Backyard Livestock the Second Pillar of Homesteading – Epi-3210

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I get a lot of requests for more “old school” episodes of TSPC and most of those focus on homesteading, permaculture, hard skills, etc. which lead us to the pillars of homestead series that we will continue today.  In part two of this series we are going to cover the second pillar, back yard livestock.

Note this series is not about commercial farming for a profit, scaling food production to feed 50 families, etc.  Rather old school American homesteading like our grand parents did.  Feed yourself, store surplus and share surplus with your neighbors.  That is not to say a side hustle market garden or similar won’t fit with this series just that the foundation is first about “feeding the family”.

So what are the pillars, for this discussion there will be four….

  • Gardening
  • Back Yard Livestock
  • Perennials and Herbs
  • Local Hunter Gatherer Knowledge (foraging and trade)

 

Like any set of “pillars” these are not end all, be alls, just the foundation on which to build.  Each is connected to others though function stacking and additional systems.   Gardens create waste, animals create waste the two are connected via composting, compost feeds the garden which feeds the humans and animals as one example.

Small scale livestock is about as old as human settlements are.  We have tons of fossil records of humans keeping animals going back many thousands of years.  Early hunter gatherer societies as they formed more permanent settlements figured out that game was not always cooperative with being harvested but livestock could be relied upon to always be there.

Join Me Today to Discuss…

  • The four pillars and why we are talking about them at the beginning of winter
    • Gardening
    • Small livestock
    • Perennials
    • Hunter/gatherer/local-trade knowledge
  • Why livestock are the second pillar
    • Protein and fat production
    • Can be done very inexpensively
    • Process waste material into fertility
    • Likely there is an option for almost anyone
  • The primary small livestock for small landholders to consider
    • Worms or BSF (black solider flies)
    • Bees
    • Chickens
    • Quail
    • Rabbits
    • Ducks (conventional)
    • Muscovy Ducks
    • Geese
    • Fish
    • Sheep (hair sheep)
    • Pigs (smaller breeds)
  • The rules that keep you from hating yourself
    • One at a time
    • Get rid of what doesn’t work for you
    • Infrastructure first, I MEAN IT!
    • Develop a system of management so simple you can teach it to a 10 year old
    • Have realistic goals

 

Resources for today’s show

 

Sponsors of the Day

Remember to comment, chime in and tell us your thoughts, this podcast is one man’s opinion, not a lecture or sermon.

Join the MSB Today

Join the MSB Today

Want Every Episode of TSP Ever Produced?

Remember in addition to discounts to over 40 vendors who supply stuff you are likely buying anyway, tons of free ebooks and video content, MSB Members also get every edition of The Survival Podcast ever produced in convenient zip files in blocks of 24. More info on the MSB can be found here.

Outdoor Edge 3.5″ RazorLite EDC – Item of the Day

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Special Note – I have now been carrying this knife daily since April of 2021 and could not be happier with it.  It is an ideal gift for any prepper, outdoorsman, etc.

Every day I bring you an item on Amazon that I personally use or has been purchased by many members of the audience and I have researched enough to recommend.

Today’s TSP Amazon Item of the day is the Outdoor Edge 3.5″ RazorLite EDC. A few years back I found the Outdoor Edge Razor Blaze Knife and picked up it primarily for skinning as the swapable replacement blades just made so much sense. You can read my original review here. I really loved this knife and have gotten a lot of use out of it over about 3 years now.

Then very recently I picked up the Razor Bone using longer blades and reviewed all the options for it here.  This was a new item from Outdoor Edge for me anyway and it turned out that they had been doing a lot of cool stuff since I had gotten my first knife from them.  As I was looking over options I also noticed the Outdoor Edge 3.5″ RazorLite EDC.  I put it on my future review list at that time.

Well after getting my hands on the Razor Bone/Fin frame I just decided to get the EDC version as well.  If there can be a perfect “EDC Utility Knife” this may be it.  You guys know I have recommended the Gerber EAB as an EDC tool for years.  Always sharp as a razor and it avoids using your really good knife for harsher tasks, getting it gummed up with tape, etc.  Yet it has limits due to its size and form.

