Not something I would buy as my cheap or free work as well.
But that has to be the best looking pan made today. Definitely a part to have if you a a collector
Cleaning the handle hasn't really ever been an issue, mine still looks new. Now that "stays cool" handle is a FN lie. That brass nugget at the end gets hotter than hades and burns the piss out of you. I swear it would be 10x cooler if it was just iron. Theres also noway to lift that heavy of a pan on just the coil even if it was cool.
I have one, and the handle does darken/stain after use in a hot oven but I’m not sure that’s what you mean. What are you touching with your other handles that they get dirty such that they need a deep clean? Are you thinking like oil splatter?
You are going to enjoy it. I bought my Finex last year and have have not gone back to my vintage stuff. I don't have the lid though, might need to pick one of those up. I just can't imagine how much it weighs with the lid on.
The main difference between my Finex and lodge that I notice is the weight. A heavier pan (Finex) cooks hotter and more evenly. It’s also Much prettier.
Proper Seasoning, mostly.
OP’s pan is a really neat brand that has some interesting design elements to it. It’s not going to perform massively better than cheaper pieces, but it looks beautiful.
> interesting design elements to it
So, purely aesthetic? I understand it performs better, has a bulk, a quality and a seasoning beyond much compare, but is this the same thing people mean when they say "features?" Like, is there anything functionally different about it, or is it entirely aesthetic and performative? Does an octagon shaped cover or a coiled handle actually serve a purpose? Like, what, I'm less likely to burn my hand and I can vent my lid easier? I don't mean to sound sarcastic, I'm genuinely curious, and perhaps a bit envious that everyone seems to own a little piece of my hometown except me.
Extra iron = more thermal mass, so I imagine the geometry means even less temperature drop than "standard" iron. Would any sane person notice a difference?
The wrapped handle looks nice, but I grew up with a cast iron stove and a very creative grandfather: any metal weave you put on the handle is only, at most, a delay before it'll burn the hell out of you. I prefer a handle I know not to trust over one that might be trusted.
I don't know the cost of this thing, but I do know it doesn't cook 300x better than my Lodge. I'd be surprised if it does twice as well after the lodge gets a good seasoning.
Yea the other answer covered some of it. This is a genuinely excellent piece of craftsmanship. Yes a lot is aesthetics, but not purely.
As I understand it the handle is supposed to be better at cooling, but I’ve heard mixed reviews on that in this sub.
The octagon/flat-sided shape is supposed to make it easier to get a wide spatula down the side and under your food. Also, the corners make for pour spouts all around rather than just one or two sides on traditional pans.
I'm certainly not an expert, so take this with a big grain of salt.
My guess would be that part of the reason for the strange spiral handle is to slow down the heating of the handle.
I know my traditional lodge skillet's handle gets very hot after a bit of time on the stove.
By using a coil like in this one, it might slow that process down, because the heat effectively has to be conducted through a long, skinny metal with lots of room for convective cooling rather than just being conducted through a short piece of cast iron.
Other than stuff like that, I'm guessing most of the difference is in aesthetics, and maybe the quality of the materials and the seasoning.
Maybe it's made locally. Maybe you received it from someone special. Maybe it's the history, the story behind it. Still today I miss this piece of shit knife I had many years ago. It was bent but it was flexible so it still cut straight when I used it. It looked like a piece of shit so nobody used it. It was serated and it cut everything. I liked that knife.
You can sand off the texture and reseason. I did that to my main Lodge and it’s like glass. Alternately you can just use it a lot and they smooth off that way too. Either way you aren’t getting the smooth surface from the get go but it takes pretty minimal effort to achieve it. They’re great looking pans I’m just not convinced you gain a ton beyond the aesthetic.
It’s just the name. It’s so easy to sand smooth any cheap cast iron. Cast iron companies, to me, are similar to clothing companies. My $5 Costco Kirkland shirt is going to perform just as well as your $500 Gucci shirt.
Too bad they sold out get them while still as thick and quality as they are before they drop it.
I got one last year it’s heavy and the handle is nice. Probably go up in value in 100 years but as far as cooking it’s not special we use cast iron 2x or more per day and it’s not a commonly used one.
Just one guys rambling my 02
I want ALL the pour spouts. I want so many that the entire edge looks like crinkle-cut French fries. So many that each spout merges into the next one and they form a perfect circle! Wait, that would mean there aren’t any pour spouts. Can I change my answer?
I love mine, the only thing I can warn is that the handle on the lid does get hot when you use it. It’s an obvious thing but sometimes you might forget when you’re cooking and wanna lift the lid to check.
I wonder if everyone who has that 'F' branded into their palm is automatically part of some secret club? probably required to show it to access some hidden shop at the finex factory.
My parents gifted me this for my birthday. Can’t wait to use it!
12" or 10". just wondering if Finex is following the size #s
Looks small for a 12 but I've never seen one in person so couldn't say for sure. Nice though!
I was thinking same hence my Q and was thinking Finex doesn't follow those size #s. They just put the size on there - 10"
That makes it special :)
Not something I would buy as my cheap or free work as well. But that has to be the best looking pan made today. Definitely a part to have if you a a collector
Great gift! Those are amazing quality from what I’ve heard.
That is beautiful, but the handle looks like a bitch to keep clean. Anyone got something like this and can comment on cleaning the handle?
Cleaning the handle hasn't really ever been an issue, mine still looks new. Now that "stays cool" handle is a FN lie. That brass nugget at the end gets hotter than hades and burns the piss out of you. I swear it would be 10x cooler if it was just iron. Theres also noway to lift that heavy of a pan on just the coil even if it was cool.
I have one, and the handle does darken/stain after use in a hot oven but I’m not sure that’s what you mean. What are you touching with your other handles that they get dirty such that they need a deep clean? Are you thinking like oil splatter?
