I'm done with POS cookware, it's time for Cast Iron

[Vdubchaos]

Anyone have experience with those green, ceramic-coated (at least I think it's ceramic coating) pans? Reviews seem positive but I'm always weary of the "seeding" many of these companies can do with online sites...

You are talking about Enamaled Cast Iron?

Unless you want to dish out $300+.....I would stay away from them. They chip.

Lodge makes them and so does Costco/Kirkland.

I would just go with straight up Cast Iron as there is nothing to chip and it's forever.

 

[IronWing]

Way back in the dark ages if you wanted good cookware you bought Revereware or Farberware because there wasn't much else available. My Farberware aluminum clad stainless sauce pans are over twenty years old and will likely still be perfectly serviceable at the garage sale after I'm dead. For skillets, cast iron can't be beat.

Non-stick was born of suckage, still sucks, and likely will spend eternity at the bottom of some lonesome landfill sucking.

 

[Riverhound777]

I don't deny the power of Cast Iron, but I can't understand how people can ruin other sets so quickly. I use our cast iron quite a bit, but for most meals we still use a hard anodized Rachael Ray set i've had for over 3 years without issues. Also cook on high or medium high most of the time. Maybe I just got lucky with a good set.

http://www.amazon.com/Rachael-Ray-An...ooking+pan+set

 

[Kaido]

I have 3 cast iron goodies right now:

1. 10" skillet
2. Dutch oven
3. Wok

All of them are fantastic. I refuse to make a steak in anything but my skillet, and I do smash burgers in it too, which are awesome. The dutch oven is the bomb too. BBQ chicken is great in it, plus desserts like soda cake cobbler just using coals for heat on the patio. And the cast iron Wok cooks stir-fry better than anything. If you want to get into stir-fry, I'd highly recommend Eleanor Ho's course. She sells a kit with the wok, seasonings, and a video disc with a recording of one of her classes for like $150:

http://eleanorhoh.com/wok-star-kit/

I also got a high-heat camping type of stove from her ($65), which has saved me more than once when we lost power:

http://eleanorhoh.com/stove/

My next cast iron purchase is going to be a 12" square pan with the grill marks, I think chicken will come out awesome on it...maybe retire the George Foreman

 

[wirednuts]

I don't deny the power of Cast Iron, but I can't understand how people can ruin other sets so quickly. I use our cast iron quite a bit, but for most meals we still use a hard anodized Rachael Ray set i've had for over 3 years without issues. Also cook on high or medium high most of the time. Maybe I just got lucky with a good set.

http://www.amazon.com/Rachael-Ray-An...ooking+pan+set

i agree. cast iron is great for some things... bacon is a perfect example... but for most days i just use a trusty non-stick pan i have. its quicker then cast iron, and easier to clean. most of the time a simple wipe with a paper towel does it in 2 seconds.

as long as you dont use metal utensils in a non-stick pan, they usually last a few years easily.

 

[Iron Woode]

I hate my Kitchen Aid non stick coated ones. Got them as a gift and was happy with them at first, but the coating comes off even with the slightest scuff from a utensil. I'm never buying this type on my own accord that's for sure. Will use them til it doesnt make sense to anymore, but they're essentially ruined as it is. (3-4 years old)

I have one really nice Lagostina stainless pot and I tend to use it more than anything else.

My even bigger issue is my shitty range. I really want to replace it.

I bought a 12" Lodge pan at Zellers last year. I use it almost exclusively.

Best part is it can go from the oven to the dinner table. I can do whole meals in it.

I've had those too.

Kitchen Aid Mixer is by far the best appliance I've ever purchased. But Mixer is as far as I will go with that brand....

Ours is over 10 years old and still is like new.

Kitchenaid hand mixers are great, too. I bought one for my GF 3 years ago and it still works fantastic.

 

[NetWareHead]

:hmm:

I've been needing to get a new set, was always wanting to go more "rustic" and get cast iron.

Any issues though with cockroaches wanting to feed on "Seasoned" cookware?

Roaches? I've never considered cast iron to be unsanitary to the point of attracting vermin/pests. I try to use soap as little as possible and keeping that in mind, there is a correct and sanitary way to clean it correctly. The reason to not use soap is to leave the oil on the pan so the seasoning process continues, this is why old cast iron is so prized and the coating gets better with age. The "seasoning" is really fat that has been baked on to form a hard coating. I don't think it would be edible to any roaches and in my experience the seasoning is not even susceptible to mold, even on hundreds of year old pans that were laying abandoned.

