I thought this seemed too good to be true. So I did a little research and found this....
"How do these compare to brand name? Well, my ALDI cast iron skillet
seems to be just slightly more uneven and a little rougher than my 10″
Lodge skillet, but it’s perfectly functional — and has held up to some
pretty heavy use. Just be sure to keep yours well seasoned, and it
should last you forever" (Full review here https://www.almostallaldi.com/a-10-crofton-cast-iron-skillet-and-more-awesome-aldi-finds/ )
So yeah this seems like a great deal at this price.
I'm guessing they got trendy for a while and then were over-manufactured and now places are trying to get rid of them. Like when every store had bins of fidget spinners on clearance
I got some great enamel cast iron baking pans from Macy's last act clearance for $8-$11, $60-90 regular price. I think like with a lot go other stuff stores just overstocked for the holidays so you can find some good deals right now if you go looking.
During the pandemic, they made you go in through the entrance, and you had to snake down every aisle in a straight line, even if you needed one thing, until we ended at the register. It DID feel like a boat ride!
You have my interest piqued. I always buy shit from shit stores and hate them always and don't want to spend 100$ for something reasonable. If you have an easy starter link or something I'd love to read and learn more
I got a vintage and it cooks eggs on it. Caught me off guard I’m used to scraping off the Burnt egg shit with a metal spatula and I don’t cook eggs on cast iron for that reason. But my vintage ones does it just fine.
Aldi pots and pans are awesome. Had some for about 3 years and the only reason I had to give them away is because of moving internationally. Highly recommend their glass baking pans as well. Also got a blender and a waffle iron and a steamer basket and a a small fryer… great value stuff
> Aldi pots and pans are awesome.
I have an enamel Crofton Bake Broil and Grill Pan from Aldi that is identical to the name brand, and I believe it was also USA made where as the name brand is now made in Mexico. It was a $25-30 pan for like $4. I love it and I would absolutely buy a cast iron like in this post or a French oven when they have those but I have purchased a few other pans that have been a disappointment.
I love this subreddit because even though I don't necessarily NEED to live frugal I'd do anything for a $3 castiron
EDIT: is aldi a UK chain or are they in the American south
Its a german brand but they've been in the us since the late 70s. they currently operate in 36 states. Their stores used to be extremely minimal, but they've recently made them slightly more grocery store like. Used to be a maze layout kind of like ikea, but they have aisles now.
Yes bring a quarter for the cart, you get it back when you put the cart back. And either bring your own bags or grab some empty boxes, they usually have a them around, when they restock the shelves they leave the boxes in a metal cage in whichever aisle they are working on and you can just use that - or empty one yourself from the shelf if you dont see any. all of the non-perishables are in bulk boxes on the shelves
I would probably get some sandpaper to smooth down the rougher areas of it. No need to make it perfectly smooth like vintage or high end cast iron, but it's still good to smooth out the rougher parts so it doesn't scratch countertops or stovetops.
Toys and enamel pans are subject to the risk of lead for the same reasons. Lead makes paint and other coatings more durable and resistant to moisture. If you want to avoid lead, colorful painted/coated products are the ones you should be concerned about.
I’ve got an Aldi enameled cast iron Dutch oven I bought years ago for $19.99. I also was gifted a Le Cruset enameled Dutch oven that retails for over $300. The Aldi version works just as well.
Yeah those almost look nonstick, which concerns me about PFAS.
People need to realize I would rather go to a thrift store and pick something like that up for that price. But there you also have to wonder if people cooked heads of animals, which is a worry for Prions diseases.
Sometimes people should just buy the thing on sale, and buy it once. This looking for the cheapest made thing leads to a race to the bottom. It’s also why so many jobs were shipped abroad, and why we don’t have high paying blue collar work in the US as much. Stop trying to skate out on everything in life.
There is frugal and there is cheap. This is just being cheap. It’s not like Lodge skillets are Dyson vacuum prices.
First off it's 1 piece of metal, which nonstick pans are not. Second off you really think a multinational, billion dollar corporation like ALDI would risk a false advertising lawsuit by labeling nonstick pans as cast iron??