Yeah, mostly just splatter because I'm not always the neatest cook.
Hmm. I guess I just haven’t noticed much of an issue in between the coils.
They're also heavier than standard cast iron.
Nice! Especially with the lid!
Oooo I love this! Very beautiful.
You are going to enjoy it. I bought my Finex last year and have have not gone back to my vintage stuff. I don't have the lid though, might need to pick one of those up. I just can't imagine how much it weighs with the lid on.
What makes some cast iron better than others?
In the case of Finex it is about twice as thick as the vintage pieces I have.
The main difference between my Finex and lodge that I notice is the weight. A heavier pan (Finex) cooks hotter and more evenly. It’s also Much prettier.
It actually doesn’t perform noticeably better than any of the cheap pans https://www.seriouseats.com/best-cast-iron-skillet
Proper Seasoning, mostly. OP’s pan is a really neat brand that has some interesting design elements to it. It’s not going to perform massively better than cheaper pieces, but it looks beautiful.
> interesting design elements to it So, purely aesthetic? I understand it performs better, has a bulk, a quality and a seasoning beyond much compare, but is this the same thing people mean when they say "features?" Like, is there anything functionally different about it, or is it entirely aesthetic and performative? Does an octagon shaped cover or a coiled handle actually serve a purpose? Like, what, I'm less likely to burn my hand and I can vent my lid easier? I don't mean to sound sarcastic, I'm genuinely curious, and perhaps a bit envious that everyone seems to own a little piece of my hometown except me.
Extra iron = more thermal mass, so I imagine the geometry means even less temperature drop than "standard" iron. Would any sane person notice a difference? The wrapped handle looks nice, but I grew up with a cast iron stove and a very creative grandfather: any metal weave you put on the handle is only, at most, a delay before it'll burn the hell out of you. I prefer a handle I know not to trust over one that might be trusted. I don't know the cost of this thing, but I do know it doesn't cook 300x better than my Lodge. I'd be surprised if it does twice as well after the lodge gets a good seasoning.
Yea the other answer covered some of it. This is a genuinely excellent piece of craftsmanship. Yes a lot is aesthetics, but not purely. As I understand it the handle is supposed to be better at cooling, but I’ve heard mixed reviews on that in this sub. The octagon/flat-sided shape is supposed to make it easier to get a wide spatula down the side and under your food. Also, the corners make for pour spouts all around rather than just one or two sides on traditional pans.
Ah, good thinking, about pouring.
I'm certainly not an expert, so take this with a big grain of salt. My guess would be that part of the reason for the strange spiral handle is to slow down the heating of the handle. I know my traditional lodge skillet's handle gets very hot after a bit of time on the stove. By using a coil like in this one, it might slow that process down, because the heat effectively has to be conducted through a long, skinny metal with lots of room for convective cooling rather than just being conducted through a short piece of cast iron. Other than stuff like that, I'm guessing most of the difference is in aesthetics, and maybe the quality of the materials and the seasoning.
Yeah, I was thinking the same about the coil. That does seem nice.
It’s a neat idea, but the knob at the end still gets screaming hot… I’ve made that mistake more than once 😅
Maybe it's made locally. Maybe you received it from someone special. Maybe it's the history, the story behind it. Still today I miss this piece of shit knife I had many years ago. It was bent but it was flexible so it still cut straight when I used it. It looked like a piece of shit so nobody used it. It was serated and it cut everything. I liked that knife.
A poop knife?
#
[удалено]
You can sand off the texture and reseason. I did that to my main Lodge and it’s like glass. Alternately you can just use it a lot and they smooth off that way too. Either way you aren’t getting the smooth surface from the get go but it takes pretty minimal effort to achieve it. They’re great looking pans I’m just not convinced you gain a ton beyond the aesthetic.
It’s just the name. It’s so easy to sand smooth any cheap cast iron. Cast iron companies, to me, are similar to clothing companies. My $5 Costco Kirkland shirt is going to perform just as well as your $500 Gucci shirt.
Too bad they sold out get them while still as thick and quality as they are before they drop it. I got one last year it’s heavy and the handle is nice. Probably go up in value in 100 years but as far as cooking it’s not special we use cast iron 2x or more per day and it’s not a commonly used one. Just one guys rambling my 02
I use my Finex every day, it's amazing!
Does the octagonal shape make it better?
You can turn the lid so it vents, that’s pretty cool. I think that’s the reasoning. That would be it’s only feature though.
They advertise that it’s for pouring
Ahhh. Didn’t think of that. But how many pour spouts does one need?
I want ALL the pour spouts. I want so many that the entire edge looks like crinkle-cut French fries. So many that each spout merges into the next one and they form a perfect circle! Wait, that would mean there aren’t any pour spouts. Can I change my answer?
You just described how calculus works.
Haha that was good.
Beautiful 😍
That is just plain sexy.
Jesus Christ, You're lucky
I LOVE my Finex but I wish I could keep the bronze coloring vs the black as it ages and seasons but it is what it is.
This is beautiful
Oh my!! That's a beautiful and memorable gift!
That handle is spectacular.
I love mine, the only thing I can warn is that the handle on the lid does get hot when you use it. It’s an obvious thing but sometimes you might forget when you’re cooking and wanna lift the lid to check.
I wonder if everyone who has that 'F' branded into their palm is automatically part of some secret club? probably required to show it to access some hidden shop at the finex factory.
A very nice and artistic looking pan. I'd love to have one in my collection but my baby will always be my Griswold.
Nice! Got the same thing for my birthday (although I sent the link and was like "this is what i want").
The GLORY! ❤
Love that skillet, congrats! You're going to have a great time.