The Outdoor Edge 3.5″ RazorLite EDC honestly is a game changer.  It holds the blade absolutely locked so you are not going to get hurt by it.  The EAB does so as well but you have neither a full sized handle or blade to work with.  I have cut things with the EAB and done work with it where I was more than a bit concerned about slipping.

While I feel knives from Outdoor Edge like the Razor Fin & Razor Blaze are knives specifically for say a fishermen or a hunter, the RazorLite EDC to me, is a knife for everyone.  So much so that I am officially retiring my long standing recommendation for the Gerber EAB to fill this type of roll in an EDC Utility Blade.  Long term listeners to my podcast will realize that is a big deal, I have been recommending the Gerber since at least 2012.  Long before TspAz reviews even existed.

The premise of all these knives is simple your blade is always razor sharp because when it gets dull, you toss it out and replace it with a new one. New blades cost about $1.60 – $2.00 each depending on the type. The blades are made with an inexpensive steel called 420 J2, which has poor long term edge retention but sharpens very easily and is extremely resistant to corrosion and rust. This steel, until these knives came out, had two primary uses.

  1. It is used by many high end knife makers as liners, springs, etc in their folding knives, due to high corrosion resistance.
    –
  2. It is used by many makers of surgical scalpels. Generally scalpels must be incredibly sharp and are used one time in surgery and deposed of. Inexpensive steel that stands up to harsh chemicals for sterilizing and gets incredibly sharp easily is perfect for this application.

 

Given the above I think 420 J2 is perfect for what Outdoor Edge is doing with these knives. Personally I don’t toss them as soon as they start to dull, I use a sharpening steel and given how soft J2 steel is 3-5 strokes brings it right back. So I do sharpen these types of knives, generally about 10-12 times just using my steel, then I feel the blades have about had it.  Again this is the same steel they make scalpels from, it is not great for long term use, rather to be easily made scary sharp.  It serves the role here perfectly.

I have now after carrying this little knife for over a year and on multiple hunts and fishing trips.  In doing so I have retired my EABs forever.  Yes the blades cost more but they also do a hell of a lot more.  You also should know by now I look at total cost of a thing, not the unit cost.  If you use a steel to keep the edge true you should be able to again do that about 10-12 times, this reduces cost over time by 10-12x without much work.  Again if you know how to use a sharpening steel (and you should) the J2 steel is soft enough that it is like spreading butter to get it back to an absolute razor.

I also heard from a few listeners after my last review of the Fin/Bone frame that carry the Outdoor Edge 3.5″ RazorLite EDC and have done so for a while.  All four who reached out said they loved it.  I think if you give it a try you will as well.  This frame comes in 3 color options, Orange, Gray and Blue.  The Gray and Blue are sold by third party sellers on Amazon, but there is not much premium on the cost.  The orange is sold directly by Amazon and ships faster and costs a buck or two less. Check the video below to see just how awesome this little knife is.

Remember you can always find the TSP Amazon Item of the day by just going to TspAz.com

P.S. – They also make a 3 inch version which uses slightly smaller blades.  If you watch the video above you will see just how compact the 3.5 is, so I don’t know that anyone really needs a smaller frame but it does exist.  For me owning two other products in the line I didn’t want to add a third required blade length though.  So I did not even consider it.  Finally those 5 inch blades for the Fin/Bone will lock right into this knife as well, so you can keep them with your fishing gear, carry the 3.5 as an EDC tool, and convert it to a fillet knife on your fishing trips.

 

12 Ways to Live Free in an Unfree World – Epi-3209

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Yep this show is about active anarchy, didn’t put that in the title so it would not immediately shut down people that do not know what real anarchy is.  Anarchy is not spoiled young adult children living in the parents basements, listening thrash music and playing games while wearing a black shirt with an A on it.

