Cast Iron Skillet

[irul&ublo]

I like this:



Lodge steel griddle, or if you want to be trendy, plancha. Nice and heavy. I take the grill off my weber gas bbq and place it right on the flavor bars. gets nic and hot fast. does great grilled veggies, meat, fish

[BCMtnHound]

I like this:



Lodge steel griddle, or if you want to be trendy, plancha. Nice and heavy. I take the grill off my weber gas bbq and place it right on the flavor bars. gets nic and hot fast. does great grilled veggies, meat, fish

We have the griddle for our campchef. Summer kitchen and glamping, just love the real estate on that chunk of iron.
Their selection of cast iron skillets, pans and ovens isn't bad either, but I only have experience with the 24" griddle

[jackattack]

We have the griddle for our campchef. Summer kitchen and glamping, just love the real estate on that chunk of iron.
Their selection of cast iron skillets, pans and ovens isn't bad either, but I only have experience with the 24" griddle

I have two of these. $5 each at the local salvation army. Use one daily, the other is in storage.

[MakersTeleMark]

On that note:

[Mr. Mike]

I have two of these. $5 each at the local salvation army. Use one daily, the other is in storage.

you guys put these on stovetop or grill? Just wonder if it conducts well enough (and evenly) when spread across 2 burners on a stove.

[oftpiste]

you guys put these on stovetop or grill? Just wonder if it conducts well enough (and evenly) when spread across 2 burners on a stove.

I had one for a while and gave up on it. It definitely had hot spots under the burners. No surprise. It just didn't do enough of anything different for me than everything else I have. It splattered the top of the stove a lot and was kind of a bitch to clean because of the size and heft.

[BCMtnHound]

you guys put these on stovetop or grill? Just wonder if it conducts well enough (and evenly) when spread across 2 burners on a stove.

It goes on a 3-burner camp stove, covering 2 of the burners. Splatter would be terrible in a non-professional kitchen, but fine in the yard or campsite. Definitely hot spots, depending on how fast and hot you set the burners. A lower flame and a bit more patience for the heat to build certainly helps. Also, spending the extra time to level the camp stove properly makes a big difference in where the grease pools, and the eggs run.

[Mr. Mike]

It goes on a 3-burner camp stove, covering 2 of the burners. Splatter would be terrible in a non-professional kitchen, but fine in the yard or campsite. Definitely hot spots, depending on how fast and hot you set the burners. A lower flame and a bit more patience for the heat to build certainly helps. Also, spending the extra time to level the camp stove properly makes a big difference in where the grease pools, and the eggs run.

I'm going to try it on the grill for brunch.

[gaijin]

Thought you guys might appreciate this. Quarantine indoor recipes. Steak, cilantro, garlic, salt and pink peppercorn.

[El Chupacabra]

We have a couple of cast iron pans, none very old. They're kind of rough textured. Does sanding them down smoother actually help with the non stick?

[BCMtnHound]

Thought you guys might appreciate this. Quarantine indoor recipes. Steak, cilantro, garlic, salt and pink peppercorn.

That looks fan-fuckin-tastic! Was the bed of coals in an indoor fireplace, or...?

Not cast iron related, but the snow receded enough to bring out the weber kettle and charcoal for a few ribeyes and grilled peppers last night It was also outstanding.

[gaijin]

We have a couple of cast iron pans, none very old. They're kind of rough textured. Does sanding them down smoother actually help with the non stick?

I've heard of people sanding them down, but I think that should be reserved for restorations of old pans. Is it loaded with crusty carbon now? In my experience to get rid of caked-on carbon the best thing to do is throw the pan into a fire and just burn it to raw iron again.

The non-stick properties come from the oil bonding to the surface when baked (seasoned) in an oven (and no food.) My pans are more non-stick than those teflon pieces of garbage.

That looks fan-fuckin-tastic! Was the bed of coals in an indoor fireplace, or...?

Not cast iron related, but the snow receded enough to bring out the weber kettle and charcoal for a few ribeyes and grilled peppers last night It was also outstanding.

The bed of cherry coals was in my woodstove in the living room. Behind that bed that you can't see in the back of the stove is a strip of cedar that was soaked in water so it would smoke and not flame.

Ribeyes sound amazing. My wife are both kitchen dorks so we're rotating days for who gets to cook during this quarantine. There are currently six chicken breasts in the fridge all marinating/brining. Half are hers and half are mine. Hmmm...

Anyone have any cheesy/white creamy recipes for chicken breast?

[dunfree]

you guys put these on stovetop or grill? Just wonder if it conducts well enough (and evenly) when spread across 2 burners on a stove.

