Cast Iron Cooking

[Charlie Two Tracks]

My mom used to cook on cast iron all the time when I was growing up. I left home for the Army in 69 and that was the last of cast iron cooking until recently. I can't believe what I have been missing all these years. Food tastes so much better when cooked in cast iron. Eggs are incredible compared to a teflon pan. Simple things like a toasted cheese sandwich are a new treat. I only have three skillets right now but will soon have more. One of the skillets I bought at a yard sale was rusted a bit so I put it in the covered grill and set the heat on high for a couple of hours. When I take it out, the #6 skillet turned out to be a Griswald. I seasoned it and it sure cooks great. If you ever gave up on cast iron cooking, I would recommend giving it a try again. Dutch oven cooking is good but so is the regular old skillet.

[Zymurgy50]

When I go to put anything in the oven first I have to move about 80# of cast iron out, then turn the oven on. a 14" skillet, 4 10", a deep 10", and 2 egg skillets.

[phonejack]

Best way to go !

[MtGun44]

Never got away from it. Picked up my Mom's really old skillets after my Dad passed. Even better than
ours.
Superior cooking tools.

Bill

[s mac]

I too own several, one of my favorite is a pot, maybe 6 quart with a lid. I can use it in the oven, outside in the smoker, even on top of the woodstove with a nice deer roast in it umm good.

[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

I have stock pots and sauce pans made of stainless steel , everything else is cast Iron skillets in 15 , 14 , 12 , 10 , a few 8's all with lids , dutch ovens of several sizes , a cast iron pizza pan

I have restored several old pieces, if it every gets messed up you just build a good fire in the wood stove when you have a good stove full of coals set the pan in upside down , take it out the next morning when it has cooled , all the stuck on anything will be burnt off , wash it with water , heat and oil right away , then fry something to re-season it .

you just can't wear it out


my mom asked me the other day about if there was a way to put Teflon back on a frying pan , cause it seemed a waste to trash a pan every 5 or 6 years , I told her to toss that Teflon in the garbage where it belongs and get a cast iron , it will outlast the grand kids

[Firebricker]

Cast iron is just about all I use always have but I will confess one sin in kitchen. And that is I will use non stick for scrambled eggs or omelette I know the horror that statement will cause some lol. FB

[w5pv]

We have some that has some pretty good age on them,that has been used daily for for the last 50 years or so the wife and I have been married.Some we acquired on our own and some belonged to our mothers and grand mothers.Still better than any of the Stainless wear we have.

[Duckiller]

Sons are getting into cast iron cookware. They found out that new cast iron ware is not polished smooth. Older cast iron was polished flat and smooth. This sealed it and let it age better. They have bought current Lodge cast iron and polished it smooth. Ages better and doesn't stick.

[Iowa Fox]

Cast iron for us here also, can't beat it. Like I keep telling my wife and kids- The old timers really had things figured out.

[lancem]

Count me in, got mom's old stuff years ago, and scored a big buy off of craigs list a couple of years ago. Woman was collecting then decided she was tired of moving that heavy stuff :) Kept all the Griswald for myself and passed all the other good oldies to my sons. Firebricker you need to move those eggs over to cast!!! My Griswald griddle is so darn slick I have to chase the eggs around when I'm trying to flip the over easys!

One thing I've gotten hooked on is the spray oil, give it a try if you haven't. Doesn't take much and everything seems to cook so much easier than anything I've used before.

[StratsMan]

They have bought current Lodge cast iron and polished it smooth. Ages better and doesn't stick.

Duckiller, how did your sons polish those Lodge pans to be smooth?? I'd like to smooth out a couple of mine....

[jakec]

Sons are getting into cast iron cookware. They found out that new cast iron ware is not polished smooth. Older cast iron was polished flat and smooth. This sealed it and let it age better. They have bought current Lodge cast iron and polished it smooth. Ages better and doesn't stick.
what did yall polish it with? i love cast iron but all mine is only 5 or 6 years old. it gets used a lot so its seasoned pretty good but id like to try smoothing some out.

