cast iron cooking

[The Cyclops]

Do whatever works for you, but copy and pasted from the wikipedia article on cast iron-

A seasoned pan has a stick-resistant coating created by polymerized oils and fats. Seasoning is a process by which a layer of animal fat or vegetable oil is applied and cooked onto cast iron or carbon steel cookware. The seasoning layer protects the cookware from rusting, provides a non-stick surface for cooking, and prevents food from interacting with the iron of the pan.

[WormShanks]

Originally Posted by Fire Escape

Unfortunately, my wife of many decades (who steadfastly refuses to ever let her opinion be swayed by facts) does not believe that anything can ever be safely eaten after cooking in a pan that wasn't thoroughly washed

This is truly the only major downside to cast iron cookware. I keep mine in the garage.

[P B G]

Originally Posted by WormShanks

This is truly the only major downside to cast iron cookware. I keep mine in the garage.

Not a downside - flavor.

I am also OK using soap in mine, and usually every so often I'll do so. Lately I will just click on my electric kettle to boil up some water, and drop some boiling water into the hot pan right after cooking, swirl and wipe. Then leave on heat till dry, and wipe it with some oily paper towel.

[WormShanks]

Originally Posted by P B G

Not a downside - flavor.

What I meant was the unstoppable drive of certain members of the family to scrub them out is the only down side. Hence I keep mine in the garage.

[Gonad Nomad]

I haven't seen this method mentioned yet, so here is my secret to an absolutely stick free skillet. NO WATER! Seriously. I know, I know. Heresy. You'll get the plague. Stick with me on this one.

I'm a Firemen. I work with some pretty damn fine cooks. This tip was passed on to me, to keep our stations collection of Wagner cast iron in tip top.

Anytime you cook with bacon, pour the grease into a paper cup or glass. Put bacon grease in fridge.

Anytime you cook with your cast iron, use a metal spatula to scrape out what you can. Then, pour a tablespoon or two of coarse sea salt in the pan. Take a rag and begin "sanding" away the caked on gunk. Takes less than a minute. Brush all salt and food gunk into the trash can.

At this point, you'll have a smooth, gunk free surface. Removal of non-stick oils and seasoning will have been minimized.

Finally, stick the pan on the stove on medium heat. Apply a teaspoon of previously saved bacon grease. Turn off heat and wipe away excess with a paper towel, or leave it for that matter. The bacon grease will cool and leave a grayish, almost dry appearing surface.

TOTALLY STICK PROOF! I can fry eggs over easy all day long.

Scott

[Marsh Tiger]

I love my cast Iron pans. I also love my Stainless steel pans. I always thought it was temperature and skill that makes a pan non-stick. I can cook eggs and omelets in both types no problem.

I only use soap on my cast iron after my wife uses it.


Water rinse while hot, wipe, dry on med heat, wipe w/ oil done. never had one go rancid.

[The Cyclops]

Originally Posted by Gonad Nomad

I haven't seen this method mentioned yet, so here is my secret to an absolutely stick free skillet. NO WATER! Seriously. I know, I know. Heresy. You'll get the plague. Stick with me on this one.

I'm a Firemen. I work with some pretty damn fine cooks. This tip was passed on to me, to keep our stations collection of Wagner cast iron in tip top.

Anytime you cook with bacon, pour the grease into a paper cup or glass. Put bacon grease in fridge.

Anytime you cook with your cast iron, use a metal spatula to scrape out what you can. Then, pour a tablespoon or two of coarse sea salt in the pan. Take a rag and begin "sanding" away the caked on gunk. Takes less than a minute. Brush all salt and food gunk into the trash can.

At this point, you'll have a smooth, gunk free surface. Removal of non-stick oils and seasoning will have been minimized.

Finally, stick the pan on the stove on medium heat. Apply a teaspoon of previously saved bacon grease. Turn off heat and wipe away excess with a paper towel, or leave it for that matter. The bacon grease will cool and leave a grayish, almost dry appearing surface.

TOTALLY STICK PROOF! I can fry eggs over easy all day long.

Scott

I have heard of cleaning with coarse salt when one gets rusty, but never between uses. Thanks for the heads up!

[The Cyclops]

I have a couple that I am not sure what they are, only markings is a large stamped number, 12 on one and 5 the other (about a 15 inch and 8 inch respectively). Any ideas?

A lot of people say you can do better than Lodge, I have one Wagner dutch over (kinda hard to tell about nonstick with that) but want to try a Griswold (if those I have are not, and I don't think they are). Is there that big of a difference? Also I was looking at the Lodge Signature series in a store the other day, man those look fine, but the price is crazy.

[perterra]

[Nailhead]

Originally Posted by Xeraux

Don't care.

A little Dawn dishwashing liquid ain't going to hurt baked-on pure fucking carbon.

Do care.

The use of a soap/petroleum cleaning agent isn't necessary, and sure as hell ain't gonna improve the season, so why bother?

[Nailhead]

Originally Posted by The Cyclops

Afraid to even look, lol. My mother in law is a garage sale junkie and brings them in from time to time. I saw this in the Lodge Outlet the other day, talk about sexy! It was built like a tank. I don't know why I haven't gotten one yet.

I've actually always wanted one of those.

[Nailhead]

Originally Posted by Xeraux

The reason they take years to get enough carbon baked on to create a smooth surface is because of how rough the pans are at first.

Not so: check out a vintage Wagner, Gris, Piqua, etc., and you'll find the interiors are machine-finished. It's generally only the modern CI that is left rough.

I have a Griswold Chef Skillet that I bought cheap because the bottom of the interior is pitted as hell. Cooking in it was dicey at first, but now that the pits have filled in, it cooks great. I suppose a rough-cast modern one would do the same thing, but the flap-sanding idea sounds like a good one to remedy modern makers' laziness.

[Nailhead]

Yet more info:

http://griswoldandwagner.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl

[Xeraux]

Originally Posted by The Cyclops

Do whatever works for you, but copy and pasted from the wikipedia article on cast iron-

A seasoned pan has a stick-resistant coating created by polymerized oils and fats. Seasoning is a process by which a layer of animal fat or vegetable oil is applied and cooked onto cast iron or carbon steel cookware. The seasoning layer protects the cookware from rusting, provides a non-stick surface for cooking, and prevents food from interacting with the iron of the pan.

Exactly. That black "seasoning" is the polymerized oils. It's mostly all carbon. It's the residue of the burnt oil. You cannot wash that off. You can scrape it off and you can burn it off, but you'll never wash it off.

[Nailhead]

Originally Posted by Xeraux;19389790 You [I

cannot [/I]wash that off. You can scrape it off and you can burn it off, but you'll never wash it off.

A strong lye solution does wash it right off-- that's how I strip old CI cookware of questionable origin.