| Cast IRon Skillets
Posted: 10/9/2005 6:34:41 PM | Ok
I love cast iron frying pans. I just don't know how to care for them obviously as i find myself throwing them in the recycle bin and buying new ones every 2-3 months as they begin to rust probably because I don't care for them properly. Not sure what I am doing wrong | |
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| Cast IRon Skillets
Posted: 10/9/2005 6:44:01 PM | how to prevent your cast iron pan from rusting......
1. when washing, be sure to rinse, wipe dry with paper towel, then store upside down in oven
2. using a paper towel, wipe a small amount of cooking oil over entire inner surface of cast iron pan
3. if your pan still develops a rust spot, don't panic and don't throw it out..... a good scrubbing and then above steps will make it like new again
i have cast iron pans that are as old as i am, and i just celebrated my 42nd birthday yesterday
nothing cooks as nice as a cast iron fry pan | |
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| Cast IRon Skillets
Posted: 10/9/2005 6:51:35 PM | i just found a website with proper care instructions for you....
Cast Iron Curing Instructions
Fill pot 2 inches from the top with water & add a box of salt. Bring the water to a soft boil. Stir occasionally for about 20 minutes. This helps to remove most of the wax coating.
Empty out all the water and salt. Wash pot with soapy water, then put back on the burner to completely dry product pores out completely.
Coat the entire item with LARD, VEGETABLE OIL or CREAMY SHORTENING.
It is best to place item upside down on BBQ grill at 350 degrees for about one hour. You may also use the stove for smaller cast iron products.
After 1 hour dump out excess oil. Repeat steps 2 & 3.
After each use wash out with mild liquid SOAP. Dry by placing on burner. When cast iron product is dry, allow to cool. Coat with oil with paper towel. Make sure item is dry.
Make sure you store cast iron cookware in a warm dry place. Put a small piece of newspaper or a paper towel in the bottom. This helps to keep it dry. | |
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| Cast IRon Skillets
Posted: 10/9/2005 6:52:46 PM | Most of them come with care instructions. Any good cookbook probably has tips for preserving and curing cast iron as well. Once cured you have to carefully clean them and heat them on a warm burner to dry them out. Then you want to rub a bit of vegetable oil on them before storing. Try Google for more info.
I don't use cast iron anymore as it's too much of a hassle to maintain. Stainless steel all the way these days. | |
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| Cast IRon Skillets
Posted: 10/9/2005 7:28:58 PM | Cast iron rocks. I wish I worked for your local recycle agency, LOL | |
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| Cast IRon Skillets
Posted: 10/9/2005 9:24:32 PM | | Cast will outlive your grandchildren, and they will appreciate the fact when you will it to them. | |
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| Cast IRon Skillets
Posted: 10/9/2005 10:35:38 PM | | Cast iron is the ONLY way to cook at home. Just make sure you season it properly the first time and make damn sure it is dry before you store it. Soap is a big no-no as it will take the seasoning out of the pan. After some HEAVY use they will get to the point where there is so much oil in the metal that it isn't a huge problem. I use a cast iron wok at home to cook everything, eggs included, and stuff never sticks to it anymore. | |
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| Cast IRon Skillets
Posted: 10/10/2005 8:02:19 AM | My granny used to fry potatoes in a big ol' cast iron skillet. Best taters in the south!  | |
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| Cast IRon Skillets
Posted: 10/10/2005 11:37:28 AM | yeah i've got quite the collection of iron.... i was taught to boil it out on the burner and wipe it clean with a paper towell then rub it with veg. oil ...seems to keep it seasoned ....
i have one that is 41/2" deep with a cover i got at a flea market and it makes the best fried chicken and white gravy ever ...... | |
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| Cast IRon Skillets
Posted: 10/10/2005 12:11:43 PM | | ^^^I know most people hate parting with their fried chicken recipe but you'll share, right? | |
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| Cast IRon Skillets
Posted: 10/10/2005 1:01:15 PM | Cast Iron is the only way to go!
Never use hot water to clean...NOR SOAP.
Scrape and rinse with warm water...season with Vegie oil or lard..
I have a dutch cast iron thats ancient and has never seen water!
Cook CAST | |
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| Cast IRon Skillets
Posted: 10/10/2005 11:58:18 PM | My dad has a cast iron hot plate older than myself. (21) And he wont wash it in anything.