Anarchy is not burning down buildings, demonstrating in the streets or being a non conformist by getting the same tattoo 5,000 other people have.  It isn’t hating everyone who is a cop or works for “the system” while you yourself take advantage of the same “system” every day.  It to be blunt isn’t even dominantly a political view, it is more an ethics based view that drives a political philosophy.

The ethics I am talking about are things like the firm belief, that cohesion, theft and force outside of defensive force are wrong, all the time, period the end. We accept that society is currently a bunch of spoiled children not ready to step up and be moral. We also accept that our way won’t be the dominant way in our own lifetimes. Yet for us, living against our ethics is simply not an option.

We think 7-8 generations out; we live accepting the interactive edge we must tolerate with the State.   However, we adapt and we worry first about what we do, how we handle conflict and what positive change we can make before we worry one bit about what anyone else does, says, thinks or doesn’t do.

Join Me Today to Hear…

  • What is freedom, what does it have to do with anarchy
  • What the real goal of anarchy is
  • What the limitations currently are for anarchists
  • How anarchists must cope with the interactive edge
  • The Ten Ways to Actively be a Modern Anarchist
    • Write contracts that exclude the state & attempt to resolve all differences in absence of the state
    • Develop the ability to detect logical fallacies in yourself and in others
    • Create or find a non profit truly consistent with your views
    • Make your own alcohol
    • Avoid using the “states money” when possible (self custody)
    • Start a business
    • Form a group that gets positive things done
    • Be at least a “basic prepper” and step up when the state falls down
    • Grow your own food
    • Self educate constantly and follow your passions
    • Teach your children how to self educate (Teach the Trivium)
    • Trust absolutely nothing the state, media, etc. says, verify never trust
  • Final Thoughts

 

Resources for today’s show…

 

Sponsors of the Day

Remember to comment, chime in and tell us your thoughts, this podcast is one man’s opinion, not a lecture or sermon.

Join the MSB Today

Join the MSB Today

Want Every Episode of TSP Ever Produced?

Remember in addition to discounts to over 40 vendors who supply stuff you are likely buying anyway, tons of free ebooks and video content, MSB Members also get every edition of The Survival Podcast ever produced in convenient zip files in blocks of 24. More info on the MSB can be found here.

Price Alert – DeWalt 20V Max XR Cordless Drill Combo Kit – Item of the Day

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SPECIAL NOTE –  This set is on sale for only 179, that is a heck of a great price.  44% off the normal price and you can’t even buy the drill as a bare tool for much less.  Note the last time I ran this set under 200 bucks was July of 2021!

Every day I bring you an item on Amazon that I personally use or has been purchased by many members of the audience and I have researched enough to recommend.

Today’s TSP Amazon Item of the day is the DeWalt 20V Max XR Cordless Drill Combo Kit.  I bought this same set well over a three years ago and it has only dropped from retail a handful of times since there.  Both of these tools are go to workhorses on my homestead and neither have ever skipped a beat since I got them.

DeWalt protects retail price, they don’t over sell during discounts to the point where you wonder why they even run them.  This combo will normally sell for anywhere between 260 – 300 dollars.  My guess is this price will be gone and gone fast, if you want this set, the price doesn’t get much better.  I got mine for 189 but that was the Spring of 2019 to drive this point home.

The set consists of

  • DCD791 20V Max Xr Lithium Ion Compact Brushless 1/2? Drill/Driver (This alone usually sells for about 120-140 dollars as a bare toll see here)
  • DCF887 20V Max Xr Lithium Ion Brushless 1/4″ Impact Driver (This along usually sells for also about 140 as a bare tool.) Though today it is also on sale for only 107 so it is a good time to add an impact tool if you need one.
  • 1 Charger and 2 2AH Batteries  – (At this point you can consider them free!  But a new set of 2AH Batteries will run you 80-90 bucks and a charger about 25-35)

 

All In the Retail Vale Purchased Independently would be about 375 on the low end to over 400 on the high end!

Look if you want to pick up either a good drill or a good driver any time soon, just get this kit and consider the second tool, two batteries and a charger cost you 60 bucks!
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And no one ever said, gee I wish I didn’t have extra batteries and chargers, EVER.

