Well-seasoned cast-iron pans are the new broken-in jeans
June 29, 2016 11:56 AM Subscribe
The seasoning matters but the older pans started out with a leg up just by being ground smooth. Occasionally, I consider working my pans over with an orbital sander and re-seasoning but then laziness/wisdom prevails and I leave them be.
posted by wabbittwax at 12:11 PM on June 29, 2016 [9 favorites]
posted by wabbittwax at 12:11 PM on June 29, 2016 [9 favorites]
The thing I love about cast iron is that the pans are almost indestructible, and yet everyone seems to find it acceptable to go absolutely mental over the slightest mishandling. They aren't *that* hard to reseason, and a person is really cool, the cast iron has already spent twenty years moldering away in a barn before they came along and rescued it. It is the very definition of tempest in a teapot comedic anger.
posted by surlyben at 12:14 PM on June 29, 2016 [26 favorites]
posted by surlyben at 12:14 PM on June 29, 2016 [26 favorites]
Yeah, it's really the Lodges, with the pebbling that comes from sand casting without polishing, that only become really useful once you've built up a nice seasoning layer. But it's not really that difficult. I fry up a big batch of bacon ends in my 12" and strain the grease and keep it in the fridge for cooking omelets and meats in the 10". (I'm also getting one of the Field skillets, which may become my go-to pan if it's all that it was promised.)
posted by Halloween Jack at 12:18 PM on June 29, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by Halloween Jack at 12:18 PM on June 29, 2016 [3 favorites]
I chucked my 20 year old Lodge into my brother-in-law's massive garden bonfire before going to bed. He thought I was nuts, but there was some build up and I wanted to start over on re-seasoning.
I pulled it out of the embers in the morning having been glowing hot and covered in ash.
Worked like a charm, it was like factory new.
That said, leave it to artisan bullshit creators to craft a need for 300 buck cast iron pans.
posted by C.A.S. at 12:21 PM on June 29, 2016 [21 favorites]
I pulled it out of the embers in the morning having been glowing hot and covered in ash.
Worked like a charm, it was like factory new.
That said, leave it to artisan bullshit creators to craft a need for 300 buck cast iron pans.
posted by C.A.S. at 12:21 PM on June 29, 2016 [21 favorites]
This is an almost double. I know we've had a conversation about this company and their seasoned pans.
posted by infini at 12:22 PM on June 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by infini at 12:22 PM on June 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
> It is not necessary to make a science project of creating the patina:
This is nice to hear, but it runs counter to virtually everything you read about cooking on the internet these days. Are you boiling your water the right way? YOU MIGHT NOT BE
posted by The Card Cheat at 12:23 PM on June 29, 2016 [25 favorites]
This is nice to hear, but it runs counter to virtually everything you read about cooking on the internet these days. Are you boiling your water the right way? YOU MIGHT NOT BE
posted by The Card Cheat at 12:23 PM on June 29, 2016 [25 favorites]
Cooks Illustrated alleges as how one can season a totally unseasoned cast iron pan (or strip off the seasoning on a partially seasoned pan and reseason) with flaxseed oil. I've always kind of wanted to try this, except I just use my housemate's perfectly seasoned cast iron griddle right now anyway.
posted by Frowner at 12:23 PM on June 29, 2016
posted by Frowner at 12:23 PM on June 29, 2016
The thing I love about cast iron is that the pans are almost indestructible, and yet everyone seems to find it acceptable to go absolutely mental over the slightest mishandling. They aren't *that* hard to reseason, and a person is really cool, the cast iron has already spent twenty years moldering away in a barn before they came along and rescued it.
I inherited my grandfather's from the early 40s which, by the time I got them, had been sitting it a damp basement for 20+ years and were covered in rust. I scoured off the rust w/steel wool, cleaned them w/soap and water, and put a thin layer of canola oil over the clean skillets. Good to go.
Every time I use one, I rinse it out with water, and use a silicon scraper to get whatever proteins are sticking to the surface. Then I dry them with a rag (getting whatever remaining oil is in there in the process) and rub on some more canola oil to keep them from rusting. They're not PERFECTLY non-stick, but they're close - and slowly getting better, it seems - if you don't let things burn in them.
Cast iron skillets are a primitive technology and can still be found cheaply all over the country - paying hundreds or thousands of dollars and all this hipster hand-wringing is just asinine.
posted by ryanshepard at 12:24 PM on June 29, 2016 [6 favorites]
I inherited my grandfather's from the early 40s which, by the time I got them, had been sitting it a damp basement for 20+ years and were covered in rust. I scoured off the rust w/steel wool, cleaned them w/soap and water, and put a thin layer of canola oil over the clean skillets. Good to go.
Every time I use one, I rinse it out with water, and use a silicon scraper to get whatever proteins are sticking to the surface. Then I dry them with a rag (getting whatever remaining oil is in there in the process) and rub on some more canola oil to keep them from rusting. They're not PERFECTLY non-stick, but they're close - and slowly getting better, it seems - if you don't let things burn in them.
Cast iron skillets are a primitive technology and can still be found cheaply all over the country - paying hundreds or thousands of dollars and all this hipster hand-wringing is just asinine.
posted by ryanshepard at 12:24 PM on June 29, 2016 [6 favorites]
Do people really speak that way of their starters? Don't get me wrong, I'm proud that I've managed to keep mine alive for, I guess 3 years now. But honestly, after the first month it's been the same. My bread doesn't have any bonus depth of flavor than it did at the beginning. Of course, I said 3 years, not 3 generations.
posted by Phredward at 12:25 PM on June 29, 2016
posted by Phredward at 12:25 PM on June 29, 2016
If someone mentioned, "artisanal" and it costs a lot more, and it's sold exclusively by some dude with a beard: Caution.
Fool my once with your artisanal chocolate, young bearded dude, I won't be fooled twice.
posted by alex_skazat at 12:27 PM on June 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
Fool my once with your artisanal chocolate, young bearded dude, I won't be fooled twice.
posted by alex_skazat at 12:27 PM on June 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
According to The World Without Us, cast iron will be one of the last physical remnants of our society once we do away with ourselves, so these pans are cheap at any price!
posted by The Card Cheat at 12:27 PM on June 29, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by The Card Cheat at 12:27 PM on June 29, 2016 [3 favorites]
Stephen Muscarella, a founder of Field Company, with his brother, Chris, taking measurements for data.
Oh, for DATA....
Photo caption of the day.
posted by chavenet at 12:29 PM on June 29, 2016 [5 favorites]
Oh, for DATA....
Photo caption of the day.
posted by chavenet at 12:29 PM on June 29, 2016 [5 favorites]
So, if I understand things, the new thin artisanal pans take a ton of labor to produce, thus the high cost. It's not just hipster hand-wringing that makes them expensive.
On the other hand, If you don't care about having a thin, quicker to heat pan, one might be able to take a new cheap new mass-produced thick pan from walmart, take the orbital sander to it for a while at various grits, and get a nice smooth, easy to season thick pan which should also be indestructible and last forever.
posted by MikeWarot at 12:31 PM on June 29, 2016 [6 favorites]
On the other hand, If you don't care about having a thin, quicker to heat pan, one might be able to take a new cheap new mass-produced thick pan from walmart, take the orbital sander to it for a while at various grits, and get a nice smooth, easy to season thick pan which should also be indestructible and last forever.
posted by MikeWarot at 12:31 PM on June 29, 2016 [6 favorites]
chavenet - Chris in the photo seems to be using a height gage, with a dial indicator, which gives you very precise measurements of the difference in thickness of objects.
What this thickness measurement has to do with skillets and pans, I have no idea.
posted by MikeWarot at 12:35 PM on June 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
What this thickness measurement has to do with skillets and pans, I have no idea.
posted by MikeWarot at 12:35 PM on June 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
I actually like having a boring, thick, heavy griddle - it holds heat really well! And it heats gradually!
I think this may be one of those things where the difference between the fancy ones and the ordinary ones is not that great.
posted by Frowner at 12:35 PM on June 29, 2016 [3 favorites]
I think this may be one of those things where the difference between the fancy ones and the ordinary ones is not that great.
posted by Frowner at 12:35 PM on June 29, 2016 [3 favorites]
The thing I love about cast iron is that the pans are almost indestructible, and yet everyone seems to find it acceptable to go absolutely mental over the slightest mishandling. They aren't *that* hard to reseason, and a person is really cool, the cast iron has already spent twenty years moldering away in a barn before they came along and rescued it. It is the very definition of tempest in a teapot comedic anger.
People love unreasonable fealty to things that make them feel more authentic and virtuous.
I mean, I love my cast iron pan and I get mildly irritated when some bad cooking or cleaning wears away the nice deep black glistening seasoning layer, but I just keep frying eggs in it. It'll come back.