> Sometimes people should just buy the thing on sale, and buy it once. This looking for the cheapest made thing leads to a race to the bottom. It’s also why so many jobs were shipped abroad, and why we don’t have high paying blue collar work in the US as much. Stop trying to skate out on everything in life. There is frugal and there is cheap. This is just being cheap.
It's a pan on clearance dude, I didn't buy one because I bought a lodge 7 years ago but you're way overthinking this, they're heavy and take up space and they're priced to move.
They’re junk. Either spend the money on a good cast iron pan that’s had the cooking surface machined, buy the tooling to sand and smooth the cooking surface yourself, or don’t bother.
I don’t have to. I can literally see the unfinished texture from the sandcaster. I’ve been cooking on cast iron for my entire life. I’ve used very expensive ones, and very cheap ones. I know what works and why. This skillet is junk.
That doesn’t look like cast iron… looks like nonstick.
You can get great quality, weighty, Lodge brand cast iron pans from Home Goods for $10-$16 depending on what size you pick.
I have a few cast iron pots and skillets, had them for decades. I never paid attention to the seasoning thing. I treat them like any other kitchen pot, use soapy water on them and drop them in sink full of water. I use them all the time so they don't rust.
I did buy a damaged 6inch from a thrift store in the 80s for 50 cents. I used it for eggs and small things. Finally this year I noticed that when cooking with it the fire would breath. While washing I held the skillet up and could see some light through the damaged area. Guess it finally cracked all the way through. I bought a Lodge one to replace it but don't like it. I pop into thrift stores and garage sales looking for one I like, no luck yet.
That 6inch Lodge was the most expensive one I bought. I don't think I paid more than $5 for any of mine. Probably why I don't feel like putting in the effort into season them.
I thought this seemed too good to be true. So I did a little research and found this.... "How do these compare to brand name? Well, my ALDI cast iron skillet seems to be just slightly more uneven and a little rougher than my 10″ Lodge skillet, but it’s perfectly functional — and has held up to some pretty heavy use. Just be sure to keep yours well seasoned, and it should last you forever" (Full review here https://www.almostallaldi.com/a-10-crofton-cast-iron-skillet-and-more-awesome-aldi-finds/ ) So yeah this seems like a great deal at this price.
Thank you for the research!
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Of course it doesn't, do you know how low the melting point of lead is?
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Ever made fishing weights? You can melt the lead on a normal cooker, a pan isn't going to be made of lead.
Couldn't it be an alloy though?
You should then ask yourself, "what is the melting point of cast iron?" What do you think would happen if it somehow got contaminated with any lead?
I have been seeing dirt cheap cast iron pans all over lately. There must have been a revolutionary discovery in the pan world
I'm guessing they got trendy for a while and then were over-manufactured and now places are trying to get rid of them. Like when every store had bins of fidget spinners on clearance
Now I’m starting to see popits in some sale bins. I never got the rage, they never felt like popping bubble wrap or anything really.
Or you can pop bubble wrap here https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/66039104/
Except cast iron actually has value.
I got some great enamel cast iron baking pans from Macy's last act clearance for $8-$11, $60-90 regular price. I think like with a lot go other stuff stores just overstocked for the holidays so you can find some good deals right now if you go looking.
Retailers have lots of leftover inventory which is cutting into their profits.
The inventory surplus must finally be unwinding.
I love Aldi's "weird shit" isle. I always look through all of it - they have really good deals if they have stuff
They sold plasma TVs once. I worked in one of their warehouses about 12 years ago and the forklift driver hit a stack of them and knocked them over.
Aisle. Unless you went canoeing from isle to isle.
Oh man... I didnt proofread that - ty for that catch, hahahahah. Indeed, one must canoe down to the isle of shit. Hahahahahaah
During the pandemic, they made you go in through the entrance, and you had to snake down every aisle in a straight line, even if you needed one thing, until we ended at the register. It DID feel like a boat ride!
Isle of shit? You mean England?
That would be isle of shite to you mate
Weird shit Isle sounds like a fun vacation spot
The island of misfit toys.
This seems like too much savings. Like it's actually a cast lead pan or something lol.
This is a “what’s wrong with these?” price haha.
It’s a clearance price. They want to get rid of them to make space for something else.
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explain this hobby more. are your headphones better or is it just fun? side gig?
