Author Topic: How many here cook on cast iron  (Read 8974 times)

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Offline Riverrat

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How many here cook on cast iron
« on: April 08, 2015, 12:08:15 am »
One of my hobby's is finding old cast iron skillets from auctions that have been neglected and there bottoms unreadable.  I get them for a little of nothing bring them home and hit them with glass beads to see whats under all the mess.  I found these 2 Griswolds that was unidentifiable at the auction.  a number 6 small logo and a no 8 large logo griddle Hit them with the glass beads and have put them through 2 seasonings getting them ready to use. They came out like new






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Offline Jen

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Re: How many here cook on cast iron
« Reply #1 on: April 08, 2015, 12:19:40 am »
Almost all cast iron here, except for the wok. Glass beads?
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Offline CpnObvious

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Re: How many here cook on cast iron
« Reply #2 on: April 08, 2015, 12:30:40 am »
RiverRat: I only cook with cast iron when camping or grilling outside.  Ceramic cooktops and cast iron don't agree. Looks like quite the find! Those pieces are gorgeous!

Jen: hitting with glass beads is like sand blasting... But with glass beads.  Often less damaging depending on the material you're blasting.

Offline Jen

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Re: How many here cook on cast iron
« Reply #3 on: April 08, 2015, 12:54:29 am »
Rrat, ya got me to wonderin' so I went and checked. I do have a cast iron Griswold, been cooking on it for Ever. It also has a crack on the handle. As far as I can remember it's always been there. I think it came from my mom, but hubs seems to remember his mother having a cast iron skillet with a crack in the handle as well.

I have 4 other casts that I cooks out of as well.




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Offline Slowmodem

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Re: How many here cook on cast iron
« Reply #4 on: April 08, 2015, 01:18:39 am »
One of my hobby's is finding old cast iron skillets from auctions that have been neglected and there bottoms unreadable.  I get them for a little of nothing bring them home and hit them with glass beads to see whats under all the mess.  I found these 2 Griswolds that was unidentifiable at the auction.  a number 6 small logo and a no 8 large logo griddle Hit them with the glass beads and have put them through 2 seasonings getting them ready to use. They came out like new

You should come down to the cornbread festival one of these days.  Tour the Lodge factory.

http://www.nationalcornbread.com/
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Offline Perry

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Re: How many here cook on cast iron
« Reply #5 on: April 08, 2015, 06:28:08 am »
We have 2, but put them away when we got the new ceramic top stove 3 years ago. :sad:
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Offline Lburou

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Re: How many here cook on cast iron
« Reply #6 on: April 08, 2015, 10:28:10 am »
Great find Riverrat!

I bake 'No Knead' bread in a dutch oven.  Works in the kitchen or in my wood fired oven.  Good, simple bread in 40 minutes.  :)

From one of my threads on fornobravo.com:

Quote from: Lburou
Quote from: SableSprings;184367
...I started making up bread kits for when I'm on road trips. A la Jim Lahey's method, I pack my 5 quart dutch oven, a cooling rack, and various helpful baker tools (bowl scraper, folding scale, etc.) in the car along with several zip lock bags, each bag packed with a single bread loaf's ingredients minus the water.

When I'm at my destination (or whenever I have access to an oven), I add water to the bread kit, mix & overnight it as per no-knead methods, throw the fully fermented dough into the preheated pot & voila - great bread away from home! I also started packing a quarter sheet, EVOO, and focaccia kits which go over quite well away from home when you're looking for that kind of special treat as meal side or hearty appetizer.

Although I miss my WFO while on the road, these options help get me through it...:D

We too have discovered no knead bread.  Still experimenting.  The basic recipe is hard to beat!  Unfortunately, enjoying this bread comes with a swelling of the waistline.  ;-)

Here is the recipe.  Enjoyed making it with my grandson over the holidays.  I use parchment paper to cradle the dough as I place it into the preheated dutch oven and pour a bit of water in to keep humidity up during baking. 

I pour the dough (after 18 an hour ferment) into a mixing bowl or another dutch oven, lined with parchment paper. The (covered) dough rises 2 more hours . Then, I take the four corners of the paper, lift the dough, and place it in the preheated dutch oven (with the paper). Easy Peasy! :-)

Of course, this all works well the day after baking pizza, pizza, pizza!

Check this video out!  An airline pilot built this one:
 Ken524's build.

 

See my thread about building an Italian Wood Fired Oven (designed in ancient times) HERE.
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Offline Riverrat

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Re: How many here cook on cast iron
« Reply #7 on: April 08, 2015, 11:22:34 am »
Rrat, ya got me to wonderin' so I went and checked. I do have a cast iron Griswold, been cooking on it for Ever. It also has a crack on the handle. As far as I can remember it's always been there. I think it came from my mom, but hubs seems to remember his mother having a cast iron skillet with a crack in the handle as well.

I have 4 other casts that I cooks out of as well.





Jen those there with the large logo block letters are the ones I really like to find when I go blasting. :)
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Offline Jen

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Re: How many here cook on cast iron
« Reply #8 on: April 08, 2015, 12:40:07 pm »
So cool to know  ;D  We need a new stove pretty soon, now that I know they can't be used on ceramic stove tops, I will not purchase one of those.... I cook primarily out of 5 different sized cast iron skillets.

FYI The reason I started cooking with cast iron years ago, is due to when hubby and I went to a blood drive. The nurse did a finger stick and dropped my drop of blood into the solution in the vial to see if it would fall to the bottom of the vial. Anyway, my drop didn't drop. The nurse said I was very low on iron and to start cooking with cast iron. So I did. It didn't take long for my iron level to get to normal.
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Offline kingd

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Re: How many here cook on cast iron
« Reply #9 on: April 08, 2015, 05:12:12 pm »
We use cast iron for almost everything,also we have a smooth top stove and have no problems,it even says in the stoves manual that cast iron can be used on it.