Now if there were only something I could do about the thick thick thick layer of grease on the OUTSIDE of the fucker...
posted by entropone at 12:36 PM on June 29, 2016 [6 favorites]
People love unreasonable fealty to things that make them feel more authentic and virtuous.
I mean, I love my cast iron pan and I get mildly irritated when some bad cooking or cleaning wears away the nice deep black glistening seasoning layer, but I just keep frying eggs in it. It'll come back.
Now if there were only something I could do about the thick thick thick layer of grease on the OUTSIDE of the fucker...
posted by entropone at 12:36 PM on June 29, 2016 [6 favorites]
I think this may be one of those things where the difference between the fancy ones and the ordinary ones is not that great.
At this point, it feels like the entirety of bearded artistinal culture occurs in than narrow interstice. That's partly because they've contributed to improving the baseline quality of a lot of food-related stuff, but also because it's very profitable to milk people's obsession with chasing perfection, especially as each tiny, incremental improvement in quality seems to become progressively more expensive and labor-intensive.
posted by ryanshepard at 12:40 PM on June 29, 2016 [4 favorites]
At this point, it feels like the entirety of bearded artistinal culture occurs in than narrow interstice. That's partly because they've contributed to improving the baseline quality of a lot of food-related stuff, but also because it's very profitable to milk people's obsession with chasing perfection, especially as each tiny, incremental improvement in quality seems to become progressively more expensive and labor-intensive.
posted by ryanshepard at 12:40 PM on June 29, 2016 [4 favorites]
c.f. "audiophile"
posted by jenkinsEar at 12:42 PM on June 29, 2016 [6 favorites]
posted by jenkinsEar at 12:42 PM on June 29, 2016 [6 favorites]
My surefire seasoning secret. Just fucking cook with it.
posted by dudemanlives at 12:43 PM on June 29, 2016 [18 favorites]
posted by dudemanlives at 12:43 PM on June 29, 2016 [18 favorites]
I picked up some of the new Lodge pans when they were at a steep discount on Amazon. I got 3 pans of different sizes for like $20 bucks total. (They actually shipped me three 10 inch pans by mistake, so I got 2 bonus pans that I gave to some friends)
And honestly they've been great. They are still more non-stick than most "non-stick" pans, they cook great, and they are easy to clean/maintain.
I have also thought about taking a grinder down to get the last little bit of sand casting out of the cooking surface, but honestly I'm just not sure if it's worth the effort. I've cooked with really nice, smooth, seasoned cast iron, and the little bit of extra non-stick you get is only really noticeable (to me at least) when cooking like scrambled eggs.
posted by mayonnaises at 12:46 PM on June 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
And honestly they've been great. They are still more non-stick than most "non-stick" pans, they cook great, and they are easy to clean/maintain.
I have also thought about taking a grinder down to get the last little bit of sand casting out of the cooking surface, but honestly I'm just not sure if it's worth the effort. I've cooked with really nice, smooth, seasoned cast iron, and the little bit of extra non-stick you get is only really noticeable (to me at least) when cooking like scrambled eggs.
posted by mayonnaises at 12:46 PM on June 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
Discussion from last year.
Cooks Illustrated alleges as how one can season a totally unseasoned cast iron pan (or strip off the seasoning on a partially seasoned pan and reseason) with flaxseed oil. I've always kind of wanted to try this...
I've done that twice now with flaxseed oil (as mentioned in that thread, though not everyone agreed), gone back to bare metal and started fresh using essentially that method. All I can tell you is that both pans are still going strong years later.
One was a $20 Lodge knockoff from Wallyworld, the other a pan inherited from my grandmother.
posted by bonehead at 12:46 PM on June 29, 2016
Cooks Illustrated alleges as how one can season a totally unseasoned cast iron pan (or strip off the seasoning on a partially seasoned pan and reseason) with flaxseed oil. I've always kind of wanted to try this...
I've done that twice now with flaxseed oil (as mentioned in that thread, though not everyone agreed), gone back to bare metal and started fresh using essentially that method. All I can tell you is that both pans are still going strong years later.
One was a $20 Lodge knockoff from Wallyworld, the other a pan inherited from my grandmother.
posted by bonehead at 12:46 PM on June 29, 2016
Now if there were only something I could do about the thick thick thick layer of grease on the OUTSIDE of the fucker...
Yeah, Mom handed me down two from her great-grandmother. It took me a while to warm up to using them - I was a bit afraid of "ruining" them, like newbies are. Mine have a ton of outer layers of cruft too. On the larger one, that I use a lot now, it's kinda been flaking off naturally with time and use. Although this has meant that I can see rust spots kinda starting after just a few days of non-use if I'm not super careful about scrubbing and drying the bottom after use. (What's a good way to protect the bottoms of these things? Won't coatings of oil just burn the next time you use the pan?)
posted by dnash at 12:48 PM on June 29, 2016
Yeah, Mom handed me down two from her great-grandmother. It took me a while to warm up to using them - I was a bit afraid of "ruining" them, like newbies are. Mine have a ton of outer layers of cruft too. On the larger one, that I use a lot now, it's kinda been flaking off naturally with time and use. Although this has meant that I can see rust spots kinda starting after just a few days of non-use if I'm not super careful about scrubbing and drying the bottom after use. (What's a good way to protect the bottoms of these things? Won't coatings of oil just burn the next time you use the pan?)
posted by dnash at 12:48 PM on June 29, 2016
“I have two that are just coming along now,” Ms. Lundy said in the nurturing tone usually reserved for children, sourdough starters and rosebushes.
And batches of nitroglycerine. And golems. And alchemical Philisophical Eggs.
posted by Splunge at 12:51 PM on June 29, 2016 [7 favorites]
And batches of nitroglycerine. And golems. And alchemical Philisophical Eggs.
posted by Splunge at 12:51 PM on June 29, 2016 [7 favorites]
There's plenty of ridiculosity about this topic, but I'm not sure it's especially "hipster" in nature. I've been hearing about the right way to treat cast iron since I was a kid, and I'll venture most of the 60-and-70-somethings I know have some opinion. Even if it's all fraught with bullshit folklore and stuff heard on cooking shows.
I have some newish Lodge pans and griddles, and a much, much older one of no particular brand that my folks found at a farm sale or in a pile at an older relative's house or some such, scoured the rust off of, and gave me as a Christmas present one year. The difference really is pretty noticeable - the older pan is lighter and has that super-smooth surface. Having learned to scrape the gunk off after use and re-season with some oil (or cook bacon), it's one of the nicer kitchen things I own, but they're all pretty useful.
It would be fine by me if the cool kids could put on enough pressure that the standard of manufacturing improved to meet that older level.
posted by brennen at 12:52 PM on June 29, 2016 [3 favorites]
I have some newish Lodge pans and griddles, and a much, much older one of no particular brand that my folks found at a farm sale or in a pile at an older relative's house or some such, scoured the rust off of, and gave me as a Christmas present one year. The difference really is pretty noticeable - the older pan is lighter and has that super-smooth surface. Having learned to scrape the gunk off after use and re-season with some oil (or cook bacon), it's one of the nicer kitchen things I own, but they're all pretty useful.
It would be fine by me if the cool kids could put on enough pressure that the standard of manufacturing improved to meet that older level.
posted by brennen at 12:52 PM on June 29, 2016 [3 favorites]
The Finex 10-inch skillet sells for $165; the Borough Furnace equivalent for $280; the Field skillet for about $100.
Great. Another good thing ruined.
posted by splitpeasoup at 12:52 PM on June 29, 2016
Great. Another good thing ruined.
posted by splitpeasoup at 12:52 PM on June 29, 2016
The only downside of flaxseed oil is that it has a strong unpleasant fishy smell that fills the house during the seasoning process. Online discussions go back and forth, but some people feel that they can use the same process but with a different oil (such as peanut or canola) and get the same durable seasoning.
As for grinding the pebbly finish smooth, I did it on my 8" Lodge pan and I'm glad I did - I can cook omelets on it all day long with nary a sticking egg. Burned out my cheap drill doing it, though, so I'm holding off on the other two pans until I get a proper orbital sander. But it's absolutely doable, and very straightforward. All it takes is a little elbow grease. Just be sure to thoroughly wash and immediately dry it, then do the seasoning process before the rust starts.
posted by Greg_Ace at 12:53 PM on June 29, 2016
As for grinding the pebbly finish smooth, I did it on my 8" Lodge pan and I'm glad I did - I can cook omelets on it all day long with nary a sticking egg. Burned out my cheap drill doing it, though, so I'm holding off on the other two pans until I get a proper orbital sander. But it's absolutely doable, and very straightforward. All it takes is a little elbow grease. Just be sure to thoroughly wash and immediately dry it, then do the seasoning process before the rust starts.
posted by Greg_Ace at 12:53 PM on June 29, 2016
(What's a good way to protect the bottoms of these things? Won't coatings of oil just burn the next time you use the pan?)