[gkainz]

Duckiller, how did your sons polish those Lodge pans to be smooth?? I'd like to smooth out a couple of mine....
ditto ... x2 here?

[Blacksmith]

I have a cast iron pan dedicated to eggs only and that seem to work best for me. Do a search on the site for cast Iron pans and you will find several good big threads it is very popular on Cast Boolits.

[s mac]

I haven't had to polish mine but I would use 80, 180 grit sandpaper on a power sander, ie die grinder, orbital body sander. I'm an old body man.

[StratsMan]

I have a cast iron pan dedicated to eggs only and that seem to work best for me.

Me too... I have an old 4 inch pan that cleaned up real nice, was well seasoned, and has since only fried eggs... Low and slow... I don't need a spatula to flip or slide out of the pan... and it's a smooooooooth bottom... I'd like to convert a couple of new pans to that smooth finish, too.... I've thought about just sanding off the high spots and re-seasoning, but if somebody else has a tried-n-true method then I'll be farther ahead of the game.

[Charlie Two Tracks]

my old Griswald has some severe pitting on one part of the frying surface and it does not matter at all. Those eggs slide all over the place when you turn them. I thought the pits would be a problem but they are not.

[fivegunner]

have been using them all my life and yes they are getting heavy. you got to hear this ,I work for a city and they have alot of garbage trucks, I made friends with the men that drive them. I ask if they ever found any cast Iron pot`s and pans , the next thing that happened was my pickup got filled with all kinds of cast Iron pot`s and pans and dutch ovens . they told me that this happens every day and the people would put whole set`s of skilets on top of the trash bags (they just wanted to get rid of that old junk) I have more than I`ll ever use so I`ll keep some nice ones and sell the rest.:Fire:

[uscra112]

I haven't had to polish mine but I would use 80, 180 grit sandpaper on a power sander, ie die grinder, orbital body sander. I'm an old body man.

I prefer young ones, but I'm so old and slow that I can't catch 'em anymore. :groner:

[Boyscout]

I read that smooth cast iron was to be avoided. The rough surface helps the seasoning (carbon) adhere to the skillet better. I have always left mine rough. We have started using the skillets to bake dishes in and serve them at the table right out of the skillet. The handle gets in the way but it looks really good. I always use cast iron when I want a good sear or browned bits to use in gravy or sauces.

[gbrown]

At the house, I have a Griswold 10 (Mom's), a Wagner 10, ours, a Lodge 8 (got it off the curb), a 5, and a Wagner 10 Griddle. Plus a 4 qt Griswold Chicken Fryer and a Martin Stove & Range #10 pot--either 6 or 8 quart, can't remember. The Griddle was $0.50 at a garage sale. (Lady said it wouldn't season correctly, that was 20 years ago--how many pancakes and quesadillas have we made on that?) The 5, 8, and Martin were reclaim jobs that were going to the dump or scrap yard. All rusty and messed up, took a lot of elbow grease (do what ya gotta do) to restore. At storage, I have all number of pots, skillets and dutch ovens, ready to use. Do I love cast iron or what? There is no favorite, all have purpose. The 5--quick fried "hard" egg for a breakfast sandwich of Toast, ham, cheese and egg. 8?--Small batch of cornbread. 10s? Chili, spaghetti sauce, smothered cabbage or greens, etc. Chicken fryer--also works for stews/soups. Martin--how about a pot roast or, maybe I want to render out some tallow. Learn to season/clean them and it is better than Teflon. Scrambled eggs? Cooking and cleaning is like falling off a log.

[s mac]

They also make a fine lead pot.

