Let's Talk Cast Iron

[Snerk]

HUUUUh?

"Gentile" means "not Jewish".

OH I get it! No politics here! Sorry for the misspell. Bottom line is respect the glass!

Oh I figured it was a typo, I was just saying I thought it was funny.

But yeah getting wild with heavy cast iron on a glass cooktop seems like it could spell disaster.

 

[wahoowad]

In addition to cooking in my dutch oven during my last camping trip I took advantage of the campfire and tossed in an old cast iron skillet that was coated with nasty years of grease and neglect. In fact this pan had sat outside by my junk pile for a year as I never intended to clean it up or cook with it. Even though many advocate against doing so, that campfire cleaned the snot out of that pan and took it down to bare metal. Once home I gave it a wire wheel brush treatment to knock off any residual dirt and rust that had formed, then ran it through a couple cycles of a 425 oven and uber light coats of cooking oil. Immediately that old pan (I think it is approximately 100 years old) has become a phenomenal non-stick skillet, far surpassing all my Lodge stuff that I have labored for years to get properly seasoned. Maybe it’s just the difference between old cast iron and new, but something sure is magically different with this pan. I’m going to try and find another old pan and give it the same treatment and see how it comes out.

 

[Snerk]

In addition to cooking in my dutch oven during my last camping trip I took advantage of the campfire and tossed in an old cast iron skillet that was coated with nasty years of grease and neglect. In fact this pan had sat outside by my junk pile for a year as I never intended to clean it up or cook with it. Even though many advocate against doing so, that campfire cleaned the snot out of that pan and took it down to bare metal. Once home I gave it a wire wheel brush treatment to knock off any residual dirt and rust that had formed, then ran it through a couple cycles of a 425 oven and uber light coats of cooking oil. Immediately that old pan (I think it is approximately 100 years old) has become a phenomenal non-stick skillet, far surpassing all my Lodge stuff that I have labored for years to get properly seasoned. Maybe it’s just the difference between old cast iron and new, but something sure is magically different with this pan. I’m going to try and find another old pan and give it the same treatment and see how it comes out.

More than likely it's just the care you put in to it. Once the first layer or two worth of polymerized cooking oil is down, the base metal underneath becomes moot for surface quality.

As long as the oil you used has a smoke point below 425f and you put your pan in there for sufficiently long, you will have achieved that proper polymerization process that gives you the nice durable, non-stick finish.

I'm actually going to be doing the same thing with my Lodge CI soon, I have some new pickups just for camping (so I don't risk doing something to the nice season on my home skillets) that I need to knock the factory seasoning back on and give them some love.

 

[wahoowad]

No, I season all my cast iron the same way. This old skillet has something different about it and I don’t know enough about the metallurgy to understand, but it’s a different animal. New oil applied to it beads up like the pan is made of Teflon. It’s unbelievable. Sounds different too. I have them both suspended side by side off a cabinet and the old one has a different ring to it than the Lodge. Not complaining, but sure wish my Lodges would perform the same way. I’ve put a lot of time into them over the years and this old ugly hammered skillet is king of the stove after just 1 day.

 

[ChasingOurTrunks]

We bring a small cast iron pan - part of a set we got at Costco for I think around $40 - and compliment it with a GSI nesting cook kit that has a big-ish pasta pot, A medium sized pot, 4 plates, 4 cups, and a non stick frying pan. Cast iron is used at every meal and I love how easy it is to use on almost any stove and even coals or open fires. Very versatile.

I suggest caution and be wary of used cast iron (unless you know who used it and what for). I also a have a cast iron Dutch oven that I use exclusively for melting lead for one of my other hobbies, and this hobby is quite common. The health risk from heavy metals is high if you cook in a pan used for melting metal, and there’s no easy way to tell if a cast iron pan on the shelf at the pawn shop was used for that or not. For me, the $50 saved on buying used at a thrift shop instead of new is not worth the risk especially since that $50 pan can, with care, last multiple generations. That’s good value!

