anyone use cast iron cookware here?

[raggie33]

my dad uses it to cook most everything .he is the best cook i know i always gain weight when i viset .but man he skilets are way better then mine he has them season so there like way slicker then a non stick pan and man the food cokmes out so good with them .lol mine everything sticks to em .well do any of u use cast iron skilets or cookware. ?i highly recomend them if ya no how to keep em up

 

[Patrick Hayes]

I love mine, I found a box of about 8 or 9 skillets on the curb one day. Very old and well seasoned. I kept three of various size and gave the rest to friends. They are at least 50+ years old and are great. Pluss it adds iron to your diet. Care is easy, keep them oiled and use them. Just don't ever use soap on them if you can help it or cook tomatoes in them.

 

[Eric_M]

I just bought a 12" Lodge skillet. It was new so I had to season it myself. Can't wait to start cooking on it.

Eric

 

[Avix]

we have a tradition of "camp cooking" around this area, and Lodge is avalable almost everywhere, high quality, great stuff. we actualy got a "bad one" (cracked during the seasoning process), took it back, and it was "you BROKE a LODGE???? HOW?", no problem on replacement. the sales manager said he was the first broken one he had seen in 23 years working there.

Made in the USA and worth every dime. season it well, it will last well beyond your lifetime.

 

[Flashlightboy]

Can't beat one for cornbread.

 

[Wylie]

Although I have I don't think catfish should be fried in anything else. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/drool.gif

 

[Eric_M]

Avix, what's you're seasoning technique. I did the preheat, coat with Crisco and bake upside down for 1 hour at 350. It came out brown and "tacky". Is this what I should expect? And yes, you can't beat Lodge for the money. A 12" skillet was under $10.00 at Wal-Mart.


Thanks,

Eric

 

[raggie33]

lol i tryied every thing to season it i got frustated . guess ill have my dad do it, i mean his is like glass pure black and slipery as hect, good to make a steak in it

 

[_mike_]

raggie,
I found the below instructions and they look like how I seasoned and cared for mine many years ago when I used to use a cast iron skillet.

Mike



1. Wash skillet in hot, soapy water. Rinse thoroughly and dry completely.
2. Apply a thin coating of melted shortening (Crisco, for example) or vegetable oil with a soft cloth or paper towel.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place skillet UPSIDE DOWN on top oven rack.
4. Place foil on a cookie sheet and place on bottom rack of oven. This will catch the drippings from the skillet.
5. Bake in oven for one hour.
6. Turn oven off. DO NOT OPEN. Allow skillet to cool down in oven (several hours).

Tips:

1. Clean skillet after use while still warm with hot water and a plastic scrub brush.
2. DO NOT put in dishwasher or wash with soap or dishwashing detergent.
3. Dry cast iron cookware thoroughly after washing, then spray lightly with vegetable oil (Pam, etc.) Wipe dry and store. Never store cookware with lid on; cast iron cookware needs air circulation.
4. Reseason cookware after cooking beans or acidic foods (such as tomatoes). Frying or cooking foods with fat content helps expedite the seasoning process.
5. Do not use cast iron cookware for storage of food.

 

[Patrick Hayes]

Brown and tacky is normal at first. The Black smooth surface takes awhile to build up. Just start cooking with it and cleaning w/ just water and it will blacken up fast. Start off with some bacon as that will really grease the pan.

 

[smokinbasser]

I agree. I have been using cast iron since being big enough to cook. I have a ten inch skillet and dutch oven that goes on camping trips for beef stew or chernoble chili.Never leave any foods especially acidic like tomatoes in cast iron. My skillet was developing a rough surface from lots of use and I found a way to get back to cast iron. I heated it on the stove with out any thing in it and burnt/cooked all the grease off inside and out and then used bacon drippings in the skillet and baked it for an hour at 350 degrees and it was like a nonstick pan again.

 

[Jarndyce]

Mike's instructions are very good.

The only thing I would add is to reseason at least annually.

12" Lodge skillet = great steaks!

 

[KC2IXE]

I use 2 kinds of pans
1)Cast iron - for the same thing everyone else does
2)THIN Carbon steel - the true "french chefs" style - sloped sides, long handle, steel is maybe .020 thick. This pan is used when you WANT hot spots, and fast temp changes - it's used more like a wok than a "normal" fry pan

 

[AilSnail]

If your iron pan is brown it may be rusty or there is acumulation of dirt.

They can collect gunk in the fat sometimes. Should just clean it well but remember to put oil in it afterward, and dont use sope in it so often. It collects taste so be sure to make many good meals in it.

 

[Avix]

[ QUOTE ]
Eric Maier said:
Avix, what's you're seasoning technique. I did the preheat, coat with Crisco and bake upside down for 1 hour at 350. It came out brown and "tacky". Is this what I should expect? And yes, you can't beat Lodge for the money. A 12" skillet was under $10.00 at Wal-Mart.


Thanks,

Eric

[/ QUOTE ]

same as you Eric except 250 F for 2 hours. then let sit in oven after you turn it off for 12 hours. it can come out a bit tacky, if your unsure clean with salt and papertowel and reseason. and remember, soap is to be avoided at all costs. (except for 1 wash when you get it home from the store), get a firm bristle brush that is just for your cast iron (no soap on this ever).

 

[TheBeam]

I have never used one of these pans. Thanks for all the info. Is there anything that should not be cooked in them? How about eggs? What's the big deal with the soap? Is it impossible to rinse off?

 

[springnr]

This Scouting resource article on Dutch Oven Cooking is one of the best I've ever found online. It covers care of cast iron.

You can find some nice Griswold cast iron on ebay if your patient.

 

[BB]

I think the soap ruins the seasoning--and for me, I think the porous iron seems to hold the soap and flavor the food (not in a good way ;P )

-Bill

 

[PhotonBoy]

Smokinbasser: "I have a ten inch skillet and dutch oven that goes on camping trips for beef stew or chernoble chili."

I LOVE hot food. Can you point me to a recipe for "chernoble chili"?
:yum: :yum:

 

[raggie33]

ok im trying again lol im useing cyrstal but it smell house up lol. man i wish they sold em presesoned. i was reading on one webpage how some people have ones from 1800 year 1800,s thats wild