Cooking With Cast Iron! Wow!

[joechimp]

  Sloppy Joe and Chili were probably staples.

Hey, I am not sloppy all the time. 

[Georgetoon]

I make spaghetti sauce in my raw cast iron skillet, with seemingly no bad effects, but then again it's 70+ years old, and well seasoned. When washing, I don't use soap, but do the washing from a running tap with 180+ degree hot water. Anything left in the pan just disappears, then I dry it, reheat the pan and re oil while hot. In most cases I just wipe the pan after use, while the heat is still on, using paper towels, without any water, then re oil. I leave the heat on for about an additional minute before turning it off and letting the pan cool.

Having done this for years, it just becomes a routine that feels perfectly natural, and part of the cooking process.

Okay, My routine is similar.  I wash/rinse, no soap , very hot water.  Using a stiff brush what little remains there are just glide right off.  Then I thoroughly dry, dry, dry.  I then recoat with a couple of drops of vegetable oil.  Although, I do not reheat first.  Maybe I should do this, as well?

[Old-Polack]

I make spaghetti sauce in my raw cast iron skillet, with seemingly no bad effects, but then again it's 70+ years old, and well seasoned. When washing, I don't use soap, but do the washing from a running tap with 180+ degree hot water. Anything left in the pan just disappears, then I dry it, reheat the pan and re oil while hot. In most cases I just wipe the pan after use, while the heat is still on, using paper towels, without any water, then re oil. I leave the heat on for about an additional minute before turning it off and letting the pan cool.

Having done this for years, it just becomes a routine that feels perfectly natural, and part of the cooking process.

Okay, My routine is similar.  I wash/rinse, no soap , very hot water.  Using a stiff brush what little remains there are just glide right off.  Then I thoroughly dry, dry, dry.  I then recoat with a couple of drops of vegetable oil.  Although, I do not reheat first.  Maybe I should do this, as well?

The reheating is what makes the pores in the iron open, so the oil can penetrate. Also any scratches in the older surface of the oil seasoned pan, caused by spatulas, spoons, and such, get re flowed to a degree, and also fill, and level, with the application of the new oil, that then heat bonds to the older oil.

[Georgetoon]

The reheating is what makes the pores in the iron open, so the oil can penetrate. Also any scratches in the older surface of the oil seasoned pan, caused by spatulas, spoons, and such, get re flowed to a degree, and also fill, and level, with the application of the new oil, that then heat bonds to the older oil.

Okay, thanks.  I'm re-heating when re-oiling this way then.  Thanks for the tip.

[Georgetoon]

I'm also reading in the internet that you can use the cast iron skillet to defrost meat.

Line bottonm with aluminum foil, place meat inside, and place on unlit burner on stove.

[Rudge]

My mom has a cast iron skillet that you can see your reflection in. I think my grandma passed it down to her.

I hope she passes it down to me.

[Georgetoon]

Well, I stopped at Walmart and bought a 10-1/4-inch skillet and a 5 quart dutch oven.  I seasoned them both last night.  Not a moment to soon as we got hit with a big snowstorm overnight.

With a few tips form Rudge, I used the 12-inch skillet to warm leftover chili.  I made chili in a slow cooker on Saturday.  I'm trying to avoid using the Microwave so much.  The cast iron allows me to slow down a bit, warm or prepare meals and just enjoy the process.  

Tonight, I'm collecting all the Teflon and putting it in storage.  Making room for the good stuff.

How quickly they convert, once they've actually tried iron cookware.

Did you see this thread?

http://www.pclinuxos.com/forum/index.php/topic,111369.0.html

I use that little rocket with all my cast iron cookware, and the combo is slick as can be. I haven't cooked on the stove since I got it. High tech and old tech, a perfect marriage.

