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Cast iron leet

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Re: Cast iron leet

#281

Post by mitchbob »

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.

Our most used cast iron skillet had a tenacious crust of burned-on grease and carbon that had collected over the years, and because the surface of the bottom of the pan was no longer smooth, many foods would stick. Initially I thought the unevenness was the result of corrosion, but no. I took a sturdy stainless steel spatula to it and with quite a bit of elbow grease over a few days managed to scrape off all the crust and get down to the smooth surface underneath. Now anytime anything sticks and the surface isn't perfectly smooth, I use the spatula with a little water and Dawn dishwashing liquid and quickly scrape until it's smooth again (it's easy to feel with the spatula), followed by my normal routine anytime we use the pan: drying the pan with a dishcloth and then by heating it on the stove, wiping the surface with a few drops of olive oil, and leaving the pan on low heat for a few minutes before hanging it back up on the pot rack. Works great!

Re: Cast iron leet

#282

Post by SECProto »

poulsbohemian wrote: post #186
twawaaay wrote: post #30

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.

> where I live there is a campaign to get rid of gas stoves. I'd be very interested to hear from the serious home cooks on this issue, as well as the perspective of professional chefs. While I consider myself an advanced home cook, I've come to the conclusion that I'm not limited by going electric only - it's the heat, not the flame that matters for most of what I do. For those cases where I really do need flame (roa…

I've cooked on most types of stove: gas (butane, propane, natural gas), electric (coil stove, solid disc resistor, glass top halogen, glass top induction), a few older styles (cast iron wood stove, kerosene camp stove, straight up campfire). I consider myself a pretty proficient home cook. My thoughts on the stove types:

- Gas is overrated. The excess heat it generates indoors is not worth whatever benefits it has. The heat on the sides of pans can sometimes be helpful, but perhaps more often is a hindrance - have to make sure to scrape the sides of pots thoroughly and regularly when making a cream sauce, for example. I don't find gas to boil water faster than an electric cooktop. I usually use an electric kettle for 2/3 of the water with coil and gas stoves, but I don't have to bother with induction. Small portable gas burners (as made by eg Iwatani) are quite handy to have around for those times you really want the advantages of Gas (a bbq or grill would serve same purpose).

- Induction is great, except for wok cooking. Specialized induction wok burners do exist, but are still pretty specialized pieces of equipment. 120v induction hotplates are not so good (but not as bad as coil ones). One thing I don't like about induction is they tend to have some electronic whine when operating - presumably as they switch on and off to regulate heat output. I dislike how complicated the electronics are - when something goes wrong, they're so expensive to repair that it's barely worthwhile.

- Coil stoves are decent, as long as they have a 220V supply - 120v coils, eg hot plates, are awful. I appreciate their ruggedness and simplicity - it's basically a wire from the wall, through a potentiometer, to a big resistor.

- Solid disc resistance stoves are awful

- Cooking on a wood stove is not practical usually, but it can give a nice home-y feel, especially if you're simmering some Apple Cider or Mulled Wine.

Re: Cast iron leet

#283

Post by greenSunglass »

I have one from le creuset for my steaks, but every single time I use it, I find it dangerous:

- it's really heavy, you really need two hands to take them sometimes if the food is heavy

- the handle is so small, and that plastic to protect the handle from the heat does not feel safe

- Keep the heat too long, sometimes I forget it is hot and burned myself

Non-sticky pan are quite light. I need to change mine soon (because the teflon is gone now). Maybe some have some recommendation of better cast iron?

Re: Cast iron leet

#284

Post by dgunay »

southerntofu wrote: post #170
ronyeh wrote: post #151

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Each tool has its own strengths and weaknesses. I have tried them all, including pans with aluminum cores but steel outer layers. Cast iron is great for searing or for fried eggs or buttery scrambles. I love my car on steel Matfer fry pan and try to use it as often as possible. But for acidic or long simmering brown sauces that'll stick and tear off my seasoning, I'll probably teach for stainless steel. Afterward I'l…

Too bad the Rust pan has not been invented yet, with zero-cost abstraction enabling lightweight non-stick cooking on bare metal ;)

and it would cook food "blazingly fast" too, right?

Re: Cast iron leet

#285

Post by balfirevic »

xyzzyz wrote: post #251
krzyk wrote: post #206

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But oil goes bad after some time (I think the proper term is oil goes rancid). I stopped using my pans that required oil because of that.

I guess if you cook once every few months, that might be a concern.

That's about right, as it's only for searing steak for me. Other pans simply work better for everything else, either stainless or non-stick.

I got the enameled cast iron pan, so it actually works out nicely.

Re: Cast iron leet

#286

Post by random42_ »

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.

When I cook with my cast iron, I wash it by hand using regular dishwashing soap and a non-scratching sponge. Dry it and then coat with a bit of oil before storing it away. Easier than caring for my SS where from time to time I need to use Barkeeper’s Friend to bring it back to its original looks.

Re: Cast iron leet

#287

Post by throwaway16374 »

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…

Cast iron = iron(val)

Re: Cast iron leet

#288

Post by jokethrowaway »

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…

Indeed, just use stainless steel pots for your tomato sauce.

That said, I throw some acidic stuff in my cast iron and I can't say I can notice the metallic taste.

A cast iron pan is not really a replacement for stainless steel (I don't think anyone has anything against those), it's a replacement for non stick pan.

Calling it a replacement for non stick pan is actually quite insulting: nothing sears meat like a cast iron pan, we should say that non stick pan are a poor replacement for cast iron pans.

The reason I moved to cast iron pan (more than health concerns or caring about the environment) was to cook meat like chefs on youtube do, after years of cooking mediocre dishes on non stick pans.

The only major downside is the weight (2kg) and how hot it gets - which makes it hard to use for the miss.

Re: Cast iron leet

#289

Post by jokethrowaway »

novok wrote: post #195
horsawlarway wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

We used cast iron for quite a while. It wasn't that non stick for things like eggs, was way more annoying to clean properly and get all the cooking residue of food that got stuck on the pan, and was too heavy and after months of use never really developed that 'seasoning'. And we babied it a lot, with special brushes, avoided acidic foods and lots of soap in cleaning it. It was annoying. So eventually I just got the…

If you get a lodge cast iron pan (honestly I wouldn't buy any other, tremendous value for the price) they come pre-seasoned and you just use it.

If food starts sticking to it, spread a thin layer of oil on it and then oven cook at the highest temperature you have.

You shouldn't use soap on the pan, that will remove some oil. Most soap won't remove the seasoning, but maybe lots of soap and excessive brushing will and food will start sticking quicker!

Once you're done with the pan drop some hot water in it (ice cold water could crack the pan) and scrape off the food - which should come out nicely. If that doesn't work or you left the pan dirty from the previous day, pour water and scrub a bit harder until smooth. Salt can help as well.

To make sure you dried it correctly, put it back on the stove and (optionally) rub some oil into it.

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