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Post by Dan McLaughlin on Dec 28, 2013 11:29:54 GMT -5
Title says it all. I've never had cast iron. Suggestions?
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Post by Doug on Dec 28, 2013 11:34:25 GMT -5
Title says it all. I've never had cast iron. Suggestions? Coat in bear fat and bury in the fire for 4 days. Lacking bear fat and a campfire. Coat in Crisco and bake in the oven for 12+ hrs at 250-300. Place on cookie sheet so the bear fat Crisco won't mess up your oven. |
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Post by Village Idiot on Dec 28, 2013 12:03:11 GMT -5
We used to use one and loved it, but it's just too heavy for Kim anymore. But do what Doug said, and season it. I'm sure the directions for that are there. You can season it as many times as you want, it depends how anxious you are to have that non-stick surface, which is something you work towards, not get right away. I took our to a tuckpointer friend years ago, and he sandblasted it for a perfectly smooth pan interior.
To learn how to use it, I'd work on the perfect fried egg. They say to avoid acidic things like tomato sauces, especially at first.
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Post by Dan McLaughlin on Dec 28, 2013 17:19:09 GMT -5
Says it's pre-seasoned. Not?
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Post by millring on Dec 28, 2013 17:35:51 GMT -5
Says it's pre-seasoned. Not? Does it smell like bear grease?  |
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Post by Doug on Dec 28, 2013 17:39:32 GMT -5
Says it's pre-seasoned. Not? Ain't no such thing. Not enough bear fat. Truly a cast iron skillet isn't seasoned till food has cooked all the way through and started to come out on the out side. Cast iron is porous and what you cook moves between the iron molecules and as new stuff is cooked in the old stuff is pushed to the outside till you have rough finish. Best place to get cast iron is when the kids are selling out grandma's stuff after she passed. Look for Aunt Pitty Pat, PA Forge, etc. And don't buy it if it's still smooth on the outside. Never was cast iron. EDIT: It's OK to wash if it has blood on it from when you hit someone. But even there you will have to do the seasoning again.  |
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Post by Village Idiot on Dec 28, 2013 18:25:17 GMT -5
Says it's pre-seasoned. Not? In the factory, but I wouldn't think pre-seasoned enough. Follow Doug's directions, and try it after that. Again, try flipping an egg or a pancake. Then you'll know it's ready. |
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Post by mccoyblues on Dec 29, 2013 7:32:07 GMT -5
Pre-seasoned to a point, but it still takes a lot of cooking to get it seasoned right. I'd start off with cooking as much meat (bacon, burgers, fried chicken etc.) as you can in it until the food stops sticking to the bottom. It's gonna take a while so be patient.
I've had my Lodge for just over 2 months and the food is just starting to not stick to the bottom of the skillet.
P.S. - Buy the sandwich/bacon press. It's an excellent accessory.
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Post by mnhermit on Dec 29, 2013 10:15:15 GMT -5
sausage gravy - brown one pound of sausage - your favorite flavor pour off all but 2-3 tablespoons of grease once you have the sausage browned almost crispy sprinkle two-three tablespoons of flour over the remaining grease/sausage stir until all mixed up and you don't see the flour anymore (most of the grease will have been absorbed by the flour and all the pieces of sausage will be coated) add two cups of milk and let it simmer until half as thick as you want it (it will probably continue to thicken, gravy is like eggs, cooks from internal temp) - remove from heat serve over warm biscuits - add pepper to taste. almost the best use of a cast iron skillet other than cornbread |
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Post by Cosmic Wonder on Dec 29, 2013 10:59:45 GMT -5
Mmmmmmm. Biscuits and gravy and scrambled eggs. Now that is a good way to ring in a new year.
Mike
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Post by xyrn on Dec 29, 2013 12:07:13 GMT -5
The cleaning of a cast iron piece is a point of contention in my household.
I avoid soap. She likes to scrub it with soap and a wire brush.
Instead, I just crank up the heat after I've taken out the food, and once it's piping hot I deglaze with a good amount of water which lifts any organic crud off the bottom, while it's still bubbling I take it to the sink and quench it under running water, wiping out with a paper towel until pretty much cleanish.
Then I hang it up for the next time.
I'm not too concerned about bacteria, next time it's used it gets so hot it is sterilized, and most dishsoap hurts the seasoning to some degree.
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Post by Dan McLaughlin on Dec 29, 2013 17:03:05 GMT -5
Pre-seasoned to a point, but it still takes a lot of cooking to get it seasoned right. I'd start off with cooking as much meat (bacon, I'm sorry the rest of the message was garbled. Are the 12 pounds of bacon that I have cooked in it this afternoon enough, or should I persevere? Seriously thanks for the words of wisdom, I am looking forward to using it. |
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Post by dradtke on Dec 29, 2013 19:43:42 GMT -5
Pre-seasoned to a point, but it still takes a lot of cooking to get it seasoned right. I'd start off with cooking as much meat (bacon, I'm sorry the rest of the message was garbled. Are the 12 pounds of bacon that I have cooked in it this afternoon enough, or should I persevere? Seriously thanks for the words of wisdom, I am looking forward to using it. I would persevere. It's worth it in the end. And somebody should put the sausage gravy recipe in the permanent record. |
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Post by Lonnie on Dec 30, 2013 19:37:53 GMT -5
Steak... sprinkle a fine coating of salt over the entire bottom of the skillet. Place over high heat until it's hot enough that a drop of water immediately sizzles away. Put in your favorite cut of steak - unseasoned and patted dry. The fat will expel onto the salt, might get smoky... that's a good thing. Cook about 5 minutes a side, turning only once. Go9lden reddish-brown on the outside, medium rare on the inside.
I'm making one right now.
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Post by Village Idiot on Dec 30, 2013 20:10:46 GMT -5
That sounds great, Lonnie. Any particular cut you'd suggest?
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Post by Lonnie on Dec 30, 2013 20:25:55 GMT -5
Just about anything... I just finished a pretty thick No-name, maybe 3/4". It was perfect, charred and crispy on the outside, medium rare on the inside. The salt (I used coarse sea salt) reflects back on the meat surface and seals in the juices. By the way, the recipe comes from The Only Texas Cookbook by Linda West Eckhardt. I've had my paperback copy since maybe 1985. It's available in digital format now as well. It's a must for the kitchen library. |
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Post by factorychef on Dec 30, 2013 20:48:52 GMT -5
And don't poke it with a fork while cooking.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 30, 2013 20:52:19 GMT -5
I'm sorry the rest of the message was garbled. Are the 12 pounds of bacon that I have cooked in it this afternoon enough, or should I persevere? Seriously thanks for the words of wisdom, I am looking forward to using it. I would persevere. It's worth it in the end. And somebody should put the sausage gravy recipe in the permanent record. Somebody did. |
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Post by Lonnie on Dec 30, 2013 21:14:22 GMT -5
Throw the pan-broiled steak in there, too.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 30, 2013 21:14:23 GMT -5
I have a 13" Lodge skillet and a 12" grill pan. Haven't tried making my sausage gravy in it but I will next time I do.
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