I have an enameled cast iron frying pan. So I guess the enamel protects it. But either way it gets covered by the caked on, vulcanized/polymerized/whateverized grease - which doesn't so much burn as it gets STRONGER. or something.
I've used generous amounts of oven cleaner to get SOME of it off, but what's left is pretty fuckin' resilient.
posted by entropone at 12:55 PM on June 29, 2016
I have an enameled cast iron frying pan. So I guess the enamel protects it. But either way it gets covered by the caked on, vulcanized/polymerized/whateverized grease - which doesn't so much burn as it gets STRONGER. or something.
I've used generous amounts of oven cleaner to get SOME of it off, but what's left is pretty fuckin' resilient.
posted by entropone at 12:55 PM on June 29, 2016
The only downside of flaxseed oil is that it has a strong unpleasant fishy smell
Also it costs more, but for seasoning pans a little goes a long way.
posted by Greg_Ace at 12:55 PM on June 29, 2016
Also it costs more, but for seasoning pans a little goes a long way.
posted by Greg_Ace at 12:55 PM on June 29, 2016
Although this has meant that I can see rust spots kinda starting after just a few days of non-use if I'm not super careful about scrubbing and drying the bottom after use. (What's a good way to protect the bottoms of these things? Won't coatings of oil just burn the next time you use the pan?)
My current procedure is as follows:
- Wash
- Put on burner at medium heat
- Once really dry, apply a real thin layer of oil with a paper towel or somesuch, and let heat until just about right around the smoke point of the oil
- Let cool, wipe off any extra oil / oil gunk (if there is oil gunk you might have used too much oil), put away and stop worrying about it
posted by brennen at 12:57 PM on June 29, 2016 [2 favorites]
My current procedure is as follows:
- Wash
- Put on burner at medium heat
- Once really dry, apply a real thin layer of oil with a paper towel or somesuch, and let heat until just about right around the smoke point of the oil
- Let cool, wipe off any extra oil / oil gunk (if there is oil gunk you might have used too much oil), put away and stop worrying about it
posted by brennen at 12:57 PM on June 29, 2016 [2 favorites]
Oh hey, this is the thread for my "how Frowner almost burned the house down by foolery" anecdote!
So, we have this nice griddle, and I cook on it all the time. It just sits on the stovetop and gets cleaned as needed. There is a thick layer of oily gunk around the handle which gets cleaned off to the best of our ability on an ongoing basis. The stove is on a slightly uneven floor, so oil tends to gravitate to that side of the griddle, which just makes things worse. (We have shimmed the stove up about as much as we can.)
So I was cooking something and the oily gunk caught fire. Just a tiny little flame licking around the edge of the pan, but instead of either standing back and letting it burn itself out (there was nothing flammable anywhere near the pan) or trying to cover it (difficult due to the shape of the pan) I...you can see where this is going. I went against all the kitchen instructions ever and poured water on it.
A tongue of flame shot up almost to the ceiling - if I didn't live in an old house with extra-high ceilings, I would have lit the ceiling on fire.
It died down quickly and that seemed to exhaust the fuel for the fire, so the whole thing went out. Nothing else burned. I was shaken but went on to finish cooking.
Let this be a lesson to - well, to me, at least - that even if you are a reasonably intelligent full-grown adult, you can still act stupidly and act precisely as you should know not to. A helpfully humbling experience, I have to say, and I feel extremely lucky that I didn't burn the house down.
posted by Frowner at 12:58 PM on June 29, 2016 [6 favorites]
So, we have this nice griddle, and I cook on it all the time. It just sits on the stovetop and gets cleaned as needed. There is a thick layer of oily gunk around the handle which gets cleaned off to the best of our ability on an ongoing basis. The stove is on a slightly uneven floor, so oil tends to gravitate to that side of the griddle, which just makes things worse. (We have shimmed the stove up about as much as we can.)
So I was cooking something and the oily gunk caught fire. Just a tiny little flame licking around the edge of the pan, but instead of either standing back and letting it burn itself out (there was nothing flammable anywhere near the pan) or trying to cover it (difficult due to the shape of the pan) I...you can see where this is going. I went against all the kitchen instructions ever and poured water on it.
A tongue of flame shot up almost to the ceiling - if I didn't live in an old house with extra-high ceilings, I would have lit the ceiling on fire.
It died down quickly and that seemed to exhaust the fuel for the fire, so the whole thing went out. Nothing else burned. I was shaken but went on to finish cooking.
Let this be a lesson to - well, to me, at least - that even if you are a reasonably intelligent full-grown adult, you can still act stupidly and act precisely as you should know not to. A helpfully humbling experience, I have to say, and I feel extremely lucky that I didn't burn the house down.
posted by Frowner at 12:58 PM on June 29, 2016 [6 favorites]
I thought the whole point of cast iron is that you can get it cheap as hell, like literally sitting in a barn for free, and basically never have to clean it. Scrape it off, wipe it out, hit with oil and heat it up for a minute, then hang it up. All done. Spending 3-400$ is the opposite of that.
Flax oil does kinda smell like fish, and it's thin so you need to do 3-4 coats if you're reseasoning from bare metal, but it seems to hold or bond better, or something. Insert woo here. I've reseasoned with regular vegetable oil it tends to flake off, haven't had that after reading about flax. Although once it's broken in, vegetable or whatever is fine for upkeep, you don't want to keep using flax oil all the time. That stuff is expensive.
posted by T.D. Strange at 1:08 PM on June 29, 2016 [4 favorites]
Flax oil does kinda smell like fish, and it's thin so you need to do 3-4 coats if you're reseasoning from bare metal, but it seems to hold or bond better, or something. Insert woo here. I've reseasoned with regular vegetable oil it tends to flake off, haven't had that after reading about flax. Although once it's broken in, vegetable or whatever is fine for upkeep, you don't want to keep using flax oil all the time. That stuff is expensive.
posted by T.D. Strange at 1:08 PM on June 29, 2016 [4 favorites]
I have rescued cast-iron cookware from Dr. Robots detergent washing on many occasions. And, yes, it is indeed her very definition of tempest in a teapot comedic anger.
posted by No Robots at 1:10 PM on June 29, 2016
posted by No Robots at 1:10 PM on June 29, 2016
>keeping a starter alive for three years
How do you manage? I've tried making starter three or four times. Every time it starts smelling like acetone a few days after hitting what seems like peak lactobacilli/yeast.
posted by constantinescharity at 1:13 PM on June 29, 2016
How do you manage? I've tried making starter three or four times. Every time it starts smelling like acetone a few days after hitting what seems like peak lactobacilli/yeast.
posted by constantinescharity at 1:13 PM on June 29, 2016
to be fair, the housemate who regularly leaves water standing in the cast iron or v.v. should lay off it or quit using the cast iron and will claim it's a teapot storm even while hiding the rust stain on the counter under a towel. Just my ex-housemate? I bet not.
posted by clew at 1:14 PM on June 29, 2016
posted by clew at 1:14 PM on June 29, 2016
Flax seed oil works better because it is a "drying" oil.
Also, I'm glad I wasn't the only person bothered by the silly "taking measurements for data" phrase. I suppose it means the measurements were not merely being taken for the purpose of being photographed.
posted by exogenous at 1:16 PM on June 29, 2016
Also, I'm glad I wasn't the only person bothered by the silly "taking measurements for data" phrase. I suppose it means the measurements were not merely being taken for the purpose of being photographed.
posted by exogenous at 1:16 PM on June 29, 2016
Yeah, it's really easy to learn, then forget, that grease fire + water = BAD. A quick video demo.
posted by maudlin at 1:22 PM on June 29, 2016
posted by maudlin at 1:22 PM on June 29, 2016
For years I've cleaned my Lodge by gently rubbing some salt on it and re-seasoning it with bacon grease which has the advantage of requiring me to first make some bacon.
posted by Lutoslawski at 1:23 PM on June 29, 2016 [5 favorites]
posted by Lutoslawski at 1:23 PM on June 29, 2016 [5 favorites]
I can't have nice things (like cast iron pans) because Mr. Sophie1 did not grow up with them and absolutely refuses to believe that everything shouldn't be scrubbed to within an inch of it's life. In addition to his mother being obsessively clean, I think there's some germophobia lurking within Mr. Sophie1.
posted by Sophie1 at 1:25 PM on June 29, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by Sophie1 at 1:25 PM on June 29, 2016 [2 favorites]
Now if there were only something I could do about the thick thick thick layer of grease on the OUTSIDE of the fucker...
Take it camping.
A couple of mornings a year in an actual campfire does wonders for keeping my pans shiny all over.
posted by madajb at 1:38 PM on June 29, 2016 [3 favorites]
Take it camping.
