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Iron, anyone?

dread31

dread31

Addicted Member
Anyone else here cook with cast iron?

A steak with onions, mushrooms, garlic, fresh ground pepper, and a touch of sea salt, all cooked up in an iron skillet-------------YUM!

Between uses, I keep it oiled up with olive oil.:thmbsp:

Dave
 
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I only use cast iron.. skillets, stew pots, or griddles.. or the real heavy aluminum skillets.. teflon is for people that can't cook without making things stick :)
 
Nothing beats Lodge Cast iron and Le Cruiset! AVOID CHINA MADE IRON AS IT IS CRAP ! Only buy USA made cast iron pots or the FRENCH made Le Cruiset if you can afford them.....:thmbsp::thmbsp::thmbsp:
 
it's all about the Griswold . . .

havent touched our hard anodized or non stick pans in years . . . cast iron is the only way to fly. AND . . if you're gonna go cast iron, find some vintage Griswold :yes: not only does it cook great, but it retains its value since collectors go ga-ga for 'em too . . .

(new) Lodge is a close 2nd . . .

my favorite pan right now is a 1920's era 10 inch Griswold fry pan. It's versatile, nicely weighted, and properly seasoned acts like non-stick.

when the BIG crowds show up for breakfast, I do cheat a little and pull out the electric non-stick griddle for high volume cooking . .
 
i grew up around iron!

each an every time ya use it its getting better seasoned! the funny thing tonight i cooked dinner in two of em one for frying chicken iron fried chick is the best besides on the grill:thmbsp: an in the other one patio bread now thats some good eats its a southern thing corn bread baked in iron an mixed with hot chilies in my case more of the mild ones though. that heartburn is killa!!

as soon as im done using em an they are cooled off i wipe mine out really good.
take about 4 tbs in the bottom of it turn the burner on high heat till the waters gone. then once cooled off wipe it really dry an a light coating of olive oil.

i keep all my iron in the broiler-
 
Unfortunately I have very limited experience with Iron skittles and pans.

The few times I did I loved the fact that I can turn off the burner for 5 minutes and still cook a kick-ass omelette.
 
I've found some vintage pieces in rough shape at garage sales and auctions, if one is willing to chip off burnt on crud and clean them up, the iron is first rate. Got several pieces for family members this way, incl. the "deep skillet" which is half skillet, half Dutch Oven. Mom loves it. Gotta have the all metal ones, no wood handles, so you can put em in the oven.
 
I lube mine with lard, i only cook w/ lard in it..... cant complain best way cook cook eggs and bacon in the morning! mmmmmmmmhmmmmmmmm, when i first met the woman she washed it and i about had a stroke, no washing unless its really bad! Just wipe it out!
 
oh yes toxcrusadr . . . and STEAKS . . .

Put that cast iron on the stovetop - put the heat on high till it starts smoking . . . drop a couple tablespoons of peanut oil in there - swish it around to coat the bottom, and then sear the hell out of the meat - 'bout 2 minutes each side (depends on thickness) . . .

THEN - to finish, throw the whole shebang in a 350 degree oven for a bout 5 minutes . . .

I like mine rare - medium rare :thmbsp:

take a wild guess what we had for dinner tonight :D

this works great for chicken parts too - just adjust the bake time . . .

'course, this all works best with a gas oven - DOWN WITH ELECTRIC !
 
Yeah, if you have a good exhaust fan! Mine goes nowhere - shoots back out into the room. Duh.

Sounds tasty though...
 
I LOVE my Griswold skillets, griddles, and dutch ovens. It's the only way to cook!! Since I never clean them with anything but hot water, I seldom need to re-oil them after periods of non-use. Infact, my griddles are so well seasoned after countless breakfasts, they're pretty darn close to being as non-stick as any non-stick you'd buy at the store brand new.
I guess it's my staunch traditionalist view, but if cast iron was good enough for centuries of folks before me it's good enough for me as well. In other words: Some things just don't need to be improved upon--take tube gear for instance...or 18th century American furniture!!!
 
I remember this HUGE cast iron skillet at this campsite. Thing must have been 3 feet in diameter and was laid right on top of the campfire. A whole container of oil was poured into it and it'd cook about maybe 30 eggs at once. The people tending it also made pancakes and they used a large, long handled spatula to flip them over.

It was quite possibly the most practical way to feed 50 hungry campers in 20 minutes or so...
 
Cast Iron is Wagner Ware or Elgin Foundry. Do a drop test. If it shatters it bad cast iron. A lot of the European stuff shatters do to lack of good pig iron ingots. Next check the grind and polish the smoother the better. Never strike it with the side of a metal spatula. You will leave small dents and scratches that food will stick to. Oil once every year and bake at 500f for 3 hrs. The oil will turn to a varnish filling in the pores of the iron making non stick for about one year (then repeat procedure). Pots are different had my copper pots made in France by a copper smith and lined with pueter (a little bit of lead but crystal has it too it makes you a little dim but that can be a good thing) so the mashed-taters don't turn green. It is illegal to sell aluminum cookware in England because their medical establishment has determined that it causes alzheimer's. Let the dogs clean the pots and pans then wipe with some warm soapy (lye) water, do not scrub, and drip dry (to much calcium in water to flame dry). Germs, at 800F I wouldn't worry and if the germ is still alive at 800F the the germ was invented by the government which then is a mute point anyway.
 
I have both a large fry pan and a dutch oven. I have stopped using the fry pan because no matter what I do the wife just has to wash it. No amount of S'plainin to her will do the trick.

I was letting it cool and putting it into a plastic bag and hiding it but that only lasted for a couple of months just as it was starting to cook right......
 
The 16" cast fry pan is for the rissotos. Place a bed of white and wild rice top with chicken parts, muscles, shrimp, calamari rings, scallop, Louisiana sausage, beef stock, Worcestershire, Tabasco, lightly cover and cook at 350 til done.
 
Did someone say cast iron?

castiron0002mediumnj6.jpg
 
I love using cast iron. I have a Griswold 10" pan (20's I'm guessing, the quality is amazing, makes Lodge look "stupid"), Lodge 12" skillet, a 60's Japanese made 12" skillet, Lodge 12" Dutch oven, and a 20's (Chicago something-er-other make, it has a beehive cover) Dutch oven and a pancake griddle from the same. My wife hates all of it. :banana:
 
Big fan of Le Creuset here! :thmbsp: I have a large frying pan, a deep-dish covered stewpot, and a large wok. Practically indestructible, the enamel linings act like teflon without the question of toxicity (teflon isn't very good for you when taken internally), and it's wonderful they way they heat and cook things.

Best part for me is that I paid pennies on the dollar for mine. Having used them for a while, though, I think they are "lifetime keepers", and on that basis worth even the usual 'high' prices. You get what you pay for.

The only "drawback" is the weight: I like them and don't want to use anything else, so I don't mind it, but my wife finds them too heavy to wield, especially when full of food, so we now have "his and her" cookware. "Hers" are Meyer aluminum ones --not bad, but I stick to the Le Creuset when I want to cook something. :yes:
 
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