Now look sure a 2AH battery is about the smallest battery you can get from DeWalt and I recommend you get larger capacity batteries either now or down the road.  But like me, many of you already own 20VDC DeWalt gear and this is a chance to expand on the cheap, like stupid cheap.  And if you are wanting to get into DeWalt tools, this is the way!  Let me put it this way I already own this set and when it drops I am always on the edge of picking up another one at this price the deal is that good.

The four cordless tools I use the most on my property are in order, a drill, an impact driver, a circular saw and a sawzall.  There is almost never a week that goes by where I don’t use a drill and a driver both.  They are the most universal tools you can get and let me tell you something about the DCD791 drill.  Do not let the compact size fool you! It is a fricken beast.  As to the impact driver we drove over 100 6 inch structural wood screws into 4x4s with it and it never blinked.

In two years neither of these tools ever once let me down.  I am a DeWalt guy from way way back.  I was using the 18vdc gear as a CATV installer almost 30 years ago now.  I was not highly impressed with the first Generation of 20VDC DeWalt gear and then the old 18VDC battery quality went to shit!  When these brushless tools came around my faith in DeWalt was fully restored and I once again damn near bleed black and yellow.

Again this price does not come around often so if you are reading this down the road and see a price between 260-300 bucks, it is no surprise and you know what, at that price it is still a great combo but under 200 it is stupid cheap.  This was not planned to be my IOTD today, it really wasn’t but when I got to my email and saw this sale I really wanted to let you guys know about it ASAP.

So if you are looking to expand your tools or get into DeWalt power tools, get on this deal now.  I can’t say if it will be here today only or for a few days but history shows 24-48 hours being the best you can hope for from old black and yellow.  So check out the DeWalt 20V Max XR Cordless Drill Combo Kit today.  If you are waiting for a better deal it isn’t likely to happen any time soon.

Remember you can always find all of our reviews at TspAz.com

P.S. – If you ever get a shot at “renewed DeWalt” items consider the following.  I know for a fact that DeWalt gets a huge number of returns on perfectly good items.  It is due to a huge marketing error and a stubbornness to address a communications problem.  Tons of bad reviews for DeWalt exist all around “the batteries wont’ charge so I returned it”.

This is due to DeWalt not being clear about how to use their chargers, an installed base used to just dropping a battery into a charger and again DeWalt refusing for some unknown reason to fix the coms problem.  I have been talking about this a long time and one of my most popular videos barely over 1 minute long, explains it perfectly and has resulted in hundreds of “THANK YOU” comments with over 400,000 views.  Here it is!

This video has been reviewed by several contacts at DeWalt and ignored (I have confirmed it).  So “yeah baby” buy those “renewed” tools and reap the rewards of this brand damaging stupidity!  Tune in for more on why DeWalt does NOT “rebuild” broken tools and why renewed is a great way to save money with no loss in quality.

Oh and to everyone in DeWalt Marketing, you are fuckin stupid people, I and many others have tried to help but at this point please continue, we liking buying you brand new stuff cheap with an R at the end of your part numbers!

Also Read My Article on the Entire ReNewed Program to get the most out of it and avoid costly mistakes with it.

Expert Council Live with Tim, Nick and Nicole – Epi-3208

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For the first time ever today we are going to do an Expert Council live session. I invited about 6 members and 3 were available.  That actually works out great because 4 is about a perfect number for a group panel.  We won’t be doing these every week but I will keep inviting council members and perhaps we can do one of these a month rotating council members as we do so.

Resources for today’s show…

 

Sponsors of the Day

 

Video Version of Today’s Show

Remember to comment, chime in and tell us your thoughts, this podcast is one man’s opinion, not a lecture or sermon.

Join the MSB Today

Join the MSB Today

Want Every Episode of TSP Ever Produced?