A couple of mornings a year in an actual campfire does wonders for keeping my pans shiny all over.
posted by madajb at 1:38 PM on June 29, 2016 [3 favorites]
Just use your damn pans. Put them away dry. They start out good and get better with time. No need to obsess.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 1:54 PM on June 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 1:54 PM on June 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
And cast-iron collecting has taken off. Buyers seek rare skillets like the Erie Spider, the Griswold Slant and the Wapak Chickenfoot; an elusive Sidney No. 8 is listed on eBay for $1,500.
Jeez. The Erie Spider logo isn't "rare." Harder to find, yes, but it's not a unicorn. Griswold slanted logos are worth less to some collectors who would rather have a large, non-slanted Griswold logo than a small, slanted one. The "elusive Sidney No. 8" may be listed on eBay for $1,500, but it was posted by someone with a surplus of hubris who is counting on a rube to fork over that much money for a skillet worth about $100 only because of its age and its maker (the predecessor to the Wagner company). The $1,500 Sidney skillet is, in fact, the single most expensive piece of cast iron cookware currently posted on eBay, which presumably is why the NYT chose to mention it. That does not make it a good example of, well, anything.
Now I know what it's like to have the New York Times write a trend piece about something you know and care a lot about. It's infuriating, is what it is. That said, if the NYT piece newly inspired or converted you to the ways of cast iron and you're thinking of buying some old cast iron online, feel free to drop me a note for a free and honest reality check.
A reminder, which I've mentioned here numerous times, that a lot of antique/vintage name-brand cast iron is actually unmarked, although identifiable, and you can often get it for a steal. I was in an antique store yesterday. One booth had five skillets. All were made by Lodge, Birmingham Stove & Range, or Wagner. All were labeled "Generic Cast Iron" and were priced under $15. If I weren't 1,800 miles from home and living out of a suitcase at the moment, they'd be mine.
posted by mudpuppie at 2:02 PM on June 29, 2016 [11 favorites]
Jeez. The Erie Spider logo isn't "rare." Harder to find, yes, but it's not a unicorn. Griswold slanted logos are worth less to some collectors who would rather have a large, non-slanted Griswold logo than a small, slanted one. The "elusive Sidney No. 8" may be listed on eBay for $1,500, but it was posted by someone with a surplus of hubris who is counting on a rube to fork over that much money for a skillet worth about $100 only because of its age and its maker (the predecessor to the Wagner company). The $1,500 Sidney skillet is, in fact, the single most expensive piece of cast iron cookware currently posted on eBay, which presumably is why the NYT chose to mention it. That does not make it a good example of, well, anything.
Now I know what it's like to have the New York Times write a trend piece about something you know and care a lot about. It's infuriating, is what it is. That said, if the NYT piece newly inspired or converted you to the ways of cast iron and you're thinking of buying some old cast iron online, feel free to drop me a note for a free and honest reality check.
A reminder, which I've mentioned here numerous times, that a lot of antique/vintage name-brand cast iron is actually unmarked, although identifiable, and you can often get it for a steal. I was in an antique store yesterday. One booth had five skillets. All were made by Lodge, Birmingham Stove & Range, or Wagner. All were labeled "Generic Cast Iron" and were priced under $15. If I weren't 1,800 miles from home and living out of a suitcase at the moment, they'd be mine.
posted by mudpuppie at 2:02 PM on June 29, 2016 [11 favorites]
Greg_Ace: "
As for grinding the pebbly finish smooth, I did it on my 8" Lodge pan and I'm glad I did - I can cook omelets on it all day long with nary a sticking egg. Burned out my cheap drill doing it, though, so I'm holding off on the other two pans until I get a proper orbital sander. But it's absolutely doable, and very straightforward. All it takes is a little elbow grease. Just be sure to thoroughly wash and immediately dry it, then do the seasoning process before the rust starts."
You will be amazed at how fast that rust can appear. Move quickly.
posted by Splunge at 2:03 PM on June 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
As for grinding the pebbly finish smooth, I did it on my 8" Lodge pan and I'm glad I did - I can cook omelets on it all day long with nary a sticking egg. Burned out my cheap drill doing it, though, so I'm holding off on the other two pans until I get a proper orbital sander. But it's absolutely doable, and very straightforward. All it takes is a little elbow grease. Just be sure to thoroughly wash and immediately dry it, then do the seasoning process before the rust starts."
You will be amazed at how fast that rust can appear. Move quickly.
posted by Splunge at 2:03 PM on June 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
PS: Putting your cast iron in a campfire is bad. I am constitutionally unable to prevent myself from mentioning that.
No judgment.
posted by mudpuppie at 2:04 PM on June 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
No judgment.
posted by mudpuppie at 2:04 PM on June 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
Not sure if I ever told this story here. My first wife and I had two cats. Krishna and Gremlin. Gremlin was a bit slow. He also liked to lie on the stove.
One day we came home and immediately knew something was badly wrong. The whole house smelled like burning metal. It was very hot. In the kitchen we found our cast iron pan glowing red, as the burner below it blazed away. Of course we turned off the burner, but waited hours before touching the pan. Of course it was Gremlin's fault. He had jumped off of the stove and turned that particular burner on full. When the pan cooled it contained a good amount of grey flakey matter. This was several generations of perfect non-stick coating. The pan had been handed down in the family until it got to my wife.
I wanted to use Gremlin to start the seasoning process again. We took all of the knobs off of the stove after that.
posted by Splunge at 2:14 PM on June 29, 2016 [7 favorites]
One day we came home and immediately knew something was badly wrong. The whole house smelled like burning metal. It was very hot. In the kitchen we found our cast iron pan glowing red, as the burner below it blazed away. Of course we turned off the burner, but waited hours before touching the pan. Of course it was Gremlin's fault. He had jumped off of the stove and turned that particular burner on full. When the pan cooled it contained a good amount of grey flakey matter. This was several generations of perfect non-stick coating. The pan had been handed down in the family until it got to my wife.
I wanted to use Gremlin to start the seasoning process again. We took all of the knobs off of the stove after that.
posted by Splunge at 2:14 PM on June 29, 2016 [7 favorites]
I seasoned mine from new with good old fashioned bacon grease. Every one in awhile I'll stick it in the oven covered in olive oil, since common in-law man friend liked to abuse it drunk cooking sometimes. Drying it right after washing seems like the essential part. I love my cheap, hand me down skillet. Why pay 100$ plus? And I love how you can cook with one on the stove, and then pop it in the oven to finish things up.
posted by branravenraven at 2:47 PM on June 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by branravenraven at 2:47 PM on June 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
I have rescued cast-iron cookware from Dr. Robots detergent washing on many occasions. And, yes, it is indeed her very definition of tempest in a teapot comedic anger.
I don't think it is really necessary to fret very much about this, but I'll bet mudpuppie or others can chime in with a much more authoritative answer.
PS: Putting your cast iron in a campfire is bad. I am constitutionally unable to prevent myself from mentioning that.
Hmm. I own some of my cast iron for the explicit purpose of putting it in campfires, so I'm not really sure how to feel about this.
posted by brennen at 2:50 PM on June 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
I don't think it is really necessary to fret very much about this, but I'll bet mudpuppie or others can chime in with a much more authoritative answer.
PS: Putting your cast iron in a campfire is bad. I am constitutionally unable to prevent myself from mentioning that.
Hmm. I own some of my cast iron for the explicit purpose of putting it in campfires, so I'm not really sure how to feel about this.
posted by brennen at 2:50 PM on June 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
You will be amazed at how fast that rust can appear.
Indeed. If I was looking for a word to describe how fast, that word would be "instantanous". Fortunately, if you wash it and pop it directly into a 250° oven to dry for 5 -10 minutes, it's just the merest light coating that's easily removable, after which you can get right to applying the oil before it comes back!
posted by Greg_Ace at 2:51 PM on June 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
Indeed. If I was looking for a word to describe how fast, that word would be "instantanous". Fortunately, if you wash it and pop it directly into a 250° oven to dry for 5 -10 minutes, it's just the merest light coating that's easily removable, after which you can get right to applying the oil before it comes back!
posted by Greg_Ace at 2:51 PM on June 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
I like the idea of a lighter cast iron pan for ease of use. But otherwise I find cast iron does well with benign neglect. Fry bacon and hamburger with some regularity, never put it away wet, and don't clean it more than it needs.
I've stripped off the seasoning too many times to count making spaghetti sauce and one batch of bacon brings things back.
posted by Dip Flash at 2:53 PM on June 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
I've stripped off the seasoning too many times to count making spaghetti sauce and one batch of bacon brings things back.
posted by Dip Flash at 2:53 PM on June 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
scrape the gunk off after use and re-season with some oil (or cook bacon)I always cook a batch of bacon after cooking anything in my cast-iron pan. To make an infinitely recursive story short: the real-world equivalent of a stack overflow is arteriosclerosis.
posted by roystgnr at 2:57 PM on June 29, 2016 [5 favorites]
Okay. So I'm going to defend Finex a little bit. I don't own one, as I've got some nicer vintage cast iron with machined surfaces. I plan on buying one someday if those ever give up the ghost (because cast iron isn't indestructible...yeah it lasts a long time, but they can break, and I've broken several lodge buddies). I've had the fortune of cooking with one, and it was pretty fantastic. There are reasons beyond some artisan hipster bullshit that these pans are expensive.
