Cast iron cookware

[Hinerman]

This guy has been posting on Craigslist for years; maybe I need to go see him. He has 18 ads up right now. This is just one. What should I be looking for?

CAST IRON SOME GRISWOLD, WAGNER, ALL USA LOOK - collectibles - by owner - sale - craigslist

CAST IRON SOME GRISWOLD, WAGNER, ALL USA SKILLETS NUMBER 3,5,6,7,8, POTS,8,9, CORN BREAD PANS,. IRONS, GRIDDLE TOO MUCH TO LIST. ALL DIFFERENT PRICE. NO E-MAILS OR CODES CALL . THANKS

tulsa.craigslist.org

 

[bucketofguts]

If you put cast iron in the dishwasher you go to hell............

 

[Lnk]

I am not a fan of using cast iron. Eating out of it, of course. What are the secrets to cooking and cleaning and I may give it another try.

Don't really clean it, never with soap or abrasive. Gets a carbon layer on it that becomes no stick. Remember, nothing lives at the temperature a pan gets to. We scrape and rinse ours then wipe down with cooking oil.

 

[Loony661]

I am not a fan of using cast iron. Eating out of it, of course. What are the secrets to cooking and cleaning and I may give it another try.

Literally just let it heat up until you see light smoke rising from the pan, add oil or butter and cook accordingly. To clean, we just scrape with a spatula and wipe it out right away after use, before eating. It’s harder to clean if you let the grease setup IMO. Oh, and never use plastic spatulas or spoons. Only steel or stainless steel.

 

[Lnk]

This guy has been posting on Craigslist for years; maybe I need to go see him. He has 18 ads up right now. This is just one. What should I be looking for?

CAST IRON SOME GRISWOLD, WAGNER, ALL USA LOOK - collectibles - by owner - sale - craigslist

CAST IRON SOME GRISWOLD, WAGNER, ALL USA SKILLETS NUMBER 3,5,6,7,8, POTS,8,9, CORN BREAD PANS,. IRONS, GRIDDLE TOO MUCH TO LIST. ALL DIFFERENT PRICE. NO E-MAILS OR CODES CALL . THANKS

tulsa.craigslist.org

As long as it is not cracked or warped, it is fine. I have taken rusty pans and wire brushed them, the throw them on the gas grill as hot as our can get it. Spray it with Pam and put it back in the grill. Repeat until you get a black finish, that is carbon, and you are all set.

 

[jakethesnake]

Ditto I don’t like wash the pan. Just keep it wiped up unless I really make it nasty (cooking hamburger helper). Then I usually forget to clean it so it gets super nasty. Then I just fill it up with water and boil it. Might wipe it down with a sponge. It’ll come super clean again. Pretty well all I use. I do have a couple nice stainless pans too but I use the cast

 

[bucketofguts]

As long as it is not cracked or warped, it is fine. I have taken rusty pans and wire brushed them, the throw them on the gas grill as hot as our can get it. Spray it with Pam and put it back in the grill. Repeat until you get a black finish, that is carbon, and you are all set.

The same but I use lard. I love original Pam. My sister gets lard from pigs that roam free and eat nuts and grass and anything else from her local farmer. It makes really good biscuits too!

 

[Lnk]

The same but I use lard. I love original Pam. My sister gets lard from pigs that roam free and eat nuts and grass and anything else from her local farmer. It makes really good biscuits too!

I have a bunch of pig fat in my freezer from the last pig I had butchered. Some will be used with venison in brats. Should render some into clean lard.

 

[Hinerman]

Anybody ever tried the high end enameled cast iron stuff? Like LeCreuset or Staub?

 

[Semotony]

Anybody ever tried the high end enameled cast iron stuff? Like LeCreuset or Staub?

I have a Dutch oven enameled that works as well as raw cast iron. Cast iron goes in the coals tho. Oven, propane grill gets the enameled

 

[jakethesnake]

Anybody ever tried the high end enameled cast iron stuff? Like LeCreuset or Staub?

Yeah it’s good too.

 

[Lnk]

Anybody ever tried the high end enameled cast iron stuff? Like LeCreuset or Staub?

I haven't, but you have to be careful with that stuff as you are dealing with different thermal coefficient. While neither expand or contract much, I imagine they wouldn't like quick changes of temperature. Cast iron I really don't have to be careful. Metal utensils all the way.

