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Anyone cook with cast iron?

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cast cook iron
24K views 117 replies 70 participants last post by  hiraeth 
#1 ·
pans, dutch ovens etc? I don't currently own any. I did used to have a few pans, but sold them at the flea market and never used them myself.

Sara
 
#7 ·
I got dh a set out of a mail order catalog. It was $17.00, and it came with 2 pans, a griddle and a dutch oven with a lid. They are awesome! They are our outdoor cookware. If you're frying something you know will smoke up the house- just pop it on the grill. Yesterday, it was too hot to cook in the house, but I wanted to bake some chicken breasts with stuffing. I just threw everything in the dutch oven and put it on the grill. The chicken cooked in about 1/2 the time that way than it does in the oven.

Laura
 
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#8 ·
We use cast iron skillets, I really like them as good as the non stick skillets I cook everything in them. Will not give them up. If you have them season right, they are good,:paw:
 
#62 ·
i just recently acquired 3 cast iron pans. i seasoned them in the oven with lard. i have fried bacon in them. i have cooked eggs and the eggs just slide out so i know they are good but......i am a bit confused about cooking other things in it. can i fry hamburger and then add sour cream etc for a stroganoff? tonight i did sausage and cabbage and immediately took it out of the pan but there was food stuck on and i had to scrape it with my spatula pretty good and still not sure it all came out....then i scrubbed it with salt with a paper towel. one other evening i cooked something in it and then sat to eat dinner and by then the food was all stuck on and it was a mess. so i know to get the food out of the pan immediately after cooking but what are some of the other rules to cook with cast iron?
i don't cook a lot either. will it hurt my pans to sit without being used for periods of time?
i know that we should not wash them with soap and water unless it's really nasty but can i pour chicken stock into them when cooking?
 
#10 ·
I can not seem to get them seasoned right. They get all caked up, my sister says they are subposed to be that way . She says she washes hers in soap & water , but I heard that will rust them...
 
#12 ·
I use my cast iron all the time. Captclearance, they will only rust if you don't wipe a little oil on the inside after you wash it with soap and water. Just take a paper towel, put a little oil on it and wipe around the inside. It will be just fine and ready for the next recipe.

I empty mine, fill with hot water and use a wire scrubby. I don't like to just wipe it out. No soap except on the bottom to remove any grease.

If you are iron poor or anemic, use iron cookware as much as you can. Especially with acidic foods like spaghetti sauce or chilli. The acid absorbs the iron out of the skillet and you get more iron in your meal. Anyway that is what I have always heard.

I don't use mine daily but I do use it for almost everything that is fried or that is a sauce. I have one favorite and then the set that I use occasionally.

Mine are also older than me. They are about 50 to 60 years old now atleast. I love em.
 
#13 ·
I did till I melted a plastic spatula on mine when I was cooking a steak. Learned my lesson that cast iron and plastic do not agree! Figure it wouldn't be too safe to use with plastic ingrained into the cast iron.... It is definitely a lot of maintenance although I did love it when I had it for a short bit... I bought the cheap Lodge ones from walmart.
 
#14 ·
I love my cast iron. In fact, other than a few things that I haven't thrown out yet to please DH, all I have is cast iron. I love the stuff.

I have a huge huge cast iron skillet that I use for making dinners in. It is big enough to make enough for dinner, DH a lunch for the next day, and some leftovers for another meal. I also figure that the weight of them keep me in shape.

I got sick of having to buy new pans/skillets every time I turned around. So, I started buying up cast iron at thrift stores. I also found a handful of Griswold and Wagner ones. I collect them.
 
#15 ·
i have several pieces. one that was my grandmothers mother's.

i use them for everything but hamburger. i wash mine daily with soap and water, but coat it with shortening right after.

i don't brown hamburger in it. but once the hamburger is browned, like it would be for chili or spaghetti sauce, then i use them.

i make everything in them. have for years.
 
#16 ·
I have never had cast iron, but my father is a huge Griswold fan. He has many pieces, a lot of which he uses as collectibles vs. cooking with them.

When I was a kid, I hated moving our big CI frying pan around. Man that thing was heavy!

Anyone have newbie recommendations for someone buying their first piece?
 
#19 ·
I used to collect them and display them on the kitchen walls of our first home. Here they are in the closet because I have no room for them. :glasses:
I do use 2 pieces often, my 5 qt. dutch oven with cast iron top & round 14" griddle pan. The dutch oven is used for soups, chili & pot roast. The griddle pan we use to make pizza. It's similar to this but bigger http://cgi.ebay.com/CAST-IRON-Wagne...VQQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1638Q2em118Q2el1247
 
#20 ·
I have a little fry pan and a 10" skillet. I don't use them often as I should because although they are seasoned, things like pancakes or fried eggs stick in them. I don't like using a lot of grease, so I more often use a non-stick pan with a little butter or olive oil.
 
#21 ·
I don't think I could prepare a meal with my cast iron cookware. I use mine ALL the time--for bacon and eggs, fried taters, chicken, pork chops, meatballs. I use by ci dutch oven for soups, stews, beans, roasts and even frying fish in. I wash mine then dry in with a dish cloth and then put in on the burner to make sure it's completely dry-rub with just a little dab of oil and it's ready to go again.
 
#22 ·
Love my skillet and dutch oven! I have corn stick pans that came over with my grandmother(So many greats I don't know how many) from Ireland to America. I know my family was here for the Revelution and the Civil war. So it's at least that old. Has a tiny pin hole so I can't use it anymore. But I guess when you learn how to cook using cast iron skillets there is no turning back!

Polly
 
#23 ·
I generally only cook with cast iron. I have some copper, but it doesn't seem to do as well.
Here in the south, thats all anyone really uses, lol. I hear that cast iron is the best way to go health wise, also.
 
#26 ·
What kind of oil do you use to season?

Why wouldn't you use c/i to brown hamburg?

Any recommendations about where and what brand to buy?

Any recipie site recommendations for recipies for soups and stews, etc in c/i?

Sorry so many questions :)
 
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