Finex cast iron are on par with pans like All-clad. Yes, there are perfectly suitable alternatives that are cheaper, but Finex pans are higher quality than Lodge. Full stop. They have a machined cooking surface that is slick as the vintage ones, and doesn't have the pebbled surface. They're REALLY nice, and super nice to cook on. But that's only part of why I'd buy one.
They're a local Portland business that employs real humans and They pay their people really well. I've socially met a couple people who work for them. While they're production workers, they make enough money to present as middle class in Portland (decent cars, mortgages, etc).
Companies that appropriately price their services to provide their workers with a living wage isn't hipster elitist bullshit, it's fucking awesome and isn't something to be shit upon. Middle class wages cost money, and Finex is backing that up with quality behind it too.
posted by furnace.heart at 3:04 PM on June 29, 2016 [28 favorites]
Finex cast iron are on par with pans like All-clad. Yes, there are perfectly suitable alternatives that are cheaper, but Finex pans are higher quality than Lodge. Full stop. They have a machined cooking surface that is slick as the vintage ones, and doesn't have the pebbled surface. They're REALLY nice, and super nice to cook on. But that's only part of why I'd buy one.
They're a local Portland business that employs real humans and They pay their people really well. I've socially met a couple people who work for them. While they're production workers, they make enough money to present as middle class in Portland (decent cars, mortgages, etc).
Companies that appropriately price their services to provide their workers with a living wage isn't hipster elitist bullshit, it's fucking awesome and isn't something to be shit upon. Middle class wages cost money, and Finex is backing that up with quality behind it too.
posted by furnace.heart at 3:04 PM on June 29, 2016 [28 favorites]
brennen: "
Hmm. I own some of my cast iron for the explicit purpose of putting it in campfires, so I'm not really sure how to feel about this."
Yeah. They make cast iron dutch ovens of all sizes specifically for fire or coal use. They have little legs on the bottom and the cover has a rim. You put them on coals and pour coals on the top. Very versatile.
posted by Splunge at 3:06 PM on June 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
Hmm. I own some of my cast iron for the explicit purpose of putting it in campfires, so I'm not really sure how to feel about this."
Yeah. They make cast iron dutch ovens of all sizes specifically for fire or coal use. They have little legs on the bottom and the cover has a rim. You put them on coals and pour coals on the top. Very versatile.
posted by Splunge at 3:06 PM on June 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
I just got a new set of cast-iron after moving to the opposite coast and I actually did a much better job of seasoning them this time than I did last (thank you so much Kenji from Serious Eats, for everything). The difference between the new and old is unmistakable.
One is Lodge and it's pebbly but I never grew up with cast iron and it's basically a perfect pan for so many things. Asparagus? Really fried eggs? Morning hash browns? Pancakes? AMAZING. Honestly, I think the only thing I really haven't made in it yet is bacon.
The other one is a little tortilla skillet that I saw and it was super cheap and it was so adorable and I make tortillas by hand all the time so I couldn't just not get it. I seasoned it the same way as the other but it's definitely a little more finicky and temperamental but perhaps that's also just me.
My old cast-iron I left for my mother but both my girlfriend and my sister have both talked about much they'd like to take it for themselves. Which is like, perplexing. It's like, you can buy it for so cheap and it's not that greatly seasoned and you're just going to use it for nachos. But it's cast-iron and those nachos are pretty good-looking, so I can't blame them too much.
posted by Neronomius at 3:28 PM on June 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
One is Lodge and it's pebbly but I never grew up with cast iron and it's basically a perfect pan for so many things. Asparagus? Really fried eggs? Morning hash browns? Pancakes? AMAZING. Honestly, I think the only thing I really haven't made in it yet is bacon.
The other one is a little tortilla skillet that I saw and it was super cheap and it was so adorable and I make tortillas by hand all the time so I couldn't just not get it. I seasoned it the same way as the other but it's definitely a little more finicky and temperamental but perhaps that's also just me.
My old cast-iron I left for my mother but both my girlfriend and my sister have both talked about much they'd like to take it for themselves. Which is like, perplexing. It's like, you can buy it for so cheap and it's not that greatly seasoned and you're just going to use it for nachos. But it's cast-iron and those nachos are pretty good-looking, so I can't blame them too much.
posted by Neronomius at 3:28 PM on June 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
Metafilter: the entirety of bearded artistanal culture occurs in than narrow interstice. (ryanshepard)
posted by twsf at 4:09 PM on June 29, 2016
posted by twsf at 4:09 PM on June 29, 2016
Hmm. I own some of my cast iron for the explicit purpose of putting it in campfires, so I'm not really sure how to feel about this.
Scroll down to "Cleaning Caveats." Short answer: Overheating a cast iron can either crack it or damage it to the point that it will never again hold a seasoning.
posted by mudpuppie at 4:22 PM on June 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
Scroll down to "Cleaning Caveats." Short answer: Overheating a cast iron can either crack it or damage it to the point that it will never again hold a seasoning.
posted by mudpuppie at 4:22 PM on June 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
NEVER AGAIN!!!1!
posted by mudpuppie at 4:22 PM on June 29, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by mudpuppie at 4:22 PM on June 29, 2016 [2 favorites]
Soooo...you're saying there's a chance it'll hold seasoning again?
posted by Greg_Ace at 5:14 PM on June 29, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by Greg_Ace at 5:14 PM on June 29, 2016 [2 favorites]
I like the idea of a lighter cast iron pan for ease of use. But otherwise I find cast iron does well with benign neglect. Fry bacon and hamburger with some regularity, never put it away
You just described my 8" carbon steel pan.
posted by Room 641-A at 5:18 PM on June 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
You just described my 8" carbon steel pan.
posted by Room 641-A at 5:18 PM on June 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
I find all this interest in cast iron pots just weird. Are they suddenly fashionable? I have always had some old cast iron frying pans, one that was rumoured to belong to a grandmother who died before I was born. I do not take the best of care of them but they keep on cooking just as they should. Some are Griswold pots, which I only know because my friend married a Griswold, but I heard that some people collect them. I just cook in them. being an old lady I had no idea they were now a cool thing.
posted by mermayd at 5:22 PM on June 29, 2016
posted by mermayd at 5:22 PM on June 29, 2016
mudpuppie: "Hmm. I own some of my cast iron for the explicit purpose of putting it in campfires, so I'm not really sure how to feel about this.
Scroll down to "Cleaning Caveats." Short answer: Overheating a cast iron can either crack it or damage it to the point that it will never again hold a seasoning."
Well I see the issue. Overheating empty cast iron can be problematic. Very much like overheating non-stick pans will damage them as well. I suppose that a cast iron utensil that is made for high temperatures is less likely to have a problem. While a cast iron pan made for stove top use shouldn't, usually, be subject to those temps. It would depend upon the thickness and how well the item was annealed as well.
So I'll simply say, use the right tools for the right job. Don't use your new, thin cast, pan in a situation where it might break.
posted by Splunge at 5:45 PM on June 29, 2016
Scroll down to "Cleaning Caveats." Short answer: Overheating a cast iron can either crack it or damage it to the point that it will never again hold a seasoning."
Well I see the issue. Overheating empty cast iron can be problematic. Very much like overheating non-stick pans will damage them as well. I suppose that a cast iron utensil that is made for high temperatures is less likely to have a problem. While a cast iron pan made for stove top use shouldn't, usually, be subject to those temps. It would depend upon the thickness and how well the item was annealed as well.
So I'll simply say, use the right tools for the right job. Don't use your new, thin cast, pan in a situation where it might break.
posted by Splunge at 5:45 PM on June 29, 2016
I have a big 'ol pan, I think a 12-incher. Pretty sure it's a Wagner Ware. My mom has a Griswold, probably 8-inch or 10. Mine is just huge. My mom inherited hers, and I found mine in a pile of junk in an alley 15 years ago or so.
It sat in my mom's basement for years until I moved out of the house and started cooking for myself. It's got a beautiful flat non-stick surface, and is almost perfect except for a white spot on the outside where it got part of a bread bag melted to it one day, and the spot never came out. I'm sure I could burn it off if I tried hard enough.
I use it fairly often and love it for eggs and Stir-Friday. I always wash it with detergent and a sponge, and just heat it up afterwards and don't even bother oiling it. The stuff is just incredible. I was going to call it "bulletproof," but yes, it is that too, literally.
posted by Slinga at 7:38 PM on June 29, 2016 [2 favorites]
It sat in my mom's basement for years until I moved out of the house and started cooking for myself. It's got a beautiful flat non-stick surface, and is almost perfect except for a white spot on the outside where it got part of a bread bag melted to it one day, and the spot never came out. I'm sure I could burn it off if I tried hard enough.
