#4093680 - 03/18/15 06:57 PM
Re: Cast Iron Skillet - who is a believer? Is it a "must-have" cooking implement?
[Re: Master]
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Joined: Jul 2011
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C2Aaircrew
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Southern women dont use rolling pins. They mostly make drop biscuits. Mrs. C2 makes her biscuits in a coffee or flour can just like her aunt Jessie taught her. "Rolling pins are for people who don't know how to properly make pie dough or crusts, or northerners."-Mrs. C2. They also don't use measuring spoons or cups. Some of this, a little of that, depends on how many you're cooking for. Properly seasoned skillets will take care of the rest. Folks are always asking for her recipe(s) and that is what she tells them. She'll list the ingredients, add to taste and use a cast iron skillet. She didn't learn to cook using measuring devices.
Last edited by C2Aaircrew; 03/18/15 07:03 PM.
Come on now, we all know that real aircraft have tailhooks.
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#4093739 - 03/18/15 10:45 PM
Re: Cast Iron Skillet - who is a believer? Is it a "must-have" cooking implement?
[Re: letterboy1]
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Joined: Dec 2000
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Spidey
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I have the old school cast iron pan that needs seasoning that i use now and then for steaks. Get it super hot on the stove and go into oven at max temp. Makes the best tasting steaks. Kind of a pain to maintain thougb.
Then for everyday type use I use Le Creuset cast iron stuff that does not require seasoning. Love them too but you can't go quitr as hot as a traditional cast iron with these
"No power in the 'verse can stop me!!!"
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#4093744 - 03/18/15 10:59 PM
Re: Cast Iron Skillet - who is a believer? Is it a "must-have" cooking implement?
[Re: letterboy1]
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letterboy1
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Man these cooking related threads tend to be fascinating and informative for me! All because of a cast iron skillet I feel like I am on a whole new journey - not just meats, but even potatoes, corn bread, etc . . . I can't wait to try fried chicken - will need to get some local advice, though.
The issue is not p*ssy. The issue is monkey.
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#4093760 - 03/19/15 12:15 AM
Re: Cast Iron Skillet - who is a believer? Is it a "must-have" cooking implement?
[Re: letterboy1]
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Joined: Apr 2013
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Zamzow
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I just bought my first cast iron skillet last summer, and bought my second (smaller one) a few weeks ago.
My only regret is I didn't do this 25 years sooner.
Mine are both pre-seasoned Lodge skillets. I only seasoned them once, and not even in the oven, just a light coat of oil and a few minutes on the stove after first (and only) soap wash.
You do want to wash with mild soap (and not a ton of it) when brand new (you don't know who's been touching it before purchase), but after that you never should have to again unless you really screw up (like an insane burn mess). Then you'd have to re-season it. Hasn't happened to me yet, and I've used mine almost every day since purchase.
Matching burner size is crucial - a large pan on a small burner won't get the sides hot enough since cast iron is a slow conductor of heat (which is precisely why it's a good RETAINER of heat once finally there). You can however get away with this scenario if you're just cooking a single piece of meat.
One thing I did learn the "hard" way - when you clean up with water (and that's not always necessary) you want to put it back on the burner and heat that sucker up BEFORE you put any oil on it - otherwise the oil can trap invisible moisture and you'll get a light layer of rust. No biggie, just scrubbed it off with a scouring pad, dried it off right, and wiped some oil on after it cooled off. Didn't even need to do a re-seasoning.
Most the time I never even need to add oil, but it might be a different story if you're only occasionally using the pan.
A plastic pot scraper is a very handy thing to have with these things, but a plastic bread tab can do in a pinch too.
Coarse kosher salt or sea salt seems to work fairly well for extra messy situations.
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#4304652 - 10/20/16 06:49 AM
Re: Cast Iron Skillet - who is a believer? Is it a "must-have" cooking implement?
[Re: Zamzow]
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Crane Hunter
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Necro post here.
I'm two years into cast iron cookware.
Grandma and the internet are WRONG.
Use it, wash it, scrub it, the only difference is don't let water sit on it - not even a drop. But even then it's so easily fixed.
On the soap thing - decades ago (or centuries) soap was lye based and would screw with the seasoning.
Not true anymore.
The mere act of cooking does the seasoning - if you barely use it maybe you have to "season it".
Every man should have some. Women too, except while they love the things they CAN be too heavy for them.
YMMV. I live in a very rust friendly climate and even using hot water, no soap and quickly drying it with a towel, I'll often see the faint beginnings of rust on the bottom unless I cover it with oil.
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#4304710 - 10/20/16 11:45 AM
Re: Cast Iron Skillet - who is a believer? Is it a "must-have" cooking implement?
[Re: letterboy1]
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TerribleTwo
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There's nothing grosser than cast ironware in an antique shop.
"College graduates should not have to live out their 20s in their childhood bedrooms, staring up at fading Obama posters and wondering when they can move out and get going with life" - Paul Ryan
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#4304743 - 10/20/16 01:01 PM
Re: Cast Iron Skillet - who is a believer? Is it a "must-have" cooking implement?
[Re: PanzerMeyer]
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Urban Furball
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Wow that food looks great! Can your wife make a good roux? Serious?? Equal amounts of flour + butter = Roux Anyone can make this good! It's a thickening process ... What you add later, will determine how good the sauce will be. Your baiting aren't ya Panzer
One Flash.......and ur Ash!!
