Is the top pre-seasoned? I'm trying to figure out why the price difference between the blackstone and Camp Chef?
2018893
No, you will have to season the top yourself. Its a great unit in my opinion.
2018894
No it's not pre seasoned but it's very easy to do once you get it. Breakfasts are the best on this!!
2018895
It comes with a coating. Don't know if it is preseasoned but food does not stick. I bought 2 of them. Last weekend cooked 5 lbs hamburger, 1 lb bacon, 3 steaks, 8 fried eggs. Nothing stuck, everything was perfect and I highly recommend the Blackstone.
1919994
I have a Rachael Ray one I bought from QVC. Amazon probably sells them, or Chefs check in food prep.
16207
Yes, the answer is actually quite simple .... Marketing. Retail prices are meaningless. They give you the impression that you are getting a much better deal or much better quality in the 12 piece set when in reality they are IDENTICAL in construction. If you look today, you can buy the 10 piece set + 11 inch deep sautee with lid to give you the "12 piece set" for $42 less than the 12-piece set. Yet most people will just pay the extra money for the 12 piece set because they think they are getting a better deal.One of the oldest marketting tricks in the book.
1220709
Hi. This is a professional model.. The $80 or so ones are not.. Look at the specs 100 power level settiings, cheaper models give you about 10 and they are not anyway near as precise. I do not have a cheaper model so my comparison is by a lot of research I did, reading reviews, etc. etc.I own 2 of these and do not regret the expense at all but then I am into precision cooking also.Good luck in your search Glenn
1255209
I am used to these excellent pots since 30 years, while I lived in France. At the time they were very ordinary and cheap ones. Now they are expensive. French and Dutch oven seem to me marketing names for America, in France they are just Cocotte de chez le Creuset, see in Amazon.fr below, anyways the one that I bought as a present (my 30 year old one is still perfect) was much cheaper at Amazon than elsewhere. http://www.amazon.fr/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_0_10?__mk_fr_FR=%C3%85M%C3%85Z%C3%95%C3%91&url=search-alias%3Dkitchen&field-keywords=le%20creuset&sprefix=le+creuset%2Caps%2C291 .
196231
I bought a remanufactured unit, which was less then the new unit. 349.00 new and 279.00 remfg. I don't know where you found the new unit for 249.00?I have to tell you that I am very pleased with the one I bought.Have not used my regular stove oven since.The convection feature is great.Pizza is the best.Pies are wonderfulCookies are even better.VERY PLEASED.
1835874
The numbers don't mean anything to me. I bet the more expensive one has the gold band around the dutch oven. I have the cheaper one and it cooks just fine, but it does get the discoloration inside from heat. I just use a light scrubbing with a brillo pad--good as new again.
1183130
Dutch ovens are great for lots of stuff. Anything from pasta sauce to stews and soups. You can also deep-fry in it, and bake things, like bread. Because it's cast iron the heat distribution is always generally even, and because it's iron, it retains heat quite well. For frying, it's easier to clean than an electric deep-fryer, even if you do need a bit of extra "tech" to go with it - basically you should have a candy/frying thermometer and a splatter shield, preferably. Fried chicken in a cast iron dutch oven comes out spectacular, as does a good beef stew or fresh marinara sauce. Can also make killer baked beans, too. Also it's handy for pot roasts, roast chicken, roast duck...the list goes on. Also, unlike with aluminum or steel pots, you can toss this right on the campfire if you do that outdoorsy thing, and slow cook there too. It's one of the original kitchen multitaskers, heh. You may also wish to look at the enameled versions. To clarify: this is basically the same pot that you see if you've ever watched food network, and they're cooking/roasting meat or veggies in a large and colorful enameled pot - those are cast iron too, actually. The Lodge one is that dutch oven naked. The enamel does add some convenience, (washing it in soap won't destroy the coating for instance), but you pay a hefty price for it. Le Creuset is one of the more famous makers, if you wanted to check out some examples. They work great, don't get me wrong, but I've never wanted to pay $200+ for a dutch oven, though Lodge makes cheaper enameled ones now. Plain 'ol cast iron works just as well for the most part, though the enamel has its perks, for sure. I consider them fairly interchangeable, but I imagine in particulars they may not be. I haven't owned any of the Le Creuset stuff (but I've used it - its nice), so I don't know which is better long-term, ultimately. Both will probably outlive you by quite a bit, though, so would be a good investment. I defer to people with more enameled dutch oven experience than I, though. :)
2282390
Honestly, it's your choice. We have a Showtime and I'll tell you it's great. We bought a competitor's rotisserie after our first Showtime broke down (it lasted for years). The competitor's rotisserie cost a lot more and did not cook as well as the Showtime! Whatever Showtime product you choose, you will be happy.