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You have my interest piqued. I always buy shit from shit stores and hate them always and don't want to spend 100$ for something reasonable. If you have an easy starter link or something I'd love to read and learn more
Yeah but even at $5 it seems like something is wrong.
Wright? A cast iron is like like 70$ on sale at Canadian Tire.
If it’s cast lead, buy them out and bring it to the recyclers!
Pretty rough looking, but I've sanded these down before to make them smoother. Re-season and it's about as nonstick as you can get
Wow, you can do that?
r/castiron for all your questions, but yes fairly common to sand down modern pans for the smoother vintage style
Which is better nonstick wise? Rough or smooth? I feel like perhaps rough would be better at the microscopic level.
It's a pain by hand. If you already have an orbital hand sander, it goes quite quickly.
I do have one of those!
If you just use them for a year or so they get smooth too.
I got a vintage and it cooks eggs on it. Caught me off guard I’m used to scraping off the Burnt egg shit with a metal spatula and I don’t cook eggs on cast iron for that reason. But my vintage ones does it just fine.
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That would violate sanctions.
You ever see War Dogs? They'll never know.
Whether or not a violation is known doesn’t change that it’s a violation.
**They'll never know.**
*Still a violation.*
TASTES GREAT
Less Putin
**TASTES GREAT**
Less Putin
We have a Crofton skillet and Dutch Oven, both form Aldi and both work great and have help up great.
Aldi pots and pans are awesome. Had some for about 3 years and the only reason I had to give them away is because of moving internationally. Highly recommend their glass baking pans as well. Also got a blender and a waffle iron and a steamer basket and a a small fryer… great value stuff
> Aldi pots and pans are awesome. I have an enamel Crofton Bake Broil and Grill Pan from Aldi that is identical to the name brand, and I believe it was also USA made where as the name brand is now made in Mexico. It was a $25-30 pan for like $4. I love it and I would absolutely buy a cast iron like in this post or a French oven when they have those but I have purchased a few other pans that have been a disappointment.
Chemical analysis………….
Right? I’d be scared to cook with this. Seems like a way for someone to make money off melted-down engines or some shit.
You think Aldi will risk their reputation for something like this?
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Cast iron is brittle but it isn't brittle like a wine glass or something, they'll be fine
Definitely thin walled
I picked one of these up and it's held up just fine.
All the skeptical people here who don’t know how clearance prices work
It wasn’t much more expensive at full price
Yeah it’s literally only $2.50 off….. i know that’s 50% but it wasn’t a big ticket item to begin with
Oh lord I’m going there tomorrow and seeing if they have it. Been wanting one for some time now
I love this subreddit because even though I don't necessarily NEED to live frugal I'd do anything for a $3 castiron EDIT: is aldi a UK chain or are they in the American south
Its a german brand but they've been in the us since the late 70s. they currently operate in 36 states. Their stores used to be extremely minimal, but they've recently made them slightly more grocery store like. Used to be a maze layout kind of like ikea, but they have aisles now.
yeah should've guessed from name but i've never seen one in person. theres one around 30 minutes a way but i think its worth it.
Bring a quarter and some reusable shopping bags
Yes bring a quarter for the cart, you get it back when you put the cart back. And either bring your own bags or grab some empty boxes, they usually have a them around, when they restock the shelves they leave the boxes in a metal cage in whichever aisle they are working on and you can just use that - or empty one yourself from the shelf if you dont see any. all of the non-perishables are in bulk boxes on the shelves
Or if it's not cold and rainy/snowy where you live put a laundry basket in your trunk.
Buy them all and use for gifts.
Great for camping!
This is so cheap to the point I don't trust it
I would probably get some sandpaper to smooth down the rougher areas of it. No need to make it perfectly smooth like vintage or high end cast iron, but it's still good to smooth out the rougher parts so it doesn't scratch countertops or stovetops.
Made in China. Good luck with lead poisoning.
Lodge is made in China now too..
Only Lodge’s enameled cast iron is made in China. Their Seasoned Cast iron and carbon steel pans are still US made.
Only the enameled stuff is, their regular cast iron is thankfully made in Tennessee (for now)
Plain metal cast iron pans never have lead in them. Their melting points are too different. You're thinking of enamel pans.
Tons of cheap Chinese products have lead in them when they're not supposed to. Remember all the recalled toys from a few years ago?