When he has finished using it he wipes it down with a hand full of Gum leaves.( he uses it when camping) and leaves it over the fire until its dry then wipes it down with oil and paper towel. and stores it in an old stubbies box.
When he has finished and is packing up to come home he will leave it with the fat and such on there and only washes it when he is ready to use it again. Same with the camp oven and that camp oven makes some lovely stews and such.... | |
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| Cast IRon Skillets
Posted: 10/15/2005 7:37:41 AM | Cast Iron ................. oh the wonder there of. Was fortunate to inherit my Grandmother's! The whole gambit of sizes and styles. Some are older than me -53.
They all are wonderful I have a skillet I can barley lift must be l8" around.
Cleaning ----------- have always rinsed with water and scrubbed with salt. Then re-season with a dab of cooking oil on a paper towel and store upside down. They still look brand new. I love cooking in them but no big family at home anymore. My l9 year old daughter says mom give bubba the house I want the cast iron. Lol | |
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| Cast IRon Skillets
Posted: 10/15/2005 12:37:47 PM | i NEVER use soap in a cast iron skillet. neither did my mother, nor did her mother.
-i have one of grand ma's skillets that's 60 years old or so...... never washed with soap.
and for the record....you can let a cast iron skillet rust out in your backyard for a year and you're not going to hurt it significantly. wire brush it, scrub it, sand it, however you want to get the thing clean (haha even use soap) then re-season and it's as good as new. | |
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Snow_7
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Joined: 7/28/2005
Msg: 15 | |
| Cast IRon Skillets
Posted: 10/15/2005 3:25:55 PM | | Ok, question, all these people say "no Saop" but what if you cook fish in it and it smells fishy? Soap seems the only option to me, does salt actually take the smell out? I am working on building my collection, I love the stuff. But admit to the occasional soaping. | |
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| Cast IRon Skillets
Posted: 10/15/2005 8:14:43 PM | | Get some kosher salt (the coarse kind) and scrub it with a little water; that should take care of it. But you have to season it with a high temp vegetable oil (no xv olive oil) for next time. | |
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| Cast IRon Skillets
Posted: 10/16/2005 5:34:05 AM | | you can also use half a lemon to scrub it with the salt but dont use soap because it will get into the pores of the cast iron and will rust it make sure you store them dry and if you have to stack them place paper towels between them after oiling them good all of it not just the inside of the skillet | |
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| Cast IRon Skillets
Posted: 10/16/2005 9:00:10 AM | soap in itself doesn't cause rust. if you notice more rust due to soap it's simply because you have removed the oil from the pores of the metal thus exposing it to oxidation, also called "rust". it causes you to have to re-season/cure the pan after each use because you have removed the oils which is a pain. besides that, the initial cure on the pan is nothing compared to how it will be after you have used it for a few months.
a well seasoned cast iron skillet doesn't stick. well....it doesn't stick enough to be bothersome. it will never be like teflon or other "non-stick" surfaces but i cook omelets and such in mine without problems. that's difficult in a new one that isn't broken in, or seasoned, whatever you want to call it. broke in, seasoned, cured, all the same to me.
in regard to the smell.......i've never noticed a left over smell in any of my pans. | |
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| Cast IRon Skillets
Posted: 10/16/2005 2:16:57 PM | My grandma God love her gave me a cast iron skillit and I never knew how to take care of it so it sat in my cabnet. Well when she found this out she told me what to do.
She said don't wash it everytime. Like if you just fried something in it. She said to dump the grease from it and just wipe it down this will keep is seasoned. Now if you made gravy in it or something like that please wash it yuck..LOL But then just wipe it down with some oil.
PS if your kids ever want to make you dinner and it is fried chicken make sure there is oil in the house!! I was about 11 and I wanted to make my mom dinner in the iron skillit and I had no oil. Note baby oil does not work I found out the hard way. SHHHWEEEEE YUCK. LOL  | |
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| Cast IRon Skillets
Posted: 2/11/2008 2:47:36 PM | A quick google search wil tell you everything you need to know but the quick fixitfred method.
Sand with fine grit to remove rust and smooth. (I did this with a pre-cured Lodge it was too rough)
Lube it up, any earl cept 10w-40 or baby oil, best use animal fats like bacon grease or crisco types
(disable smoke alarms TEMPORARILY) Fire it up in a hot oven (round 400) for about an hour or so.
