Cast iron cookware

[Philbert]

Enameled steel cooking pot on top, raw cast iron "seasoned" fire pot bottom (washed and wiped down with a sunflower oil doused cotton cloth).
The firepot gets exposed to direct flames when used.

View attachment 436963

Nice looking pots!

Philbert

 

[Philbert]

SEASONING 1

Everyone has recommended oils and methods for seasoning cast iron, and others to avoid. On the advice of a CI friend, I tried these Crisbee products.



I felt like it was ‘cheating’, by not using plain oil, but I had over a dozen pieces to season.

I was impressed by the results. Easy to do, and very reasonable: free shipping and a discount if ordered direct from their website.

‘Crisbee Cream’ is the consistency of suntan lotion, and is a mixture of sunflower oil and beeswax. It was easy to apply to textured surfaces, such as the deeply grooved ‘marking’ side of griddles, and the marinating ‘spikes’ on the lid of some Dutch ovens.



The Lodge, Dutch ovens shown are: black (factory seasoning); grey (stripped / bare);






Philbert

 

[Philbert]

SEASONING 2

‘Crisbee Puck’ is a soft wax, the consistency of ChapStick, and easy to use on broad surfaces, when warm. It is a mixture of grape seed oil and beeswax, and seemed to build and darken faster.

The Lodge, Dutch ovens shown are: black (factory seasoning); dark bronze (4 coats of Crisbee Cream on lids, 4 coats of Crisbee Puck on main pot).

Note that the dark bronze ones appear darker in person: they reflect light more than the black.






Crisbee says both finished seasonings are equivalent, and can be applied over each other, as well as after cleaning.

A big help was figuring out the automatic, ‘time bake’ feature, that I had never used on my oven.

That made it easy to heat pieces at 400°F for the recommended hour, then let them automatically cool down, per the directions, while I was away, doing something else.

It also let me do 3 to 4 treatments in a day, if I focused a little.


Philbert

 

[Wilhelm]

Makes sense, beeswax is also part of the solution for "hot blackening" steel.

I like the bronze finish.

 

[WoodAbuser]

SEASONING 1

Everyone has recommended oils and methods for seasoning cast iron, and others to avoid. On the advice of a CI friend, I tried the Crisbee products.

View attachment 437244

I felt like it was ‘cheating’, by not using plain oil, but I had over a dozen pieces to season.

I was impressed by the results. Easy to do, and very reasonable: free shipping and a discount if ordered direct from their website.

‘Crisbee Cream’ is the consistency of suntan lotion, and is a mixture of sunflower oil and beeswax. It was easy to apply to textured surfaces, such as the deeply grooved ‘marking’ side of griddles, and the marinating ‘spikes’ on the lid of some Dutch ovens.

View attachment 437251

The Lodge, Dutch ovens shown are: black (factory seasoning); grey (stripped / bare);

View attachment 437247

View attachment 437245
View attachment 437246

Philbert

This is the version I use. Very happy with the results.

 

[Bill G]

Is there a way to date old cast iron cookware

 

[greystone mountain man]

Is there a way to date old cast iron cookware

I have a book on it somewhere but it might take me a couple of years to find it

 

[Philbert]

Is there a way to date old cast iron cookware

There are several websites and Facebook pages dedicated to this (sorry, no links, but Google that topic).

Lots of information on what marks to look for, handle shapes, etc., as well as changes through the years of logos, etc.

Also, defects to look out for; what makes something ‘collectible’ versus usable, etc.

Cast iron geeks are kind of like chainsaw geeks.

I was able to date a recent estate sale find to within 10 years or so (1930’s).

Philbert

 

[Bill G]

I am just wondering on dating them as I am hoping at some point to get what might still be left in my great-great grandmothers home. There will not be China *s-word there

 

[WoodAbuser]

Cheddar biscuits.

 

[WoodAbuser]

Cast iron Saturday:


Blueberry muffin bread.

!0 inch chocolate chip cookie.

 

[Wilhelm]

Purpose seasoned (sunflower oil, backed in a wood stove at ~200°C/400°F, two layers) vs. seasoned through usage.





I tried to source beeswax, it took too long though - I didn't want to chance the raw pot to catch rust.

 

[Wilhelm]

This was 1 layer.


The second pot also got extra attention prior to seasoning.

 

[Philbert]

It’s interesting to me that some of your cookware pieces look so different.

We get accustomed to certain brands and styles of pots, etc., available here, and make some parochial assumptions that the same choices are those available everywhere.

Very cool to see other shapes, brands, types, etc.

Philbert

 

[Wilhelm]

It’s interesting to me that some of your cookware pieces look so different.

We get accustomed to certain brands and styles of pots, etc., available here, and make some parochial assumptions that the same choices are those available everywhere.

Very cool to see other shapes, brands, types, etc.

Philbert

Our animals of choice for eating (chicken, rabbit, pork, lamb) are shaped differently than Yours (swamp rats, squirrel, snakes, coon, possum) so our cookware matches them?!

 

[Philbert]

Our animals of choice for eating (chicken, rabbit, pork, lamb) are shaped differently than Yours (swamp rats, squirrel, snakes, coon, possum) so our cookware matches them?!

Are there certain brand names that stand out there (other than Le Creuset and Staub)?

Are the ‘old’ brands that are collected too, like our ‘Wagner’ and ‘Griswold’ brands?

Thanks!

Philbert

 

[Wilhelm]

Are there certain brand names that stand out there (other than Le Creuset and Staub)?

Are the ‘old’ brands that are collected too, like our ‘Wagner’ and ‘Griswold’ brands?

Thanks!

Philbert

I wouldn't really know since I have no interest in cookware other than to cook in them and eat out of them.

All cast iron cookware brought along from Germany when we moved got thrown out years ago by my mom.
Stainless steel and cheap modern enameled thin walled steel cookware in the kitchen.

I fairly recently started messing with outdoor cooking and for that purpose I just get what is affordably available.

 

[greystone mountain man]

Our animals of choice for eating (chicken, rabbit, pork, lamb) are shaped differently than Yours (swamp rats, squirrel, snakes, coon, possum) so our cookware matches them?!

Don't forget gator and crawfish.we was talking about them Saturday at Masterminds gtg. That's some good eating

 

[Wilhelm]

Don't forget gator and crawfish.we was talking about them Saturday at Masterminds gtg. That's some good eating

That's what You get at a GTG whose host won't rent pigs - gaters & crawlfish....

He could at least have talked about turtle soup.

 

[Bill G]

Our animals of choice for eating (chicken, rabbit, pork, lamb) are shaped differently than Yours (swamp rats, squirrel, snakes, coon, possum) so our cookware matches them?!

Hey we are poor here we have to eat whatever we can catch.

I am not Rocky..... I cannot catch a chicken.