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Fresh Australian Kitchen Cast Iron Pan – 32cm/12.5" Pre-Seasoned Skillet $34.99 Delivered @ The Fresh Australian Amazon AU

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Fresh Australian Kitchen Cast Iron Pan – 32cm/12.5" Pre-Seasoned Skillet $34.99 Delivered @ The Fresh Australian Amazon AUAffiliate
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Lroddy84 on 11/08/2022 - 01:53 amazon.com.au (575 clicks)
Last edited 11/08/2022 - 09:41 by 1 other user
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Good price on this 32cm cast iron pan.

Reviews seem good although pre-seasoning may need a little attention and I think Fresh Australian Kitchen is misleading people a bit with this Chinese product.

Lodge seems to have a better rep than this brand but so does Staub and Le Creuset and I don't see any of them available in this size at this price.

I'm not sure when the promo ends.

Price History at C CamelCamelCamel.
Home & Garden Cast Iron Cookware Cookware Frypan Skillet

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closed Comments

  • GnarlyKnuckles on 11/08/2022 - 02:02
    +3

    Re:

    '… and I think Fresh Australian Kitchen is misleading people a bit with this Chinese product.'

    I think their use of the word 'skillet' to refer to a frying pan makes it clear to most of us that this is not made/sold by an Australian mob …

    • Hybroid on 11/08/2022 - 02:11
      +4

      Yep, they're mass produced Chinese made ones.

      Exact same unit wholesale $5 mass purchased with logo stamped on bottom and listed on Amazon with huge markup.

      https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Skillet-Wholesale-Sin…

      Customized logo(Min. Order: 100 pieces)
Customized packaging(Min. Order: 100 pieces)
Graphic customization(Min. Order: 100 pieces)
      • caprimulgus on 11/08/2022 - 04:04
        +13

        Anyone for a group order for 100x OzBargain cast iron pans? :)

        • whitey1212 on 11/08/2022 - 09:52

          I totally would!

          • Farmos on 11/08/2022 - 12:15

            @whitey1212: So how would you set that up? Should be a function on OzB for this!

            • whitey1212 on 12/08/2022 - 11:05

              @Farmos: Oh I have no idea how to set it up. I just think it'd be cool :P

    • garage sale on 11/08/2022 - 03:09
      -2

      is it better than lodge ? …..they are all cast iron, difference i notice is coarseness of the sand texture from the mould between brands and length of handles and shape of handles…. there is a brand from colombia callled victoria ….nicer finish than lodge and longer handles, much nicer

      well they are selling in australia, so it’s for “australian kitchen” in fiji it’s sold as “fiji kitchen”

      hole proof socks ….they aren’t “hole proof” as some of mine have holes in them ……

      i wanted to buy a french kitchen pot but not sure suitable for an australian kitchen …….

      • slowmo on 11/08/2022 - 11:07
        +2

        this is such a stretch that it's almost meme worthy.

  • ForkSnorter on 11/08/2022 - 07:09

    What’s the benefit of a cast iron pan over a heavy non-stick pan?

    • Link on 11/08/2022 - 07:23
      +3

      Can put it in the oven

    • OzBragain on 11/08/2022 - 07:24
      +1

      High heat cooking, heat retention and easily replaceable finish.

      Downside are weight, maintenance and poor thermal conduction.

      • GnarlyKnuckles on 11/08/2022 - 17:48

        How do you 'replace the finish'?!?

        • caprimulgus on 11/08/2022 - 18:15

          He is probably referring to re-seasoning.

          But fwiw, you can also polish them down to a mirror finish, like they used to do for vintage cast iron (rarely done for modern cast iron).

          Check out r/castiron

        • OzBragain on 11/08/2022 - 22:47

          How do you 'replace the finish'?!?

          Heat to polymerise fresh oil over the damaged surface

          It's pretty easy but there's a link with pictures in case you still don't get it.

