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Cast iron leet

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Re: Cast iron leet

#261

Post by jasonwatkinspdx »

amluto wrote: post #202
perlgeek wrote: post #81

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.

> Humanity has been using ceramics for ages, and we haven't found any adverse affects yet. Porous ceramics can easily breed bacteria, good and bad. And glazes on ceramics can contain all kinds of delightful compounds that can leach out. You certainly don’t want to eat or breathe unfired glaze. As for ceramic nonstick cookware, I’m not convinced that such a thing exists. I think that “ceramic” coatings are actually so…

Yeah, the downside is whatever that stuff is, it obviously doesn't bond as hard as PTFE, because every ceramic nonstick pan I've seen degrades even faster.

Re: Cast iron leet

#262

Post by jasonwatkinspdx »

copperx wrote: post #242
twobitshifter wrote: post #205

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For sauces I would suggest an enameled cast iron pot that won’t rust and can handle acids.

What are such enamels made of? Are they risk free?

Ceramics, pretty basic stuff similar to what we use for plates and such. You wouldn't want to eat the pigments in large quantities, but there's zero safety concern from enameled cast iron and the like. They're as inert as it gets.

Re: Cast iron leet

#263

Post by paulcole »

mgaunard wrote: post #235

Caring for cast iron or carbon steel is fairly difficult and not something most people actually want to do. In practice hard anodized aluminium is the best compromise for people that aren't cookware geeks.

> Caring for cast iron or carbon steel is fairly difficult

When it comes to cast iron this is clearly false. In the US, there are thousands of cast iron pans still hanging around that were used for decades or generations by non-rich non-“cookware geeks” who gasp used soap on their cast iron cookware and didn’t treat their cast iron cookware as if it were a delicate snowflake. Instead they just cooked with it, cleaned it how they wanted to, and nothing went horribly wrong.

Re: Cast iron leet

#264

Post by jasonwatkinspdx »

jdougan wrote: post #101
jlkuester7 wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My grandmother has some cast iron pans (one of which came from her mother) that are so smooth to the touch that it is hard to believe they are the same material as the gritty Lodge pans at the store. This is what I love most about these pans! It completely flips the script on our disposable culture and gives you something that just keeps improving as the decades go by!

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.

Yup, it's this. Lodge pans are good for the price but part of that price is they skip the polishing, so the surface is basically just what comes out of the sand cast.

The old griswald pans are prized by bargain hunters because of their near glass like smoothness. I dated someone that had a huge collection she'd found via craigslist and the like. Cooking with the smaller pans was really fun.

Re: Cast iron leet

#265

Post by jasonwatkinspdx »

sva_ wrote: post #243
mirker wrote: post #167

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Teflon vaporizes at >500F (and perhaps below). Leaving the pan on high without food in it will approach that quickly.

I think this might be it. I usually cook at medium temperatures, wherever possible, as it seems healthier.

Simple tip for temp control: know the smoke point of your oil. Olive oil for example is in the range of 375-400F. So if you use it in a nonstick pan and see it smoking (not steaming) you know to pull back the temps a bit.

Re: Cast iron leet

#266

Post by jasonwatkinspdx »

asdfasgasdgasdg wrote: post #214

Does anyone know how well enameled cast iron works for eggs? I've seasoned my cast iron and I wasn't able to get it to be efficient with eggs. But maybe the enameled ones would work. Personally I'm not really that worried about PFAS uptake from non-sticks for my one non-stick meal per day, but it'd still be interesting to know the most efficient way to do things outside of non-stick.

Enameled and egg is more or less a no go unless you use enough fat to in effect shallow fry.

The blunt truth is teflon pans are the best tool for eggs. There's alternatives you can make work, but nothing quite as good. So most of us just have a dedicated egg pan.

Seasoned carbon steel is probably your best bet for eggs outside of teflon. Its surface is usually smoother, and it seems to take the seasoning a bit different.

Re: Cast iron leet

#267

Post by chihuahua »

copperx wrote: post #224
chihuahua wrote: post #215

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe GP's mention of "boiling salt" does not refer to "table salt" but salt in the more general chemical sense. Perhaps they use Ethylammonium nitrate with a boiling point of 240 C (464 F).

Can you find that at a grocery store?

I usually order it here: https://store.p212121.com/ethylammonium-nitrate/

Re: Cast iron leet

#268

Post by jasonwatkinspdx »

moogly wrote: post #172

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'm a big fan of the Tefal pans for value. I use a mixture of stuff I've assembled over the years, but Tefal is my go to for having a couple nonstick pans around.

Carbon steel is very much like cast iron: it's easy to keep clean and seasoned, but some people like to make more elaborate rituals for whatever reason. I'd say it's easier to keep clean that cast iron typically actually, as it usually has a smoother surface finish, and having to herc a big heavy pan around in a sink is a legit annoyance.

Re: Cast iron leet

#269

Post by mod »

shadycuz wrote: post #133
brudgers wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

I put in dry salt and use it as an abrasive (while hot).

It also soaks up any excess fluids.

Re: Cast iron leet

#270

Post by mod »

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…

I love cast iron, but the thing to not like is the uneven heat.

Still, never trading. If I manage to reproduce, my offspring will be the fourth generation to own and love the 10" Wagner skillet I got from my grandmother.

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