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Cast Iron

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clovishound
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Cast Iron

Post by clovishound » Sun Jan 14, 2018 12:17 pm

Don't think there has been a cast iron thread here, other than the cleaning thread.

I am a big fan of cast iron. I own a couple pre WWII pans. In my mind they are the ultimate cookware. They take as much heat as you are brave enough to throw at them. They are beautifully non stick, as long as you treat them right. They will last for generations, with proper care. They even give you the RDA of iron in the food cooked in them.

I much prefer the old iron. It can often be picked up inexpensively at flea markets and sometimes friends or relatives will give you an old pan that has been languishing in a cabinet. The old stuff generally has a much smoother surface than the new stuff, although you could probably buy a Lodge and spend some time grinding/sanding it smooth. :roll:

Griswold is my favorite, although I am not a aficionado. I probably just like the great looking logo on the bottom of the old Griswold stuff.

The new non stick pans are consumables. Even with care they must be replaced periodically. Sure, they will be nonstick even with little to no oil in them, but you must be careful about the amount of heat used, and what implements are used in them. Of course CI must be properly washed and stored. The big difference is if you mess up a CI pan, you can easily take it back to square one. The only thing that will kill them is a trip to the floor. I once dropped my favorite Griswold and heard the infamous dull ring when it hit. Yep, cracked. That was the last time I dropped a CI pan.

Any other CI fans out there?
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CT_Shooter
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Re: Cast Iron

Post by CT_Shooter » Sun Jan 14, 2018 5:04 pm

I totally agree. I've got several cast iron pans that are quite old. It takes time to properly season one, but once it's seasoned, it's the only way to go. I use a stainless steel chain mail "cloth" and hot water to clean them. Non-stick pans are good for fried eggs, but not much else.
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ditto1958
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Re: Cast Iron

Post by ditto1958 » Sun Jan 14, 2018 7:46 pm

Cast iron is awesome. Only problem these days is so many stoves are glass top electrics. They don’t seem to play well with cast iron.
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JEBar
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Re: Cast Iron

Post by JEBar » Sun Jan 14, 2018 8:38 pm

back in the 60's and 70's my father owned and cooked in several restaurants .... he has his own personal collection of cast iron pans from which he fed multitudes of folks .... our daughter has the entire set .... my wife has one well used pan which she uses for baking cornbread .... I have a 12" Lodge Dutch Oven which I use for baking and preparing a Mountain Man's Breakfast .... threads can be found in our cooking area ....
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ditto1958
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Re: Cast Iron

Post by ditto1958 » Mon Jan 15, 2018 12:16 am

JEBar wrote:back in the 60's and 70's my father owned and cooked in several restaurants .... he has his own personal collection of cast iron pans from which he fed multitudes of folks .... our daughter has the entire set .... my wife has one well used pan which she uses for baking cornbread .... I have a 12" Lodge Dutch Oven which I use for baking and preparing a Mountain Man's Breakfast .... threads can be found in our cooking area ....
Mountain man’s breakfast? Now that sure does sound good. I’m heading over to the cooking section right now! :)
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clovishound
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Re: Cast Iron

Post by clovishound » Mon Jan 15, 2018 1:31 am

Is it made from real mountain men?

Sorry, couldn't help myself.
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daytime dave
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Re: Cast Iron

Post by daytime dave » Wed Jan 17, 2018 7:30 am

I was a fan of them, but could never get them clean. I have a couple that are waiting to be cleaned and then used. Couldn't pass ups at antique shops.
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ditto1958
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Re: Cast Iron

Post by ditto1958 » Wed Jan 17, 2018 8:42 pm

clovishound wrote:Is it made from real mountain men?

Sorry, couldn't help myself.
Yup. Organic mountain men. :)
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clovishound
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Re: Cast Iron

Post by clovishound » Thu Jan 18, 2018 11:46 am

daytime dave wrote:I was a fan of them, but could never get them clean. I have a couple that are waiting to be cleaned and then used. Couldn't pass ups at antique shops.
Is that clean from abuse and disuse when you got them, or from stuff you got stuck on them from use?

Either way, getting them down to base metal is not that difficult, unless they are badly rusted. Lots of good info on the web about cleaning. The great thing about CI is that you can get medieval on them without fear. The only way you will permanently damage them is if you either break one dropping it, or gouge the surface badly with power grinding equipment. Lots of folks use power sanders to clean and smooth the bottom of the pan.

Of course, once you strip one, you will need to season it. I find that it often takes a few uses to really get back to a good non stick surface after it has been heavily cleaned and then re seasoned.
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JEBar
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Re: Cast Iron

Post by JEBar » Thu Jan 18, 2018 12:35 pm

clovishound wrote:I much prefer the old iron. It can often be picked up inexpensively at flea markets and sometimes friends or relatives will give you an old pan that has been languishing in a cabinet. The old stuff generally has a much smoother surface than the new stuff, although you could probably buy a Lodge and spend some time grinding/sanding it smooth. :roll:

Griswold is my favorite, although I am not a aficionado. I probably just like the great looking logo on the bottom of the old Griswold stuff.

thanks for bringing up the Griswold name .... I'd never heard of it and have enjoying reading about it .... Griswold pans sure command a premier price .... I don't drive a Rolls Royce, I drive a Chevy .... for us, cast iron cookware is a specialty item (like for corn bread) .... Lodge is our brand of choice .... someday I hope to purchase a smaller Lodge Dutch Oven and am seriously considering buying one of their cooking tables
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