Cooking in cast iron

I love the older pans I have, but if you are just getting started you cannot go wrong with lodge. Several years ago I wanted a 12” skillet and did not want to pay the premium for a fancy brand. I picked up a Lodge and use this pan nearly every day. It is smooth and shiny because I have built up the layer of seasoning.
I wash with mild soap and warm water every time i use it , pat it dry, put in stove to dry it warm it up, once its been in there a few mins and all moisture is gone - Turn off the oven and wipe it down with some type of oil , and put back in the oven. Sometimes if I am in a hurry I spray it with Pam
 
Just picked up an Amazon Basics pan (already have a Lodge) to try out and compare with the Lodge.

For the avocado oil guys, what temp are you seasoning at? With a 500° flash point, are you supposed to get it to say 515° or so? I've been doing 450° so far.
 
Well..... I broke down and bought a 15" Lodge Skillet and made a Pizza........ whoa that was great!!

Turned around and bought a Lodge 5 quart dutch oven this morning...... Chicken Alfredo tonight!
 
BowWow said:
Well..... I broke down and bought a 15" Lodge Skillet and made a Pizza........ whoa that was great!!

Turned around and bought a Lodge 5 quart dutch oven this morning...... Chicken Alfredo tonight!
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Man that 15 incher is a big heavy boy but I expect it to be.

I bought a 15" Lodge skillet a couple weeks ago and just put it through 2 oven seasonings this afternoon. I did take some 100 grit sandpaper and gave it a really good rubdown on the inside to slicken it up more prior to seasoning.

Cooling down now in the oven. Might hit it twice more tomorrow evening.
 
Some of you cast iron diehards should try carbon steel sometime. While I love and regularly use my cast iron, a couple of good carbon steel pans really upped some of my cooking game.
 
9mmkungfu said:
Just picked up an Amazon Basics pan (already have a Lodge) to try out and compare with the Lodge.

For the avocado oil guys, what temp are you seasoning at? With a 500° flash point, are you supposed to get it to say 515° or so? I've been doing 450° so far.
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I always season at 425 or 450.
 
Cucamelsmd15 said:
Some of you cast iron diehards should try carbon steel sometime. While I love and regularly use my cast iron, a couple of good carbon steel pans really upped some of my cooking game.
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I have one carbon steel pan and I will not buy another until I have a gas stove.

I spent much more on a premium steel pan, seasoned it well and then cooked on it. The pan warped on the electric range.

Read later that it is common with steel pans. Gas only.

I still like the pan and it is the slickest thing I’ve ever cooked on. But it spins now if I don’t hold the handle. Lol.
 
Chdamn said:
I have one carbon steel pan and I will not buy another until I have a gas stove.

I spent much more on a premium steel pan, seasoned it well and then cooked on it. The pan warped on the electric range.

Read later that it is common with steel pans. Gas only.

I still like the pan and it is the slickest thing I’ve ever cooked on. But it spins now if I don’t hold the handle. Lol.
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Interesting. I didn't know this was even a thing until now. Both of mine are going strong, but I generally never heat them over a med/high heat either.

I'd kill for a gas cooktop though. Sadly, wasn't in the cards when we did kitchen appliance replacement a few years ago.
 
I have a small collection of Sidney -O- cast iron and love them. Besides skillets, I have a waffle-maker, a bundt pan and other items. Griswald is also excellent, and I have a couple of older "three notch" Lodge, as well as some newer Lodge. I found most of mine at 2nd hand stores and swap meets/flea markets. I use them often. Deep dish pizza is wonderful, as is cornbread in the skillets. I have a "hammered" Chicken Fryer with matching lid that gets a lot of the browning work done for meats for spaghetti sauce and chili. Nice thing about cast iron is that it can go from the stove top to the oven and then straight to the table. Lots of really good information here: https://www.castironcollector.com/
 
I've gotten into Thai cooking so I picked up a $30 carbon steel Wok at the Grand Asian market. That thing has been great. It is about like cooking in cast iron but it heats up quicker. Not much seasoning to do to it either.
 
Chdamn said:
I have one carbon steel pan and I will not buy another until I have a gas stove.

I spent much more on a premium steel pan, seasoned it well and then cooked on it. The pan warped on the electric range.

Read later that it is common with steel pans. Gas only.

I still like the pan and it is the slickest thing I’ve ever cooked on. But it spins now if I don’t hold the handle. Lol.
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That’s wild. We have an electric glass top and I cook with mine all the time. My kids will use it to cook eggs and mess it up by not letting it get up to temp. This is the one I bought probably 2 years old now.
Matfer Bourgeat Black Carbon Steel Fry Pan, 10 1/4" https://a.co/d/9ay7bok
 
Chdamn said:
I have one carbon steel pan and I will not buy another until I have a gas stove.

I spent much more on a premium steel pan, seasoned it well and then cooked on it. The pan warped on the electric range.

Read later that it is common with steel pans. Gas only.

I still like the pan and it is the slickest thing I’ve ever cooked on. But it spins now if I don’t hold the handle. Lol.
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You can warp cast iron on the electric flat tops too. It‘s all about starting out on low and warming up the pan slowly. Requires patience. Which my wife doesn‘t have. I’ve caught her putting a sweet piece of cast iron on the burner and putting it on medium right away. There has been cross words.
 
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DCGallim said:
That’s wild. We have an electric glass top and I cook with mine all the time. My kids will use it to cook eggs and mess it up by not letting it get up to temp. This is the one I bought probably 2 years old now.
Matfer Bourgeat Black Carbon Steel Fry Pan, 10 1/4" https://a.co/d/9ay7bok
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I still use mine. Like I said it’s slicker than eel snot.

But it spins a little now. lol.
 
Chdamn said:
I still use mine. Like I said it’s slicker than eel snot.

But it spins a little now. lol.
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Try heating it up a little and giving it a few light to medium hits with a rubber mallet. Should get it back in form and be spin free. Carbon steel is very malleable.

Honestly now that I’ve started using carbon steel my cast iron doesn’t see much action.
 
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