Blacklock is cast iron made up to 25% lighter, without giving up the sear, the heat or the lifetime. It carries the oldest name Lodge has, and it is poured in the same Tennessee town where the company started in 1896.

Lodge has been pouring cast iron in the same Tennessee foundry since 1896. That is 130 years of learning exactly what iron can do, with every generation refining the process a little further.

Blacklock is where that led. Lodge poured its own recipe of iron thinner than the accepted limit, then kept testing until it found the lightest wall that still gave a full Lodge pan. Advanced casting technology takes up to a quarter of the weight out, and leaves the heat retention, the sear and the lifetime exactly where they were.

Here is what Blacklock actually is, how Lodge makes it, why it suits an induction cooktop so well, and which piece to start with.

What makes Blacklock different

Lodge reworked three things at once to get here: the iron, the seasoning and the handles.

It is up to 25% lighter

Lodge pours a proprietary recipe of iron as thin as it can go, and tested below the limits the industry had settled on, to find the lightest workable wall thickness. Lodge describes the result as a weight reduction of up to 25%, without giving up the quality or durability cast iron is known for.

It is triple seasoned

Most cast iron leaves the foundry with one layer of seasoning. Blacklock gets three. That means a naturally non-stick surface from the first meal, easier cleaning, and a finish that keeps improving the more you cook on it. There is no coating to wear out, because seasoning is oil bonded to iron, not a layer sprayed on top.

Ergonomic handles that stay cooler

The main handle has a cool-V cutout through the middle. It takes iron out of the handle and lets air move through, so the handle stays cooler for longer. It is still iron, so a long stretch on a hot hob or in the oven will warm it up eventually. The assist handles and loop handles are raised and elevated, with more room underneath for your fingers. You get a full grip on a full pan, which is what makes a heavy load easy to lift and set down.

The oldest name Lodge has

Blacklock is not a new brand invented for a new product. It is the original name.

In 1896, Joseph Lodge opened a foundry in South Pittsburg, Tennessee and called it the Blacklock Foundry. That foundry is where the company began. It burned down in 1910 and was rebuilt as Lodge Cast Iron, and the Blacklock name sat unused for more than a century.

Lodge brought it back for this line. The oldest name in the company now sits on the most refined iron it makes, 130 years apart.

Casting iron this light, and still getting the heat retention and the sear, takes a foundry that has spent 130 years learning how.

Made where it has always been made

Every Blacklock piece is cast in South Pittsburg, Tennessee, in the same town where Joseph Lodge poured his first iron. Not a different country, not a different supplier, not a licensed factory with the name on it. The same place.

Making iron this thin without warping or weak spots depends on knowing your own sand, your own melt and your own moulds. That knowledge is built up over time in one place, by people who have made the same mistakes and fixed them. Lodge has been doing it in the same building since 1896.

It is also why Lodge can put a date on every piece. Look at the back of any Blacklock pan and you will find two numbers cast into the iron. Each one is a year from the company's own history, chosen to suit the piece it sits on.

Why Blacklock works so well on induction

Cast iron is the best possible material for an induction cooktop, and the reason is simple physics. Induction works by creating a magnetic field that heats the pan itself rather than the hob. Iron is magnetic all the way through, so the whole base of a cast iron pan converts that field into heat. There is no disc bonded to the bottom, no aluminium core that the field cannot reach, and no need to check whether a magnet sticks.

Blacklock takes that further in two ways.

Induction is the most responsive cooktop there is, and it pairs well with a pan that holds heat this steadily. Power goes straight into the iron, the iron holds it, and a cold steak dropped into a hot Blacklock skillet barely moves the pan temperature. That is how you get a proper crust.

The lighter build also means you are less likely to drag the pan across the glass, which is the main way induction and ceramic tops get scratched. Lift a Blacklock pan on and off rather than sliding it, and the lighter weight makes that easy to remember.

Blacklock or classic Lodge cast iron?

The cooking is the same. Both hold heat, both sear, both last generations, and both are cast in the same Tennessee foundry. The difference is in the handling. Blacklock is the refined version, lighter to lift and turn, triple seasoned rather than seasoned once, and finished with handles built for comfort and control.

Choose Blacklock if you want all of that in a pan that is easier to pick up.

The Blacklock range in New Zealand

Blacklock Skillet 18cm

At 0.82kg this lifts in one hand without thinking about it. Eggs, a piece of fish, garlic bread, one very good breakfast. The easiest way into the range, and the pan most people reach for daily.

$129.00

Blacklock Skillet 26cm

2.09kg, and enough room to feed three or four. If you buy one Blacklock piece, make it this one. It handles a weeknight dinner, a tray of roast vegetables and a frittata with equal ease.

$199.00

Blacklock Skillet 30cm

2.78kg, with room for a whole chicken, a deep-dish pizza or a pie. The pan you cook for the table in, and then carry to the table.

$259.00

Blacklock Square Grill Pan 30cm

Grill lines on steak, seafood and vegetables without leaving the kitchen. The ridges lift the food clear of the fat, and the square shape gives you more usable surface than a round pan of the same size.

$329.00

Blacklock Dutch Oven 5.2L

Slow roasts, stews, curries and proper bread. Basting rings in the lid return moisture to the food as it cooks, and the raised aluminium knob gives you something solid to lift by.

$479.00

Blacklock Braiser with Lid 3.7L

Wider and shallower than the Dutch oven, which makes it the better choice for braising meat in a single layer, one-pan dinners and anything you want to brown first and then finish under a lid.

$479.00

Blacklock Griddle 28cm

A flat, open cooking surface at 2.05kg. Tortillas, quesadillas, chapati, pancakes, grilled sandwiches, steak and eggs. Anything that wants room to spread out and a surface that holds its heat.

$259.00

Looking after Blacklock

Blacklock needs the same care as any Lodge cast iron, and there is not much to it.

Hand wash and dry it straight away, even before the first use. Rub a light coat of vegetable oil over it after every wash, just enough to bring the sheen back without leaving it sticky. That keeps the seasoning fed and keeps moisture off the iron. A little soap is fine when you need it, as long as you dry thoroughly and oil afterwards.

Heat it gradually rather than blasting it from cold, and use a burner that roughly matches the size of the pan. Sudden or uneven temperature changes are what cause cast iron to warp, and that is true of any brand.

For the full detail, see our 3-Step Cast Iron Cleaning Method.

Common questions