I’ve used one on a gas stove across two burners to make pancakes.

[El Chupacabra]

The cast iron pans we have aren't crusty, they just haven't been used enough to really get them to the point of good non stickiness. I was thinking that I have time and an angle grinder with a flap disc, so...

[jackattack]

We have a couple of cast iron pans, none very old. They're kind of rough textured. Does sanding them down smoother actually help with the non stick?

absolutely, look it up on youtube. a sander with 80-120 grit will do it. you'll just need to re-season the pan afterwards.

[MakersTeleMark]

Anyone have any cheesy/white creamy recipes for chicken breast?

Butterfly and stuff the breasts with ham and mushrooms. Then top with this:

[Rideski]

[old goat]

What's the deal with enamel lined cast iron dutch ovens? Better non stick than unfinished seasoned cast iron or just fancier looking? Certainly a lot more expensive. I

[BCMtnHound]

What's the deal with enamel lined cast iron dutch ovens? Better non stick than unfinished seasoned cast iron or just fancier looking? Certainly a lot more expensive. I

They are better suited for cooking acid foods like tomato sauces, chilis and such, without eating away either the patina, or the iron itself. Our le creuset stewpots and roasters are used almost as much as the cast iron pans.

[gaijin]

What BC said ^^. Enamels are awesome for tomato-based sauces as well as other soups. I’ve been known to spend several hours slowly boiling down chicken carcasses in ours for a soup base.

We named ours The Orange Bomb.

Also, today was a tag-team with the enamel for the white sauce. Butter, flour, milk, salt, pepper, nutmeg, cheese. Low temp and slow stirring. Add the milk slowly. And add cold milk. Keep fluctuating that temp.



In the skillet is two chicken breasts, fried. Then the sauce was poured on top to cook.

Sauce: onion, carrot, mushrooms, lemon juice, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, all in the blender.

Then simmer. Then cool. After cooling, mix everything in the orange bomb, raise to a simmer, mix, cool, serve.

Enamels are rad. Yes, they are expensive and hard to swallow. But they quickly teach how to cook slow, simmering soups and sauces that just melt into deep flavors.

Supplement that with fast, flavorful cast iron frying and the marriage makes more and more sense.



Served with pasta and topped off with red chili pepper. Spicy. Slight tang. Then muted by cheese. And the mushrooms and onions are creepers anticipating the next bite. Always aim for a transition of flavors.


And clean your tools while they’re hot. And then re-season them for tomorrow.

[gaijin]

Butterfly and stuff the breasts with ham and mushrooms. Then top with this:

That looks rad! I’ll try that broiled pepper prep sometime. I can see that melting together quite nicely.

[Mr. Mike]

I'm going to try it on the grill for brunch.

it worked out.

[Danno]

We have a couple of cast iron pans, none very old. They're kind of rough textured. Does sanding them down smoother actually help with the non stick?

The cast iron pans we have aren't crusty, they just haven't been used enough to really get them to the point of good non stickiness. I was thinking that I have time and an angle grinder with a flap disc, so...

I don't think there's much point to sanding. As I said and (I think dunfree) said also, the rough texture doesn't matter much, what matters is the seasoning you put on them. My rough textured pan is probably the most non-stick I have because of the care I take with it, its use, etc.

If your pan doesn't have a great season, I wouldn't take a grinder to it, I would just get some oil and the oven working. There's lots of info in here, or just read these: https://www.seriouseats.com/2014/11/...cast-iron.html and https://www.seriouseats.com/2010/06/...iron-pans.html

[MakersTeleMark]

What's great about the enamalized dutch crock is that you can put it IN the oven and heat from all directions without a lot of evaporation.

[MarcusBrody]

I don't think there's much point to sanding. As I said and (I think dunfree) said also, the rough texture doesn't matter much, what matters is the seasoning you put on them. My rough textured pan is probably the most non-stick I have because of the care I take with it, its use, etc.

If your pan doesn't have a great season, I wouldn't take a grinder to it, I would just get some oil and the oven working. There's lots of info in here, or just read these: https://www.seriouseats.com/2014/11/...cast-iron.html and https://www.seriouseats.com/2010/06/...iron-pans.html

I sanded my modern Lodge pan. I reseasoned via the serious eats instructions afterwards, so it's hard to tell which thing made the difference, but I think the smoother surface works a bit better. What I really think is improved is ease of cleaning though. When something does get burned on, I find it much easier to clean than before and I can really tell a difference between the smoother bottom and the nubblier sides, which I didn't sand.