The cast iron thread

[fastpakr]

The best success I've had for getting a decent seasoning coating going is with a thin coat of shortening. Preheat the oven (400 I think.- been a little while), then put the skillet in upside down and let it cook onto the iron for a while. If memory serves, an hour works well. Repeat the process a couple of times and you're ready to get to cooking.

 

[Curious Hound]

No, no, no. Cook and eat lots of bacon.



Seriously, I do what Fastpakr said. But just once. Then I start using the pan regularly, cooking bacon, sausage, etc. I generally use olive oil or peanut oil for most of my other cooking. With my smaller pans, I'll occasionally use them to make cornbread. I coat the pan with oil and preheat it in the oven while mixing the batter. So, that preheat and baking process probably helps. The cornbread comes out easy and a simple wipe with a paper towel cleans the pan. Haven't done that lately and now I'm hungry for cornbread.

 

[Vindictus]

No, no, no. Cook and eat lots of bacon.



Seriously, I do what Fastpakr said. But just once. Then I start using the pan regularly, cooking bacon, sausage, etc. I generally use olive oil or peanut oil for most of my other cooking. With my smaller pans, I'll occasionally use them to make cornbread. I coat the pan with oil and preheat it in the oven while mixing the batter. So, that preheat and baking process probably helps. The cornbread comes out easy and a simple wipe with a paper towel cleans the pan. Haven't done that lately and now I'm hungry for cornbread.

Are going t make some for all of us?

 

[Curious Hound]

Are going t make some for all of us?

Not tonight.

 

[Snoranger]

My mother bought me an 8 inch Lodge skillet a couple years ago. I just started using it within the last 6 months. It's been a son of a gun to get a good season on it. It's getting better but still a work in progress. I thought it was too small but for the wife and I it's actually a pretty good size.

View attachment 86138

Did you sand it a little to knock down the poor quality casting? These new pans have peaks and valleys in them that you wouldnt want to go near with out some rope and a few carabiners.
I have 2 I sanded and 1 I didn’t… the one I didn’t sand still hasn’t built up enough of a season to be smooth. The other 2 have a seasoning that’s filled in all the valleys and turned into great pans.

 

[Shran]

I do the oven seasoning method too but in the bbq grill. Doesn't smoke up the house that way. I have used olive oil, crisco, lard, and vegetable oil... Prefer the crisco. Rub on several coats with a rag and bake till it stops smoking between coats.

 

[oldgeek]

I've collected cast iron shavings when machining wrist pin housings. Good to put around the maple trees. A bugger machining with lots of dust to breath in. And cleaning up.....UGH!! But, with all the carbon, it's kind of self lubricating. No need for Tap Magic.

Oopps, digressions. Again.

Okay, skillets....

Got a large, medium and small. And a flat one too.....

My favorite thing to make, on two skillets at once, is pancakes.

 

[ekrampitzjr]

If anyone is interested in new cast-iron pots and pans, the grocery chain Lidl has been carrying a selection up to a 6–quart Dutch oven.

These are offered painted in various colors with red as most common, and they are enameled inside. Some of you purists won't like that part.

Lidl is a cut-price German–owned grocery, like a larger version of Aldi. The cast-iron cookware is among occasional specials. Get that stuff before it's gone, in other words.

 

[sgtsandman]

I tried the enamel coated cast iron and didn’t like them. Everything sticks to the enamel and are tough to clean. I gave them to someone else who wanted then and haven’t missed them since. They look pretty but that is about it.

 

[Shran]

I feel like enamel defeats the purpose of cast iron. My wife has one pan from Pampered Chef that is pretty nice though. It cleans up well but I think if you tried to use a green scotchbrite scrubber on it, you'd scratch the enamel and have issues.

 

[Roert42]

I like to use bacon grease for seasoning.

I like the 8" pan, it's my go to, but can be too small often enough. Depends what I'm making.

Someone gave me a enamel coated skillet, just coated on the outside, inside is regular cast iron.


Someone game me a 12" or 14" pan, I thought I would never use it because it's massive. actually use it pretty frequently.

 

[oldgeek]

I feel like enamel defeats the purpose of cast iron. My wife has one pan from Pampered Chef that is pretty nice though. It cleans up well but I think if you tried to use a green scotchbrite scrubber on it, you'd scratch the enamel and have issues.

I like the dutch oven for cooking chili, but tomatoes will leach iron out and that affects the taste. So, an enameled dutch oven would be handy at times.

 

[sgtsandman]

I feel like enamel defeats the purpose of cast iron. My wife has one pan from Pampered Chef that is pretty nice though. It cleans up well but I think if you tried to use a green scotchbrite scrubber on it, you'd scratch the enamel and have issues.

I don't remember using scotchbrite on them and I think I used plastic spatulas. It's been a good number of years, so I may be remembering incorrectly. After a use or two, they got shoved into a bottom cabinet until I found someone who wanted them.

 

[sgtsandman]

I like to use bacon grease for seasoning.

I like the 8" pan, it's my go to, but can be too small often enough. Depends what I'm making.

Someone gave me a enamel coated skillet, just coated on the outside, inside is regular cast iron.


Someone game me a 12" or 14" pan, I thought I would never use it because it's massive. actually use it pretty frequently.

Mine were enamel coated inside an out. If it was just on the outside, I might still have them.

 

[sgtsandman]

I like the dutch oven for cooking chili, but tomatoes will leach iron out and that affects the taste. So, an enameled dutch oven would be handy at times.

I can see that being a thing due to the acid in tomatoes.