          • GnarlyKnuckles on 12/08/2022 - 00:58

            @OzBragain: Oh okay. So as someone else correctly surmised above, you are simply referring to seasoning the surface again; not 'replacing the finish'.

            • OzBragain on 12/08/2022 - 06:46

              @GnarlyKnuckles: You say tomato I say tomato. The raw cast iron is finished with polymerised oil to protect from oxidation. It's easy to replace the finish.

              The finish on a car panel could be the paint or the protective layer of wax, silicone or ceramic. This finish is replaced as it wears away.

              The Finnish in Europe are entirely different.

    • zombie hunter on 11/08/2022 - 07:57

      Better weapon

    • Sweetnsour on 11/08/2022 - 08:07
      +1

      Cast iron pan can last forever. Able to be restored if destroyed. But heavy in weight and limited by size.

    • PhilToinby on 11/08/2022 - 08:10
      +2

      They are great for cooking a steak. The ones with the wooden handle are a little more user friendly (if you don't want to burn your hands while holding it). Can also be easily found at camping/Aussie disposal shops

    • garage sale on 11/08/2022 - 09:02

      Temperature …..non stick doesn't like high heat …..problem with cast iron is acid e.g tomatoes …. I've gone back to thick stainless for something's and non stick for lower temp cooking …

    • KnifeEnthusiastBoi on 11/08/2022 - 10:03
      +1

      Cast Iron has much better searing performance, heat retention etc, and can withstand much higher temperatures than normal non stick.

      I would not recommend using a non stick to sear steaks at high temperatures.

      Cast iron you can put it on top of barbecue/charcoal fire, it will withstand those temperatures

    • MetaLaugher on 11/08/2022 - 11:09

      Able to be used on burners and in the oven.
      Extremely high heat retention
      Even heat distribution across the surface
      Becomes non-stick over time with good maintenance without the need for chemicals/plastics
      You can get rough with it unlike teflon pans
      Seasoning and years of use is said to impart a rich flavour

      With some exceptions, when I cook meat I use a skillet. I find the meat browns better and more consistently. Also great for roasting because you can heat it beforehand and sear the meat on the stove before placing it in the oven.

      They are heavy… but you aren't exactly taking it to work each day.

      • OzBragain on 11/08/2022 - 12:38

        Even heat distribution across the surface

        Unfortunately this is not a characteristic of cast iron pans. Cast iron is a poor conductor of heat.

        • KnifeEnthusiastBoi on 12/08/2022 - 00:19

          It isn't but if you preheat the pan then it's pretty close.

          It's not a good conductor but that's what makes it good at retaining heat, so its capable of getting hotter as it doesn't cool as quickly.

          Whenever you put the food into the pan, it transfers the heat from the pan to the food, so the steak would be cooling the pan, slowing down the rate which the sear is happening. Makes it harder to get even sear without overcooking the steak

          • OzBragain on 12/08/2022 - 07:12
            +1

            @KnifeEnthusiastBoi:

            It isn't but if you preheat the pan then it's pretty close

            It's not really close, preheating does not change the characteristics of cast iron to magically increase it's ability to conduct heat.

            http://www.cookingforengineers.com/article/120/Common-Materi…

            It's not a good conductor but that's what makes it good at retaining heat.

            What you're describing is heat retention due to thermal mass…a heavy cast iron pan is good at this. What it's not good at is conducting, or distributing the heat evenly.

            A lot of people confuse the two. Try putting a couple of centimetres of water in a good sized cast iron pan and heating it over a gas (or small electric) burner and watch the bubbles to see the heat distribution. Now do the same thing with a copper or alloy clad pan to see the difference.

            Carbon steel pans are also good for searing but even less capable of conducting heat than iron.

            Don't get me wrong, I love cast iron and have used it almost exclusively for many years now. Understanding it's properties is key to cooking without frustration.

