Any cast-iron lovers here?

[Opa]

I have tons of cast iron. I am fortunate enough to have my great grandmothers cornbread pan and most of the others assorted pieces are Griswald and close to a hundred years old. It is amazing what some cast iron now sells for. I have a corn bread pan that I saw the same model at auction for $240.

 

[Feathered Wings]

I have Griswold, Wagner, Puritan and a Hanks dutch oven i don't collect i just use mine.
I bought mine from a collector and he ask what i was going to do with the ones i bought i said "Use Them" he got a horrified look on his face.

Corn Bread and Buttermilk with some green onions

Panfried trout with fried taters and onions

I have the corn bread stick pans and one is shaped like fish.

 

[Opa]

Never could see much sense to having just sit when nothing cooks better.

 

[ranchhand]

LOVE my cast iron pots and pans! I have a lot- inherited and bought at flea markets. And a big Mexican griddle that cooks for a crowd.

 

[Judy]

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Seems to me they would stay in much better shape by being used than by being stored. I've restored a pan or two that sat in a cupboard for years, had gotten rusty, etc.

 

[valentinebaby]

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How do you restore a pan? And what method do you use to cure? I've been told a couple of different things, but would like to hear more from you experts on how you cure cast iron and how you clean. I know you should only clean with water, but it it's not properly cured, it's a mess! Thanks!

 

[Henrietta23]

I'm a convert too! No more non-stick stuff in my house. I have basic Lodge Logic stuff, but I watched an episode of America's Test Kitchen and they rated it as high as the more expensive stuff. Love it!

 

[foweler]

I have a garden variety Lodge that I seasoned myself.

I think everything has its uses and both cast iron and a good quality non stick have their place in my kitchen.


I don't want to spend the money loading up a cast iron skillet with energy (and subsequently heating up the kitchen, not so bad in winter of course) and then cleaning and re-seasoning it just to fry a couple of eggs when my 10" All-Clad non stick will do the job just fine. However when its time to fry hash browns I need something with some thermal inertia. Same goes for chile rellenos. Any heavier frying jobs go to the deep fryer.

I recently bought a heavy cast iron griddle for my grill and I use it all the time. Burgers (Cooks Illustrated summer 2008 Drive in burger recipe--yum), bacon, eggs and hash browns (even better than the skillet) pork rib chops (last night- yum) or lust leave it in like a pizza stone when using indirect heat. I cook outside whenever I can and the griddle really helps.


I have had sets of cast iron that I got rid of, one not even seasoned, because I was young and moved a lot and couldn't see hauling around so much weight that I wasn't using. I don't know if any of it was vintage and I wish I had kept it now.

 

[CedarRidgeChicks]

ChooksChick..that hammered sided skillet..it is a keeper..good one

even though I have a large collection..all of mine are used..I have 20 pieces or so on "loan" to my children..

..they know that they don't get rid of them..I have acquire them over 25-30 years..can't walk away from $2-$3 skillets at an auction..I did sell two Griswold dutch ovens recently..2 #8s for $325.00 and I still have one to use..

 

[rhondapiper]

I need cast iron usage help! I got 4 pans for christmas, pre-seasoned, but followed some instructions from Alton Brown to season 3 of them with crisco in the oven. They got sticky and gross.

The fourth, I was careful with and it looked like it was getting a nice cure on it, til a friend who was visiting thought she was being helpful by cleaning it and scrubbed it half to death, and it dried all rusty. I almost cried when I saw it on the drying rack. I don't like 'help' in the kitchen one bit, I end up with dull knives, or rusty pans, or some other well-meaning but terrible outcome. So I did the crisco oven thing again and it's sticky now like the other three.

I have no clue how I will ever get even one of these pans to be as easy to cook on! Help!