Common sense applies though. If I deep fry something or cook food that is excessively greasy, then a little bit of soap is needed to clean the pan. I normally scrub with only hot running water and if the pan was just used to deep fry something, all the hot water in the world wont clean the pan, it will still be excessively greasy. That leftover grease will go rancid and smelly in the pan. So I use a little soap. This pan, now free of any grease needs a little but of oil applied to it after washing.

Otherwise with normal cooking, scrubbing the pan under only hot water will get rid of most grease and leave enough on there to prevent rust and continue building the seasoning. If I wash the pan without soap, I put it back on the stove and turn on the flame. I cook the clean empty pan until a little smoke rises out of it. This dries the pan, gets rid of any food smell and I feel it also sanitizes it. The smoke seen during the drying is the baking of the oil and creation of more seasoning.

 

[Iron Woode]

I am also experimenting with flaxseed oil on my 10" grill pan.

I am on the third layer and its looking pretty awesome.

 

[surfsatwerk]

I just cooked an assload of bacon on it.

 

[Sho'Nuff]

Just curious had you ever owned Calphalon? Talking about the lifetime guarentee stuff. I've had a set for over 10 years and still good.

Glad you had a good experience with Calphalon. My personal experience with their pans has been AWFUL. They are "impossible" to clean. Pro-Tip - don't make eggs in a Calphalon non-stick pan. Something about the surface make the egg adhere to the pan like glue. Its awful.

Not a big fan of cast iron due to the weight and the need to season them. My personal preference is copper or stainless.

 

[wirednuts]

I just cooked an assload of bacon on it.

 

[NetWareHead]

I am also experimenting with flaxseed oil on my 10" grill pan.

I am on the third layer and its looking pretty awesome.

I've been hearing that the best oil to use is linseed/flax oil since they are drying oils and polymerize into a solid finish. I have a 14 inch cast iron skillet that is just too big to be used regularly. I break it out to cook a pound of bacon at a time for when I have company over but that's it. As a result the seasoning on it is not up to par with my more regularly used pans. So I may try the linseed oil route on this pan.

When you tried it, did you start on a new pan or did you strip the seasoning off an existing pan? I'm wondering if I should put the linseed oil over the existing seasoning or if I should strip the big pan completely

 

[lxskllr]

When you tried it, did you start on a new pan or did you strip the seasoning off an existing pan? I'm wondering if I should put the linseed oil over the existing seasoning or if I should strip the big pan completely

Is there a problem with your existing seasoning? Don't get lost in the process so you lose the goal. I haven't seasoned my pans since they were new. Routine cooking keeps them in good shape.

 

[Vdubchaos]

I don't deny the power of Cast Iron, but I can't understand how people can ruin other sets so quickly. I use our cast iron quite a bit, but for most meals we still use a hard anodized Rachael Ray set i've had for over 3 years without issues. Also cook on high or medium high most of the time. Maybe I just got lucky with a good set.

http://www.amazon.com/Rachael-Ray-An...ooking+pan+set

umm

You are NOT suppose to cook anything over medium while using Nonstick pans. It breaks down the teflon and it gets into your food!!!

I won't tell you what could happen to your health....

 

[Zeze]

I know internet LOVES cast iron, but they're overrated. And this comes from someone who adored his cast iron for many many years.

Some pics I took:

The dumbass me shattered my cast iron and had to throw it away. That was about a year ago and I still haven't felt a real need to buy a new one. A regular beat-up frying pan can still make the same great steak.

Don't blame the cookware. It sounds like those photog that complain about 'shitty' pictures because they don't have 'L' lens. I can't afford them, but I can get by fine.

 

[Vdubchaos]

I know internet LOVES cast iron, but they're overrated. And this comes from someone who adored his cast iron for many many years.

How are they over rated?

They are cheap
They last forever
They distribute heat better than any other cookware
They are none stick by default
Easy to clean/Season

Only downside I see is weight, that's no big deal to me.

 

[surfsatwerk]

Square plates... srsly dude don't be that guy.

 

[jaedaliu]

umm

You are NOT suppose to cook anything over medium while using Nonstick pans. It breaks down the teflon and it gets into your food!!!

