A question for those who process their older birds...

[BCMaraniac]

And it does not use half a gallon of oil!

I have a stack of 7 cast iron fry pans in various sizes, and my brother once gasped saw me pick up the stack with one hand. I told him that is why when I tell you to get out of the kitchen, you should run! A mugger might get me outside my house, but let me have my 12 inch frying pan in my kitchen, and he better have a gun because otherwise I promise the confrontation will end with a very satisfying and humorous "gooooiiiinnggggg!"

LOL!!! I have quite a collection of cast iron skillets of my own, plus the ones that my mother used over 60 years. One of mine is a dedicated corn bread skillet.....NOTHING is allowed in it except for cornbread.

 

[sandspoultry]

I bought a whole box of cast iron at an auction years ago for $1, one of the best scores of my life. 2 dutch ovens with lids, griddles, corn bread molds, about 10 various sized frying pans. My favorite frying pan from that deal must be really old, it has a wood handle and it's actually worn down from years of use and the bottom is smooth as glass. You can't get anything to stick in it if you try.

 

[BCMaraniac]

I bought a whole box of cast iron at an auction years ago for $1, one of the best scores of my life. 2 dutch ovens with lids, griddles, corn bread molds, about 10 various sized frying pans. My favorite frying pan from that deal must be really old, it has a wood handle and it's actually worn down from years of use and the bottom is smooth as glass. You can't get anything to stick in it if you try.

I absolutely LOVE my cast iron. The best you can buy is Lodge....and you can get it already seasoned. Lodge, to my knowledge is the only manufacturer still made in the US(in Tennessee) because the other companies have been bought out and the manufacturing moved out of the country. From what I understand, cast iron made in China is very susceptible to actually breaking in two. So that becomes a safety concern, because if it happens with a pan full of fried chicken or a dutch oven full of stew, you could be looking at really severe burns,

Anybody who has cast iron really needs to learn to cook in it, because you can cook on top of charcoal, or an open fire, which is really important in the event of a prolonged power outage.

 

[Elke Beck]

LOL!!! I have quite a collection of cast iron skillets of my own, plus the ones that my mother used over 60 years. One of mine is a dedicated corn bread skillet.....NOTHING is allowed in it except for cornbread.

My frying pans are my workhorses. 3 of them came from my grandfather, who bought them for when he went hunting. Those must be 80 or more years old. The rest I have gotten from one source or another. It amazes me the things people do to poor innocent cast iron that has never done a thing to them. I received two that the misguided owners had put through the dishwasher and was told that the pans were worthless because they just rusted all the time. I took those poor babies, re-seasoned them and pass them along to people who knew how to care for them.

 

[Elke Beck]

Anybody who has cast iron really needs to learn to cook in it, because you can cook on top of charcoal, or an open fire, which is really important in the event of a prolonged power outage.

I have two Dutch ovens on legs that make some of the best biscuits in the world, but you have to know how to treat them right. You have to have the right number of coals on the bottom and the top.

 

[BCMaraniac]

I have two Dutch ovens on legs that make some of the best biscuits in the world, but you have to know how to treat them right. You have to have the right number of coals on the bottom and the top.

That is why I think it is so important to LEARN to use it before you HAVE to use it. And if you use an open fire, you need to know how high to hang them in order to get a certain temperature.

How about a roasted chicken in a dutch oven???

 

[Elke Beck]

That is why I think it is so important to LEARN to use it before you HAVE to use it. And if you use an open fire, you need to know how high to hang them in order to get a certain temperature.

How about a roasted chicken in a dutch oven???

I do my own version of the French dish, pollet en cocotte. You take a whole chicken, bung it in a dutch oven with nothing but a sliver of onion, a couple of garlic cloves, salt (be careful, it is easy to over salt this dish) and the herbs and spices of your choice, put it in the oven at 275 to 300 degrees and let it slowly cook until the meat is almost falling off the bone. No water, no broth, no liquids of any kind and no vegetation that is going to produce liquids! When it comes out the meat is fork tender and tastes (oddly enough) like real chicken. The small amount of juices in the bottom of the pan are like condensed chicken flavor. I like to serve the meat sliced and ladle the pan juice over it.

indeed!

Eited to add: The skin is rubbery and I peel it off and feed it to the dogs.

 

[BCMaraniac]

I do my own version of the French dish, pollet en cocotte. You take a whole chicken, bung it in a dutch oven with nothing but a sliver of onion, a couple of garlic cloves, salt (be careful, it is easy to over salt this dish) and the herbs and spices of your choice, put it in the oven at 275 to 300 degrees and let it slowly cook until the meat is almost falling off the bone. No water, no broth, no liquids of any kind and no vegetation that is going to produce liquids! When it comes out the meat is fork tender and tastes (oddly enough) like real chicken. The small amount of juices in the bottom of the pan are like condensed chicken flavor. I like to serve the meat sliced and ladle the pan juice over it.

indeed!

Eited to add: The skin is rubbery and I peel it off and feed it to the dogs.

That sounds delicioso!!!!

 

[Alfheim]

I did grind up some of the meat from the ones we processed. Sauteed it with Hoisin sauce, finely chopped water chestnuts, and green onions and made lettuce wraps. They were FAN-TAS-TIC!

 

[Elke Beck]

Alfheim, that sounds so yummy! Hmmm, if I take the chicken out of the freezer when I get home tonight, then maybe by tomorrow...