The Oldest Cast-Iron Cookware Brand In The US Is A Southern Gem

Cast iron cookware is a common sight in American households for its long-term durability, and Lodge is perhaps one of the most common brands of all. Lodge forges 50 million pounds of cast iron pots and pans every year, and it all happens in the same small town where the company first started 130 years ago. But it didn't always have that name.

Before Lodge, there was Blacklock, founded in 1896 by Joseph Lodge on the site of an old railroad foundry in South Pittsburg, Tennessee, a town near the Tennessee-Georgia-Alabama border. But instead of railroads and railroad accessories, Blacklock used the cast iron foundry primarily to make cookware, but also clothes irons and tools. This company was an early success, upended by one day in 1910.

In May of that year, a devastating fire destroyed the entire Blacklock foundry. But Joseph Lodge was resourceful enough to build a second foundry just a few blocks away, which began producing cast iron cookware just three months after the blaze. This new foundry was renamed Lodge, and with the experience of the Blacklock years behind it, a soon-to-be iconic brand began to take shape.

Lodge is one of the best cast-iron brands to buy because of its century-plus history of making quality cookware. But a successful history isn't enough to sustain greatness. Many of Lodge's original contemporaries went out of business over the years, like Griswold, the 1800s cast-iron brand you rarely see anymore despite its generally excellent quality.

Where Griswold faded away amid corporate buyouts and brand dilution, Lodge stayed true to the same cast iron it had made for decades, boosted through the years by an eagerness to modernize. It automated most production in the 1960s, replaced coal furnaces with more efficient electromagnetic induction in the 1990s, and introduced the first pre-seasoned cast-iron pan in 2002 — an innovation that quickly became standard industry practice.

People also love Lodge cookware because of its affordability, often costing less than $100 per piece. This is a stark difference from many prestige brands or even some newcomers, which may cost more than double for a comparable piece. And Lodge cookware can commonly be found at discount department stores like HomeGoods or TJ Maxx, for even more savings. For a balance between quality and affordable cast iron cookware, Lodge has been hard to beat for decades.