[Le Loup Solitaire]

Griswold and Wagner were the major manufacturers of cast iron in the USA from before 1900 to around 1960. They produced huge and countless numbers of cookware/bakeware items and other utensils and their wares are considered highly collectable. Many items are rare and values for some of them run into the $thousands. Other foundries existed and also produced high quality cookware items, but nothing on the scale of G and W. You can check E-Bay which runs auctions on both with hundreds of items daily. With rare items the bidding gets crazy, but many of the more common items are usually reasonable. Many book sources are available usually in antique shops which provide information and pictures on what is what, with "pattern numbers" and often values as well. The only remaining cast iron manufacturer in the USA today is Lodge and they produce many good items, but as already mentioned it is not "polished cookware. It is not as smooth as the old stuff, but it can be effectively seasoned or users can smooth it with fine grit abrasives applied to the cooking surface. Cast iron has always been a source of iron nutritionally, especially the skillets and the dutch ovens. Of course some of it can be used to produce ingots when smelting, but I (as a collector of CI) encourage owners/users to look and read the markings on the back of any piece and check on what you have as it may be worth more than you paid or think. Even a piece, if crudded up or used for smelting; can be safely cleaned by several methods that make it safe and usable again. CI doesn't wear out and generations have been using it to cook and bake super good chow. None of the previous posts have mentioned CI waffle-irons made by both C & W. There were many models and when you get the knack of using them well, you'll never use an electric waffle iron again. Anyway get yourself a CI piece or two and enjoy some good cooking. LLS

[MaryB]

Cast got to heavy for my torn up shoulders, but I did keep my Lodge ceramic coated dutch oven. My favorite soup and stew pot.

[Duckiller]

Will ask sons tomorrow (12/18) how they polish their pans and post.

[DRNurse1]

Grandma passed in 1994, cooking in her kitchen with the last cast iron pan she could lift, a 6 inch fry pan. It is still in the family, still in use, as is the rest of her cast iron. Now that we have lots of similar pieces, it is neat to compare different manufacturers and to rotate the pans so we do not 'wear them out,' although it sounds like we may never do that.

[RED333]

We have so many pots and pans of cast I lost count.
Even have the 2 of old waffle makers, ya have to flip them on the stove.

[Charlie Two Tracks]

I didn't know about the waffle irons. I will have to keep an eye open for one of those.

[toddrod]

what did yall polish it with? i love cast iron but all mine is only 5 or 6 years old. it gets used a lot so its seasoned pretty good but id like to try smoothing some out.

I used a sanding disk on my 4 inch grinder.

[toddrod]

My 10 galloon jambalaya pot is the best cooking pot I have followed by my 16 qt Dutch oven

[KCSO]

Deep fat fried chicken cooked in home rendered lard over an open fire in cast iron last night, a real old fashioed treat. Been using cast iron all my life and will never change.

[sbeatty1983]

I love my cast iron skillet. Mom gave it to me for Christmas a few years ago. My wife only likes the Teflon stuff and doesn't know how to care for Cast iron. A couple years ago she used it for gravy then stuck it in the dish washer. The skillet came out nearly in the white. After a good scolding and several seasonings with bacon grease its back cooking great food

[jakec]

I used a sanding disk on my 4 inch grinder.

thank you sir. i know what ill be doing tonight.

[762 shooter]

Check this out. works like a champ. Brought several back from the dead with this method.

http://www.wag-society.org/Electrolysis/electros.php

Then this.

http://www.wag-society.org/Electrolysis/seasoning.php

762

[Iowa Fox]

After you have been cooking with them regular how are you guys washing them up to keep them clean? We use a gentle washing of hot soapy water as that's the way my mom and grandmother did it.

[Zymurgy50]

Scrub it up in the soapy water, rinse well, then put it back on a burner to heat it up and dry it. a coating of oil and store it in the oven.

[Charlie Two Tracks]

No soap ever. wash with warm water when skillet is not reall hot. Return to the heat source and warm the skillet till all the water is for sure gone, wipe with some bacon grease or vegetable oil and put away until next time.

[Duckiller]

The Lowry Boys method of polishing cast iron skillets. First thing is to remove all wax and seasoning manufacturer put on pan. Same method if pan has been used. Get liquid oven cleaner and pour into pan. Heat up per instructions for oven cleaner. This is to remove everything but iron from the pan. Next starting with 40-60 grit sandpaper and an angle grinder start polishing working your way up to a 200+ grit sandpaper. Clean out grit and season pan. #1 son states eggs slide out of the pan. Good cooking to all.