Remember in addition to discounts to over 40 vendors who supply stuff you are likely buying anyway, tons of free ebooks and video content, MSB Members also get every edition of The Survival Podcast ever produced in convenient zip files in blocks of 24. More info on the MSB can be found here.

One Last Run of Paul Wheaton’s Permaculture Playing Cards

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I’ve got a heck of a stocking stuffer for you guys from Paul Wheaton. The Permaculture Playing Cards: the perfect thing for your friends, family, coffee table, and game night.

Click here to see more: https://richsoil.com/cards.jsp?f=479

This is a full deck of cards, with each card completely packed with info about a major permaculture component. Its a deck you can play a game of cards with, or you can read it front-to-back, like a who’s-who book of permaculture.

Every card features a Permaculture Principal or person, like Polyculture, Bill Mollison, Black Locust, Willy Smits, Paddock Shift System, Allen Savory, Fungi, Food As Medicine, Cast Iron, and Diatomaceous Earth, to name just a few – each included incredible detail and artwork.

Buy a couple decks, or a whole case. Paul says this is probably going to be his last run of these cards, so once they’re gone, they’re gone.

Check it out: https://richsoil.com/cards.jsp?f=479

P.S. – I think the sales page could be a bit more clear but the pricing on it per group of cards 2, 12 units etc is the total cost including shipping.  The way it is lined out I can see some thinking it is just the cost of shipping.  It isn’t all pricing is for said quantities including shipping.

STX-3000 Turboforce Meat Grinder – Item of the Day

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Every day I bring you an item on Amazon that I personally use or has been purchased by many members of the audience and I have researched enough to recommend.

Today’s TSP Amazon Item of the day is the STX-3000 Turboforce Meat Grinder.  I spent a lot of time in 2017 deciding on what meat grinder I wanted to buy.  I was pretty much in love with the Cabela’s Carnivore but had a real hard time paying 400-500 dollars for a grinder.  Specifically since I use one heavily 2-3 times a year during hunting season, then only about 1-2 times a month for small amounts throughout the year.

So I looked at a lot of options but came down on the STX-3000 Turboforce Meat Grinder because I firmly believe it is the best value under 300 dollars on the market.  First it is a size 12, in other words big, it has great capacity.  It also has two speeds and a reverse setting, which at times can be important.

It comes with three blades, most only come with one and while such blades are a standard product in all grinders they usually cost 12-20 bucks a piece to replace.  It is also powerful.  The first weekend I had it,I put 20lbs of deer and pork though it in about 15 minutes and it worked flawlessly.  One day I had a beef roast that I wasn’t thrilled with as a roast, so I picked up some pork and ground up both with the wagon wheel for chili meat.  It took longer to take it out than it did to put 10 lbs of meat though it.

After months of research, using several different grinders and finally buying and using this one I have found THE GRINDER I recommend.  I can promise you that you will not be disappointed with this one.

On another note we made about 20 lbs of sausage with this grinder using the sausage stuffer attachment.  Dorothy and I ended up getting pretty good at it, but was the last time I used a grinder, any grinder to stuff sausage.  I have now added the LEM 5 pound stuffer to our pantry.  The grinder worked fine as a but likely it took about 4 times as long as using a dedicated stuffer to do the job.

It also makes keeping meat more chunky if that is what you are looking for in a sausage impossible.  Even if you grind your meat chunky, that second time around the screw breaks it down a lot more even without the cutting blades involved.   A stuffer simply pushes the meat into the casing with no screw or friction, so it is a better tool for the job.  Yes it is a unitasker, but for some tasks a unitasker is the right fit.

In this case for grinding you just can’t beat the STX-3000 Turboforce Meat Grinder unless you spend hundreds of dollars more, and then, you don’t beat it by that much.  So if you need a grinder in your kitchen, I can’t recommend this highly enough.

Remember you can always find all of our reviews at TspAz.com

 P.S.  – Here are a few videos I posted to facebook using this grinder.

 

Even though these videos are on facebook, you should be able to see them even if you don’t have a facebook account as they are publicly posted.

