larry_llama Posted January 9, 2011 Report Share Posted January 9, 2011 for your own good! please read this website and then get as obsessed as I did:http://www.richsoil.com/cast-iron.jspI got a griswold and 3 wagner skillets for christmas. Then two of my grandmas came forward with old pieces as well, one of which turned out to be an old wagner "chicken fryer" (basically a deep skillet)I am drowning in cast iron and loving it. I cooked an egg in a barely seasoned pan today with the tiniest amount of butter and it slides better than any non-stick crap I have ever owned.All of my teflon is in the value village pile now.If you like cooking, you owe it to yourself to find a pre-war cast iron pan with machined cooking surface. All of my previous cast iron experience was with crappy new junk smelted down from recycled engine blocks. Real cast iron is nothing even remotely like that. It is glorious to use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bouche Posted January 9, 2011 Report Share Posted January 9, 2011 are you trying to communicate to foodies or wookies? We have 2 cast iron skillets that came from Ms.Hux's lineage and they are WELL seasoned. I've been able to sear the crap out of salmon, steak, chicken, any protein out there and finish them in the oven with glee. We moved on to enamelled cast iron pots as well for long braises and sauces. Cast iron is the shit, but so is stainless steel and copper. I never thought of looking at OLD cast iron cookware. That is a great concept. Though probably a bitch to ship. I guess I'll have to get up at 6 AM on sundays and hit up the flea markets and garage sales Thanks for the link. I just did a quick ebay search and found that there are tons of really old well seasoned pans for .... very little compared to new La Creuset cookware. Maybe I should start looking for old knives too! edit: just confirmed. the cast iron skillets we have are REALLY old wagners from ms.hux's grandmother's grandmothers something something. No wonder they are awesome. I want to find more ancient cookware. It lasts forever! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phorbesie Posted January 9, 2011 Report Share Posted January 9, 2011 i always felt so frustrated when i tried to use cast iron, but it's probably that the pans weren't seasoned properly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baj Posted January 9, 2011 Report Share Posted January 9, 2011 I have always wanted to find good quality cast iron myself but still have not put any effort into finding or investing in any. I was first turned onto it by Darryl Cronzy's fishing show where as part of the show he would always take the fresh fish they caught and do up a mouth watering 'shore lunch' segment where they fry it all up in cast iron. Then a friend here in Asheville got really into last summer and inspired me to look into it again...but still didn't follow through...haha! and now this thread brings it up again...I gotta get me some cast iron finally! Thanks for the link to that site! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bradm Posted January 9, 2011 Report Share Posted January 9, 2011 I saw an episode of Alton Brown's "Good Eats" show, where he made a grilled cheese sandwich using two cast iron fry pans. He heated both pans up, put the sandwich in one pan, and pressed the other pan down on top of it (so that the grilling surface was the bottom side of the pan, that had just been against the burner), making a kind of ersatz panini press that grilled both sides of the sandwich at once.Aloha,Brad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rubberdinghy Posted January 9, 2011 Report Share Posted January 9, 2011 I've done that brad.I love my "casty" It's been well used.I found it in a post garage sale "free" pile.Steel wooled it right down and have built her up nice from the ground up.I use it alot on the BBQ and campfires.I've got three best friends in the world.My wife, my new tv, and my "casty" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d_rawk Posted January 9, 2011 Report Share Posted January 9, 2011 I saw an episode of Alton Brown's "Good Eats" show, where he made a grilled cheese sandwich using two cast iron fry pans. He heated both pans up, put the sandwich in one pan, and pressed the other pan down on top of it (so that the grilling surface was the bottom side of the pan, that had just been against the burner), making a kind of ersatz panini press that grilled both sides of the sandwich at once.Inspired by that episode, I've done that several times. He also uses mustard on his grilled cheese - which sounds rather bizarre - but hey, I love cheese and I love mustard, so I gave that a go as well. I like it.I love my cast iron pan like it was my baby. I try to remember to re-season it at the beginning of each year and this thread is a good reminder that it is due. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bouche Posted January 9, 2011 Report Share Posted January 9, 2011 I saw an episode of Alton Brown's "Good Eats" show, where he made a grilled cheese sandwich using two cast iron fry pans. He heated both pans up, put the sandwich in one pan, and pressed the other pan down on top of it (so that the grilling surface was the bottom side of the pan, that had just been against the burner), making a kind of ersatz panini press that grilled both sides of the sandwich at once.Aloha,BradI did that same thing and it worked out great. one other bit of cast iron love, I bought Mangrates for my Weber charcoal grill. Holy crap did they ever increase the perfection of my grilling. Quality cast iron is really essential for super heated searing, conservation, and even distribution of heat. I have certainly learned that in the last couple of years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larry_llama Posted January 9, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2011 Not trying to communicate with any group in particular - just spreadin' the cast iron love! THe single best thing I have found to reduce sticking is to use a flat edged stainless spatula (as discussed in that website I linked). I have had good results with eggs even on barely seasoned newer cast - the stainless spatula lets you get right under them. My plastic spatula just turned the eggs into a sticky mess. But I have to say, if you have been frustrated with cast it is well worth it to ask around your family for older pieces and see what you come up with. The old stuff is just so good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AD Posted January 10, 2011 Report Share Posted January 10, 2011 tell me how to season my cast iron. i have a good pan that came with instructions but i've followed them and it's still gross how much stuff sticks to it and i can't get out with paper towel etc........... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larry_llama Posted January 10, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 10, 2011 Honestly - if it is a new pan, it is probably not going to give great results for a long time. Is the cooking surface machined? Or does the inside have the same texture as the outside - kinda rough? I had no idea there was a difference until I stumbled across that website and once I saw it for myself it is unmistakable.The most scientifically in-depth seasoning instructions I have seen are these: http://sherylcanter.com/wordpress/2010/01/a-science-based-technique-for-seasoning-cast-iron/Make sure you are starting fresh. Burn the old crap off (I do it in a self cleaning oven cycle - but i only let it run for about 20 minutes) and start over with very thin layers.I have had great results with antique pieces coming out of the self cleaning cycle - I put a layer of oil and start using it the next day.I find the worst culprit for sticking so far is low fat meat (chicken etc) so I try to oil up beforehand just in case. Making sure you are up to temperature before putting the food in the pan also helps with sticking. And of course the aforementioned flat edged stainless spatula!Another good way to season is to bake in it a bunch of times. This is why I have started doing pizzas :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baj Posted January 10, 2011 Report Share Posted January 10, 2011 That pizza looks epic Was the crust that thick on the bottom or was it more like a pie crust, thin on the bottom and just wrapped up the sides? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rubberdinghy Posted January 10, 2011 Report Share Posted January 10, 2011 I just bbq'ed mine with lard a few times to get it started.It can be a messy project. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meggo Posted January 10, 2011 Report Share Posted January 10, 2011 dinghy, it is verrrrry frickin' cute that you have a nickname for your cast iron. one of these days i'll pick up another. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phishtaper Posted January 11, 2011 Report Share Posted January 11, 2011 i have decided. yes, you may cook for me. how's tonite? 7-ish? im in the south end of guelph. thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rubberdinghy Posted January 11, 2011 Report Share Posted January 11, 2011 She's been through thick and thin meggo....Plus me and steph nickname just about everything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larry_llama Posted January 12, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 12, 2011 Hehe.. it turned out really well for a "second try". My girlfriend makes the dough, I am not sure her recipe. We usually just bake pizza on a cookie sheet.The cast iron method goes like this...-lightly oil pan-Dough is pressed into the pan flat and then up the edges (like a pie crust)-fill with toppings in this order: cheese, well drained diced tomatoes (it would be even better if you stewed them your own with spices I bet), spices, toppings, grated parmput lower rack to the bottom of oven and upper rack to the top. put a large baking sheet on the top rack to guard pizza from upper element.put pizza in oven, then turn oven on to max - 500 or 550 - however high it will go. wen oven reaches temperature, reduce heat to 400 and bake for another 15-30 minutes (this timing depends on size of pizza, oven etc - ours takes only 15 minutes presumably becaus eit is a very well insulated self celaning oven)remove from pan to cool for a bit, then slice and eat the shit out of it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaybone Posted January 12, 2011 Report Share Posted January 12, 2011 I really need a good cast iron pan.It looks like I will have to go garage sale shopping to find a good one. If anyone knows of a good spot around Toronto to pick one up, please, let me know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larry_llama Posted January 26, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 my girlfriend is baking cornbread in the cast iron as we speak. CAN'T WAIT TO GET HOME! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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