[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

No soap ever. wash with warm water when skillet is not reall hot. Return to the heat source and warm the skillet till all the water is for sure gone, wipe with some bacon grease or vegetable oil and put away until next time.

what he said


if you can't cook an egg decent with a new lodge , fry somthing , then fry something else and quit washing the pan then it fry eggs


i thought about sanding one smooth many times , but if you burn off an old wagner you will find it really isn't that smooth , the smooth comes from being well used


hot water and a stiff brush only


this may turn some people off but there are plenty of times when i fried some bacon I just set the pan in the oven , when i need it again that night I pull it out , heat it up and do vegetables or other things , why waste that good grease , I do the same if I cook burgers for lunch and we are having something else I will be cooking in the same skillet that night or even the next day , oil brought back up to 350 degrees before use isn't going to hurt anything

as for a dedicated egg pan , that's not a bad Idea if you do eggs regular I will get on an egg kick and have some for breakfast and lunch some days , I just turn the flame off and let the pan sit on the burner , when i am ready for eggs again fire it back up while i go get the eggs from the fridge , then crack them and let them sizzle once you have a pan cooking eggs real nice i can see not wanting to mess with it just wipe it out with a paper towel and put it away

but once you get a really good season , it won't matter you can be back to frying eggs in a few minutes with a bit of olive oil , lard or beef fat

[Artful]

For egg's it nice to have a seasoned Fajita pan
http://www.agrisupply.com/images/xl/64483.jpg

[Charlie Two Tracks]

Late yesterday afternoon I bought a 12" Lodge skillet. I brought it home and washed it with warm water. I dried it out and fried up 1/2 lb of bacon and then four eggs. I wiped it out and put it under the stove. Today I cooked up a batch of cornbread in it. Once I was done, I took a fork and carefully lifted around the edges of the cornbread. I came out in one piece and just slid out. This new skillet works just great!

[Wag]

The wiff and I started using CI about a year ago and have never looked back. Once properly seasoned and then properly cared for (no soap, ever), there is no better cooking available. Eggs slide around like they are in a skating rink.

(A word about eggs, don't keep them in the fridge. Seriously. They fry up MUCH better if you get them to room temperature before cracking them into the pan. At the very least, take them out the night before.)

Grandma never took her big skillet off the stove. Once in a while, she'd cook a pound of bacon, then as many fried eggs as we all wanted (without draining any of the bacon fat, of course!) Then she just shut it off and used it all week. When the bacon grease was about gone (in us, of course!) she'd do up another pound of bacon to keep it going!

We still have a few pieces to buy, yet, but we'll get to it, soon enough.

--Wag--

[RED333]

