Cast Iron Cookery

[fuzzi]

There's a lot of cast iron love on BYH. I see it frequently mentioned in threads.

I enjoy using my cast iron skillet, but am contemplating acquiring a cast iron Dutch Oven, for slow cooking, and even making bread.

What brand cast iron do you have?

Plain or enameled?

Size?

Finish?

What do you like or dislike?

 

[Mini Horses]

Most of mine is Lodge, not enameled. Several really old skillets, couple newer. I have a lot of stainless, heavy gauge, which I use mostly. Not one Dutch oven

 

[RR Homestead]

I dream of having a true old dutch oven with a lid. It's on my list. I have a cast iron want list. No good estate sales or yard sales around here so they are slim pickings to find. We currently have some old enameled cast iron dutch ovens we use. They came from my grandmother. A couple newer ones from Costco. They are fine but I prefer regular old cast iron. It's almost exclusively what we use. We have a few older Lodge but do not prefer them. Super heavy. Don't like the finish they sell either. They really need to be ground down smooth and re-seasoned. I will probably get a few new Lodge pieces for the new house because I really want cast iron griddle for our new gas stove. Not likely to find an old one. It has a non stick griddle that is in the middle between the burners but the previous owners grandson used a knife on it cutting steak (he didn't know better) and the non stick is coming off. It's a learning curve to use cast iron but I don't like non stick due to the toxins in them. We have a couple stainless pots that we use a lot like cast iron they just don't hold the heat like a good old cast iron.

 

[fuzzi]

Thank you, very helpful!

 

[RR Homestead]

@fuzzi
One thing I will say for cast iron is that unless you actually warp or break one they are fairly forgiving. With no coating or anything the worst that happens is you have to strip them and re-season them. For starting out an enamel might be one to learn on a little until you feel comfortable with the heat etc. Don't have to worry about seasoning them. I use enamel often for tomato sauce uses as the acidity tends to not do great things to the seasoning. I don't mind seasoning but we use tomato sauce often for mexican rice etc and it's easier to use an enamel coated one for that. They do chip though so be aware of that. I really like the heat that cast iron holds.
Don't use soap on a regular cast iron. That's a worst case thing. Just heat hot and add hot water and scrub with a brush. Rinse and you're good to go. I usually wipe with tallow or whatever I have to season with and let it cool. If you need to scrub I add a bit of salt. It scrubs well. They sell chain scrubbers but I haven't purchased one before. Usually the hot water on the hot pan steams the remnants and they come right off.
A good youtube video on cast iron skillets is by Cowboy Kent Rollins. Might help you get an idea of what you may want. The video is "Don't buy a cast Iron skillet without watching this! Which cast iron brand is right for you?" He also has care of cast iron videos including seasoning them properly.

Edit: Wow I'm rambling about cast iron. I may need cast iron addicts anonymous

 

[Mini Horses]

Right -- tomato sauce on cast iron is a no-no, if it a long cook. I have a huge pot I bought many yrs ago for spaghetti sauce, an all day cook. It's really tall, ceramic(?) on heavy stainless. A chef thing. Only use on rare occasion any more. About 30 yr old, $200 at buy...that was really big $ then. My stainless is very heavy & used mainly for frying it long cook. My electric one is fantastic for slow cooking meat dishes.

Because I cook for one now, my cast iron is less used.

 

[Baymule]

My cast iron skillets are old, a few Wagoner in the mix, all sizes. No Dutch oven, guess I oughta get one or two, I don't have any enamel iron either. The Lodge is not smooth, it has a grainy texture, for best results use a paddle type sand paper on a drill to slick it up before seasoning.

The Wagoner pieces I have are a much lighter weight, thinner, but strong. A big difference that the later pieces.

This a company that is making new cast iron, I've seen it in person. Each piece is a work of art, smooth glassy finish, beautiful. I want one. Or two......... hand crafted, truly a piece to be treasured forever, passed down to the next generation.

Fredericksburg Cast Iron Co.

Fredericksburg Cast Iron Co.

www.fbgcastiron.com

For stainless steel, I have some pieces from Wolfgang Puck, it was a set at Sam's for only $100, some 15 years ago. But my favorite pieces are the Saladmaster that was my mother's. Those pieces are from 1957. I even have the vegetable slicer/shredder. It is a 3 legged station that cones fir onto and I turn the handle. Love and adore it!

 

[fuzzi]

My cast iron skillets are old, a few Wagoner in the mix, all sizes. No Dutch oven, guess I oughta get one or two, I don't have any enamel iron either. The Lodge is not smooth, it has a grainy texture, for best results use a paddle type sand paper on a drill to slick it up before seasoning.

The Wagoner pieces I have are a much lighter weight, thinner, but strong. A big difference that the later pieces.

This a company that is making new cast iron, I've seen it in person. Each piece is a work of art, smooth glassy finish, beautiful. I want one. Or two......... hand crafted, truly a piece to be treasured forever, passed down to the next generation.

Fredericksburg Cast Iron Co.

Fredericksburg Cast Iron Co.

www.fbgcastiron.com

For stainless steel, I have some pieces from Wolfgang Puck, it was a set at Sam's for only $100, some 15 years ago. But my favorite pieces are the Saladmaster that was my mother's. Those pieces are from 1957. I even have the vegetable slicer/shredder. It is a 3 legged station that cones fir onto and I turn the handle. Love and adore it!

Oh, those are beautiful!

Another vote against Lodge, good to know. I saw some for sale at a local store, $70 for a 5.5 qt plain including lid.

 

[SageHill]

One cast iron pan here. A Lodge, I ~think 10 inch. Great for so many things - and pizza as well (thick crust), and frittata, a lot of start on the stove top finish in the oven things.
Definitely no soap. When it's hot add liquid / water it will deglaze it - get the brown stuff up (good stuff for gravy) then scrub a bit if necessary with a bush and rinse, back on the stove top to dry, and a very quick light oil to finish.

 

[fuzzi]

I like this one.

Only 10 lbs is nice.