Cast Iron Cooking

Discuss any tip/tricks/recipes for the best cooking device ever created.

 

Oh hell yeah

 

i like cast iron for some stuff (fish/i bake cornbread in one) but i still prefer grilling/baking/pan frying to cast iron stuff. it seems a little “fad”-y to me.

 

not sure I'd call something that's been around for a few hundred years a "fad"

cast iron is great for certain things. I need to fix the seasoning on my pan, though. A few spots feel a bit sticky

 

My cast iron looks so sad and I can't manage to keep the seasoning on it. I always try to wash it right away and not use anything stripping on it but I can also be kinda lazy and re-seasoning after cooking may not always happen.

 

I love cooking with cast iron. Sometime it feels like cheating haha. Grapeseed oil is my go to for searing and seasoning. For general cleaning I used course salt and a scrub sponge.

 

I wish I could get used to cooking with cast iron. May be something I start practicing more. Definitely works good for searing a nice piece of meat and then finishing it in the oven, but that's about all I can successfully do with one.

 

how are you cleaning it exactly?

 

Sort of related, this Lodge enameled cast iron dutch oven is a solid investment:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000N4WN08/?tag=absolutepunk-20

 

I've purchased two lodge enameled cast iron dutch ovens and neither have lasted more than a year. I'm taking all of the precautions to maintain them. I think I'm buying a Le Crueset soon. I don't know what to do differently. Never use metal on them and I always hand wash.

 

Absolutely love my Le Crueset dutch oven. I've had it for about 6 years, and other than the label sticker coming off it still looks almost brand new. Check the outlet stores, they have 40% off sales all the time to make the price much more manageable

 

I'm shocked to hear that. I have two myself that I use at least once a week and they are as good as the day I got them, which now is over 3 years ago.

 

I wish I knew what was going on with them! I love their colors and they are so great at first, but my current one is worn so badly now that I am scared to use it.

 

So anyone suffering with cast iron on the electric stove top? I do and it sucks.

 

I did this for a few years. Electric stoves are the worst, but cast iron retains the heat so well that I think it's the best pan to use on an electric stove.

 

Me. If I’m using the oven I’ll throw it in there to bring up its temp before using it on the stove top. Helps a lot.

 

i need one of these. @Ken what rig do you have?

 

which cast iron pan do I have?
Lodge Cast Iron Skillet

 

Holy that is affordable. I'm buying this asap.

 

I can't remember if I have the 10.25 or the 12, but that's your call anyway.

 

The 10 is like $15. More than worth the price

 

The enamel Dutch ovens may look nice but they’re not made for high heat cooking (such as sourdough baking). Better off just investing in a good heavy duty cast iron one and dealing with the hassle of cleaning/seasoning.

 

I cook in my 10” Lodge for 90% of my cooking. most of that is brunchish meals on my days off, but the seasoning in that thing is coming along beautifully.

 

Kosher salt and water, can you use a scrubber on it or does that strip the seasoning?

 

you can use the scrubber side of a sponge. you can use mild soap if you need to also