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#4304754 - 10/20/16 01:25 PM
Re: Cast Iron Skillet - who is a believer? Is it a "must-have" cooking implement?
[Re: TerribleTwo]
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F4UDash4
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There's nothing grosser than cast ironware in an antique shop. How so? Clean it, sandpaper it necessary, oil it up and bake the seasoning onto it. Repeat until you get a good coating. Good as new.
"In the vast library of socialist books, there’s not a single volume on how to create wealth, only how to take and “redistribute” it.” - David Horowitz
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#4304798 - 10/20/16 02:54 PM
Re: Cast Iron Skillet - who is a believer? Is it a "must-have" cooking implement?
[Re: Zamzow]
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Raw Kryptonite
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Beat the Kobayashi Maru
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Necro post here.
I'm two years into cast iron cookware.
Grandma and the internet are WRONG.
Use it, wash it, scrub it, the only difference is don't let water sit on it - not even a drop. But even then it's so easily fixed.
On the soap thing - decades ago (or centuries) soap was lye based and would screw with the seasoning.
Not true anymore.
The mere act of cooking does the seasoning - if you barely use it maybe you have to "season it".
Every man should have some. Women too, except while they love the things they CAN be too heavy for them.
Where did this come from? LOL I discovered cast iron earlier this year restoring my Grandad's skillets. Took a while, but I got them done. Not too difficult though. In the end, I found I prefer a griddle. I got a Lodge 20x10 two burner size griddle and I haven't looked back. I use the flat side almost exclusively, I have no need for the grill marks side and don't see much point. https://www.amazon.com/Lodge-Cast-Iron-R...Grill%2FGriddle It comes somewhat seasoned, but I followed the directions of a now famous blog post: Chemistry of Cast Iron Seasoning: A Science-Based How-To http://sherylcanter.com/wordpress/2010/01/a-science-based-technique-for-seasoning-cast-iron/I used flaxseed oil (high heat tolerance) and seasoned it properly per her instructions, apply THIN, 400 for an hour, fully cool down in the closed oven, 4 times. It's more non-stick than my Calphalon set now, by far. I mainly scrape to clean and it's fine, but I'll use hot water and a soap free scrub brush for harder stuff. I agree about soap, it's fine, and I use it for the few times something is really stubborn on there (burned on oil) but I avoid it so I don't clean all the way down to my "real" seasoning. Nothing wrong with it though. After getting wet, I put it back on the burners, turn on the heat and thoroughly dry it. I leave it on the stove since I use it almost daily now. Better food, less clean up time.
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#4304803 - 10/20/16 03:19 PM
Re: Cast Iron Skillet - who is a believer? Is it a "must-have" cooking implement?
[Re: F4UDash4]
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TerribleTwo
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There's nothing grosser than cast ironware in an antique shop. How so? Clean it, sandpaper it necessary, oil it up and bake the seasoning onto it. Repeat until you get a good coating. Good as new. You just never know what it was used for or what was cooked in it. Body parts? toilet?
"College graduates should not have to live out their 20s in their childhood bedrooms, staring up at fading Obama posters and wondering when they can move out and get going with life" - Paul Ryan
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#4304814 - 10/20/16 04:17 PM
Re: Cast Iron Skillet - who is a believer? Is it a "must-have" cooking implement?
[Re: letterboy1]
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Joined: May 2001
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Chef
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North Carolina
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If you can find older cast iron frying pans like Griswold or Wagner they are smoother and lighter than the standard Lodge cast iron skillets of comparable size. The weight difference is definately noticeable.
The road less traveled is filled with fewer needy people.
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#4304815 - 10/20/16 04:20 PM
Re: Cast Iron Skillet - who is a believer? Is it a "must-have" cooking implement?
[Re: TerribleTwo]
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Joined: Apr 2015
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F4UDash4
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There's nothing grosser than cast ironware in an antique shop. How so? Clean it, sandpaper it necessary, oil it up and bake the seasoning onto it. Repeat until you get a good coating. Good as new. You just never know what it was used for or what was cooked in it. Body parts? toilet? After a couple hours in a 450 degree oven, it doesn't matter.
"In the vast library of socialist books, there’s not a single volume on how to create wealth, only how to take and “redistribute” it.” - David Horowitz
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#4304835 - 10/20/16 05:09 PM
Re: Cast Iron Skillet - who is a believer? Is it a "must-have" cooking implement?
[Re: Master]
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Master
meh
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meh
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I've switched to a cheap ceramic pan and I treat it like cast iron. Use salt to clean it and then season it. It seems to work amazingly well. It heats up fast and uniformly. Only issue is that because it isnt thick iron if can lose heat fast if you are dropping in large items. And... if I get tired of the pan I will throw it away as it only cost 10 dollars. Just going to post an update... that pan was #%&*$#. I threw it away like a week after making that post lol. Also you are not supposed to use soap on the pan. Soap breaks down the grease/oil/seasoning on the pan. If you use soap on it you have to take it all down to the iron then rebuild it back up else you will have soap in your food and the seasoning wont function properly. Also cast iron is porous so the soap will accumulate inside the pan making it not hold a proper seasoning. You CAN use soap on it but you really shouldnt. If you are going to use soap you might as well just go buy a nice stainless steel pan instead. We keep several cast iron pans for various foods. One for only pancakes/cornbread and one for meats and one for everything else. I do find though that a lot of time I just use a Teflon pan because its just easier. Sometimes you dont have an extra 30-45 min to clean the damn pan right after dinner.
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