Life as An Anarchist in a Small Community – Epi-3207

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Reed Richard is a father, permaculture enthusiasts, gardener/conductor, rouge thinker/philosopher, musician/dancer, bitcoin curious, novice builder/plumber/electrician, author, the list goes on…

Living on a semi small island on the Salish Sea on unceded territory, Reed enjoys life with his family of 5, all home births, in a community on 20 acres of land, celebrating the pagan sabbath in attempt to rekindle a connection through the generations. He also tends a 3/4 acre plot of which 4000 square feet is planted in a combination of berries and food forest along with bigger patches of squash and potatoes. 3 greenhouse structures, one of which is currently uncovered, handle tomatoes, cucumber, ganga, and various other edibles and medicinal.

Reed has lived in community for over a decade and spent 4 years studying collective living in North America.

Reed is a trained musician, saxophone being the primary instrument, and has been dancing in the ecstatic dance, dance temple, contact dance worlds for 16 years. Utilizing this sense of listening, Reed has turned his focus to the natural world to listen to the pulses of nature to assist with cocreating a thriving place of being.

Reed enjoys fatherhood, encouraging his 11& 2 year Olds, and 3 month old to live an embodied, hands in the earth, emotionally agile, engaged in discovery life.

His current home has space for chickens, with 60 birds coming in January to augment the 10 hens currently in the coop and run. Thoughts of ducks and pigs, to work the land are actively being spoken of with his other landmates.

Reed is also part of a weekly Manventure group. Engaged in a wide array of activities, the manventure group builds trust and fun into being healthy men and a strong network of doers.

Resources for today’s show…

 

Sponsors of the Day

 

Reed’s Links

 

Video Version of Today’s Show

Remember to comment, chime in and tell us your thoughts, this podcast is one man’s opinion, not a lecture or sermon.

Join the MSB Today

Join the MSB Today

Want Every Episode of TSP Ever Produced?

Remember in addition to discounts to over 40 vendors who supply stuff you are likely buying anyway, tons of free ebooks and video content, MSB Members also get every edition of The Survival Podcast ever produced in convenient zip files in blocks of 24. More info on the MSB can be found here.

MSB Sale – 35 Bucks a Year for Life – Discount Code “christmas”

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I have been promising you guys a sale on the air for over a week.   Well, how does 15 bucks a year off and the rate locks in for life as long as you don’t cancel. So you can sign up or renew today for just 35 bucks for a year.  And remember it ain’t just off your first year, it is 35 bucks a year for as long as you remain an active member. Just use the discount code christmas when you sign up.

I set up MSB from the beginning with the hope that it would not cost my members a dime in the long term. So I set out and locked in about 70 discounts on tons of stuff you likely buy all the time. Simply by using these discounts a few times a year I can’t see how anyone living a modern survival lifestyle won’t get their money back at least two times over a year, especially at 30 bucks.

So consider signing up today. Again just use the discount code christmas when you sign up. To do that just go here and set up your account.

If you want to pay by check, silver, etc. you can get a form to fill out on the sign up page. Just print it out and make sure to write the discount code on the form. If you pay with silver we will just give you some extra time instead of cutting the price.

If you want to pay with cryptocurrency, just email me at jack at thesurvivalpodcast dot com with TSPC in the subject line and we can work it out.

* This sale expires on Monday Dec. the 12th, no exceptions.

P.S. – A special note, the default online payment method is now credit/debit cards via Stripe. Some folks seem to think they need a Stripe account to use that method, you don’t. It is just my merchant account provider. All you need is any major credit or debit card and you are good to go.

I do still take PayPal but they have been really buggy with a ton of failed renewals and problems when people are trying to sign up and they have been NO HELP in fixing it. So while you can use PayPal I prefer that you sign up via Stripe. And if you have a PayPal debit card you can of course use it that way.

Lodge Carbon Steel Seasoned Skillet – Item of the Day

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NOTE – The 10, 12 and 15 inch skillets are all on sale today for 20 off retail.  Also, lately I have seen a debate running on twitter between “carnivore bros”, what’s better, stainless steel or cast iron for searing meat.  The answer is sorry bros, you are both wrong.  Carbon steel is the way.

