cast iron

[jdb]

Anyone cook with cast iron? I recently have been trying it and was haveing good success with an 8" griswald skillit, but I left it on a hot burner and burnt all the seasoning off! its been a pain to reseason I also was givin a no name cast iron that was in pretty rough shape so I scoured it out and have been trying to reseason it to almost no avail. any tips? JB

[ICEMAN]

I prefer to season my iron outside on the barbeque. Get it smoking hot with the lid down, open the barbq, pour some olive oil on the iron, wipe it around, wear a mit if you like your hands.., repeat a bunch of times, get it hot, oil, wipe down, get it hot, oil, wipe... Smokes the crap out of the backyard, you will be glad you ditched the house oven idea.

[coonhound]

My wife seasons her's on the camp chief stove outside also...as Iceman stated repeat the process numerous times. 

Coon

[jdb]

thatnx for tips guys JB

[alchemyforge]

I found some cast iron after a group camping trip (no one claimed them, even after emails to the group)... I think they abandoned the pot and pan because of rust.  Anyway, some steel wool and sandpaper to get rid of the rust and then I washed them out.  Then I folded two paper towels into quarters and loaded the pad with olive oil and wiped the pot and the pan.  I used a propane plumber's torch to heat the CI until it didn't look wet anymore (it'll turn kinda dark grey) and then wiped it down with the oily towels until it stopped sizzling.  I repeated this several times. Just like with the BBQ, open fire and oven, all you're trying to do is open the pores in the iron to let the oil soak in and carbonize.

 

[sisu]

WE  have cast iron and stainless steel for camping, home etc. Cast iron out numbers the stainless as it is better to cook with. We also have some special crockery to bake with but  not much as the stuff is expensive and I have a bad habit of breaking anything made breakable.

[JoeVon]

Its all I use.  I keep a  6 inch skillet on the stove for eggs, it does two at a time like a dream, along with two ten inch skillets and one 15 incher for when I bust out a bunch of elk meat.  

Most of my stuff is Lodge.  And most of its from Garage Sales that I've stripped and reseasoned.  When reseasoning I've always had good luck with Crisco.  I just get the oven nice and warm, and stick the piece of cast iron that I'm seasoning in the oven with the cooking surfaces coated in Crisco, let it cook down, and repeat.  I've never had too big of an issue with smoke.  Good Luck

I'd love to hear some tips on baking with Cast Iron.

[Jason]

 I have 4 griswolds 6"-14",I use mine for everything,Venison never tasted so good unless it's cooked in cast iron. when you done cooking with your cast iron just wipe it clean with some paper towels and set it back on the stove over Med heat add some vege oil or what I like to use is bacon grease "bacon grease gives it added flavor" and heat tell its nice and warm,then wipe the excess oil all around the inside with a paper towel and then your good. if you need to use water, wash it out and dry right away with a towel and return it to the stove or oven right away to be re oiled. one of the best places to find good use cast iron pans is the Good Will stores.

[Bean Counter]

I really want to get a cast iron set. I'm a little concerned about rust issues, but otherwise, it is by far the healthiest material you can cook with. Teflon and copper are dangerous, and even stainless steel can be bad depending on what other metals are present. 

Dr. Mercola sells a set that I may invest in.  Check out his website for reasons why you should use cast iron.  http://products.mercola.com/cast-iron-cookware/

[Jason]

I really want to get a cast iron set. I'm a little concerned about rust issues,

the best way to clean A cast iron pan that is rusted really bad is to heat get it tell its hot,I mean glowing red hot, this will bring the cast iron back to an unseasoned state, but all the rust will be gone and any other impureities that may have been on the pan. the best way to get a cast iron pan this hot is fire, like a camp fire or what I used was A propne burner like one used for A turkey deep fryer, heat it tell its red all over, this may take a while, let it cool completely, and then you can start your seasoning prosess.

[Bean Counter]

If it gets to being glowing hot,I take it that all the rust basically becomes flux along with the rest of the pan and it basically gets reformed? 

That easier than sandpaper?

[Jason]

If it gets to being glowing hot,I take it that all the rust basically becomes flux along with the rest of the pan and it basically gets reformed? 

That easier than sandpaper?

your not going to come close to getting the cast hot enough to reform it,but you will come out with A very clean pan, it will smoke like hell when its getting hot.

[sisu]

I really want to get a cast iron set. I'm a little concerned about rust issues, but otherwise, it is by far the healthiest material you can cook with. Teflon and copper are dangerous, and even stainless steel can be bad depending on what other metals are present. 

Dr. Mercola sells a set that I may invest in.  Check out his website for reasons why you should use cast iron.  http://products.mercola.com/cast-iron-cookware/

Screw the high cost of buying new. Go to garage sales, Good Will, Salvation Army, etc. I get some very expensive German and Swiss knives for the kitchen from these areas also at great prices.

[boneaddict]

Saw fresh trout being cooked in a Dutch oventhe other day on Smokin Joes on TV, and man did that look good.  I was thinking seriously about pursueing it.  I haven't used one since boyscouts

[alchemyforge]

If it gets to being glowing hot,I take it that all the rust basically becomes flux along with the rest of the pan and it basically gets reformed? 

That easier than sandpaper?

The red rust is Fe2O3 and when heated to a particular temperature that molecule can pick up an extra oxygen and another iron, making Fe3O4 - black rust or mill scale.  Since it's usually not more than a surface rust on cast iron the scale usually looks like a fine powder so it's usually not noticed.

As for heating being easier than sandpaper, it would depend on how rusted the item is.  If it's rusted all over or appears to have some depth to the rusting, then heat is probably the way to go, to make sure you got it all.  For small areas I'd go with sandpaper using food-grade oil as my lubricant.