 

[Bill G]

I passed up a large stack of cast iron pans Saturday at the auction. I just could not bring myself to think of eating food from them based on the current condition. Of course they could be cleaned but I still would think back to what they looked like. Also I still have hopes of getting my great-great grandmas cast iron.

 

[jakethesnake]

I passed up a large stack of cast iron pans Saturday at the auction. I just could not bring myself to think of eating food from them based on the current condition. Of course they could be cleaned but I still would think back to what they looked like. Also I still have hopes of getting my great-great grandmas cast iron.

I toss them uglys in the wood stove. Just gotta be careful not to go too high or they’ll warp. Ive cleanup some pretty *s-wordty ones. I felt the same way about

 

[Bill G]

I toss them uglys in the wood stove. Just gotta be careful not to go too high or they’ll warp. Ive cleanup some pretty *s-wordty ones. I felt the same way about

I should have bought them but it is tough to decide at auctions. I keep thinking I know there are things coming up later on the sale that I would rather spend limited funds on.

 

[jakethesnake]

I should have bought them but it is tough to decide at auctions. I keep thinking I know there are things coming up later on the sale that I would rather spend limited funds on.

Absolutely. I thought you were saying they basically sold for nothing. Completely understand

 

[Philbert]

Missed this thread I need to get some photos and post

I’m over here scratchin’ my head trying to figure out how I missed this great thread all these years.. Love my cast iron skillets.

I missed it too!

Been following a similar thread on ‘the other site’, and probably got confused.

Am currently going through a number of accumulated pieces, and will post some of that stuff here, as well.

Anybody ever tried the high end enameled cast iron stuff? Like LeCreuset or Staub?

The enamel coating eliminates the need for seasoning, and makes cleaning easier too. But, if you chip or damage the coating, it can’t be repaired / re-seasoned.

I used some enameled skillets, dutch ovens, and marking / grill pans, and liked them. Bought some cheaper ones, used, or on sale.

They work, but like a lot of things, once you try ‘the good stuff’ . . .

Le Creuset snd STAUB have stupid expensive list prices. But, periodically, they have sales of ‘cosmetic defects’, up to 60% off. Sign up for their mailing / sale lists.

Still expensive, but, if you really like them . . . I like the STAUB Dutch ovens / ‘cocottes’ which are enameled with a matte, black finish insude, that does not dhow stains, like the glossy, white finish can.

Philbert

 

[Philbert]

Had a couple of modern Lodge skillets that felt a little ‘gummy’.

Assume that I ‘over-seasoned’ them. Most of the on-line advice suggested stripping them and starting over.

I put them in the oven at 300°F for a half hour; wiped off as much as I could; let them cool; then scrubbed with warm water, Dawn dish soap, and a SotchBrite pad.

Worked pretty well: still have a black, seasoned coat, but the stickiness is gone.

A lot easier than starting over.

Philbert

 

[Philbert]

STRIPPING

Some of my Goodwill, estate sale, etc., finds had thick build ups of baked on crud, uneven coatings, etc. Wanted to start fresh.

Different ways to do this. I did the ‘lye (sodium hydroxide) tank’ method.

Plastic, Rubbermaid container in the washtub. About 1 pound of pure lye added to 5 gallons of water.



I used drain cleaner stuff from the home center, that I had. Ordered some ‘food grade’ stuff from Amazon, that I did not have to use this time.



Follow all the safety precautions: heavy gloves, splash goggles, add lye to water (NOT the other way around), etc.

Mix a smaller amount if just stripping one skillet. I needed the depth for some Dutch ovens.

Worked fast with initial, warm water. Some skillets cleaned up overnight. Some took a full day. Slower at the end, but still worked.

Some took a couple of dips, with some scrubbing in between, with a stainless steel ScotchBrite pad.

I cleaned 11 pieces with this solution (skillets, Dutch ovens, lids). Not sure if it could have done more. Makes sense to do it as a ‘batch’, if you have multiple pieces.

Most came down to bare, grey, metal. Some stains remained. I scrubbed each with cleanser (Ajax, Comet, Bar Keeper’s Friend, etc.), followed by Dawn dish detergent, to get any loose stuff off.

Ready for ‘Finishing’!

Philbert

 

[Bill G]

Absolutely. I thought you were saying they basically sold for nothing. Completely understand

Well I think they did, probably $30 for the stack of 6 to 8 but I knew what was coming up later. The ammo went dirt cheap. Had I known that I could have bought more earlier
Yeah I was *pretty boy