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Let's Talk Cast Iron

DharmaBum

DharmaBum

Rank V
Member

Enthusiast III

I don’t bring my cast iron because of the weight. In response to that, I’ve recently been experimenting with carbon steel: light, just as durable, and still offers the same heating benefits as cast iron.
 
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M

Mmoran

Rank I

Traveler I

I agree. Carbon steel is a good alternative to cast iron. So much lighter and performance wise, pretty close. Carbon steel is great in my opinion.
 
systemdelete

systemdelete

Rank V
Launch Member

Pathfinder I

Wife found 8”, 10”, and 12” carbon steel pans from aldi this week for $34 out the door for all three. She’d been wanting to try them in place of my cast iron for some dishes, I’m looking forward to using them on trips.
 
CJ Aggy

CJ Aggy

Rank V

Advocate III

I love using my cast iron Dutch ovens but they take up so much space. I usually take a milk crate that has a 8qt pot and lid that act like a small fry pan and a frying pan which usually handles all my needs
 
TroutRunner

TroutRunner

Rank V
Launch Member

Advocate III

DharmaBum said:
I don’t bring my cast iron because of the weight. In response to that, I’ve recently been experimenting with carbon steel: light, just as durable, and still offers the same heating benefits as cast iron.
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Same here. We have a Lodge seasoned steel and it is almost as good as cast.
 
grubworm

grubworm

Rank V
Launch Member

Member III

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Mr & Mrs Fin

Mr & Mrs Fin

Rank 0

Traveler I

Road said:
.

I have a 10" Lodge cast iron skillet I keep with me in the van, though to be honest, reach for my Vollrath sauté pans for general cooking purposes more than anything else. Cast iron, though, if seasoned and cared for properly, should be easy to use and clean. For storage, I keep my cast iron skillet in a sleeve made just for its size.

I have an 8, 10, and 12" Vollrath aluminum with handled lids.They are chef quality and when seasoned and properly cared for, are super easy to use and clean. I keep my 8 and 10 nestled in the top of my kitchen box as seen below (on the orange TV tray now), always ready to go. They see the most use of any cooking gear I own, in a house or on the road.


View attachment 139056
These two pans, especially the 10" on the right, get used more than anything else I own.
..

View attachment 139063
The orange TV tray and its entire contents, to the right on the trailer tire above, fit on top of my Partner stove and under the closed top of my kitchen box, tray and all. The tray holds two sauté pans, their lids, two plates, and a variety of small metal serving/storage containers.

I pull into camp, open my kitchen box and my most used cooking gear is right there on the tray under the lid, ready to be set on the trailer-tire table, out of the way and ready to use.
It is one of the things I show off most when folks stop by to talk about my outdoor kitchen setup.
..

View attachment 139060
I used to keep the pans on a coghlan griddle under the lid, though it eventually warped and I replaced it with a larger Partner griddle (which doesn't fit under the lid).
The TV tray proved to be a perfect solution, and fits wonderfully on the little table I keep on the trailer-tire when in camp (right side of the image above).

At any rate, though I love cast iron and have a couple cast iron Dutch Ovens, for my style of cooking, gear storage, and camping I reach for my Vollrath sauté pans more than anything.

As @Correus mentioned above, the chain mail scrubbers are perfect for cleaning cast iron. I always keep one in my kitchen box.

If anyone is interested in the Vollrath pans, I get mine at webstaurantstore.com. They're amazingly INexpensive. They have a wide variety of cooking gear. If you want the specific product name/number of the sauté pans I use, let me know.

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roaddude.com

Roaddude - On the Road In North America - ROADDUDE

Roaddude - Traveling Photographer/Writer/Artist On the Road In North America. Gear, reviews, people, places, and culture.
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Click to expand...
I like to know where you go the kitchen box?
 
Road

Road

Not into ranks, titles or points.
Launch Member

Advocate III

Mr & Mrs Fin said:
I like to know where you go the kitchen box?
Click to expand...
.
I bought mine used for $50 four years ago from a fellow who had two. He and his dad each had one, and his father was getting too old to camp.

