cast iron cooking

I use my 12" CI for just about any food that isn't grilled or baked. Great stuff, great seasoning, sometimes two or three meals a day on the weekends. Get one if you don't have one.

I'm thinking of refinishing (sanding?) my small cast iron skillets to better flip eggs. The surface seems far too rough, even though the coating is pretty good, not great. Has anyone done this, and how?

You can grill in a cast iron pan, makes nice grill marks on a steak that little one. A little deglazing with your beverage of choice, tea included et voila!



No markings on it but 2 B. For some reasons of my own, I am pretty sure it predates the foreign invasion of cast iron cookware. 2 B or not 2 B.....

I got good results with a Wagner Skillet Grill, but figured out quickly a range hood is REQUIRED to use one inside & gave it up. It filled the place with smoke.

I don't have a range hood and a few too many smoke detectors.Still cook sausages/vegetables on it however note the thermometer next to the grill. Same type of thermometer I use at work where I have a huge hood,self cleaning and fire protected. Still don't like smoke....that one at work is pretty darn noisy on High.:eek1

Grilled Hot Italian Sausages w/grilled garlic & tomatoes,deglazed with some beverage tomorrow, house will smell good but maybe not the "facilities" the next day! That's fine them are outdoors...

That sounds really good.

err....... i hope the big box of imodium isnt anything to do with the pans?

Just added an 8" Lodge to the pantry, ran it's first seasoning heat tonight. Needs a few more before it's ready.

I swear to god you FFs will argue about anything. If you have a way off using cast iron that works for you, do it. It's a piece of archaic metal, cherished because of the lack of carbon in the iron and the presence of carbon on the iron.

I personally treat my cast iron like I would treat a grill. Preheat before cooking, scrap off the crap, hit with cooking oil, then cook on it. Cleaning? I just remove as much crusty bits and nastiness, if I'm outdoors, I might stick it on the fire to carbonize any junk. Once it's black, it's as sterile as it's ever going to get.

Maybe I missed it, but I didn't see an argument in this entire thread. Differing opinions / tips, yes, but your rant sounds about the same as some other ADV'er I once posted a question to just to ask what make/model of part he used on his bike... he immediately spouted off about ADV'ers arguing about anything, when all I was asking was for the part he used.

My guess is - Some guys either don't read threads with the right frame of mind, or there must be some guys who are just out of touch with reality and discussion. Must be utter joys to be around for their friends and family, lol.

Oh, and just for the record, cast iron has about 4% carbon by weight - 4x as much as a "high carbon" knife, but at those levels it clumps and doesn't distribute well for hardening, but is easy to make in a large blast furnace, and so became popular for it's relative ease of manufacture and ability to cast to any shape desired.

I know we are talking about cast iron but just happened to be in Rural King (Farm supply store) and stumbled upon this.

I'd probably try one of those out.

I've been wondering if any plain steel pans were currently made considering that at one end we have cast iron, and at the other is stainless steel. This is interesting, and I wonder if its qualities are the same as cast iron?

If we're comparing one form of iron to another (carbon content being the only real difference here) then I would think that the mass is the driving factor. The specific heat of CI/steel should be close enough, that given the same thickness and mass between flame and food, the desirable quality of even heating should be very similar.

I reserve the right to be completely wrong. Buy one and let us know.

I'll bet the user name could provide some clarification...

I think the porosity of cast iron holds seasoning better.

LOL

^ I would say and yes, and that steel pan will yield greater hot spots at the flame. I often cook on a similar steel wok and while it is good for rapid cooking it does not cook with the same properties as cast iron.

Thanks, that makes sense - maybe I'll steer away from the steel lodge then. Though... if the steel was made as thick as the coast iron pans, I wonder if hot spots would be that much less of an issue? The mass and the time it takes to heat it must give CI some of its properties vs. what seems to be thinner steel pans.

This would behave just like my wok (also high carbon steel). It is quick to get up to heat but has NO thermal mass. It is relatively light and does take a season after a while. I would think it would make a pretty good campfire frypan without the CI weight.

I'd prefer a de Buyer for a mineral steel pan.
They're 99% pure iron and behave and season much like cast-iron.