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Cast iron leet

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Re: Cast iron leet

#171

Post by southerntofu »

gruez wrote: post #73
Swenrekcah wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

https://www.fda.gov/food/chemical-contaminants-food/question... >Some PFAS are approved for use in the manufacture of non-stick cookware coatings. These coatings are made of molecules that are polymerized (i.e., joined together to form large molecules) and applied to the cookware through a heating process that tightly binds the polymer coating to the cookware. Studies show that this coating contains a negligible amou…

I can't access the page from tor, but i'd be interested in seeing those studies. Do they account for extreme heat applied, or for mechanical harm to the coating? These two scenarios are mostly inevitable over the lifespan of a non-stick pan, and they're typically blamed for being the cause of the actual food poisoning.

Re: Cast iron leet

#172

Post by moogly »

I used to be a cast iron fanboy. Seasoning, polymerization, yadda yadda and all that jazz.

Then I got an induction stove. I now consider cast iron to be overrated.

The heat retention makes an induction stove pretty pointless (apart from the energy efficiency I suppose) with cast iron.

I'm getting old and my wrists aren't as good as they used to be, so slinging around cast iron pans and pots really hurts after a while.

I bought various sizes of Tefal Hard Titanium+ pans and I really like the weight, ease of cleaning, but most of all the heat reactivity.

Might look into carbon steel, but I'm a bit wary of how it's going to be to clean.

Re: Cast iron leet

#173

Post by na85 »

moistly wrote: post #146
na85 wrote: post #125

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

I use gluten free cast iron orbital sander for maximum smug.

Re: Cast iron leet

#174

Post by randallsquared »

thebetatester wrote: post #54
randallsquared wrote: post #46

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.

Part of the "will outlive us" is not buying a new one every year. I know I've been trying to reduce the waste I produce lately and going with cast iron pans has been a part of that plan. Buying one every year instead of taking the 1 minute to wipe it with oil and then throwing it in your oven for an hour is laziness. If you don't like the smell and you have an outdoor grill (preferably one where you can set a tempera…

One hour. Haha.

There are a dozen mutually exclusive methods for seasoning cast iron. I’ve never found one that works as well or as simply as advertised. In a 1bd apartment, the seasoning process will make it difficult to breathe for nearly the full process unless you have incredible ventilation. Stripping the previous seasoning after burning something (only once, but it mentally scarred me, as you might be able to tell from the ranting… ;)) is incredibly difficult. So much steel wool. So much elbow grease. That was the final time for me, and I gave up after several weekends without being able to get the burnt odor to go away. There is a limit to how many hours I’m willing to invest in cookware, and it was not much higher than ten. You are welcome to call me lazy over it. :)

Re: Cast iron leet

#175

Post by arcticbull »

twoodfin wrote: post #164
waynesonfire wrote: post #157

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> you need to dry it perfectly every time or it rusts very easily. I just put a little evo on a paper towel and apply it all over the pan.

I have a Lodge skillet I’ve been using and seasoning for a decade+ with a simple technique: After use, rinse, lightly scrub, with water and a little dish soap (basically what comes out of one squeeze of a sponge). Towel dry, apply a thin layer of canola oil over the cooking surface with a paper towel. Throw on medium heat over the stove for ~5 minutes. Done. I can pour maple syrup over salmon at high heat in that pan…

Personally instead of using soap as part of the seasoning process, I pour a bunch of Morton sea salt into the pan and a little bit of water, and abrade it that way with a sponge. It also has the benefit of creating a lovely matte finish at the end of the seasoning process. I've also found the seasoning process works better at each iteration this way.

It's also how I clean the pans if I have to.

Re: Cast iron leet

#176

Post by arcticbull »

SeanLuke wrote: post #79
the_third_wave wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The seasoning has no problems with acidic foods, you do not get a metallic taste units you leave the food in the pan overnight. Once seasoned it does not rust easily but even if it does this is not a problem, just clean it with some cooking oil and use it and the rust is gone. Clean it while warm and it'll dry by itself. Use some fat and your food won't stick - you need fat anyway. No problems with overheating plasti…

> The seasoning has no problems with acidic foods, you do not get a metallic taste units you leave the food in the pan overnight. Epicurious's taste tests indicate that the proper figure is 30 minutes.

This also aligns with my experience, especially with tomatoes.

Re: Cast iron leet

#177

Post by arcticbull »

jitl wrote: post #139
evolve2k wrote: post #128

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

Or spray it down with Pam or something.

Re: Cast iron leet

#178

Post by mritun »

We have the same 12” cast iron skillet and every word is true.

Sometimes people mention rust and it’s true as well. We washed it many times in dishwasher and it’d rust. But then scrape it with a scraper, oil it and heat it until oil polymerizes - voila you’ve your pan good as new.

Oh and if you need to cook tomatoes, get enameled cast iron skillet - you’re not going to go back ever to non-stick.

Re: Cast iron leet

#179

Post by randallsquared »

martingoodson wrote: post #127
randallsquared wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> this doesn't mean you need to do some day-long "reseasoning" process that involves stripping the whole thing and baking it in the oven. Unless you want everything you cook in the cast iron pan to smell like what was burned in it for weeks, you really do. Or, hear me out: buy a new cast iron. The seasoning process is really onerous, but the manufacturer does it in bulk, and a new cast iron is typically cheaper than…

I think you’re doing it wrong. It’s very easy to renew the seasoning and it doesn’t retain smells.

It's definitely possible I'm doing it wrong. There are so many reasonable-sounding articles I've read over the years about smoke points and food-safe flaxseed oil and temperatures and ventilation so you can season for H hours for each seasoning coat...

When everything is working, cast iron seems great: quick brush off, slight bit of oil to rub in while it's still warm, done. When a spot of rust appears, or large spots on the interior become matte while the rest is shiny (or the reverse), or you're using it as a dutch oven and burn a steak, well, that's when the nightmare begins. After several weekends of attempting to get that smell out and get it re-seasoned, I gave up, left it in the leave/take area of my then building, and bought a new one. But I haven't used that one much, because I know it's only a matter of time until something happens and I am faced with the whole process again.

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