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Cast iron leet

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Re: Cast iron leet

#131

Post by jimmaswell »

talkingtab wrote: post #41

Sorry to be skeptical, but are the links affiliate links? Added to that question is the question of the quality of the article. While I agree completely with the main point about using cast iron pans, I think the post glosses over some issues. To be clear I own two cast iron skillets and NO non-stick pans. But it ain't as easy as the post makes it. "Easy to clean" with a scrubbing net is misleading because it is only…

Why do people care about affiliate links? If someone benefits from me clicking on something then good for them so long as the price stays the same for me.

Re: Cast iron leet

#132

Post by graycat »

twawaaay wrote: post #30
taywrobel wrote: post #13

This does miss one huge drawback of cast iron for cooking some dishes - heat control. Cast iron retains heat like crazy and doesn’t change quickly. Get that thing up to a searing temperature and it’ll be 10-15 minutes before you can get an egg anywhere near it for example. A thinner steel pan will heat up and cool down much rapidly allowing for a lot more control. Luckily there’s a fantastic non-nonstick option for t…

Carbon steel wok is only viable on a powerful gas stove. Right now where I live there is a campaign to get rid of gas stoves. And the existing ones are far, far from being powerful enough to use wok properly.

Wok? Gas heat? Enough heat? Okay:

(1) Off the kitchen, have a back porch, i.e., no roof, call it a deck.

(2) Get an inexpensive, propane powered deep fat fryer turkey cooker.

(3) Use the propane burner to heat a wok.

Get plenty of heat!

Did that! Cooked quarts of Moo Shi Pork (basically sauteed pork matchsticks with steamed, shredded cabbage and various flavorings) at a time. Worked great. Lost the setup in a move!

Re: Cast iron leet

#133

Post by shadycuz »

brudgers wrote: post #90
jstx1 wrote: post #31

In general I find that cast iron is very overrated. > Here's a list of myths about cast iron skillets: (...) You can't cook with acidic foods (e.g. tomatoes) because it'll destroy the seasoning You might not destroy the seasoning but you will get metallic tastes in your food. I don't get why anyone would pick cast iron over stainless steel for an acidic sauce that needs to be cooked for a longer period of time. Also…

What works for me. I don't use cast iron for boiling, simmering, and otherwise cooking liquids. It's a frying pan for frying. I use stainless steel sauce pans, pots, etc. for liquids. I clean the cast iron while it is hot. A lot of food comes off without water, only a little water is required to remove the rest, and the cast iron is mostly self drying. Since I usually use electric burners, I can stick it back on its…

When I have really stubborn stuck items to my cast iron. I boil salt in it.

Re: Cast iron leet

#134

Post by asciimov »

sva_ wrote: post #66

I wonder what people are doing to their nonstick pans that they need to throw them out every year? I've been using the same two nonstick pans for years now and can't say I have that problem (I only use wood/plastic on them). I'm still concerned about the chemicals used though.

Poor craftsmanship is likely the biggest culprit, followed by thermal shocks, putting the pans in the dishwasher, and not following care instructions.

I went through half a dozen non-stick pans over a 5 year period that all had their coatings fail. After having expensive brands with lifetime warranties fail on me due to poor build quality, I swore off of them and went with hard anodized and haven't had an issue since.

Re: Cast iron leet

#135

Post by aqfamnzc »

jimmaswell wrote: post #131
talkingtab wrote: post #41

Sorry to be skeptical, but are the links affiliate links? Added to that question is the question of the quality of the article. While I agree completely with the main point about using cast iron pans, I think the post glosses over some issues. To be clear I own two cast iron skillets and NO non-stick pans. But it ain't as easy as the post makes it. "Easy to clean" with a scrubbing net is misleading because it is only…

Why do people care about affiliate links? If someone benefits from me clicking on something then good for them so long as the price stays the same for me.

For me, affiliate links can be an indicator that the author's motives may be more skewed toward convincing people to buy things than giving a fair representation of the products. However this isn't always the case obviously.

Re: Cast iron leet

#137

Post by graycat »

flycaliguy wrote: post #64
taywrobel wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I actually just moved to a house with an all-electric range. We use the wok too often for that, so grabbed a butane burner for ~$50 on Amazon. Can also find them at camping supply stores. The one we got is 15,000 BTU, which is frankly too much. You can find 10,000 or 12,000 BTU options for cheaper, and will probably get some more fine grained control out of it. The butane lasts for quite a while in it for wok use as…

Happy to read this, I’ve been considering this exact arrangement lately. A bunch of things I’ve read say you need 15,000 if you want to get that carmilization on your stir fry’s. I’m also very inspired by this video [1] which shows what appears to be a jet engine under a wok used by a master chef. [1] https://youtu.be/Zj8D5Z5S1D8

Yes, amazing.

The restaurant looks REALLY nice. Singapore is starting to look really nice -- maybe I should visit?

Sure, the chef is amazing. I'm surprised his wok does not have a long handle. So, he uses a towel as a pot holder when he holds the small handle on his wok.

No joke he has a lot of heat. At one point he even has some of the oil in his wok flaming a little!

He seems to have his wok heat source going 100% all the time. So, to pay for the fuel he cooks really fast, lots of dishes per hour, and has a cheap fuel source? Also, he needs to have some good exhaust air flow for his kitchen or soon will also cook everyone in the kitchen and restaurant!

For his heat source, looks like he has repurposed an old GE J79 jet engine, e.g., as used in

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convair_B-58_Hustler

Re: Cast iron leet

#138

Post by layer8 »

jimmaswell wrote: post #131
talkingtab wrote: post #41

Sorry to be skeptical, but are the links affiliate links? Added to that question is the question of the quality of the article. While I agree completely with the main point about using cast iron pans, I think the post glosses over some issues. To be clear I own two cast iron skillets and NO non-stick pans. But it ain't as easy as the post makes it. "Easy to clean" with a scrubbing net is misleading because it is only…

Why do people care about affiliate links? If someone benefits from me clicking on something then good for them so long as the price stays the same for me.

Because it incentivizes to link to products from which the author can get the most revenue. When a link is an affiliate link, there is a greater likelyhood that the choice of product wasn’t completely neutral with regard to that incentive.

Re: Cast iron leet

#139

Post by jitl »

evolve2k wrote: post #128
spaceman_2020 wrote: post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most serious chefs use stainless steel. Triply steel is so beautiful and sturdy. My parents have been using their pan since before I was even born.

My friend is a chef and looking after their pans properly also involves wiping them down with oil before storage, not sure I’m up for that level of pro maintenance.

It takes 2 seconds to wipe the inside of a pan with an oily cloth

Re: Cast iron leet

#140

Post by xeromal »

horsawlarway wrote: post #106
jstx1 wrote: post #31

In general I find that cast iron is very overrated. > Here's a list of myths about cast iron skillets: (...) You can't cook with acidic foods (e.g. tomatoes) because it'll destroy the seasoning You might not destroy the seasoning but you will get metallic tastes in your food. I don't get why anyone would pick cast iron over stainless steel for an acidic sauce that needs to be cooked for a longer period of time. Also…

Personally - I find carbonsteel pans are basically my favorite ever. Slightly heftier than stainless and much easier to season. I have a set of stainless (relatively nice triple clad Cuisinart) and I still much prefer the carbon steel pans. It's essentially what cast iron pans would be if we had better manufacturing techniques, and they work really well. Backing up though - I would 100% take cast iron over just stain…

Agree with the browning. My favorite brussel sprouts are made in a cast iron. They become perfectly crispy.
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