Wow!  "Yes. The induction cooker only heats the pot, not the surface of the unit itself."  With cast iron, you're all set!:)  I'm gonna investigate some more.  Thanks!:)

My chili/soup cooker is an early model of this, by way of my grandmother's passing, in 1983. This is one of the items I learned to cook with as a young boy, so has more sentimental than monetary value. Mine is one of the originals, with a square cast iron lid knob, but otherwise much the same as the current version. It works beautifully with the induction cooker.




http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA1J60DE8839

Also a bit of history about these, and links to the companies current product line. These are truly lovely items to cook in.

http://www.lecreuset.ca/About-Us2/Our-History/

OP,

I was picking up a few utensils at Bed Bath & Beyond.  I came across a new Lecreuset dutch oven.  Wow!!  I now understand what you meant by "monetary value."

[Old-Polack]

Well, I stopped at Walmart and bought a 10-1/4-inch skillet and a 5 quart dutch oven.  I seasoned them both last night.  Not a moment to soon as we got hit with a big snowstorm overnight.

With a few tips form Rudge, I used the 12-inch skillet to warm leftover chili.  I made chili in a slow cooker on Saturday.  I'm trying to avoid using the Microwave so much.  The cast iron allows me to slow down a bit, warm or prepare meals and just enjoy the process.  

Tonight, I'm collecting all the Teflon and putting it in storage.  Making room for the good stuff.

How quickly they convert, once they've actually tried iron cookware.

Did you see this thread?

http://www.pclinuxos.com/forum/index.php/topic,111369.0.html

I use that little rocket with all my cast iron cookware, and the combo is slick as can be. I haven't cooked on the stove since I got it. High tech and old tech, a perfect marriage.

Wow!  "Yes. The induction cooker only heats the pot, not the surface of the unit itself."  With cast iron, you're all set!:)  I'm gonna investigate some more.  Thanks!:)

My chili/soup cooker is an early model of this, by way of my grandmother's passing, in 1983. This is one of the items I learned to cook with as a young boy, so has more sentimental than monetary value. Mine is one of the originals, with a square cast iron lid knob, but otherwise much the same as the current version. It works beautifully with the induction cooker.




http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA1J60DE8839

Also a bit of history about these, and links to the companies current product line. These are truly lovely items to cook in.

http://www.lecreuset.ca/About-Us2/Our-History/

OP,

I was picking up a few utensils at Bed Bath & Beyond.  I came across a new Lecreuset dutch oven.  Wow!!  I now understand what you meant by "monetary value."

They ain't cheap, by any definition, but they should last for many generations. Mine has outlasted my grandparents and my parents, and my second son has already laid claim to it, when I'm gone.

I gotta watch that kid... he's been looking at me kind of funny lately... you know... that lean and hungry look... 

[YouCanToo]

I found a cast iron square griddle and a cornbread pan, kinda of rusty at the local thrift shop. $5.00 for the pair. They should clean up just fine. I am sure that I will get a lot of use from them.

[joechimp]

Funny that you found some pans at the thrift store.

Today , I passed on a pan for only $2.00 at a thrift store.
it was new too. Crazy you think. I just didn't have a use for it. 5 inches by 5  inches. Maybe I will go back tomorrow and see if it is still there. 

[Georgetoon]

Funny that you found some pans at the thrift store.

Today , I passed on a pan for only $2.00 at a thrift store.
it was new too. Crazy you think. I just didn't have a use for it. 5 inches by 5  inches. Maybe I will go back tomorrow and see if it is still there.  

If it's still there, pick it up.  You can more than double your money on Ebay.  Plus, if it's a Wagner or Griswold or other brand (no longer made) the value increases.

[joechimp]

It's a Lodge. I think they sell them at WalMart for $14.00.

[Georgetoon]

It's a Lodge. I think they sell them at WalMart for $14.00.

So far, all my cast iron cookware is Lodge.  GREAT stuff! I purchased a 10 1/4 inch skillet for $15.00.  So, that pan is probably a few bucks less.  Still, if it's in good shape and can be seasoned, it's only 2 bucks.  you can always give it as a gift.

My nephew and his wife and new baby are in Alaska.  He tells me everything up there costs about 25% more.  He told me he wants to move to cast iron cookware.  But, again, even at Walmart, it's pricey.  So, I sent them this.

Here's the weird part.  I was reading reviews and folks pointed out that if you buy each piece separately, the final cost is $72.92. I saved an additional $22.92 and tht helped to cover the cost of shipping.