            • KnifeEnthusiastBoi on 12/08/2022 - 09:21

              @OzBragain: I think i was more focusing upon the transfer of heat from the pan to the food, not necessarily the heat from the stove to the pan.

              I acknowledge and agree about that part regarding the water into cast iron pan, initial heating of the pan does not heat evenly - i get that.

              However because of the large amount of thermal mass, the longer its on the stove the more thermally even it becomes, thats because theres a peak temperature that the cast iron pan can get based on whatever stove you're using. Its very very unlikely that your stove can achieve heating the pan to above 270 deg celsius, so once the "hotspot" reaches the peak temperature (lets for arguments sakes say 240 degrees), the rest of the non-hotspot areas will continue to get hotter and get up to the same 240 degrees while the hotspot will maintain 240 +/- X (lets just say 5 degrees)

              This article explains what im talking about. This video shows you right toward the end the thermal distribution

              When you put the steak into the pan because of the large thermal mass it cant cool down that much, it may drop about 5 degrees on contact but the stove will continue to heat it up to maintain that 220+ degrees.

              This is compared to say a thin clad pan which initially heats up evenly and can reach a temperature of 200, but the delta when the steak contacts the pan is much higher, so it drops more. Effectively once you put the steak into the pan the middle gets colder than the outside of the pan because of the temperature difference.

              You can test this by getting a non stick clad pan and heating it to a moderate amount, taking two thick pieces of steak and putting it on one side of the pan and hear it sizzle for a few seconds, take it out and put another cold steak on the exact same place. It wont sizzle to the same degree.

              The effect of doing that same experiment with a preheated cast iron pan will be less pronounced. This is why the chefs all advise to use high smoke point oils (i.e. avocado oil @ 270, Sunflower @ 240), because once your cast iron gets to 240 and smoking, 100% of the pan is above 230.

              Thermal conductivity is really only important for a few reasons:
              - When the pan's material allows large fluctuation of thermal loss/gain (i.e. pans that are quick to heat up and cool down)
              - When you're using the entire surface of the pan to cook food that needs to cook at the same time (i.e. a sauce, crepes, pancakes)
              - When you're in a hurry and need your pan to be hot to cook some eggs for example.

              However when you're searing steaks for example, you only need high temperature and low thermal loss, and it doesnt matter if the sides are a bit cooler than the middle, unless you're trying to fill the pan with steaks to which i wouldn't recommend.

              For this reason it is why cast iron is still considered the king when high sear temperature control is required, because your cast iron maintains a more consistent hot temperature due to its low thermal conductivity (it doesnt lose heat quickly)

              • OzBragain on 12/08/2022 - 10:05

                @KnifeEnthusiastBoi: Not sure if you're confused or sidetracked buddy but you're certainly overcomplicating a simple statement. Cast iron is not a good conductor of heat.

                The thermal mass and associated heat retention makes them great to cook with but it does not make cast iron a good conductor of heat.

                • KnifeEnthusiastBoi on 12/08/2022 - 10:35

                  @OzBragain: Not sidetracked at all.

                  You responded to his comment saying he was incorrect about even heat distribution, technically yes you are correct when trying to heat the pan up to temperature, but you are incorrect once the pan is at the correct temperature.

                  My long winded explanation was explaining that the Metalaughter was correct - once the pan is at temperature it is an even hot surface.

                  Being a good conductor of heat doesnt mean its good at maintaining an even distribution of heat.
                  Ceramic is a great even distributor of heat, but its a terrible heat conductor.

                  Have a pan made of superconductor material would not make it a good cooking tool, you'd burn the exact areas where the flames of the hob are and the rest would be raw

                  You cant ignore heat retention when it comes to "distributing heat" is my point. Heat conductivity is not the only thing that matters when it comes to heat distribution in cooking

                  Conductivity only matters when heating the pan up to temperature and if the pan loses heat quickly due to heat transfer to the food.
                  Once the pan gets up to temperature, heat retention matters more than conductivity when it comes to an even distribution of heat

                  This is because once you introduce food into the pan, the heat distribution becomes uneven. The food is acting as a heatsink.