They are so handy, they rarely come up for sale used. They're called the BeaverTree Camp Kitchen. The only place I know of that sold them, Dom's Outdoor, had them priced for $199.00, if I remember right. They are now discontinued, though that page still shows it and provides dimensions. I've heard someone else picked up the design and is making them, though for a hundred bucks more in price. No idea if it's the same quality.

I'm not a huge fan of plastic, but this is one of my favorite bits of kit. It gets used a ton. Keeps SO much together and neatly organized. I can keep my stove, that TV tray, and all that's on it right in place and still close the lid securely. The lid is easily removed, as well, and can serve as a basin for washing dishes or clothes. Big enough to wash a dog in.

beavertree-kitchen_6793-900.jpeg
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ch_partnerstove22-0646.jpg
Back when my cases were bright and shiny.
 
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TroutRunner

TroutRunner

Rank V
Launch Member

Advocate III

Road said:
.
I bought mine used for $50 four years ago from a fellow who had two. He and his dad each had one, and his father was getting too old to camp.

They are so handy, they rarely come up for sale used. They're called the BeaverTree Camp Kitchen. The only place I know of that sold them, Dom's Outdoor, had them priced for $199.00, if I remember right. They are now discontinued, though that page still shows it and provides dimensions. I've heard someone else picked up the design and is making them, though for a hundred bucks more in price. No idea if it's the same quality.

I'm not a huge fan of plastic, but this is one of my favorite bits of kit. It gets used a ton. Keeps SO much together and neatly organized. I can keep my stove, that TV tray, and all that's on it right in place and still close the lid securely. The lid is easily removed, as well, and can serve as a basin for washing dishes or clothes. Big enough to wash a dog in.

View attachment 191194
..

View attachment 191196
Back when my cases were bright and shiny.
Click to expand...
They are now being made by another company called The Chuck Box Camp Kitchen.
 
Forte

Forte

Rank IV
Launch Member

Enthusiast III

What a great thread with loads of good info!

I've been wanting to dive into the CI stuff for a bit, and the price is surprisingly in reach for someone on a budget. Just bought a 10" skillet and a griddle/grill last week in preparation for a trip in a couple days and I can't wait to cook on it. (after probably seasoning of course!)
 
OverLamb24

OverLamb24

Rank V

Advocate III

systemdelete said:
Wife found 8”, 10”, and 12” carbon steel pans from aldi this week for $34 out the door for all three. She’d been wanting to try them in place of my cast iron for some dishes, I’m looking forward to using them on trips.
Click to expand...
Do you know what brand? At that price it may be worth trying out
 
systemdelete

systemdelete

Rank V
Launch Member

Pathfinder I

They are Crofton brand, have been working well on our induction cooktop at the house. Have seasoned up nicely making breakfast on them daily.
 
Ragman

Ragman

Rank V
Member
Investor

Explorer I

Ragman

Ragman

Rank V
Member
Investor

Explorer I

ThundahBeagle said:
As I understand it, cast iron of the past was made with mich more smoothed surfaces than the Lodge version, which is a bit more rough.

With at least one of my Lodge pans, I sanded the cooking surface smoothe before the oil and bake sessions, and as a result, it is indeed my most non-stick Lodge pan I have.
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I have done the same and agree 100%-the sanding down (I don't take it to metal, just smooth it out) makes it night and day as to the seasoning of a pre-seasoned Lodge pan.
 
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ptgarcia

ptgarcia

Rank III

Enthusiast III

Ragman said:
I tried that Flaxseed Sheryl Canter style. Not sure if my oven got too hot but the stuff just flaked off so I threw that one out. Perhaps if I had used 450-500 instead of 550 it would have worked better.
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I checked out what she had to say and it certainly has merit, but I think the most important thing in seasoning isn't the oil, rather its the amount of application/heat cycles that matters most. And I agree, starting with a relatively smooth pan helps tremendously. I have (3) Lodge pieces: a 10.25" skillet, a square grill pan and a 10.5" griddle. I seasoned them all identically, but I sanded the griddle to bare metal and a slick finish, sanded the skillet to bare metal but not as slick as the griddle, and didn't sand the grill pan at all, and the anti-stick properties of griddle is best and the grill pan is worst. Not scientific at all, but that's been my experience.
 
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