I didn't know about the waffle irons. I will have to keep an eye open for one of those.
O they are out there, just hard to find and a bit pricey.
http://i896.photobucket.com/albums/ac165/redintn/cast%20iron/DSCF0337_zps443ee7f0.jpg (http://s896.photobucket.com/user/redintn/media/cast%20iron/DSCF0337_zps443ee7f0.jpg.html)
Left is a new one, I have not had time to work it up.
The Middle is a Wagner, right a Griswald.
http://i896.photobucket.com/albums/ac165/redintn/cast%20iron/DSCF0336_zpsdc7e9138.jpg (http://s896.photobucket.com/user/redintn/media/cast%20iron/DSCF0336_zpsdc7e9138.jpg.html)
and the rest of what is made ready to cook.
http://i896.photobucket.com/albums/ac165/redintn/cast%20iron/DSCF0329_zpse0c7a988.jpg (http://s896.photobucket.com/user/redintn/media/cast%20iron/DSCF0329_zpse0c7a988.jpg.html)
http://i896.photobucket.com/albums/ac165/redintn/cast%20iron/DSCF0330_zps5acb434d.jpg (http://s896.photobucket.com/user/redintn/media/cast%20iron/DSCF0330_zps5acb434d.jpg.html)
http://i896.photobucket.com/albums/ac165/redintn/cast%20iron/DSCF0332_zps6182d2d8.jpg (http://s896.photobucket.com/user/redintn/media/cast%20iron/DSCF0332_zps6182d2d8.jpg.html)
http://i896.photobucket.com/albums/ac165/redintn/cast%20iron/DSCF0334_zpse10f9d87.jpg (http://s896.photobucket.com/user/redintn/media/cast%20iron/DSCF0334_zpse10f9d87.jpg.html)
http://i896.photobucket.com/albums/ac165/redintn/cast%20iron/9615ff2c-c486-4c1b-98c9-0b30bf1b414b_zpsa1401b22.jpg (http://s896.photobucket.com/user/redintn/media/cast%20iron/9615ff2c-c486-4c1b-98c9-0b30bf1b414b_zpsa1401b22.jpg.html)
http://i896.photobucket.com/albums/ac165/redintn/cast%20iron/DSCF0339_zps8b3d3d14.jpg (http://s896.photobucket.com/user/redintn/media/cast%20iron/DSCF0339_zps8b3d3d14.jpg.html)
http://i896.photobucket.com/albums/ac165/redintn/cast%20iron/DSCF0338_zps2d853897.jpg (http://s896.photobucket.com/user/redintn/media/cast%20iron/DSCF0338_zps2d853897.jpg.html)

[RED333]

That is just a bit over half that we have.
Wife finds them at yard sales, we have been getting them for over 20 years.

[B R Shooter]

I bought a new Lodge flat skillet. It has a rough surface that is a pain to use. I have tried cleaning, then bacon grease, the oven seasoning, you name it. You fry bacon and it sticks all the time, takes 5 minutes of heavy duty scrapping to clean off the surface. And eggs? Forget it. I think this would be a candidate for a sanding then polishing.

[Charlie Two Tracks]

That is VERY, VERY impressive RED333! I've never seen that much in one place before. Good Job.

[Boyscout]

To clean I use a small nylon scraper to get out the heavy stuff, heat the skillets up with water in them, and gently brush them out, rinse, dry on the stove, reapply oil while over heat. I then do a light coat of vegetable oil before putting them away. NO SOAP.

[TheGrimReaper]

have been using them all my life and yes they are getting heavy. you got to hear this ,I work for a city and they have alot of garbage trucks, I made friends with the men that drive them. I ask if they ever found any cast Iron pot`s and pans , the next thing that happened was my pickup got filled with all kinds of cast Iron pot`s and pans and dutch ovens . they told me that this happens every day and the people would put whole set`s of skilets on top of the trash bags (they just wanted to get rid of that old junk) I have more than I`ll ever use so I`ll keep some nice ones and sell the rest.:Fire:

Now that is pretty cool!

[45 2.1]

i thought about sanding one smooth many times , but if you burn off an old wagner you will find it really isn't that smooth , the smooth comes from being well used

The smooth comes from the nickel content in the iron................ Try a Griswold sometime and you'll see.

[MaryB]

I have to find a waffle iron, my favorite breakfast food. I make batches and freeze them. Pop back into a heated waffle iron to recrisp

[Ford SD]

For egg's it nice to have a seasoned Fajita pan
http://www.agrisupply.com/images/xl/64483.jpg

Looks like My Pancake Pan (or close) only time it see's soap is when the blue berries come out to go on top of the pancakes

On the newer pans I have used a 4 inch angle grinder with a sanding disk

[sbeatty1983]

I've seen some waffle irons on eBay. I'm also tempted to get one. One of them was an old griswold that made heart shaped waffles. My little girl would love those lol

[Le Loup Solitaire]