 

[M Rose]

In addition to cooking in my dutch oven during my last camping trip I took advantage of the campfire and tossed in an old cast iron skillet that was coated with nasty years of grease and neglect. In fact this pan had sat outside by my junk pile for a year as I never intended to clean it up or cook with it. Even though many advocate against doing so, that campfire cleaned the snot out of that pan and took it down to bare metal. Once home I gave it a wire wheel brush treatment to knock off any residual dirt and rust that had formed, then ran it through a couple cycles of a 425 oven and uber light coats of cooking oil. Immediately that old pan (I think it is approximately 100 years old) has become a phenomenal non-stick skillet, far surpassing all my Lodge stuff that I have labored for years to get properly seasoned. Maybe it’s just the difference between old cast iron and new, but something sure is magically different with this pan. I’m going to try and find another old pan and give it the same treatment and see how it comes out.

The problem with Lodge CI is something to do with the final stages of prep work before being pre-seasoned... I have found that if I take a flap wheel and knock the factory finish down until almost smooth then start the seasoning process I can almost match that of my Griswold.

 

[Maverick9110E]

In addition to cooking in my dutch oven during my last camping trip I took advantage of the campfire and tossed in an old cast iron skillet that was coated with nasty years of grease and neglect. In fact this pan had sat outside by my junk pile for a year as I never intended to clean it up or cook with it. Even though many advocate against doing so, that campfire cleaned the snot out of that pan and took it down to bare metal. Once home I gave it a wire wheel brush treatment to knock off any residual dirt and rust that had formed, then ran it through a couple cycles of a 425 oven and uber light coats of cooking oil. Immediately that old pan (I think it is approximately 100 years old) has become a phenomenal non-stick skillet, far surpassing all my Lodge stuff that I have labored for years to get properly seasoned. Maybe it’s just the difference between old cast iron and new, but something sure is magically different with this pan. I’m going to try and find another old pan and give it the same treatment and see how it comes out.

Check antique stores. Found some awesome ones in there for next to nothing.

 

[Maverick9110E]

This is the company i'm buying my next one from:

Smithey Ironware Company | Premium Cast Iron Cookware

the No 10 chef skillet looks ridiculous.

 

[Downs]

I suggest caution and be wary of used cast iron (unless you know who used it and what for). I also a have a cast iron Dutch oven that I use exclusively for melting lead for one of my other hobbies, and this hobby is quite common. The health risk from heavy metals is high if you cook in a pan used for melting metal, and there’s no easy way to tell if a cast iron pan on the shelf at the pawn shop was used for that or not. For me, the $50 saved on buying used at a thrift shop instead of new is not worth the risk especially since that $50 pan can, with care, last multiple generations. That’s good value!

Very good point.

 

[cosmoblu]

For me CI is the only way to go. I am fortunate that most of mine is all very old. I got several pieces, 6", 12", 16" skillets from my Great Aunt who's mother found them in an abandoned cabin on the top of the mountain that her family had. The story is that it was found around 1880, so not sure of the exact age, but to this day all of the skillets still work perfectly and have never had to re-season them but do work to follow best practices in the cleaning and re-oil. I always rinse with hot water, pat it dry put it back on the burner and and let the heat evaporate any addition moisture and follow that up with a light oil, usually Olive or Lodge spray and allow it cool down from there. I am also certain that the years of my Aunt cooking everything in lard helped these pans, and made some of memorable meals.

I am so addicted that when I was looking for houses I would not consider looking at one that at minimum had a gas stove option.

It does not cook like other pans and it can take time to retrain your cooking practices, but once you get there it is the best in my opinion.

In regards to overlanding, it is worth the weight to take just because of how versatile it can be, but if hiking i would not take CI but I usually would not have the same type of meal plans for hiking as I do when camping from the vehicle.

 

[FJ Montana]

As many people have been mentioned cast iron is heavy but if I’m using a vehicle it’s definitely my go to. I have a cast iron wok that is perfect for everything. You can fry, cook, boil water, make soup, etc. it’s easy to clean too which is a massive bonus.

 

[stark-in-the-wild]

I got a $30 Cast Iron Dutch Oven from walmart. and I love it! Haven't done a TON with it yet but just this weekend I made some great group nachos and a pizza.