  I love getting the real cruddy ones, I use the electric process and all the stuff just falls off.

 Love Griswold and the old Wagners.

Offline G3farms

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Re: How many here cook on cast iron
« Reply #10 on: April 08, 2015, 05:34:31 pm »
What is the "electric process"???

My Dad always said to build a camp fire, put your cast iron skillets in it, then just let it burn out and cool off. Said the cast iron would come out looking like new cause it would burn all of the grease out of it. Never have tried it before.

Got some oldies out of an old smoke house, these are very thin and light weight, no name.
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Offline Jen

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Re: How many here cook on cast iron
« Reply #11 on: April 08, 2015, 05:40:39 pm »
Three of the 5 I have say made in USA. Then I have a Lodge and an Ozark.

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Offline riverbee

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Re: How many here cook on cast iron
« Reply #12 on: April 08, 2015, 05:44:57 pm »
4 here in our household, 3 are lodge. one i have had since before i was married. they last along time. use these on the stove top, oven, grill, and camp stove, and also for some use my son decided on one time..... :D also a lodge enameled dutch oven. it gets a great deal of use in the winter for soups, etc.  my favorite is the big square grill pan (ridges in it). tonight it will see some use for cuban sandwiches with left over ham from sunday, who needs a paninni grill?

sure smokes up the house though and sometimes sets off the smoke alarms....... :D

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Offline kingd

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Re: How many here cook on cast iron
« Reply #13 on: April 08, 2015, 06:32:09 pm »
What is the "electric process"???

My Dad always said to build a camp fire, put your cast iron skillets in it, then just let it burn out and cool off. Said the cast iron would come out looking like new cause it would burn all of the grease out of it. Never have tried it before.

Got some oldies out of an old smoke house, these are very thin and light weight, no name.

   It is by suspending the pan in a solution and attaching one wire to the pan and the other to a sacrificial piece of iron using a battery charger.
 Look up "Cleaning Cast Iron using Electrolysis"
 Cleaning Cast Iron using Electrolysis

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Re: How many here cook on cast iron
« Reply #14 on: April 08, 2015, 06:43:42 pm »
I cook on an induction cooktops, and when I gave away my range and went induction I started collecting cast iron, but I rarely use it. Just sent 3 skillets with lids off with my daughter. I have been fighting to get rancid grease out of the piece I most wanted, a lodge dutch oven I traded for in a local group.  Finally hit it with steel wool on sunday but it will be a couple of months before I have time to try it out, may stick it in my woodstove fire for a final cleaning if it gets cold enough to light the fire again.

I have stainless steel pans I bought when I bought my cooktops. and a tea kettle that I had to buy an induction disk to put under.

Offline G3farms

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Re: How many here cook on cast iron
« Reply #15 on: April 08, 2015, 07:16:46 pm »
If you do stick it in the wood stove just be sure not to pull it out, leave it in there and let the fire die out naturally. Pulling it out of the heat and it cooling too quick could cause it to crack. Could always pull it out and cover with DRY sand for insulation.
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Offline LazyBkpr

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Re: How many here cook on cast iron
« Reply #16 on: April 08, 2015, 07:52:56 pm »

   Glass cooktop, but I hope that will change soon.. we need a new stove.  I wont every buy ceramic or glass again, nor will I likely buy electric again. When I built this house I personally installed a gas line so it could be hooked up when the electric stove died.  I miss the cast iron.  I have one pan from each side of the family.. when I do dig them out again I will see who made them..   I was told that method of cleaning them, put in the fire and let it be till the next day..  THEN to heat the pan up and rub grease or lard into it, and let it cool, then do it again When cool after the second time it is ready to cook in again...    dunno if thats fact or fiction, but has always worked!!
    My wife was safety manager for a foundry, and one year they gave out "hot plates" which are oval shaped plates with handles.. heat them up and toss your steak and taters on them to keep them all warm longer.
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Offline Jen

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Re: How many here cook on cast iron
« Reply #17 on: April 08, 2015, 08:40:16 pm »
I haven't ever cleaned mine ~ shrug ~  there is only greasy build up on the Griswold. The inside of all of them are clean and smooth.
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Offline Slowmodem

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Re: How many here cook on cast iron
« Reply #18 on: April 08, 2015, 09:26:32 pm »
So cool to know  ;D  We need a new stove pretty soon, now that I know they can't be used on ceramic stove tops, I will not purchase one of those.... I cook primarily out of 5 different sized cast iron skillets.

FYI The reason I started cooking with cast iron years ago, is due to when hubby and I went to a blood drive. The nurse did a finger stick and dropped my drop of blood into the solution in the vial to see if it would fall to the bottom of the vial. Anyway, my drop didn't drop. The nurse said I was very low on iron and to start cooking with cast iron. So I did. It didn't take long for my iron level to get to normal.

Nobody told us not use cast iron on our glass-top stove, so we always have. 
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Offline Slowmodem

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Re: How many here cook on cast iron
« Reply #19 on: April 08, 2015, 09:34:39 pm »
heat them up and toss your steak and taters on them to keep them all warm longer.

An old iron iron or skillet can be warmed up and put in a cold bed to warm it up. 
Greg Whitehead
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Offline BoilerJim

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Re: How many here cook on cast iron
« Reply #20 on: April 08, 2015, 09:55:40 pm »
Me. Over here waving my hand in the air. CI is one of my other hobbies.
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Offline Les

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Re: How many here cook on cast iron
« Reply #21 on: April 09, 2015, 04:58:10 am »
Glass top here also and can't wait for it to die so I can go back to gas.  The only time the cast iron gets used is for cornbread or oven puffed pancakes.