Enjoy the beauty of a well cured pan and use the hell out of it and unlike a woman watch it get better and better the more you use it and the older it gets.
Clean with a stiff brush and plain HOT water, never soaps, dry it then rub it down like you would a woman with earl primarily on the inside again like you would a woman to keep it ready for the next time.
repost from another identical topic thread
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| Cast IRon Skillets
Posted: 2/11/2008 3:10:03 PM | I treasure my Wagner, Griswold, Magna Lite and other vintage cookware, and COOK with them!
If you get a cast iron piece really messy it's probably OK to use a bit of soap or baking soda to clean it but try to keep from having to do that real often.
Dry them on a stove burner. If you have been forced to really scrub it or use soap, re season it...you can do this right on the burner. Turn the burner down, drizzle a little cooking oil( your preference though some say peanut oil is best) yes as another poster said, PULEEEZZE not 10w40, baby oil, or WD 40. I have heard some people say use mineral oil (on the basis of using like substances, the same principle that tells us to use pure neatsfoot oil on leather)anyway, carefully rub the oil around on the pan with a goodly handful of( plain white, if at all possible) paper towel. let the oil bake in for a bit, then turn the heat off and let the pan cool. I store mine hanging , bottom side out, on a wall in my kitchen with a sheet of paper towel between the pan rim and the wall to keep the oil from getting on the paneling.
And try cleaning rusted ones with coca cola and fine steel wool...don't let the coke sit on there real long before you scour and rinse!
Prowl the flea markets and country auctions...your best cast iron are Wagner and Griswold. If you want lighter weight and be able to hold a high temperature( like for Cajun "blackened" foods) Wagner "Magna Lite" is great. Don't expect to buy these brand names for 50 cents or a dollar though...
Cindy O | |
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| Cast IRon Skillets
Posted: 2/11/2008 3:47:11 PM | ..Sorry for the length of this..but I copied and pasted from the America's Test Kitchen website...and you have to be a member to view it....
Reconsidering Cast Iron—Cast-Iron Skillets
from the Episode: White Chicken Chili Supper
Is cast iron the original nonstick pan? Do recent innovations improve on this traditional kitchen workhorse?
For related information, see our reviews of Nonstick Skillets and Traditional Skillets.
Centuries before DuPont invented Teflon in 1938, people were cooking with cast iron. Over the past 30 years, nonstick skillets have taken the place of cast iron in most homes. But with disturbing reports about the effects of nonstick coatings on the environment and our health, we decided to take another look at cast iron to see if it is worth bringing back into the kitchen.
Cast iron has always been known to have a few advantages over other types of cookware. Its material and weight give it excellent heat retention for high-heat cooking techniques such as frying and searing. You can use it on the stovetop or bake with it in the oven. Its durability is legendary-many people are still cooking with cast-iron pans handed down for generations. Unlike most consumer products, cast-iron pans actually improve with time and heavy use.
Cast iron also has disadvantages. It's heavy and needs special care. It must be seasoned to prevent it from rusting or reacting with the foods you cook. Until its seasoning is well established, food will stick to it. You shouldn't use soap or steel wool on it, lest you strip off the seasoning.
When we went shopping for cast-iron pans to test, we noticed that although you can still find traditional cast iron, manufacturers have been tweaking the design and materials to maintain its principal benefits while diminishing some of the downside. They have begun coating the surface with a variety of materials to either begin the seasoning process for you or render it unnecessary. In some cases, new coatings bonded onto the cast iron make soap and even the dishwasher no longer off-limits.
One thing that didn't always get better with innovation is price: Traditional unseasoned cast-iron skillets are a true bargain, costing between $11 and $20. Most preseasoned pans are also fairly cheap, at $15 to $30, but we found fancier pans that hovered around the $100 mark.