I won't tell you what could happen to your health....

He's got hard anodized. that's not teflon.

 

[Zeze]

How are they over rated?

They are cheap
They last forever
They distribute heat better than any other cookware
They are none stick by default
Easy to clean/Season

Only downside I see is weight, that's no big deal to me.

They're great. It just didn't change my cooking significantly- which explains I haven't even gotten a replacement.

The best part is the weight. It holds heat so well and for so long, if you serve food in the pan, it stays hot to the touch well after you finish the meal.

Square plates... srsly dude don't be that guy.

Don't be that typical internet guy that makes a sweeping judgement of character because I bought some shitty nice plates at TJ max.

 

[NetWareHead]

Is there a problem with your existing seasoning? Don't get lost in the process so you lose the goal. I haven't seasoned my pans since they were new. Routine cooking keeps them in good shape.

The existing seasoning has nothing wrong with it, its just not developed yet and things stick during cooking. The pan doesnt get used often due to weight and size. I dont cook large meals to need a 14 inch pan. But its a great pan to have when I'm cooking for 8 people!

My question was to find out if linseed oil is compatible and would bond with an existing seasoning. Or does it need to be stripped.

 

[DrPizza]

While I love my cast iron pots and pans I can certainly see why many dont use it. They are heavy.

Not a big fan of cast iron due to the weight and the need to season them. My personal preference is copper or stainless.

Don't know if I'll go the cast iron route though, cooking with a 25 pound pan doesn't sound too fun to me.

I think the two of you should get with the times, and Oyeve should stop making excuses for you. Up until a couple years ago, I too was outside, cooking over the campfire. But then, my neighbor, Ben Franklin, invented this newfangled thing he calls a "stove." Since then, omg! I just set the pan on top of the stove & I don't have to hold it in my hand any more.

Oh, and the benefits of carrying that big heavy cast iron pan from the cupboard to the stove:
I don't have to have my girlfriend carry my book bag to class for me. And, the other kids have stopped stuffing me inside my locker. They get one good look at these two buff arms, and they run away.
/joking

Re: the OP - I do most of the cooking in our house. But, having had kids, and having a wife... they're not always as careful about the non-stick surfaces. Step 1 to making your non-stick cookware last longer: Throw out any metal utensils that are used for cooking. No metal spatulas, no metal large spoons, etc. If you get plastic, make sure it's not too flimsy. I've found that the bamboo utensils work exceptionally well - they have the strength to not buckle/bend if you put a little force behind them, but don't scratch the non-stick surface. Get two sets. That way, if something is in the dishwasher, no one is tempted to grab a fork or something as a substitute.

Also, pay attention to how you pans are put away. A lot of scratches don't come from cooking, but rather, from pans being scraped inside each other when they're stored and removed from storage.

 

[Rumpltzer]

I've been using a Farberware Classic Stainless set for about 12 years. The regular stainless pots and pans are great, but the Teflon coated pans began losing their coating after about 6 years despite low use and never touching them with metal utensils.

I replaced the Teflon pans with a couple of Swiss Diamond coated pans, and those have been doing well for about 3 years. The Swiss Diamond coating seems much harder than the Teflon pans from Farberware. Time will tell...

 

[Anubis]

i do like the cast iron, i use a small 6 in one for eggs a lot, i have a 12in but its not used often, i also have a 12in bacon specific one (its got ridges in it for the greese) its fing amazing

the rest of my stuff is All-Clad stainless and i really like it. easy to cook with and clean

 

[ElFenix]

quit using metal utensils in your non stick pans

/thread

 

[Vdubchaos]

Re: the OP - I do most of the cooking in our house. But, having had kids, and having a wife... they're not always as careful about the non-stick surfaces. Step 1 to making your non-stick cookware last longer: Throw out any metal utensils that are used for cooking. No metal spatulas, no metal large spoons, etc. If you get plastic, make sure it's not too flimsy. I've found that the bamboo utensils work exceptionally well - they have the strength to not buckle/bend if you put a little force behind them, but don't scratch the non-stick surface. Get two sets. That way, if something is in the dishwasher, no one is tempted to grab a fork or something as a substitute.

We did all that.

Also, pay attention to how you pans are put away. A lot of scratches don't come from cooking, but rather, from pans being scraped inside each other when they're stored and removed from storage.

Yep, accidents happen though

I need something to be bullet proof