topic Re: CAST IRON COOKING in Kitchen

CAST IRON COOKING

Shanus — Sat, 26 Nov 2016 16:44:02 GMT

Maybe because I was raised in the South, but a great, seasoned cast iron fry pan is the most used cookware in my kitchen. It's naturally non-stick, retains the heat, & can be used stove top or in the oven. Anyone have one that they love?

Re: CAST IRON COOKING

Sassy7356 — Sat, 26 Nov 2016 16:48:17 GMT

I hav e never had one but always have hinted to getting one. What size is good to start with?

Re: CAST IRON COOKING

Sooner — Sat, 26 Nov 2016 16:57:15 GMT

Start with a 10 inch skillet--if you can find one in an antique store that is smooth as glass on the bottom. If not, get a pre-seasoned Lodge new one. Read about them, LEARN HOW TO USE THEM.

Get one of those Cooking in Cast Iron magazines from Hoffman publications and make pies, casseroles, biscuits, cornbread, cinnamon rolls, pot pies, hot rolls and a zillion other things in it! PIZZA!

Re: CAST IRON COOKING

winamac1 — Sat, 26 Nov 2016 17:01:50 GMT

I don't find my LODGE cast iron to be nonstick at all. If I cook eggs, I have to put oil in it!

Re: CAST IRON COOKING

jaxs mom — Sat, 26 Nov 2016 17:05:44 GMT

I cook eggs in my bare cast iron all the time, without sticking. You do need to season it by cooking fatty foods for awhile before you have enough seasoning base though.

Re: CAST IRON COOKING

Shanus — Sat, 26 Nov 2016 17:09:03 GMT

@winamac1

Do you keep it seasoned and most importantly after you use it, just wipe it out...no soap...and using a paper towel & drop of veg. oil, store it that way. If you find it is no longer "non stick", you can begin as new pan and do the "seasoning" process. I had to do this to one of my older pans.

Re: CAST IRON COOKING

Sassy7356 — Sat, 26 Nov 2016 17:10:31 GMT

@jaxs mom @winamac1 @Sooner Thanks for all the tips on what to get and bake/cook in it. One will go on my Wish List for Christmas.

Re: CAST IRON COOKING

jaxs mom — Sat, 26 Nov 2016 17:12:56 GMT

You can use dish detergent. The no soap rule is from back in the old days when people used lye soap. Today's dish detergent does not strip seasoning, which is polymerized anyway. I wash my bare cast iron with detergent pretty much every time I use it and have no issues with sticking. I cook eggs and omelets without added fat and they don't stick. My pans are all well used and well seasoned.

Re: CAST IRON COOKING

jaxs mom — Sat, 26 Nov 2016 17:15:12 GMT

@Sassy7356 wrote:
I hav e never had one but always have hinted to getting one. What size is good to start with?

Size is determind by how much you want to cook. If you're only cooking for one you probably want a smaller pan than if you're cooking for 5. I have everything from little 5 inch skillets up to a 17 inch.

Re: CAST IRON COOKING

Starpolisher — Sat, 26 Nov 2016 20:47:31 GMT

Mine is also well seasoned and non stick. I use it everyday and it stays on my stove top. One of my son's just stopped by here with a friend and his fiend commented on how well seasoned my pan is. He said his didn't look like mine so I told him how to care for it. Speaking of which; when I first married my mother in law told me how to care for mine. While I had seen them at other people's homes, my mom did not own one. Well, the idea of not scrubbing the pan and keeping it oiled did not sound very sanitary to me. It ended up rusting and I threw it out. The second one I owned cracked in half because I use to run cold water in it while it was hot. I've had this one for years. I don't scrub it and I keep it very lightly oiled! Voila! 🍳

Re: CAST IRON COOKING

Cats3000 — Sat, 26 Nov 2016 21:03:32 GMT

We have a Lodge Cast Iron round griddle and two Lodge Cast Iron skillets. We LOVE them. We've made corn bread in one of the skillets and it is "to die for".

The regular Lodge Cast Iron products are still made in the USA. They're worth the price.

Re: CAST IRON COOKING

sidsmom — Sat, 26 Nov 2016 21:18:52 GMT

HEAVY!

A 12" cast iron skillet is 8 pounds...empty!

Add food, you're looking at over 10+ of boiling hot food.

Then add non-tempered handles & thick awkward potholder/mitts,

and you're dealing with something highly dangerous.

I'm sure there are many cast-iron skillet cooks with 'battle scars.'

Just not worth it for a piece of cornbread.

Re: CAST IRON COOKING

Shanus — Sun, 27 Nov 2016 00:37:26 GMT

@jaxs mom I'd start w/ a 10"-12" skillet....smaller one if you're going to do cobblers, cornbread, etc. You'll need the larger size to roast a whole chicken or fry chicken pieces. Hope that helps. I agree to go with/ LODGE brand (made in USA) & although heavy, that's what you're looking for to retain the heat.

