Cast Iron ???

What does anyonw think of cast Iron? I have recipe for Dutch Apple Pie that you make in the oven. But you have to bake it in a Cast Iron Skillet. ( a 10 inch )

Is cast iron coming back ?

 

Susan

I have a set of cast iron and I really like them for frying and for baking cornbread and stuff like that. They are making a comeback. You should have at least one good cast iron pan.

SusanMarie1956:

I have recipe for Dutch Apple Pie that you make in the oven. But you have to bake it in a Cast Iron Skillet. ( a 10 inch )

Susan

 

 

Could you post the recipe, please?

 

ViolaB 

I have lots of cast iron pans of various sizes and shapes and use them frequently.  They are great and if you take care of them properly (keep them dry, don't use detergents and scrub gently with a nylon scrubbie, keep a thin coating of oil on them for long-term storage, sack with wax paper between them, etc.) they will last for years.  Several of my recipies call for baking in cast iron and they turn out very well.  Maintain a nice smooth surface and they are as good as non-stick pans.  Griswald and Wagner are top brands to look for.

I prefer my cast iron to my regular cookware. There are just some things that aren't right unless cooked in cast iron such as lace cornbread. Yum! As JerseyGal262 said if you take care of them properly they will last for years. After my mom's death, I got her set and love them.

 

What do you mean, making a comeback?  It never went away!  LOL!  Every kitchen should have at least one well-seasoned cast iron skillet!

 

If you're looking to buy new, forget about Griswold and Wagner.  Griswold actually stopped manufacturing in 1957.  Wagner bought the imprint, but the product they sold as "Griswold" was nowhere near the quality that Griswold itself made.  Wagner itself ceased production in 1998.  The imprint was also purchased by another company, but the "Wagner" ironware being sold today is a far inferior product.  Always stay away from those "bargain" skillets you see in the Family Dollar.  If it's selling for $3.00 it's probably worth about $3.00.  Your best bet for new ironware is Lodge.  They have a wide variety of skillets and other ironware, and their catalog is available online.  You can usually find them in the housewares section of major retailers, but I've found that if they don't have ironware in the housewares aisle, you can always find it in with the sporting goods (go figure).  

The cost of a new cast iron skillet will be offset many times over with the years and years of service it returns, but if you don't want to pay full-price for a new skillet, then by all means hit the garage sales!  This is where you'll find your Griswold and Wagner iron!  Look for cookware that has been well-cared for, unless you're into restoring it.  You can find real steals on iron at garage sales and flea-markets, plus the added benefit of a used pan already being well-seasoned.

Once you have your iron skillet, you'll wonder how you ever got along without it. 

I've gotten all my cast iron at estate/house/yard sales or inherited it, and the old well-taken-care-of items are great.  Lodge is very popular with the camping crowd and that is why it's in the sporting department.  Knowing how to season it and keep it seasoned is the key to making it non-stick.

With a username like "cast iron king" I think we found a "pro"!!!   How did you get into the cast iron specialty?

Can you share some more care-tips with us?

cast_iron_king:

Every kitchen should have at least one well-seasoned cast iron skillet!

Lodge is great cast iron. Cast iron is the best way to cook cornbread. Also great for pan frying steak. Lodge makes wonderful cast iron campfire dutch ovens. Lodge products are made here in the US and are very good quality.

 

My mother has cast iron she got when she married in 1954. Her little frying pan was used for many an egg fried in Crisco. That sucker is slicker than any Teflon.

 

Do not put cast iron in the dishwasher. Wash it by hand. I do use mild soap with mine even though some people swear by no soap.

 

Along with using it for baking corn bread...also make pineapple upside down cake in it.  A  have 3 of my grandmother's old pans...well seasoned except for the largest 1.  I made a recipe I saw on Martha Steward recently...the chicken & potatoes turned out great but the pan got some cooked-on food that I got off but probably took some of the old seasoning off too.  The recipe was simple...oven at 450, a whole chicken w/a head of garlic (cut the top off garlic) inserted in cavity, potatoes cut in quarters...baked for 18 minutes per side...no need to baste...but turn the chicken on each side during baking.  Chicken was moist, flavorful & golden brown...the potatoes were also golden brown & wonderful.  Pan looked bad after baking...looks cleaner & I recoated it w/crisco & heated in a warm oven...also used salt to scrub it but it doesn't have the same patina it did before this dish.

I'm quite new to this forum......in fact, just a few minutes.  You and I share a love for cast iron and I found that if the pan is heated first then the oil added, it helps to revitalize the finish.  But, you may have to start from scratch by leaving it (coated with oil on the cooking surface) in a warm oven for a couple of hours.  Try to avoid acidy foods such as tomatoes, at first.  When you have a good finish on your pan, you can scrape with a metal spatula to your heart's content.  They're so much better than non-stick pans.  AND cheaper!!! 

But then, you probablyknew all this before :-)    Good luck!

Take care of them?  The only nice thing I do for my pans is put paper towels between when I stack them, otherwise, I abuse them quite a bit.......scrub with metal in hot soapy water and dry with a white dish towel (no stains as a result). Strange, isn't it, how we all differ in treatment yet swear by our cast iron? I  buy the cheap stuff yet they give me great satisfaction.  The only drawback with this stuff is the weight and I have several pulled muscles from pulling the stack from the stove drawer........all at once, mind you!  Dumb, huh?

glorianne:

Strange, isn't it, how we all differ in treatment yet swear by our cast iron? I  buy the cheap stuff yet they give me great satisfaction. 

I'm glad you said that because I do all the wrong things with my pans. I've owned a number of pans over the sixty years I've been cooking and now am down to one frying pan. I have always washed my pans in soapy water. I've scrubbed them with sand, Ajax, and metal scouring pads. If they get too "unseasoned" I reseason them by heating oil in them until almost smoking, turn off the burner and let set until cool. Never a problem with them. The pan I have today goes in the dishwasher. I never have to reseason it and its always ready to go. So don't be afraid to use them. They have a Lodge outlet at Commerce (GA) and I love to go there and look. Recently bought a friend a cornbread stick pan with the sticks shaped like fish.

SCgranny, my mother always washed hers with soapy water but just not in the dishwasher. They are still going great after 50 plus years! I can't imagine not using some type of soap. ugh.

 

I love to go to the Lodge Outlet in Commerce. I wish they would put one closer to where I live on the other side of Atlanta.

 

Love cast iron, but my arthritic hands and arms don't.  I'm down to my 10" skillet, but do use it often.

As far as seasoning them, the only way that we've seasoned ours is by frying bacon in it a time or two and just wiping it clean with a paper towel after each use that way.  After that never any problem with sticking.  So much easier than all the other stuff.  After many years of use if it gets to crusted, we would just throw it into the campfire, or the self cleaning oven and then wash good when cool and use it for a bacon a time or two and you're back in business.

I love my cast, but made the mistake of buying one that said it was preseasoned. After one use, I was saying bad wordsLOL I still use it but it's not nonstick. Does anyone burn thiers after washing? I do then oil while thry are still hot.

 

Good Morning