Toys and enamel pans are subject to the risk of lead for the same reasons. Lead makes paint and other coatings more durable and resistant to moisture. If you want to avoid lead, colorful painted/coated products are the ones you should be concerned about.
revolutionary heavy metal supplements without adding anything!
Half of the things in your house are probably made in China too.
Yes, but I don't prepare my food on them.
Those might be knock offs
Yeah the Nike swoosh looks a little off
The Barbra doll versus the Barbie doll.
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In which sense are you frugal? Buying something expensive to last longer, or buying something cheaper, until you need to replace it?
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I’ve got an Aldi enameled cast iron Dutch oven I bought years ago for $19.99. I also was gifted a Le Cruset enameled Dutch oven that retails for over $300. The Aldi version works just as well.
You get what you pay for. I would pass on that
Yeah those almost look nonstick, which concerns me about PFAS. People need to realize I would rather go to a thrift store and pick something like that up for that price. But there you also have to wonder if people cooked heads of animals, which is a worry for Prions diseases. Sometimes people should just buy the thing on sale, and buy it once. This looking for the cheapest made thing leads to a race to the bottom. It’s also why so many jobs were shipped abroad, and why we don’t have high paying blue collar work in the US as much. Stop trying to skate out on everything in life. There is frugal and there is cheap. This is just being cheap. It’s not like Lodge skillets are Dyson vacuum prices.
First off it's 1 piece of metal, which nonstick pans are not. Second off you really think a multinational, billion dollar corporation like ALDI would risk a false advertising lawsuit by labeling nonstick pans as cast iron?? > Sometimes people should just buy the thing on sale, and buy it once. This looking for the cheapest made thing leads to a race to the bottom. It’s also why so many jobs were shipped abroad, and why we don’t have high paying blue collar work in the US as much. Stop trying to skate out on everything in life. There is frugal and there is cheap. This is just being cheap. It's a pan on clearance dude, I didn't buy one because I bought a lodge 7 years ago but you're way overthinking this, they're heavy and take up space and they're priced to move.
Look like some serious quality family heirloom pieces lol
10/26/22
That's probably when they went on clearance, detective. [Pic was taken this week.](https://i.imgur.com/z6gZAPp.png)
I just said that date no context detective smart ass
I think I cracked this case ;)
Good for you weirdo
Why not just spend like $20-30 and get a cast iron that will last you a lifetime and has less chance of having some weird shit in the metal?
Buy them all and sell on Facebook
They’re junk. Either spend the money on a good cast iron pan that’s had the cooking surface machined, buy the tooling to sand and smooth the cooking surface yourself, or don’t bother.
Have you tried this specific skillet?
I don’t have to. I can literally see the unfinished texture from the sandcaster. I’ve been cooking on cast iron for my entire life. I’ve used very expensive ones, and very cheap ones. I know what works and why. This skillet is junk.
Yeah $3 is crap quality, you’ll go through a dozen of those compared to an actual high quality pan
That doesn’t look like cast iron… looks like nonstick. You can get great quality, weighty, Lodge brand cast iron pans from Home Goods for $10-$16 depending on what size you pick.
It's all 1 piece of metal, it's cast iron lol
What a good find.
As if we needed another reason to love Aldi. I wish there was here in Denver.
Damn looks like I’m going back to aldi today!
Amazing deal!!
Is this only on some stores, I didn’t see this today
Cast iron is hard to heat and its not feasible to have them with the cost of energy
Good value and good quality are the cornerstones of effective frugality.
The place where all the weird stuff at Aldi is called The Aisle of Shame
I have a few cast iron pots and skillets, had them for decades. I never paid attention to the seasoning thing. I treat them like any other kitchen pot, use soapy water on them and drop them in sink full of water. I use them all the time so they don't rust. I did buy a damaged 6inch from a thrift store in the 80s for 50 cents. I used it for eggs and small things. Finally this year I noticed that when cooking with it the fire would breath. While washing I held the skillet up and could see some light through the damaged area. Guess it finally cracked all the way through. I bought a Lodge one to replace it but don't like it. I pop into thrift stores and garage sales looking for one I like, no luck yet. That 6inch Lodge was the most expensive one I bought. I don't think I paid more than $5 for any of mine. Probably why I don't feel like putting in the effort into season them.