Customer Reviews

Lodge Cast Iron 7-Stick Cornstick Pan

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Frankly, when I am lazy, I whip up a batch of cornbread (yeah, yellow cornmeal, so sue me you Southerners, and I even use those cheap mixes when really pressed for time.) And I pour it into any handy square or round cake pan and cut it up for meals.

But...let's say you are serving guests and want some cornsticks to go with that chili. If you season this pan according to directions, and even throw out the first batch of sticks, (give them to the dog, he won't mind) you will eventually get a pan that lets you make lovely, brown, tasty cornsticks that look very nice served with a simple meal. Don't skimp on the oil or melted butter in the batter, and watch the sugar--it causes them to brown too fast if you overdo it.

Set these out in a nice basket and you won't feel so bad about serving chili from a can or the soup you threw together in a panic to get that hot meal on the table. Whew!

I have always liked Lodge cast iron pans and this one is no exeption. This is a heavy well made pan that with proper care will last for generations.
The key to using a cast iron pan is to properly season it and keep it seasoned. For this pan, I rubbed it with melted Crisco and baked it for an hour at 400, then let it cool slowly in the oven. This should create a beautiful glossy black finish; if not, do it a second time and again whenever the seasoning has worn off. Always hand dry a pan like this, never let it air dry or it will rust.
I have never had a problem with cornbread sticking. I preheat the pan and then pour the batter into it. I use a small ladle for this and leave the pan right on the oven rack. When the cornbread is done you just flip it right out onto a plate. The only drawback I have had is that I usually have to make a few pansful of cornbreads sticks for them to last through dinner.

This pan makes the best cornbread I have ever had! These cornsticks have a crispy crust all over, much better than cornbread squares or wedges, which have crust only on a few sides. Plus, my four-year-old son loves the cute shape of the cornbread. I was initially afraid the cornsticks would not release well from the pan, but I had no problems at all. I think people who have experienced sticking with this pan must not have seasoned it properly. Before the first use, I followed the manufacturer's instructions for seasoning the pan -- this is crucial! Then, to bake, you preheat the pan with a little bit of shortening in it for ten minutes in a preheated oven. Take the pan out to fill with cornbread batter, and put it right back in the oven to bake for about 15 minutes. The cornsticks don't simply fall out if you turn the pan upside down; rather, you have to take a fork or knife or spatula and lift them out. I find the non-stick properties of this pan just get better with each use, as the carbonization on the surface develops. I am so glad I got this pan!

I come from a long line of Texas cast-iron users. Both my grandmother and my mother had these little cornbread cookers. Both my grandmother and mother could get their cornbread sticks out (with the exception of one stuck stick each time, don't ask me why........), but I never could.

Having said that, their PREFERRED mode of cornbread baking was in the small, cast-iron skillet ----- and I agree.

The cornbread sticks are cute, though.

We've got two of these and must say that while cute as the dickens conceptually, they aren't worth the time. First of all, the corn image doesn't come out clearly. Secondly, they are difficult to clean after the first few times. Thirdly, you would need three to fit the corn mix of two Jiffy Cornbread boxes (which is mostly what we make.)

Now, if these facts don't set you back and you are still interested in purchasing this product, let me tell you that THE best way of getting the best corn kernel image is to coat the bottom with Crisco -- all veggie version please. You have your heart's health to maintain. We tried various versions of spray oil (ie, regular Pam, Pam-like spray with Flour, Grilling Pam) and the Crisco butter-flavored sticks worked best.

Pam T~
mom/blogger

You'll need two to make enough for company. You'll eat the first batch.

I just read a review that if you oil and heat the cornbread stick pans before adding the batter they will come out eaiser, and I didn't do that the first time I used mine, and the cornbread was hard to get out. I'm anxious to try it. I know the more you use and bake with cast iron products the more seasoned they become, and the food won't stick. I should have known how tedious it is to fill these pans before I ordered but all in all they are fun to make for the grandkids once in a while.

Cornbread is a staple where I'm from in Louisiana, so you can imagine how IRKED people get when I say I'm not really that nuts about it. I have to clarify my position, though: I'm not really that nuts about cornbread unless it's baked in a corn stick (or pone, as we call em) pan.

Cornbread cooked in a skillet or baking pan is soft; even cakey if you use enough white cornmeal and sugar. But corn pones are crispy... they fracture in the most wonderful way when you bite into them and have the BEST texture. I make a big batch of them and keep them in a sealed container on the counter for a day or two, and then refrigerate the unlikely few that may survive after that. They're also perfect for throwing into lunch bags, too.

Be sure to season your pan (rub with vegetable or corn oil, bake for an hour, then let cool overnight) or you WILL have problems with sticking. Also be sure to oil your pan before each use, especially at first. The more you use cast iron, the more non-stick it becomes, but proper oiling is critical at first. My current pan is decades old, but I still brush the wells with a little bacon grease before each use and preheat it along with the oven while I make my batter. (We rarely eat bacon but I "bank" the drippings specifically for making cornbread.) The cooked pones practically fall out of the pan, and the hint of bacon in the crust is insanely delicious.

Another user said that she found filling the individual corn-shaped wells tedious; I use a large serving spoon to pinch off just enough batter to fill each well. The bowl of the spoon I use is big and long; its shape matches really well with the width of the pan so the patter pours perfectly into the wells. It's a snap, and it's CERTAINLY worth the flavor and texture of corn pones!

I'm in favor of cast iron cookware in general, and so was charmed by the looks of this pan, and the notion that I could bake ear-of-corn-shaped "cornsticks" in it. Theoretically the trick to cornsticks that you can hope to ever actually remove from the pan is to preheat the well-seasoned, greased pan thoroughly. Remove it from the oven and then add the batter carefully, so you don't burn yourself or any part of your kitchen - and proceed. The cornsticks should come out easily. If they don't, you are in good company. And at least you have a cute-looking, historic, relatively inexpensive American pan that someone, somewhere can bake successful cornsticks in!

I don't like my pan. I oiled it like the instructions say to do and it left a bad flavor behind. Now we can taste it everytime we use it. I have had problems with the cornbread sticking even though I grease the pan.