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Cast iron leet

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141–150 of 337 posts

Re: Cast iron leet

#141
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…

metallic taste == nutritionally available iron. Also rust is trivial. We once put our cast iron through an oven clean cycle by accident. It rusted all to hell, turned solid orange, but re-seasoning returned it to better-than-ever condition.

Eating a meal always implies eating your cookware and packaging. I don't want to eat chromium and friends, or PFAS. Non-stick is gonna get banned eventually, mark my words.

Re: Cast iron leet

#142

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A downside of non-stick pans are the unknown side effects of the non-stick substance used, though.

I might be concerned about teflon and similar non-stick coatings, but not really about ceramics. Humanity has been using ceramics for ages, and we haven't found any adverse affects yet.

Just make sure it's PFAS free and not just PF(X) free for some X; 3M is hell bent on getting this shit into your system

Re: Cast iron leet

#143
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.

I’m still on my first $30 Teflon skillet, been using it for 5 years. I only cook medium heat or below, which is still enough to do the tofu frying.

Re: Cast iron leet

#144

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

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…

That bastard fuel.

Re: Cast iron leet

#145

Cast iron is easier to deal with if you have an outdoor or really-well-ventilated oven for re-seasoning, which you'll have to do from time to time, in my experience. It's actually far, far easier to just get a new pre-seasoned cast iron pan (I also bought Lodge, as the fine article's author did), but if you're going to buy a new pan every year anyway, suddenly nonstick doesn't seem like a bad deal.

I have just started a business recycling peoples' cast iron. Please ship me your offcasts, and I'll sure that they are re-seasoned and re-released into the wild. Jokes aside, you can buy some flax oil, wipe it on thin, and let the pan sit a few months and the oils will polymerize on their own in a few months. Or, you can buy a naturally pre-polymerized boiled linseed oil (flax oil that has been heated--just make sure…

Don't use flax. Just use canola and fry things.

Re: Cast iron leet

#146
post #125

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In the old days, they finished the pan interiors more than they do now. I've known people who buy a modern cast iron pan and have a machine shop smooth out the cooking surface.

I just used an orbital sander on mine. It does scrambled eggs no probt.

I find that the eggs get sucked into the motor, gumming it up beyond repair. It’s better to use a drill with an abrasive disc.

Re: Cast iron leet

#147
post #118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Cast iron = the Python of cooking pans. Python is a top choice for a number of applications..?

Python is the best second choice for everything.

I like Python a lot but this does resonate

Swiss army knife of languages

Re: Cast iron leet

#148
post #50

I also don't use teflon and have been buying these (and some plate steel pans): [0] [0]: https://www.greenpan.nl/ (sorry Dutch website, but if you search for greenpan on amazon you will also find these pans)

GreenPan falls under the “ceramic” nonstick category. When I looked into this category 2-3 years ago most of the pans had Teflon or other fluorinated compounds (Teflon-like) as the final coating on top. I’ve seen greenpans perform about the same in terms of non-stickiness and durability as regular nonstick pans. In light of https://www.leafscore.com/eco-friendly-kitchen-products/why-... and my own personal experience…

Yup, the secret is they say "hard anodized" -- the pans are made of aluminum, it's anodized underneath the teflon. Still toxic.

AFAICT there are a few that truly don't have teflon, but most will lie

Re: Cast iron leet

#149
post #2

I had this issue with non-stick pans too. But since that ceramic coating came out a few years ago, I bought one and didn't need a replacement since.

Most claiming to be ceramic just mean there is ceramic under the teflon coating.

Re: Cast iron leet

#150

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I might be concerned about teflon and similar non-stick coatings, but not really about ceramics. Humanity has been using ceramics for ages, and we haven't found any adverse affects yet.

Just make sure it's PFAS free and not just PF(X) free for some X; 3M is hell bent on getting this shit into your system

e.g. some of the 'copper coated' stuff that is 'PFOA' free
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