Every day I bring you an item on Amazon that I personally use or has been purchased by many members of the audience and I have researched enough to recommend.

Today’s TSP Amazon Item of the day is the Lodge Carbon Steel Seasoned Skillet.  These are my go to for searing and if you ever go to a professional restaurant where a lot of searing happens you will likely see dozens of these in use, and there is a reason, they work really damn good.  While I used them mostly for searing at first they have now become my go to for 90% or more of my stove top cooking.

There are quite a few options from 8 inches up to a huge 15 inch one with double handles.  I currently own an 8 and a few 12 inch and one 15 inch skillet and they serve my needs very well.

I am a huge fan of old cast iron but it is heavy and it is not efficient when it comes to getting it hot, what it is good at is staying hot once you get it there.   Thinner carbon steel is efficient at getting hot quickly.  These come pre seasoned and if you use proper care they will stay stick free and last forever.

When I first got these pans I really used them the most for searing off meat in two ways.

One –  I will sear steaks and such BEFORE finishing on the grill or in the oven.  They provide the best sear I have ever gotten and if you are finishing in the oven they can go strait in.

Two – For searing after a sous vide cook.  Again they are just the best thing I have found.  I have also begun doing reverse sear sous vide as well, especially with skin on duck breast, then a second quick sear after the cook.

But over three years that has changed.  First I found the factory seasoning on them to be very good, way better than I expected.  They are very low stick, note I didn’t say non stick.  I have pretty much given up on other cookware at this point and use Lodge carbon steel pans exclusively.  Honestly I have two 12 inch skillets that sit on my stove at all times.  I use these for 70-80% of things that I cook indoors at this point.

The primary advantage of the carbon skillets over the cast iron is they heat up a lot faster and are easier to get searing hot.  They also weigh less so they are easier to toss food around with when you don’t want to use a spatula and damage food by doing so. Also being able to go from searing on a stove top to finishing in the oven is perfect for thicker cuts of meat, things like seared duck breasts, 1 inch strip steaks, etc.

But what about sticking?  This is what every pot and pan set on TV sells to, a non stick surface.  Look I won’t say nothing sticks, because you can find things that will.  What I will say is the “egg test” is what most people base their opinions on.  Well in a well seasoned and cared for carbon steel skillet you have to chase an egg with the spatula at times because it is almost too non stick.

After trying both expensive and low cost cookware over the years today I do almost all of my cooking with the following

 

I feel like I have mostly had what can only be called an amicable divorce from cast iron.  As in I still respect it, we still have a friendship and do some stuff together but carbon steel has replaced cast irons role in my life. It is just better, period.  Honestly at this point about the only cast iron item I use often is my dutch oven.  Again more on this in an upcoming show.

Lastly as a prepper, when it comes to carbon steel pans, I love the efficiency here. If you are ever in a situation where fuel needs to be rationed you want a pan that heats up fast, cooks fast and finishes fast.  So check out Lodge’s Carbon Steel Skillets today.

Remember you can always find all of our reviews at TspAz.com

P.S. – For those involved in the stainless vs. cast iron debate, I suggest a trip to a high end restaurant with an arranged tour of the kitchen.  If the restaurant uses pans to sear and cook meats at high temp, there is a 95% or better chance you are going to see carbon steel skillets all over that kitchen, and there is a reason.

P.S.S. – I find the Lodge pans to be more than adequate for my kitchen.  I have read some negative reviews on Amazon and most are frankly people that don’t know their ass from a hole in the ground in the kitchen.  That said they are not “perfect” and not a high end pan.  If you want to spend almost double but get pans like you’d find in the highest end kitchens in the resturant scene check out Matfer Bourgeat.  These are French Made and while I am not willing to pay the premium on them for all my pans I am thinking about adding a 12 incher just to experience the difference.  Note you will have to season from scratch with these but it is actually preferable assuming you take the time to do it right.