The hardest part for me is getting the perfect temperature. But its a learning process.

I wont show the finished product of the pizza because someone bumped the lid when i was removing it and dumped ash on the pizza :( and the bottom was slightly overdone but still was quite good!...minus the ash.

 

[Maverick9110E]

For me CI is the only way to go. I am fortunate that most of mine is all very old. I got several pieces, 6", 12", 16" skillets from my Great Aunt who's mother found them in an abandoned cabin on the top of the mountain that her family had. The story is that it was found around 1880, so not sure of the exact age, but to this day all of the skillets still work perfectly and have never had to re-season them but do work to follow best practices in the cleaning and re-oil. I always rinse with hot water, pat it dry put it back on the burner and and let the heat evaporate any addition moisture and follow that up with a light oil, usually Olive or Lodge spray and allow it cool down from there. I am also certain that the years of my Aunt cooking everything in lard helped these pans, and made some of memorable meals.

I am so addicted that when I was looking for houses I would not consider looking at one that at minimum had a gas stove option.

It does not cook like other pans and it can take time to retrain your cooking practices, but once you get there it is the best in my opinion.

In regards to overlanding, it is worth the weight to take just because of how versatile it can be, but if hiking i would not take CI but I usually would not have the same type of meal plans for hiking as I do when camping from the vehicle.

Bingo all the way. I'd suggest using avacado oil over olive oil. Unless you need the taste, avacado oil has a much higher smoke point.

 

[cosmoblu]

Bingo all the way. I'd suggest using avacado oil over olive oil. Unless you need the taste, avacado oil has a much higher smoke point.

Yeah that was something I had not considered. But saw several mentions of it not only here but did some research and found that the Avocado oil is recommended through several sources.

 

[peeeeetey]

Yeah that was something I had not considered. But saw several mentions of it not only here but did some research and found that the Avocado oil is recommended through several sources.

This is a 19$ pan from Academy Sports that was ground smooth and seasoned with avocado oil. Cooks like a non stick pan.

 

[DBAR]

I remember that my Mom would clean her cast iron by pouring salt on it and then using half a potato to scrub the salt in. Then rinse, dry, and lightly coat with oil.

 

[peeeeetey]

Howos thos on a glass top with cast iron?

 

[NathanPAnderson]

Chicken Bacon Ranch Quesadillas!

 

[Whoosh]

I absolutely love cooking with cast iron but I don't normally take it with me camping. I think I am partially afraid of the care and upkeep. Even though I know that a well-seasoned piece of cast iron is just as good if not better than a non-stick pan. Something about having my precious cast iron out and exposed to the elements freaks me out. Really I wanted to ask:

Who here uses cast iron while camping or on the trail? How is maintenance? Would you recommend using cast iron over a steel or other type of pan?

I also know that there are a tone of interesting pieces of cast iron cookware so what is your favorite to use? Mine is the dutch oven!

Well, let me throw one technical fact into the mix.
All other things 'cast' aside (like sturdyness when hung into a campfire), cast iron is a rather awfull heat conductor. Steel is as well, actually.
That's why real good kitchenware often features a steel outer and inner ply (for wear and oxidation resistance) with an aluminium inlay in the bottom (for heat conduction).
What this means for good cooking with a cast iron pot, especially on the occasional small gas fire, is that you will need a flame dispenser. Ideally one out of cast _aluminium_ (yes, it exists: own one myself :-). That way, you can still enjoy your cast iron pot on a small gas burner, while avoiding a 'black penny' in the middle of your meal.
And the next day you can of course still hang this forgiving piece of kitchenware over a roaring campfire!

 

[ChadHahn]

I cant use cast iron at home because of a dumb glass cooktop, but use it exclusively when camping. To clean it just pour in some clean water, turn on the burner and bring to a light boil. Use a brush to clean once the boiling water has softened up all the crud, dump the water, wipe out really good with a towel then season with olive oil. Ready for storage and no rust.

I have a GE stove with a glass top and use cast iron all the time. Unless you drop the pan on the glass I don't know if you need to worry about it too much.