Seasoned Wisdom
"Seasoning" is a word you hear a lot around cast iron. It might sound mysterious, but it's just oil and carbon residue from cooking that polymerize when heated and bond to the cast iron, forming a smooth surface. You build up seasoning over time simply by cooking in the pan and doing routine maintenance (see "Taking Care of Cast Iron," below). Until recently, all cast-iron pans were purchased unseasoned. For our testing, we bought eight skillets, all about 12 inches in diameter: three factory-seasoned pans, three traditional unseasoned pans, and two with innovative finishes that required no seasoning. Le Creuset's skillet has a matte-textured black enamel interior, rather than the glossy cream-colored finish found inside the company's Dutch ovens. Newcomer Olvida offered the most unusual finish of all: nickel plating that made the pan shiny silver. The nickel finish is designed to be nonreactive and safe with metal utensils, soap, and the dishwasher. We followed manufacturer directions to prepare the unseasoned pans for cooking.
Our first goal was to see how the cast-iron pans stacked up against our favorite nonstick skillet, the All-Clad Nonstick 12-Inch Skillet ($159.95), and our favorite stainless-steel skillet, the All-Clad Stainless 12-Inch Skillet ($134.95), in a battery of cooking tasks.
One of the primary reasons to own a nonstick skillet is to cook eggs, so we started by rating each pan for sticking and ease of cleaning when cooking scrambled eggs. Next, we baked corn bread to test evenness of browning and oven performance. We pan-seared steak to test searing ability and made tomato-caper pan sauce with the resulting fond to see whether the cast iron would react with the acid in the sauce. We also shallow-fried breaded chicken cutlets while wiring the pans with a thermocouple to measure their responsiveness, conductivity, and heat retention—all reflecting their ability to evenly and crisply fry chicken.
In the egg test, the nonstick skillet was the runaway winner; the performance of the cast-iron pans ranged from mediocre to poor. The cast-iron pans were clearly superior in the corn bread tests, producing the brownest, crispest crust. They were on par with the stainless-steel pan in the steak and chicken tests. Though not unexpected, the results were somewhat disappointing.
However, we noticed that most of the cast-iron pans improved their ability to release food as our testing progressed. The seasoning (whether done by the manufacturer or us) was becoming thicker and more reliable. We decided to try the egg test again and were surprised by the dramatic improvement. Pans that had performed poorly in the first egg test did a decent job, and the preseasoned pans were now nearly as good as the nonstick pan in this test. Given such dramatic improvement over just a few weeks, we were not surprised when the cast-iron pans continued to become more "nonstick" with time.
At this point, we concluded that a cast-iron pan can combine the best traits of both nonstick and traditional cookware: You could make eggs and sear steak in the same pan. However, this endorsement comes with two important caveats—you must choose the right pan, and you must be willing to care for it.
Casting Call
So which of these eight cast-iron pans is our favorite? There were several factors that distinguished the high-ranked models. First, they were seasoned by the manufacturer. Seasoning new pans in the oven creates oily fumes and a mess as shortening drips off the pan. What's more, the unseasoned pans lagged behind the factory-seasoned pans in nonstick performance throughout our testing. Their lighter hue also produced lighter browning on the corn bread than the solidly black preseasoned pans. This year, Lodge discontinued selling unseasoned cast iron, stating that customers preferred the preseasoned pans by a wide margin. According to Lodge spokesperson Mark Kelly, the factory seasoning is "equivalent to seasoning it yourself 20 times." We think this leg up is well worth a few extra dollars.
Second, evenness of cooking without hot spots or heat surges was very important. We wanted a pan that wouldn't cool off too much when food was added and would quickly climb back to the desired temperature. The Bayou Classic skillet had trouble maintaining steady heat, a major flaw for this type of pan. When we weighed the pans and measured the thickness of their bottoms, we discovered that the Bayou was the thinnest. Our top-ranked pans were up to twice as thick and all demonstrated more even distribution and retention of heat.
A third key factor was the diameter of the interior cooking surface, which made a difference when trying to
accommodate multiple chicken breasts or steaks without crowding or steaming. Despite averaging 12 inches from rim to rim, the interior cooking surfaces of the pans ranged from 9 1/4 inches to 10 3/4 inches. We have a strong preference for the larger pans.
Weight was a thorny issue. While we preferred the bigger pans, they tended to be heavy and difficult for a smaller cook to manipulate in tasks such as swirling melting butter, pouring off a pan sauce, and flipping to release corn bread. Good handle design can help offset the problem. Our top-ranked pans all featured helper handles opposite the main handle. Two pans (Le Creuset and Lodge Pro-Logic) also featured larger main handles, which made the pans easier for smaller cooks to use.