Re: CAST IRON COOKING

proudlyfromNJ — Sun, 27 Nov 2016 01:55:37 GMT

I have a few frying pans and a Dutch oven that belonged to my parents. I love them. The food comes out great. No problems handling them.

Re: CAST IRON COOKING

CelticCrafter — Sun, 27 Nov 2016 11:43:05 GMT

I have my grandmothers pre 1940's Griswold that was then passed down to my mother. My mom used it at least 4 times a week.

The inside of it is like glass. When I'm done using it I will just wipe it out with a paper towel and wipe it with a bit of oil.

At one point I was going to get rid of it because I felt it had to be babied until I did a little research on it.

Now every time I use it, I think of all the meals it has helped prepare.

Re: CAST IRON COOKING

winamac1 — Sun, 27 Nov 2016 12:26:13 GMT

@Shanus wrote:
@winamac1

Do you keep it seasoned and most importantly after you use it, just wipe it out...no soap...and using a paper towel & drop of veg. oil, store it that way. If you find it is no longer "non stick", you can begin as new pan and do the "seasoning" process. I had to do this to one of my older pans.

Thanks for the tips! I think I've cared for it "improperly"!

Re: CAST IRON COOKING

PamelaSue72 — Sun, 27 Nov 2016 12:56:56 GMT

@CelticCrafter wrote:
I have my grandmothers pre 1940's Griswold that was then passed down to my mother. My mom used it at least 4 times a week.

The inside of it is like glass. When I'm done using it I will just wipe it out with a paper towel and wipe it with a bit of oil.

At one point I was going to get rid of it because I felt it had to be babied until I did a little research on it.

Now every time I use it, I think of all the meals it has helped prepare.

I have three old Griswold pans, a 12-inch and an 8-inch from my MIL and a 10-inch from my great-grandmother. All three are like glass on the surface, too. While they don't need a lot of pampering, they do need a bit of common sense. I wipe mine out with paper towels and then use a paper towel with a bit of oil to run along the inside. I store mine between sheets of waxed paper.

I also have a set of cast iron pans that say "Made in Korea" that are decades old. I don't use them often because, despite several seasoning procedures, food still sticks at times.

Those old Griswolds, though, man they can cook food. Truly excellent pans. I still think of my great-grandmother frying chicken in her Griswold. Best chicken ever. I don't fry chicken much at all anymore, but when I do, it's always in the Griswold. Omelets are always done in the 8-inch Griswold. Toasted cheese sandwiches. Perfect every time.

I also use them for bacon and eggs on our outdoor grill. Then, because of the flames, sometimes I have to clean the outside carefully. But no big deal.

I am as dopic as they come in the kitchen. Have yet to burn my hands using the Griswolds. Guess I've been lucky. Again, common sense is everything as it is anyway in any kitchen.

They are truly excellent skillets. You can find them at flea markets sometimes. They are worth buying.

Re: CAST IRON COOKING

depglass — Sun, 27 Nov 2016 16:45:22 GMT

"I am as dopic as they come in the kitchen." I'm stealing your word, thanks. DH thinks I should use cast iron. Yeah, right. I actually bought a huge enameled dutch oven from HSN. That baby must weight 15 lbs. It is sitting in the basement, never used. I have the excuse of arthritis, but frankly I wouldn't use it if I were totally healthy.

Re: CAST IRON COOKING

chickenbutt — Sun, 27 Nov 2016 19:56:01 GMT

sidsmom wrote:
HEAVY!
A 12" cast iron skillet is 8 pounds...empty!
Add food, you're looking at over 10+ of boiling hot food.

Then add non-tempered handles & thick awkward potholder/mitts,
and you're dealing with something highly dangerous.
I'm sure there are many cast-iron skillet cooks with 'battle scars.'

Just not worth it for a piece of cornbread.

Ha! I hear that. Although 'heavy' really is a good quality in a pan, it's the only negative as far as handling goes.

Honestly - I've made cornbread in cast iron and I've made it in an 8" square Pyrex glass baker and there is absolutely zero difference in the quality or taste of the cornbread. Consequently, it's easier for me to just use the Pyrex. It's something that I might make one time in a year's time, so no biggie.

Re: CAST IRON COOKING

ECBG — Sun, 27 Nov 2016 22:06:02 GMT

@winamac1 wrote:
I don't find my LODGE cast iron to be nonstick at all. If I cook eggs, I have to put oil in it!

@winamac1Cooking eggs is always the example of "what shouldn't do in cast iron" blogs. Sorry. The non stick means that cornbread comes out with a golden crust. Meat will brown well in oil or a little Crisco and not stick.

The "non stick" with manmade coatings came 100 years later. That's a different type of non stick.