Cast iron frying pan/skillet

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

On 11/24/2023 at 1:31 PM, Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 said:

What you can’t do is put it in the sink and let it soak.

Why not?  I do and have had NO negative problems.  Simply dry it well, re-season it, and use the bejabbers out of it,

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

14 minutes ago, Forty Rod SASS 3935 said:

Why not?  I do and have had NO negative problems.  Simply dry it well, re-season it, and use the bejabbers out of it,

Have you left a pan to soak for a week or more?

[Rip Snorter]

I prefer not to, but on occasion have left water in a pan overnight with no harm.  A week, you wouldn't ruin the pan, but you would have some work ahead of you.  There is a good site on collecting and restoring.  If I can find it I'll add it.  About the only cast iron i have seen completely ruined was some that went through a house fire.  https://www.castironcollector.com/

[Warden Callaway]

For the real crusted up skillet,  I put about a 1/4" of water in it and put it on the range. Heat until steaming and use metal spatula to scrap up crud. Dump, whip out and melt a dollop of lard in it. 

 

I've heard it said that you shouldn't use iron on a glass stove top. But it works.

[Sedalia Dave]

I'm the odd cook out.  I don't like new cast iron.  In the old days the cooking surface of cast iron cookware was sanded or machined to a smooth finish. New cast cookware especially Lodge is left as cast with a rough finish inside. Takes forever to properly season.

 

Avoid the chinese cookware like the plague.

 

I use a sanding disk and sand the cooking surface till it is almost mirror smooth. Then I season it with lard or Crisco. I don't use oil. It burns too easily.  Usually apply a coat a day followed by a trip through the oven every day for a week. 

 

If something does stick I fill the skillet with water and boil it. Then scrub with a chore boy. Heat to dry and then re-season.

 

Do as suggested and test used cookware for lead contamination.

 

 

 

[Sedalia Dave]

2 minutes ago, Warden Callaway said:

I've heard it said that you shouldn't use iron on a glass stove top. But it works.

 

Tends to scratch the glass very easily

[Dusty Devil Dale]

Repeated 

[Dusty Devil Dale]

Many, many years ago, a group of 7 or 8 of us young adults would drive a couple weekends every month over to the central Ca coast to spearfish and SCUBA dive after then-abundant red abalone, pismo clams, rock scallops, crab, and various fish.  We would camp on the beach at Cayucos, right in the middle of town.  Beach camping was popular then, at least for the first couple years.  We'd have a driftwood campfie, a quiet guitar jamb session, a lot of story telling--some of it true-- and a hearty cast iron cooked dinner. Sometimes a local or two would hear the music or smell the food and walk down and join us for the evening.

 

Somewhere, I had acquired a big, heavy, oval +-10x25x5" covered cast iron caserole pan that we used for cooking.  We would dig a sand pit, fill the bottom with hot charcoal, throw a little damp kelp over the coals, then put the covered pan on top, loaded near the top with all of the aforementioned goodies, plus a couple cans of either Campbells tomato soup or Campbells cream of mushroom soup and some water, Sherry and spices.  Another layer of kelp and hot charcoal covered the top.  It would just sit and roast for near an hour. 

In a separate Dutch oven, I would usually cook a 14x6" round loaf of sourdough bread.   I had to prep the batter, etc in the morning and leave it in the van to rise throughout the day while we were diving.  

A couple of times, on warm days, I had yeasty dough all over the upholstery.

 

You can envision the evening and meal.   Those were some of the best of times.  

 

When the City of Cayucos finally prohibited beach camping, nobody told us.  Just as we were opening up the Choppino and dumping out the bread one breezy Saturday evening, two uniformed city officers approached us.  They were entirely decent with us, since we didn't look like deadbeats and the regulation was brand new.  The aroma, plus our friendly  invite overcame them and they sat down for a short time for a plate of choppino.  They let us stay that night, provided we put out the fire, which we did.  

 

Again, Very Good Times back then, and great Dutch oven memories. 

Sorry for rambling.  I got kinda carried away.  The memories are as good as the food!

 

[Sedalia Dave]

13 minutes ago, Dusty Devil Dale said:

Many, many years ago, a group of 7 or 8 of us young adults would drive a couple weekends every month over to the central Ca coast to spearfish and SCUBA dive after then-abundant red abalone, pismo clams, rock scallops, crab, and various fish.  We would camp on the beach at Cayucos, right in the middle of town.  Beach camping was popular then, at least for the first couple years.  We'd have a driftwood campfie, a quiet guitar jamb session, a lot of story telling--some of it true-- and a hearty cast iron cooked dinner. Sometimes a local or two would hear the music or smell the food and walk down and join us for the evening.

 

Somewhere, I had acquired a big, heavy, oval +-10x25x5" covered cast iron caserole pan that we used to cook.  We would dig a sand pit, fill the bottom with hot charcoal, throw a little damp kelp over the coals, then put the covered pan on top, loaded near the top with all of the aforementioned goodies, plus a couple cans of either Campbells tomato soup or Campbells cream of mushroom soup and some water, Sherry and spices.  Another layer of kelp and hot charcoal covered the top.  It would just sit and roast for near an hour. 

