LODGE CAST IRON

Lodge Cast Iron is the oldest and longest-running cast iron manufacturer in the United States. Originally called Blacklock, founder Joseph Lodge fired up a long-dormant railroad foundry in South Pittsburg, Tennessee in 1896. Blacklock focused on manufacturing sad irons, tea kettles, kitchen sinks, and cast iron cookware. The foundry thrived until a fateful day in May of 1910, when fire completely consumed the building.

Always resourceful, Joseph Lodge purchased land a few blocks south of the original foundry. Just three months after the fire, in August of 1910, the new Lodge foundry began pouring and manufacturing cast iron products. To this day, the foundry is still operational; it's gone through significant changes and improvements over the years, but the overall method of creating high-quality cast iron cookware remains essentially the same.

Lodge Cast Iron is the oldest and longest-running cast iron manufacturer in the United States.

Lodge creates its diverse line of cast iron cookware through an age-old process called sand molding. A proprietary mix of molten pig iron, steel and other ingredients are poured into a mold made of sand. Since sand melts at a higher temperature than iron, the mold holds its shape. Once the cast iron pan or pot has cooled, the sand mold is broken, leaving behind a brand new piece of cast iron cookware. Sand molding has been around since 680 B.C. It remains the best and most practical way to cast iron cookware.