I use it fairly often and love it for eggs and Stir-Friday. I always wash it with detergent and a sponge, and just heat it up afterwards and don't even bother oiling it. The stuff is just incredible. I was going to call it "bulletproof," but yes, it is that too, literally.
posted by Slinga at 7:38 PM on June 29, 2016 [2 favorites]
oh lord how i hate these godawful things. like similarly terrible boar bristle brushes i always have to assume this is one of those things that mefi likes trolling about.
posted by poffin boffin at 7:57 PM on June 29, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by poffin boffin at 7:57 PM on June 29, 2016 [2 favorites]
I find all this interest in cast iron pots just weird. Are they suddenly fashionable?
Maybe it's a backlash to the marketing idea that everyone just HAS to own a full set of copper cookware from William Sonoma at $999. No, you really don't, get a cast iron for $10 and learn how to use it. Not sure, I've always had one from learning to cook outdoors as an Eagle Scout, and later because I only owned one pan throughout college.
" Short answer: Overheating a cast iron can either crack it or damage it to the point that it will never again hold a seasoning."
You can put a cast iron dutch over straight into a campfire, no worries. Makes killer cobbler, or stew. Just make sure you have a study hook to get it out again, and a steady hand, it's like 40lbs of burnyourlegsoff.
posted by T.D. Strange at 8:17 PM on June 29, 2016 [3 favorites]
Maybe it's a backlash to the marketing idea that everyone just HAS to own a full set of copper cookware from William Sonoma at $999. No, you really don't, get a cast iron for $10 and learn how to use it. Not sure, I've always had one from learning to cook outdoors as an Eagle Scout, and later because I only owned one pan throughout college.
" Short answer: Overheating a cast iron can either crack it or damage it to the point that it will never again hold a seasoning."
You can put a cast iron dutch over straight into a campfire, no worries. Makes killer cobbler, or stew. Just make sure you have a study hook to get it out again, and a steady hand, it's like 40lbs of burnyourlegsoff.
posted by T.D. Strange at 8:17 PM on June 29, 2016 [3 favorites]
Is it true that old cast iron was polished but today's isn't? Why wouldn't they polish it, if so?
posted by zennie at 8:41 PM on June 29, 2016
posted by zennie at 8:41 PM on June 29, 2016
Why wouldn't they polish it, if so?
According to one well-linked explanation on the web, the non-stickiness of a good cast-iron skillet is chemical, not mechanical. In other words, it's not the physical smoothness so much as the chemical smoothness (i.e., non-bondability) of the plasticized layer of oil on top that's created by repeatedly heating oily layers past the point of polymerization (around 200-300 degrees depending on the oil) but not beyond it (around 500 degrees). While older, mirror smooth skillets look better, they aren't much better than a well seasoned pebbled Lodge pan.
My experience bears this out: we have three, two of which I've repeatedly experimented with (smoothing, with flax oil, etc), and the one I haven't fucked with over the last five years has a nice, solid black layer of non-sticky surface on it that I can wash with detergent and not see a problem.
posted by fatbird at 8:48 PM on June 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
According to one well-linked explanation on the web, the non-stickiness of a good cast-iron skillet is chemical, not mechanical. In other words, it's not the physical smoothness so much as the chemical smoothness (i.e., non-bondability) of the plasticized layer of oil on top that's created by repeatedly heating oily layers past the point of polymerization (around 200-300 degrees depending on the oil) but not beyond it (around 500 degrees). While older, mirror smooth skillets look better, they aren't much better than a well seasoned pebbled Lodge pan.
My experience bears this out: we have three, two of which I've repeatedly experimented with (smoothing, with flax oil, etc), and the one I haven't fucked with over the last five years has a nice, solid black layer of non-sticky surface on it that I can wash with detergent and not see a problem.
posted by fatbird at 8:48 PM on June 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
Metafilter: the entirety of bearded artistanal culture occurs in than narrow interstice.
THAT, not than - sorry. I'm reduced to monkey-on-a-typewriter level when trying to Metafilter on a tablet.
Don't use your new, thin cast, pan in a situation where it might break.
Even if they do, it will likely still be OK - I was using one of my grandfather's skillets for almost a year before I realized it actually had a hairline crack running the length of the rim on one side. Over the decades, the crust on the outside had subsumed and stabilized it, and years later I'm still using it. It doesn't even leak when it's full of liquid.
One of the reasons cast iron is probably fashionable now is that it's hard to think of a better living fuck you to the products of disposable consumer culture. It's like cooking with an axe or an anvil or something.
posted by ryanshepard at 8:57 PM on June 29, 2016 [4 favorites]
THAT, not than - sorry. I'm reduced to monkey-on-a-typewriter level when trying to Metafilter on a tablet.
Don't use your new, thin cast, pan in a situation where it might break.
Even if they do, it will likely still be OK - I was using one of my grandfather's skillets for almost a year before I realized it actually had a hairline crack running the length of the rim on one side. Over the decades, the crust on the outside had subsumed and stabilized it, and years later I'm still using it. It doesn't even leak when it's full of liquid.
One of the reasons cast iron is probably fashionable now is that it's hard to think of a better living fuck you to the products of disposable consumer culture. It's like cooking with an axe or an anvil or something.
posted by ryanshepard at 8:57 PM on June 29, 2016 [4 favorites]
Why wouldn't they polish it, if so?
In addition to what fatbird said above, polishing means more labor and more cost. I'd guess that Lodge figured the performance difference wasn't drastic enough to be much of a practical concern to their customers, and that they'd rather sell more pans at a cheaper price.
posted by Greg_Ace at 9:25 PM on June 29, 2016
In addition to what fatbird said above, polishing means more labor and more cost. I'd guess that Lodge figured the performance difference wasn't drastic enough to be much of a practical concern to their customers, and that they'd rather sell more pans at a cheaper price.
posted by Greg_Ace at 9:25 PM on June 29, 2016
I've got some pebbly pans and after actually using them for a year or so (rubbing some oil on the inside after every time) they're smooth.
I did find a gorgeous, huge, wooden-handled "Griswold Slant" (are you kidding, who says that?) at the thrift store last week and I was scandalized to see it marked $19.99 but I got it anyway. I showed some friends and felt like a huge nerd being excited about it and able to roughly date it and my friends were like, "how do you even know about this stuff?!" So I'm happy to be in this thread on the internet where I belong.
Now tell me where to get the beat up copper pans I've been collecting re-tinned; if I could do THAT at home like cast iron I'd be set.
posted by jeweled accumulation at 10:38 PM on June 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
I did find a gorgeous, huge, wooden-handled "Griswold Slant" (are you kidding, who says that?) at the thrift store last week and I was scandalized to see it marked $19.99 but I got it anyway. I showed some friends and felt like a huge nerd being excited about it and able to roughly date it and my friends were like, "how do you even know about this stuff?!" So I'm happy to be in this thread on the internet where I belong.
Now tell me where to get the beat up copper pans I've been collecting re-tinned; if I could do THAT at home like cast iron I'd be set.
posted by jeweled accumulation at 10:38 PM on June 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
I've got a couple hundred weight of cast iron and if I had to replace it all with new Lodge, the only thing I couldn't still cook would be some very thin omelette thingies the kids like to smear with apple butter and roll up. Gotta have my Griswold for that.
On the other hand, I've got some gem pans that could be early 19th century and wouldn't take $200 apiece for them, so if it makes you happy in the kitchen and you can afford it why not?
posted by ridgerunner at 11:42 PM on June 29, 2016
On the other hand, I've got some gem pans that could be early 19th century and wouldn't take $200 apiece for them, so if it makes you happy in the kitchen and you can afford it why not?
posted by ridgerunner at 11:42 PM on June 29, 2016
Oops! Mid 19th century Gem pans.
posted by ridgerunner at 12:07 AM on June 30, 2016
posted by ridgerunner at 12:07 AM on June 30, 2016
Related and entertaining.
How professional season their carbon steel wok （ 怎么开锅的过程）
posted by mikelieman at 4:00 AM on June 30, 2016 [2 favorites]
How professional season their carbon steel wok （ 怎么开锅的过程）
posted by mikelieman at 4:00 AM on June 30, 2016 [2 favorites]
the one I haven't fucked with over the last five years has a nice, solid black layer of non-sticky surface on it that I can wash with detergent and not see a problem.