Griswold made waffle irons in sizes 6 (small,rare and very pricey) 7 somewhat larger, 8 (standard size), and 9 (large). Essentially two models- low version for wood, coal or electric stoves and the "high base"for use on gas stoves (to minimize gas cutting). All models work well interchangeably Shapes were mostly round pattern, but there are also square models and heart shaped ones as well. The heart models were known as "the heart and stars" with the heart part of the waffle being in the center. Handles varied from wood to "Alaskan Style"-coiled wire that were chrome plated. Like many other things it took/takes a bit of practice to get things going right. Once the iron was up to the right temperature range, you opened the iron and depending on the iron's size you poured a cup of batter in the center and closed the iron. The batter then spreads to the edges. After a short interval (or how well done you wanted the waffle, you picked up both handles and rotated the entire iron in the (ball) socket and lowered it in place to cook the other side of the waffle. The whole apparatus ha(s)d a drip pan around the outside to catch any squeeze out especially if you put in too much batter to start with. With a little butter, the family dog will love to get the "mistakes". WI's when properly seasoned shouldn't stick, but to make it easier many folks use a variety of things; veggie oil, lard, anti-stick sprays, etc. Your choice. Be generous with the butter and maple syrup. Waffles may be frozen for later use. Markings and pattern numbers vary with the models and manufacture periods. One model makes octagonal waffles. The units are cleaned the same way as other cast iron; they do not wear out and last a long time, usually becoming family heirlooms to be passed on. WI's were also made by Wagner and they do a good job too. Internal "teeth"patterns are slightly different, but the waffles taste the same. If you check with E-bay, there are always a few units kicking around in their auctions, but be sure that what you choose comes with the ring or base part. if you buy in an antique shop...test the parts by hitting them with your key ring. You should hear a "clear ring" which indicates that there are no cracks hidden somewhere. Enjoy. LLS

[WILCO]

Cast iron here too. Nothing like well seasoned cast iron cookware.

Same here on both counts.

[WILCO]

That is VERY, VERY impressive RED333! I've never seen that much in one place before. Good Job.

Ditto for me!!

[RED333]

Thanks guys, bout the only down side of cast is the weight, my wife has
a hard time with the big ones. So I get to help.
We have enough to give away to family, when they ask.

[Junior1942]

I smooth my new cast iron with plain ol' emery cloth and elbow grease. If it has little "tits" sticking up, a quick pass with a Dremel stone, and they're gone--make that a quick, careful pass...

[hoosierlogger]

I love cast iron. I am getting the wife used to it. She likes it because of the simplicity of cleaning, but is not completely convinced of the the hygenics of it. We have recently bought a good collection of 6 skillets ranging from 6" to 14", a 12" fajita pan, a double sided griddle, a 16 qt Dutch oven, a 9" square ribbed pan, and a couple bacon presses. All for a song. A $75 song, I'd pay that every day. We have previously owned a 14" deep skillet, 12 qt Dutch oven, a french wafer iron (cast aluminum), ear corn corn bread pan, aebleskiver pan, and about 5 6" skillets for corn bread.

We have been using 10" skillets to bake deep dish pizza in. It is delicious and like nothing you can buy outside of Chicago.

[TXGunNut]

Nothing cooks like old cast iron but the Lodge stuff comes pretty close. For cleaning newly acquired or well-used CI I put them in my electric oven and let the cleaning function burn off all the old grease and stuff. Then I reseaon it and it's good to go for years. I keep two pans on the stove and a stack on the counter nearby. I use a modern non-stick pan now and then but avoid the Teflon.

[Springfield]

I have a Wagner waffle iron but am missing the ring that goes with it, makes it difficult to use. I am going to have to make my own one of these days. I keep 2 CI frying pans on the stove all the time, one for eggs and a larger square pan for bacon, that way they are done at the same time. I have a CI muffin pan I bought at a garage sale, still have to clean and season that one and make some corn bread muffins, my kids love them.

[OBIII]

Someone already stole my suggestion about deep dish pizza. But in warmer weather it really shines to cook the pizza on the grill 5-8 minutes (have the pan almost hot before adding the dough). Use 1/2 the dough for a thin pizza. For stubborn stickies, like fried hash browns, while the pan is still hot add a small amount of seltzer water (soda water), and it will scrape right off. And as to the large collections of pans some have, why is it that the one you want to use is always at the back or on the bottom? :)
OB