In a separate Dutch oven, I would usually cook a 14x6" round loaf of sourdough bread.   I had to prep the batter, etc in the morning and leave it in the van to rise throughout the day while we were diving.  

A couple of times, on warm days, I had yeasty dough all over the upholstery.

 

You can envision the evening and meal.   Those were some of the best of times.  

 

When the City of Cayucos finally prohibited beach camping, nobody told us.  Just as we were opening up the Choppino and dumping out the bread one breezy Saturday evening, two uniformed city officers approached us.  They were enturely decent with us, since we didn't look like deadbeats and the regulation was brand new.  The aroma, plus our friendly  invite overcame them and they sat down for a short time for a plate of choppino.  They let us stay that night, provided we put out the fire, which we did.  

 

Again, Very Good Times back then, and great Dutch oven memories. 

Sorry for rambling.  I got kinda carried away.  The memories are as good as the food!

 

 

Made my mouth water just reading it.  

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

3 hours ago, Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 said:

Have you left a pan to soak for a week or more?

Two days max and dry it with warm, NOT HOT air, then let it sit for a couple of hours before seasoning it.

 

I season mine with plain old Crisco applied hot and rubbed in.  A couple of coats usually does it. 

 

When you're ready to use it, heat it again and wipe it down to get any excess Crisco off and go to cooking.

 

I have two or three Lodge pans, a German set (Werther?) and a tiny little 4.5" pan I bought in a cafe in Idaho a LOOOOONG time ago.

[ShadowCatcher]

About a year ago I switched away from any non-stick Teflon pans and also cast iron pans and started

using these:  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00077H56I/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

 

They season fast and very well, and are great on all cook surfaces, best of all on gas!  They have a recommended seasoning process that takes about an

hour, but even normal traditional processes work well, and best of all, they weight half of what cast iron does!  They do an amazing job of browning a steak,

like nothing else does.  My 13" does wonders for hash browns! 

 

Food for thought . . . .

 

 

[Sinagua Ranger]

Lodge is solid. Solid as in both good and heavy. I prefer the vintage cast iron, like Wapak or Favorite Piqua. Lighter and nice smooth surfaces on which the seasoning seems perfect. However, you might want to look as carbon steel. Many of the advantages of cast iron without the weight. My favorite brand is Merton and Storck. 

[Eyesa Horg]

Those carbon steel ones are pricey buggers! But if only gotta buy one for life, not bad.

[Chief Rick]

46 minutes ago, Sinagua Ranger said:

Lodge is solid. Solid as in both good and heavy. I prefer the vintage cast iron, like Wapak or Favorite Piqua. Lighter and nice smooth surfaces on which the seasoning seems perfect. However, you might want to look as carbon steel. Many of the advantages of cast iron without the weight. My favorite brand is Merton and Storck. 

I have a Lodge carbon steel skillet that I keep in my camper.  Started with cast iron.  The Lodge carbon steel needs to be seasoned but it will still get nice and slick with proper use and care.

[ShadowCatcher]

 

[Sedalia Dave]

Carbon Steel skillets have been used for centuries. 

[Mud Marine,SASS#54686 Life]

Very hot water and a Scrubbie followed by Crisco has kept my cast iron awesome for well over a half  century

I use Lodge, Griswold and Wagner skillets, dos, muffin pans, woks, etc. 

I use them for horse packing, family events. catering, shooting matches, Scouts, and DO competions.  

Cast iron is my precious metal.

[Sinagua Ranger]

On 11/26/2023 at 4:32 PM, Chief Rick said:

I have a Lodge carbon steel skillet that I keep in my camper.  Started with cast iron.  The Lodge carbon steel needs to be seasoned but it will still get nice and slick with proper use and care.

I am not really fond of the sidewall design on the Lodge carbon steel, but they work well.

 

[Chief Rick]

5 hours ago, Sinagua Ranger said:

I am not really fond of the sidewall design on the Lodge carbon steel, but they work well.

 

The Smithey Farmhouse Skillet is my Grail for a carbon steel skillet - I'm just having a hard time rationalizing the cost ($295), though I'm sure it's worth it.

 

Beautiful and functional, IMO.

[Eyesa Horg]

2 minutes ago, Chief Rick said:

The Smithey Farmhouse Skillet is my Grail for a carbon steel skillet - I'm just having a hard time rationalizing the cost ($295), though I'm sure it's worth it.

 

Beautiful and functional, IMO.

They are extremely proud of that skillet! Does look pretty cool though, just not $300 cool.

[Rip Snorter]

8 minutes ago, Chief Rick said:

The Smithey Farmhouse Skillet is my Grail for a carbon steel skillet - I'm just having a hard time rationalizing the cost ($295), though I'm sure it's worth it.

 

Beautiful and functional, IMO.

Too ginchy to consider - form over function. If you are into Crepes, maybe.

[watab kid]

had a chat with my sister today - she is buying new cast iron , im waiting to hear hpow she likes it , our childhood had great cast iron , im not sure the new stuff will measure up to expectations/memories 

[Ozark Huckleberry]

Check ebay -- you can probably find a reliable merchant selling some Griswold cast iron. I'd take that over Lodge.