Durability is one of the biggest virtues of cast iron. And while the Le Creuset pan performed very well, the enameled bottom of the pan also became chipped and scratched with routine use during testing. (You also can't use metal utensils with this pan or stack other pans inside it.) If you want a kitchen workhorse, this isn't it. The nickel finish on the Olvida pan was durable and worked as described, but it didn't offer significant enough advantage over preseasoned cast iron to warrant spending nearly $100. While we often find that you get what you pay for, in the case of cast iron, you don't need to spend more to get more.
In the end, we preferred the classic design-with straight (rather than sloped) sides-and roomy interior of the preseasoned Lodge Logic Skillet ($26.95). It performed well in all our cooking tests, its surface gained seasoning in the course of testing, and it will last for generations. If you are strong and don't mind a truly heavy pan, the
preseasoned Camp Chef skillet is a solid performer for only $17.99. It's our Best Buy.
TAKING CARE OF CAST IRON
Routine Maintenance
If you buy a preseasoned pan (and you should), you can use the pan with little fuss.
Don't wash the pan with soap or leave it in the sink to soak. Rinse it out under hot running water, scrubbing with a brush to remove traces of food. (This is easiest if done while the pan is still warm.)
(Dry the pan thoroughly and put it back on the burner on low heat until all traces of moisture disappear (this keeps rusting at bay). Put a few drops of vegetable oil in the warm, dry pan and wipe the interior with a wad of paper towels until it is lightly covered with oil. Then, using fresh paper towels, rub more firmly to burnish the surface and remove all excess oil. The pan shouldn't look or feel oily to the touch. Turn off the heat and allow the pan to cool before putting it away.
Heavy-Duty Cleaning
If you have stuck-on food or you've inherited a pan that is rusty or gummy, scrub it with kosher salt.
Pour in
vegetable oil to a depth of 1/4 inch, then place the pan on a stove set to medium-low for 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat and add 1/4 cup kosher salt. Using potholder to grip hot handle, use thick cushion of paper towels to scrub pan. Warm oil will loosen food or rust, and kosher salt will have abrading effect. Rinse pan under hot running water, dry well, and repeat, if necessary.
Reseasoning
If cooking acidic foods or improper cleaning has removed the seasoning from your pan, it will look dull, patchy, and dry instead of a smooth, rich black. You need to restore the seasoning. We have found this stovetop method (rather than the usual oven method) to be the most effective way to season a cast-iron pan.
Heat pan over medium-high heat until drop of water evaporates on contact. Wipe inside with wad of paper towels dipped in
vegetable oil (hold towels with tongs to protect yourself). Wipe out excess oil and repeat as needed until pan is
slick. | |
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| Cast IRon Skillets
Posted: 2/11/2008 3:53:45 PM | everyone has some good suggestions..
I inherited my mothers cast iron and they are over 100 years old.
1 never use steelwool on them.. unless you absolutely have to ie get rid of the rust..
2 never scrub them if something is burn't on them.. if something does get burn't or stuck on them fill them with water and either put them on a burner OR let it soak drain the water out and wipe out.
The black ageing they get, is what you want on them.
If I have seasoned cast iron, which I have for friends.. I only use crisco to do it. after that oil to coat it. Now I season a bit different, I put it in a oven when it's cold and turn it on and set the temperature to 350, after it's come up to that temp I let it bake for at least 30 mins then turn the oven off and let it cool till cold. | |
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| Cast IRon Skillets
Posted: 2/11/2008 4:58:41 PM | Great post, pupdaddy, thanks for sharing that!
If you're new to cast iron the biggest thing I can say with the oil in terms of seasoning is this: less is more.
The more you put on the more it smokes -- you do not get a thicker coat.
Better to do several thin coats, preferably peanut oil, than try with one thick coat.
And don't do as I did trying to season my wok with peanut oil on a paper towel in my hand -- That burn left a blister and now, even years later, a scar. USE TONGS if you want to wipe it with oil while hot. This is what I do almost after every use of my wok, while it it hot and still on the stove BEFORE I even eat my food.
Then after I have eaten... later there is no dishes -- I simply put away the cooled wok. | |
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| Cast IRon Skillets
Posted: 2/11/2008 11:15:15 PM | | You can use oil, but be aware it can go rancid if not used frequently. Lard is the most stable of fats and is the best choice. Butter and bacon both have salt which can corrode the iron. | |
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