832817
I just buy a new grate every season (no pun intended) from Lodge. Costs about a sawbuck with shipping. Every 3rd year I buy a new grill because Amazon always has them about 1/3rd off (~67 bucks) a couple times a year as it is at the time of this posting. I love the grill and use it almost daily every summer and keep it in the garage "off season" but the grill top always rusts and I don't want to deal with constant seasoning after every use. Makes it too much work. It's cheap enough to replace the top for me. All the time (and oil) saved is worth it.
445064
Wish I had a frame of reference - only boat I was ever on was the Staten Island Ferry!!But I used the original Avanti for 14 years - able to cook anything - this one they changed and you can only use the top units OR the oven --When I wrote to the company I asked them if they ever heard of "if it isn't broke -- don't fix it" == Just did a 9 chop loin of pork and it was great.Right now I am baking pumpkin pie == it is a quality product -- sorry I can't answer you space question. But enjoy the oven and especially the boat!!Peace & All Good == Happy New Year
2231884
The Lodge L5MS3 Mini Skillet was discontinued. Anyone selling it for over ~$10 is just trying to make a huge profit for themselves.
1335294
I tried Busha Brown's and Walkerswood side by side last weekend and my guests and I all agreed the Walkerswood was better. I will tell you that if you don't like spicy heat, you might like the Busha Browns more, because it is milder, but the flavors aren't as well balanced either. Don't get me wrong, Busha Browns is darn good as well, but WW is better.
1183342
i think it is ready seasoned but i am not too fond of it. i had a Pampered Chef before and it worked much better for me.
1690483
This is only a wild guess, but I imagine it's the labor that goes into the finish. I bought the less expensive for my husband last Christmas (he loves to cook) and have been very satisfied. We use Barkeeper's Friend to polish it up now and then and it looks great. He has a few pieces of the more expensive type, but other than a small difference in weight, I can't tell any difference in the cooking ability. If you are a real gourmet chef, you probably won't be happy with any but the most expensive cookware. However, if you are like most of us, the less expensive will serve you well for many years. :) This is only a wild guess, but I imagine it's the labor that goes into the finish. I bought the less expensive for my husband last Christmas (he loves to cook) and have been very satisfied. We use Barkeeper's Friend to polish it up now and then and it looks great. He has a few pieces of the more expensive type, but other than a small difference in weight, I can't tell any difference in the cooking ability. If you are a real gourmet chef, you probably won't be happy with any but the most expensive cookware. However, if you are like most of us, the less expensive will serve you well for many... » Read More This is only a wild guess, but I imagine it's the labor that goes into the finish. I bought the less expensive for my husband last Christmas (he loves to cook) and have been very satisfied. We use Barkeeper's Friend to polish it up now and then and it looks great. He has a few pieces of the more expensive type, but other than a small difference in weight, I can't tell any difference in the cooking ability. If you are a real gourmet chef, you probably won't be happy with any but the most expensive cookware. However, if you are like most of us, the less expensive will serve you well for many years. :) « Show Less
1450177
First there is a difference in the model numbers. All models come with the same size pan and same cooking features. The difference between the models is the accessories. The difference in price is like most things on Amazon , the same item can come from different vendors. For example the one for 99$ has a shipping charge of 50+ dollars where the one for 171$ had no shipping charge. I love my unit, I own all the Ninja products. It means less clutter , one product to do the job of many. Just research all vendors and their pricing for your best deal. And don't forget to check out Amazon warehouse for those great prices on open box, refurbished or used items.
1371363
The top burners are very different from other camp chef stoves. They definitely do not throw the heat that the rest do and yes you can throttle the fire back to simmer. The fuel/ air mix seems perfect, blue flame and NO soot to scrub off the outside of the pot. I think it does use more fuel than they claim,, but the small bottles are easy to carry and they can be refilled.