Good ones that have been cut smooth will cost you double or more than a lodge.
You can sand and grind a lodge down to be a lot smoother and then season it up and you can get there. Or even just season a lodge a whole bunch of times amd you can make it smooth.
Otherwise, there’s a lot of cast irons that are smooth right out of the box, such as BackCountry Iron and Finex.
Just be careful of a lot of cheaper brands advertising “lighter weight” as a feature. It isn’t. Them being heavy as hell is a large part of what makes cast iron skillets cook so nicely. The iron doesn’t cool off when you put the food in. Lighter weight means it’s easier for them to make, uses less raw materials they have to buy, and costs less to ship.
Good ones that have been cut smooth will cost you double or more than a lodge.
You can sand and grind a lodge down to be a lot smoother and then season it up and you can get there. Or even just season a lodge a whole bunch of times amd you can make it smooth.
Otherwise, there’s a lot of cast irons that are smooth right out of the box, such as BackCountry Iron and Finex.
Just be careful of a lot of cheaper brands advertising “lighter weight” as a feature. It isn’t. Them being heavy as hell is a large part of what makes cast iron skillets cook so nicely. The iron doesn’t cool off when you put the food in. Lighter weight means it’s easier for them to make, uses less raw materials they have to buy, and costs less to ship.