I concur. Laziness is a virtue. Applies to working biscuit dough, too.
posted by mikelieman at 4:03 AM on June 30, 2016
I concur. Laziness is a virtue. Applies to working biscuit dough, too.
posted by mikelieman at 4:03 AM on June 30, 2016
How professional season their carbon steel wok （ 怎么开锅的过程）
How on earth is he handling the wok with his bare hands??
posted by Room 641-A at 4:42 AM on June 30, 2016
How on earth is he handling the wok with his bare hands??
posted by Room 641-A at 4:42 AM on June 30, 2016
I chucked my 20 year old Lodge into my brother-in-law's massive garden bonfire before going to bed. He thought I was nuts, but there was some build up and I wanted to start over on re-seasoning.
I'm all for treating cast iron like the neigh on indestructible tool that it is but be careful if you go this route lest you damage the almost-undamagable because it can warp or even, I hear, crack them. That said, this method works so it may well be useful if the piece isn't of sentimental, or large monetary, value to you.
My grandmother used to clean hers this way. Did it for decades as a matter of fact. No harm done. Until one time it caused her dutch oven to warp on the bottom so that it now no longer sits flat on cooktops and it also has a very noticeable hotspot where it is bulged. Both of those are rather large disadvantages for all but the most straightforward of meal preparations so the amazing, smoothly polished on the bottom, antique dutch oven is now much diminished from it's former glory of do-it-all pan.
Again, it's much easier to start from scratch with the burn pile method than it is with the oven cleaner and into a black garbage bag in the sun for a day method. Ditto that it's better than the self cleaning oven trick, which I've never had huge luck with. But it does have a risk factor. /castironpsa
posted by RolandOfEld at 5:21 AM on June 30, 2016
I'm all for treating cast iron like the neigh on indestructible tool that it is but be careful if you go this route lest you damage the almost-undamagable because it can warp or even, I hear, crack them. That said, this method works so it may well be useful if the piece isn't of sentimental, or large monetary, value to you.
My grandmother used to clean hers this way. Did it for decades as a matter of fact. No harm done. Until one time it caused her dutch oven to warp on the bottom so that it now no longer sits flat on cooktops and it also has a very noticeable hotspot where it is bulged. Both of those are rather large disadvantages for all but the most straightforward of meal preparations so the amazing, smoothly polished on the bottom, antique dutch oven is now much diminished from it's former glory of do-it-all pan.
Again, it's much easier to start from scratch with the burn pile method than it is with the oven cleaner and into a black garbage bag in the sun for a day method. Ditto that it's better than the self cleaning oven trick, which I've never had huge luck with. But it does have a risk factor. /castironpsa
posted by RolandOfEld at 5:21 AM on June 30, 2016
One of the reasons cast iron is probably fashionable now is that it's hard to think of a better living fuck you to the products of disposable consumer culture.
I completely agree. It's also the main reason I've fallen in love with Christopher Schwarz's writings (namely The Anarchist's Toolbox and The Anarchist's Design Book) recently*. I'm so very exhausted with disposable culture, I strongly suspect it's pretty high up the list as to why folks here, in the US anyway, are stuck in the rut of economic stagnation. But I'll stop before I get all philosophical here, I'll leave that to Chris and his jabs at disposable and crappy furniture.
*I even went so far as to build a King sized version of his Staked Bed design from the latter. It's amazing, non-squeaky/creaky, exactly the height I want it, and is the last bedframe me (or my kid even) will need to buy I think.
posted by RolandOfEld at 5:27 AM on June 30, 2016 [2 favorites]
I completely agree. It's also the main reason I've fallen in love with Christopher Schwarz's writings (namely The Anarchist's Toolbox and The Anarchist's Design Book) recently*. I'm so very exhausted with disposable culture, I strongly suspect it's pretty high up the list as to why folks here, in the US anyway, are stuck in the rut of economic stagnation. But I'll stop before I get all philosophical here, I'll leave that to Chris and his jabs at disposable and crappy furniture.
*I even went so far as to build a King sized version of his Staked Bed design from the latter. It's amazing, non-squeaky/creaky, exactly the height I want it, and is the last bedframe me (or my kid even) will need to buy I think.
posted by RolandOfEld at 5:27 AM on June 30, 2016 [2 favorites]
I've got a trick for getting the cruft off the bottom and sides! I use an old cast iron on my grill for cooking onions, green beans, and whatnot. One evening I got distracted after cranking up the grill and left it for quite a while. All the crust of x decades worth of spatter and spill cooked off in a few minutes. I reseasoned by cooking up a mess of Vidalia onions with a bit of veg oil and a pat of butter. Good as new.
I bet running it through the self cleaning cycle on your over would work, but the smoke won't be worth it.
Don't baby your cast iron, put it through its paces!
posted by Lighthammer at 7:53 AM on June 30, 2016
I bet running it through the self cleaning cycle on your over would work, but the smoke won't be worth it.
Don't baby your cast iron, put it through its paces!
posted by Lighthammer at 7:53 AM on June 30, 2016
To the people who do not want to spend money to get flaxseed oil just for seasoning.
Grapeseed oil works as well. What you are looking for is an oil with a lot of polyunsaturation. The extra double bonds create more nodes for beginning the polymerization process when you heat the pan. This polymerization is what gives the pan its non-stick nature. A friend of mine called this "redneck Teflon" and it makes perfect sense.
I use Grapeseed oil for some cooking anyways and when I read that the reason to use flaxseed was polyunsaturaion; I have been a convert.
I have also started cleaning my Cast Iron Pan using a stainless steel chainmail piece sold for this purpose; and I don't have the problems of using cleaners that strip my coat that used to happen occasionally.
I have not done the sander smoothing yet. I don't have a sander but my landlord does and I will ask to see if he will do this for me. But after 17 years of cooking with my pan; is it even worth it to do this now?
posted by indianbadger1 at 8:15 AM on June 30, 2016 [1 favorite]
Grapeseed oil works as well. What you are looking for is an oil with a lot of polyunsaturation. The extra double bonds create more nodes for beginning the polymerization process when you heat the pan. This polymerization is what gives the pan its non-stick nature. A friend of mine called this "redneck Teflon" and it makes perfect sense.
I use Grapeseed oil for some cooking anyways and when I read that the reason to use flaxseed was polyunsaturaion; I have been a convert.
I have also started cleaning my Cast Iron Pan using a stainless steel chainmail piece sold for this purpose; and I don't have the problems of using cleaners that strip my coat that used to happen occasionally.
I have not done the sander smoothing yet. I don't have a sander but my landlord does and I will ask to see if he will do this for me. But after 17 years of cooking with my pan; is it even worth it to do this now?
posted by indianbadger1 at 8:15 AM on June 30, 2016 [1 favorite]
If your pan is nonstick enough for what you use it for, then probably not. But if you want to try sanding it smooth, all you've lost is the seasoning which you already know how to do, so...six of one, half-dozen of the other.
posted by Greg_Ace at 8:48 AM on June 30, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Greg_Ace at 8:48 AM on June 30, 2016 [1 favorite]
I should add that the reseasoning process is much simpler with a smooth pan, since it doesn't involve smoothing out a pebbled surface at that point; so it's not like it would take you years to rebuild a useful coating.
posted by Greg_Ace at 8:50 AM on June 30, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Greg_Ace at 8:50 AM on June 30, 2016 [1 favorite]
And cast-iron collecting has taken off. Buyers seek rare skillets like the Erie Spider, the Griswold Slant and the Wapak Chickenfoot; an elusive Sidney No. 8 is listed on eBay for $1,500.
Which one is better for a Seeker? We just upgraded our Beaters' brooms and the new kid is starting to complain about her equipment.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 8:56 AM on June 30, 2016 [8 favorites]
Which one is better for a Seeker? We just upgraded our Beaters' brooms and the new kid is starting to complain about her equipment.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 8:56 AM on June 30, 2016 [8 favorites]
I have my Mom's 10" skillet that has a ground/polished surface. Not as heavy as the Lodge 12" I picked up at a thrift shop. The 10" is usually on the stove, either in use, or air drying. It's a very useful kitchen tool. The 12" has high sides and is great for large batches of stirfry or whatever. I'm in the no-special-treatment, reseason-by-making-bacon camp. It's cast iron, the very same stuff my wood stove is made of. Because of its thickness and nature, it is vulnerable to thermal shock - don't put a very hot pan in very cold water or vice versa.
posted by theora55 at 1:22 PM on June 30, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by theora55 at 1:22 PM on June 30, 2016 [1 favorite]
I have around 40 pans right now. All old, Griswold, Wagnerware, BS&R, etc.
The most I ever paid for a pan was so bucks for a seriously large, #21 if I recall, U.S. navy pan.
If you hit the right flea markets, you can get the old ones cheap, like 5 bucks cheap. If you see a Griswold for 50 bucks, you're not in the right flea market.
Restoring a pan is labor intensive but they do cook great. I've used everything from lard to flaxseed oil, can't tell the difference in any of 'em.
Griswold slanted logos are worth less to some collectors who would rather have a large, non-slanted Griswold logo than a small, slanted one.
