I love cast iron

[oldrustycars]

Hi folks, new guy here. Am I the only one who loves cast iron cookware? I have 6 pieces I use all the time. I buy Griswold when I find it, restore and season it, and give it to friends. My 12 inch Lodge skillet, Black Betty, never leaves the stove. She, and my 5 quart Lodge Dutch Oven were in use making a big mess of Southern fried chicken last weekend.
I find it interesting that the cooking shows always push expensive cookware, but people like Alton Brown say if they had only one piece of cookware, it would be a 12 inch cast iron skillet. Lodge 12 inch sells at Farm and Fleet for less than $20 and will last 100 years.
Hope I'm not the only nut.

 

[Katie H]

You're not the only one, rusty. Don't worry. Others will happen along in a little while. I'm sure Uncle Bob will have something to say. Welcome to DC.

 

[Uncle Bob]

Well to DC Rusty.... There are a lot of Cast Iron "Nuts" here....Ahmmm..I'm one of them!!!

 

[jabbur]

I had some old rusty pieces and didn't know what to do with them. Found folks on this forum who taught me how to restore them and now, I use cast iron for most of my cooking. I have a few stainless pieces that I use for saucepans and pasta but just about everything else is cast iron.

 

[Andy M.]

I have a 12" Lodge skillet too. I bought the Lodge Logic version at Wal-Mart for $15. I use it regularly.

 

[getoutamykitchen]

Hi oldrustycars and welcome to DC. I have 2-12" C.I. skillets and a 12" flat C.I. skillet on my stove top right now. I never put them away because I use them everyday. And I even have a ceramic stove top. So far haven't dropped one on there. But if I do then DH will have to buy me a new stove that I will pick out this time.

 

[powerplantop]

I have a few but I don't use them very much anymore. But I do take care of them.

Can't beat castiron for cornbread.....

 

[Loprraine]

Welcome, Rusty! We love cast iron. Picked up a frying pan last week at Goodwill for $5.00. a big 14 by 4 inch deep one. Spent last week seasoning it, and it is a beauty!!!!

 

[Katie H]

Cast iron is great stuff. I have 9 pieces of plain old cast iron and 3 of enamel-coated (Le Creuset). Love them all.

 

[Seajaye]

Cast iron is the best. I have 10 pieces that I use all the time. 3 skillets, 1 fryer, 1 dutch oven and 5 griddles. One of the skillets was my great grandma's, it's over 100 yrs old.

 

[mbasiszta]

I can't remember how I inherited my cast iron pots, pans, griddle and skillets. But I sure love them, too. Some had to be reconditioned and seasoned, but you would never know it to look at them. I use them in the oven, on the stove top and even on my barbecues. Adds it own flavor, they do.

Welcome to DC, Rusty.
Marty

 

[schoolgirl]

Well to DC Rusty.... There are a lot of Cast Iron "Nuts" here....Ahmmm..I'm one of them!!!

Here's another "Nut" also. I have always used cast iron and prefer it to stainless steel skillets anytime.

 

[mbasiszta]

Ok. I admit being a "cast iron nut", too. Which means I am a traditionalist. On the other hand, I use a bread machine A LOT. So what does that make me? a wild card?

 

[Callisto in NC]

Raises hand. I bought all of my pieces at the end of January and they are constantly in use. The only piece I didn't buy is probably 75 years old maybe even closer to 100, an old Griswold dutch oven that my mother got from her mother. I am having issues with it though. Fortunately with the tricks I've learned from the good people here, I'm resolving those issues.

 

[Hoot]

I am firmly in the camp of cast iron. I have several pieces and use them constantly, indoors and out.

 

[jihiggs]

ive got an old cast iron skillet from my father, I followed the instructions written on many websites for seasoning. it was in poor shape with a little rust, and a lot of sticky black crud on it. I baked it at about 450 for 2 hours to carbonize the crud. I scrubbed and scrubbed, using soap, scouring pad, eventualy I used a brass brush on my drill. no matter how much I scrubbed, the water in the pan kept getting dirty, It cleaned up pretty well, most of the crud is gone but the bottom of the pan was mottled black and grey. it had no texture so I proceded with seasoning. I heated it up to dry it and the bottom turned orange like rust color. I wipped it clean as best as i could and rubbed veg oil on it. I then baked it for 1 hour. I took it out of the oven and it got dark but still has a good orange tinge to it. I whiped it with a paper towel and orange came off. do I just need to use it and eventually it will turn black? I dont understand the orange color, if it is rust, how could it happen? it went from me scrubbing it, to drying on the burner and rusted up in seconds right before my eyes. is this normal?

 

[70chevelle]

First - Love CI. I have 3 skillets, 8 inch, 10 inch (both wifes grandmothers) and a newer 12" Lodge. I also have a LeCrueset oval dutch oven that's excellent to use also. The skillets are better than any non-stick pan I've ever owned or used. I've recently jumped into carbon steel pans also. They are excellent also. Season the same way, have the same non-stick abilities, but heat up much quicker and hotter. Great for searing.

jihiggs - are you putting the skillet on the stove wet, or are you towel drying before you oven/stove dry? If you're heating wet bare cast iron, that's why your seeing the rust. If I were you, I would scrub the crud and rust off, dry thoroughly with a towel or 2, and then coat the entire pan with crisco or lard before applying any heat. Once that's done and the pan cools, apply another light coat of oil until you use it. Fry some bacon, french frys, or something that needs or creates a substancial amount of fat to help the seasoning process along. Then you should be good to go. I haven't had to season a CI skillet in years.

 

[jihiggs]

Yes, I just put it right on the burner wet, I didnt think it would matter. I cooked some chicken on it last night, if I wash it with soap and water should I have too hard of a time getting back to bare metal so I can season it again?

 

[Callisto in NC]

Yes, I just put it right on the burner wet, I didnt think it would matter. I cooked some chicken on it last night, if I wash it with soap and water should I have too hard of a time getting back to bare metal so I can season it again?

Most companies don't recommend soap.

 

[mbasiszta]

My grandmother (Portugese) taught me to clean your cast iron by wiping it out with a rag. You then put it in her wood stove (hey, this was a long time ago) and bake it after each use. Those suckers are still non-stick, smooth as a baby's bottom. I, however, bake them in my gas oven.