wobbles on my flat top electric range, there's some pitting in the poor casting, etc. Stargazer has been truly amazing, and I feel the price point is just right. Yes, it's 3-4x that of a Lodge but I honestly feel it's that much better.
In candid conversations with the owner, I bluntly asked him are you trying to build products that customers will only buy once? He chuckled and said sort of, but honestly we see a good number of repeat customers come through our system with different ship to addresses, so they are clearly gifting them to people.
I will say that when any one I know buys a home or gets married, this will be the present I get them. Nothing against Finex, I still think they are visually appealing but I'm rooting for the hometown here.
http://www.stargazercastiron.com/products/
Iluvtoonz
24
Jul 24, 2019
MikePanicI have a Stargazer skillet. It is so finely polished it has trouble holding seasoning.
Dworks
11
Oct 13, 2018
I'm a retired Executive Chef. Finex is the only cast iron I own made later than 1930. No one better in the business right now. I keep gifting.
thezfunk
47
Oct 12, 2018
Hipsters are ruining cast iron now? I don't like Lodge because of the deep casting on the inside leaves it very bumpy. You can smooth that yourself with a wire wheel and a drill. My favorite 'new' cast iron is by Stargazer and it isn't $170. Making a good cast iron pan isn't rocket surgery and shouldn't cost and arm and a leg (I am willing to pay for quality and craftsmanship but this is ridiculous).
SABOTAGE
17
Apr 6, 2019
thezfunk"I am willing to pay for quality and craftsmanship "
no you're not....at least not at a decent liveable wage as a standard.
thezfunk
47
Apr 6, 2019
SABOTAGEIt would be easier if everyone was making what they should be. Wages have not gone up with productivity. That's true across the board. We are on the same team here, don't let them divide us.
DiMora
263
Oct 12, 2018
Please add the copper handle option. The answer, folks, is the cooking surface finish. It is smooth - unlike all the other brands. I own lots or cast iron,including Lodge. This is the Bugatti of cast iron And it’s hand-crafted by artisans in a Pacific NW USA small foundry/factory.
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