                  Even distribution of heat is a factor of both conductivity and heat retention. Theres no point if its great at conducting heat and doesnt hold it, youll have a hot spot in the middle and cold spots at the edges.

                  You can get even distribution on a pan with poor conductivity and great heat retention by heating the entire pan up to its maximum hob temperature, thats my point.

  • bighalf on 11/08/2022 - 08:13
    +2

    I have one, bought for the Family Q. I found the surface is actually slightly smoother than the lodge versions, and for less money. Really decent at $30

  • aim54x on 11/08/2022 - 08:26

    I ordered one previously, returned it as there was deep pits in the surface, spent the extra on a Lodge (only a few $ as it was on sale) which has been great.

    Could have been unlucky, but everything about the Lodge is nicer, smoothness of surface, pre-season quality (although I did season the Lodge when it arrived), quality of casting etc.

    I definitely didn't appreciate the "australian fresh" branding on a chinese product (I missed it on the listing when I ordered), but it seems like there is batch variation (see comment above).

  • [Deactivated] on 11/08/2022 - 08:36
    +4

    Go for USA made lodge, they’ve never failed me and will last almost indefinitely.
    Remember they’ll be seasoned naturally after usage, so the initial finish isn’t super important as long as it’s not pitted and gouged.

  • chuckoy on 11/08/2022 - 10:25

    I've had one of these for a few years now. I use it to cook large batches but otherwise fall back to my smaller skillet.

    My seasoning on this has not held up as well as my other skillet; whether that's due to frequency of use or inherent quality between products I can't say… For reference, the smaller one I got from Kmart. I can do fried rice and eggs reasonably worry-free on the smaller one, on this I'm 100% sure I'm scraping bits off.

    The handle is also short for its size/weight. You'll be straining your wrists a lot if you're carrying it with one hand on that handle without another hand supporting the other side. The extra caveat with this is if you're cooking and want to transfer to another plate, it's very inconvenient lifting the skillet and transferring the food to another plate with just one hand lifting the pan.

    Summary: I still use the pan but I'm not 100% happy with it.

  • kml22 on 11/08/2022 - 10:31
    -5

    I got one of these from the last sale, I don't recommend it, it's heavy and the handle is part of the Pan, and you can easily get your hand burned by picking up the handle if you forget, bad design.

    • holyreliquary on 11/08/2022 - 14:46
      +3

      That's inherit to any cast iron pan, you need to use a silicone cover, or a dry towel, treat it like an oven.
      The alternative is to buy one with an attached handle, wooden or otherwise, but the bolts/screws on those always eventually fail.

      I don't have this model from this seller specifically, but it looks exactly the same design kmart used to sell for $15 (they sell a different design now).
      I have one of those and its great, although it's not as well seasoned and a little harder to season than something like a lodge, for $15 it will last forever, and I've liked using it.
      Unlike the $30 dutch oven I got from coles which was rusting straight away, so YMMV may vary with cheap cast iron deals, maybe check out the new kmart design for $15.

    • rian354252 on 11/08/2022 - 20:19
      +1

      That means you never wanted cast iron the first place. If you want a light pan then get stainless steel/teflon/copper

  • rian354252 on 11/08/2022 - 20:16

    I bought the 25cm recently and they're somewhat comparable (albeit lower quality) to the Lodge ones.
    When I got the Lodge skillet 6 months ago I returned it because it had a defect on the handle, these ones have the exact same defect on the same spot to my surprise.
    The surface quality is not as smooth as lodge skillets that I have but it's not by any means bad.

    Eventhough it says it's pre-seasoned, the card that came with the skillet literally tells you to season the skillet first which wasn't the case with a lodge skillet.
    I haven't actually used the Australian Kitchen ones just yet so I can't comment on cooking quality

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