 

[boneaddict]

a guy can learn alot on here.  If I pick up a set, I know who to ask for help.

[WDFW-SUX]

I use a cast iron skillet for corn bread, Fillet, New yorks, backstraps, Tenderloins works awsome!

[boneaddict]

I have the skillets, though never used them, they were given to me.  I might just have to play with them a bit. 

[WDFW-SUX]

Just get them smoking hot put some butter in. Next season your steak and place in pan.  Sear the bottom to desired level then flip over and place in 350 degree over until done.  I like to Finnish with blue cheese on top and melt in the oven.

Other good toppings are crab, bacon, hollandaise, spinach etc.

Cast iron works great for scallops and fried chicken too.

[ICEMAN]

Bone, cast is awesome in the kitchen. Funny, people buy these top end non stick pans and then cry three years later when they start sticking, after the non stick stuff has faded into their food over the past three years or they touched a metal object to them and scratched the finish off............ others buy the top end stainless stuff, and crap sticks to them every time, they go grab their non stick stuff..... All expensive, all dont work real well, (they also do not hold a temp worth a crap, but they look nice. ) Cast Iron on the other hand can look sort of crunky....but works great. I really like the look a heavily used cast iron pan takes on once it gets almost glassy on the cooking surface....

[wadu1]

JBD,
I use it all the time and as said in another thread any rusty ones put them in a fire or heat them until they glow and then start over. I have about 45 different types and styles of cast iron I mostly use a 8", 12" frying pans a then 10" and a 14" dutch oven and one 10" flat bottom bean pot. To keep them from going sour on you make sure you have an air gap and wipe them with a mixture of vinegar and water (25v -1h2o)this will reduce the odor. If you still have the odor after storage wipe them down with the same mixture. I keep a spray bottle in my hunting gear and one on the kitchen counter to wipe down my butcher block prior to each use. This recipe has been used to counter bacteria since the Civil War and works great. I will also cut the blood from your hands after cleaning game.

[Huntbear]

I love cooking with cast iron.  Love my cast iron dutch oven too... makes great peach cobbler 

[rasbo]

me too nuttin better,we buried a dutch oven with a deer roast in one morning while hunting in Idaho,I came back to camp and one of the guys had a raging fire going in the pit.I asked if he pulled the roast out? we scrambled to put out the fire,total loss looked like a coconut

[bearslayer]

One of the things we do in camp for baking bread is using two large fry pans, one over the other. This makes a makeshift oven if you are trying to save space in your camp kitchen. With two pans I can cook for a large  crew of hungry hunters!

[robodad]

OK I know this is an old thread but I didn't want to start another one to ask a simple question.

Is it ok to use cooking sprays in your cast iron ?? (i.e. Pam, or store brand etc...)

[NRA4LIFE]

Robo,

Perfectly OK.  Make sure you heat the pan up first though.

[littlebuf]

bacon grease is how i season my cast iron, over charcoal

[NRA4LIFE]

I have been an advocate of cast iron for a very long time, especially for game meat. I always wondered growing up why the steaks and burgers tasted so much better at the deer shack back in WI.  Cast Iron, that's why.  The best game burger you'll ever taste is to cook them in a little oil, salt, pepper and Lawry's in a cast iron skillet along with a huge pile of thick sliced big yellow onions.  YUM

[spin05]

I use a dutch oven from time to time and also season with crisco...........

[littlebuf]

i just pulled out some venison t bones because of this thread  cast iron is the only way to cook

[Bama76]

Even though I'm late also, let me chime-in since I love Cast Iron.  If you can wait or don't have time to go camping or nowhere to build a fire. Soak the cast in a tub of white vinegar in your garage and it will remove all rust etc.  It does take some time though. The fast track is to buy some phosphoric acid at the Hardware store, perfectly safe, it's in all sodas and won't kill you or blind you like muriatic acid.  Be warned that phosphoric acid smells horrible when it reacts with iron.  I think you can add a current by dropping leads from a car battery and it will make the process go even faster, though I've never tried the eloctrolysis method mysellf

[AL WORRELLS KID]

I have about 45 different types and styles of cast iron I mostly use a 8", 12" frying pans a then 10" and a 14" dutch oven and one 10" flat bottom bean pot. To keep them from going sour on you make sure you have an air gap and wipe them with a mixture of vinegar and water (25v -1h2o)this will reduce the odor. If you still have the odor after storage wipe them down with the same mixture. I keep a spray bottle in my hunting gear and one on the kitchen counter to wipe down my butcher block prior to each use. This recipe has been used to counter bacteria since the Civil War and works great. I will also cut the blood from your hands after cleaning game.

My Grandma was a true believer in her Apple Cider Vinegar, for "All that Ails you".....(from sore throats to killing Dandelions out on the front lawn.)

Grumpy, If I am understanding you right, before storing your Cast Iron away, you Spray it with your "Vinegar/ Water Solution?" 
It sounds like a good idea, but I wanted to make sure I heard you right so I don't cause everything to rust up before I use them again.
Doug

[wadu1]

You can, use the mixture when the oil/grease smells rancid. Always store dry. I use a 50-50 mix on everything. This post has been around a long time, like us 

[AL WORRELLS KID]

Grumpy, Thanks for the Tip on using your Vinegar soak to keep our Cast Iron smelling sweet. I'll make sure to dry it off good before putting it away.
This Thread is an Oldie but still a Goodie.
 I understand that soaking your feet in Vinegar can make them Smell better.
 So if you have a Big Cast Iron Pot to clean up, perhaps one could kill two birds with one stone by doing both at the same time (so as not to waste all that Vinegar Solution!) 
Doug
 

[Evil_EdwardO]