Don't think Griswold made slanted small block logos.
posted by Max Power at 3:08 PM on June 30, 2016
The most I ever paid for a pan was so bucks for a seriously large, #21 if I recall, U.S. navy pan.
If you hit the right flea markets, you can get the old ones cheap, like 5 bucks cheap. If you see a Griswold for 50 bucks, you're not in the right flea market.
Restoring a pan is labor intensive but they do cook great. I've used everything from lard to flaxseed oil, can't tell the difference in any of 'em.
Griswold slanted logos are worth less to some collectors who would rather have a large, non-slanted Griswold logo than a small, slanted one.
Don't think Griswold made slanted small block logos.
posted by Max Power at 3:08 PM on June 30, 2016
poffin boffin: "oh lord how i hate these godawful things. like similarly terrible boar bristle brushes i always have to assume this is one of those things that mefi likes trolling about."
Well how do you brush your boar?
posted by Splunge at 3:29 PM on June 30, 2016 [1 favorite]
Well how do you brush your boar?
posted by Splunge at 3:29 PM on June 30, 2016 [1 favorite]
Room 641-A: "How professional season their carbon steel wok （ 怎么开锅的过程）
How on earth is he handling the wok with his bare hands??"
Callus from years of burns. You can tell how long a line cook has been working by how fireproof their hands are.
posted by Splunge at 3:34 PM on June 30, 2016 [1 favorite]
How on earth is he handling the wok with his bare hands??"
Callus from years of burns. You can tell how long a line cook has been working by how fireproof their hands are.
posted by Splunge at 3:34 PM on June 30, 2016 [1 favorite]
“Whachoo want, white boy? Burn cream? A Band-Aid?
Then he raised his own enormous palms to me, brought them up real close so I could see them properly; the hideous constellation of water-filled blisters, angry red welts from grill marks, the old scars, the raw flesh where steam or hot fat had made the skin simply roll off. They looked like the claws of some monstrous science-fiction crustacean, knobby and calloused under wounds old and new. I watched, transfixed, as Tyrone - his eyes never leaving mine - reached slowly under the broiler and, with one naked hand, picked up a glowing-hot sizzle-platter, moved it over to the cutting board, and set it down in front of me.
He never flinched.”
Kitchen Confidential by Bourdain. Sure it's loaded with hyperbole. But I can relate to it. There were guys in the places that I worked at that would grab a hot plate from under the salamander and do a hot potato bounce between two hands to bring it to the prep station. Then it's put on a plate that is not hot. The waitron always tells the customer, Please do not touch this plate. It's really hot. Guess what happens?
posted by Splunge at 5:18 PM on June 30, 2016
Then he raised his own enormous palms to me, brought them up real close so I could see them properly; the hideous constellation of water-filled blisters, angry red welts from grill marks, the old scars, the raw flesh where steam or hot fat had made the skin simply roll off. They looked like the claws of some monstrous science-fiction crustacean, knobby and calloused under wounds old and new. I watched, transfixed, as Tyrone - his eyes never leaving mine - reached slowly under the broiler and, with one naked hand, picked up a glowing-hot sizzle-platter, moved it over to the cutting board, and set it down in front of me.
He never flinched.”
Kitchen Confidential by Bourdain. Sure it's loaded with hyperbole. But I can relate to it. There were guys in the places that I worked at that would grab a hot plate from under the salamander and do a hot potato bounce between two hands to bring it to the prep station. Then it's put on a plate that is not hot. The waitron always tells the customer, Please do not touch this plate. It's really hot. Guess what happens?
posted by Splunge at 5:18 PM on June 30, 2016
... raw flesh where steam or hot fat had made the skin simply roll off
Or, y'know, you could grab the towel slung over your shoulder to wrap around your hand and use to grasp hot things, and avoid the chance of severe infection. I'm sure their customers would be proud to know that such macho hands were preparing their food.
posted by Greg_Ace at 7:56 PM on June 30, 2016 [1 favorite]
Or, y'know, you could grab the towel slung over your shoulder to wrap around your hand and use to grasp hot things, and avoid the chance of severe infection. I'm sure their customers would be proud to know that such macho hands were preparing their food.
posted by Greg_Ace at 7:56 PM on June 30, 2016 [1 favorite]
I should add that I know accidents are inevitable; and knowing Bourdain that could well have been a bit of poetic license. Still, it seems like the smart money would be on keeping injuries to a minimum.
posted by Greg_Ace at 7:58 PM on June 30, 2016
posted by Greg_Ace at 7:58 PM on June 30, 2016
Buyers seek rare _______ like the Erie Spider, the Griswold Slant and the Wapak Chickenfoot; an elusive Sidney No. 8 is listed on eBay for $1,500.
Sorry, I just like the idea of this sentence as a Mad Lib.
posted by gimonca at 7:59 PM on June 30, 2016
Sorry, I just like the idea of this sentence as a Mad Lib.
posted by gimonca at 7:59 PM on June 30, 2016
Griswold Slant is the dystopian cyberpunk version of National Lampoon's "Vacation" movies.
posted by Greg_Ace at 8:37 PM on June 30, 2016
posted by Greg_Ace at 8:37 PM on June 30, 2016
How on earth is he handling the wok with his bare hands??
Well, you rub your hands with a thin coating of flaxseed oil and put them in an oven ...
posted by Joe in Australia at 9:00 PM on June 30, 2016 [2 favorites]
Well, you rub your hands with a thin coating of flaxseed oil and put them in an oven ...
posted by Joe in Australia at 9:00 PM on June 30, 2016 [2 favorites]
Greg_Ace: "I should add that I know accidents are inevitable; and knowing Bourdain that could well have been a bit of poetic license. Still, it seems like the smart money would be on keeping injuries to a minimum."
Well that's why I said hyperbole. Remember, the time he was writing about was when he started at a local restaurant as a teenager. I'd guess he was enhancing the memory of that time so long ago. He actually went back to the restaurant in one of his shows and the guy he describes was still there. Big dude. I could see being impressed and intimidated. I like the way he writes, at least in Kitchen Confidential. His later book The Nasty Bits: Collected Varietal Cuts, Usable Trim, Scraps, and Bones I honestly didn't enjoy. It seemed like he had a contract to write a certain number of books and was on autopilot. Of course YMMV.
posted by Splunge at 4:17 PM on July 1, 2016
Well that's why I said hyperbole. Remember, the time he was writing about was when he started at a local restaurant as a teenager. I'd guess he was enhancing the memory of that time so long ago. He actually went back to the restaurant in one of his shows and the guy he describes was still there. Big dude. I could see being impressed and intimidated. I like the way he writes, at least in Kitchen Confidential. His later book The Nasty Bits: Collected Varietal Cuts, Usable Trim, Scraps, and Bones I honestly didn't enjoy. It seemed like he had a contract to write a certain number of books and was on autopilot. Of course YMMV.
posted by Splunge at 4:17 PM on July 1, 2016
I enjoyed Kitchen Confidential (also Heat by Bill Bruford); haven't read Bourdain's later books.
posted by Greg_Ace at 4:55 PM on July 1, 2016
posted by Greg_Ace at 4:55 PM on July 1, 2016
"There aren’t many things in modern life that are passed down through generations and remain both beautiful and useful,”I think this sets cast iron apart from similar artisnal obsessions and revivals. There definitely is a sentimrntal, personal aspect to many people's stories about cast iron. I did not grow up with cast iron, and I feel like that's part of why Im not more into it, considering my interesting in cooking. That carbon steel pan I mentioned, however, came from the coffee shop my parents owned when I was a kid, and more and more that's what I'm attached to.
The Anarchist's Toolbox
I googled this and the second result is counter-argument from a woodworker defending his use of modern materials: Today, I built the entire shell and lid of a chest in less than five hours. The secret? Screws, of course.
In an alternate universe, that is a comment in the "Anarchist's Toolbox" FPP on MetaWoodworker.
And later....
MetaWoodworker: The secret? Screws, of course.
posted by Room 641-A at 5:27 AM on July 2, 2016
I googled this and the second result is counter-argument from a woodworker defending his use of modern materials: Today, I built the entire shell and lid of a chest in less than five hours. The secret? Screws, of course.
There are a lot of reasons why this is a shitty counter-argument to the methodology and techniques put forth by the author of that book, among them are the functional and the philosophical, but there's no point in feeding the troll [the person you're quoting, not you by the way] so I'll leave it at that.
posted by RolandOfEld at 9:31 AM on July 6, 2016 [1 favorite]
There are a lot of reasons why this is a shitty counter-argument to the methodology and techniques put forth by the author of that book, among them are the functional and the philosophical, but there's no point in feeding the troll [the person you're quoting, not you by the way] so I'll leave it at that.
posted by RolandOfEld at 9:31 AM on July 6, 2016 [1 favorite]
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