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PSA: if you're cooking in cast iron for the first time...

C

CurseTheSky

Diamond Member
...DO NOT FORGET THAT THE HANDLE IS HOT AND GRAB IT WITH YOUR BARE HAND!

I tried the Alton Brown method of cooking a steak last night. I picked up some decent 1-1.5" thick rib eye steaks, a cast iron pan, some canola oil, and some Kosher salt. Preheat oven and pan to 500 degrees, burner on high, coat the steak lightly in oil and generously in salt and fresh-ground pepper, sear for 30 seconds on each side, and into the oven.

I was doing great, until the second steak (mine). I'm so used to the stainless steel pans that we have, where the handle is bolted on and generally doesn't get THAT hot (of course, I've never put a pan in the over before either). Without thinking, I grabbed the handle. Oh man, what I mistake. :|

The steaks came out great though. 😀 My wife even cut mine up for me, just like for a toddler, so I could eat it before going to the ER. :wub:
 
NetWareHead said:
I don't know if my sarcasm meter is broken but you went to the ER for a burn?
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Yeah, it was on a pretty large area of my palm and fingers, and the skin immediately tightened up to the point where I couldn't open my hand without it feeling like it was going to tear open.

It's nothing serious, but they liberally applied burn cream and gauze. My entire palm is one huge blister, and my fingers aren't much better. 🙁
 
Wouldn't a stainless steel pan IN THE OVEN get hot as well? Does one not think, when reaching into the oven, "hey self, this oven has been cooking at 500 degrees. What should I use to protect my hands from temperatures that are quite obviously not conducive to hand health?"

Pics of steaks or hand, whichever is cooked better 😀
 
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Friend of mine cooked some bacon in a cast iron pan in an oven. Went to remove the pan without any protection and got nasty surprise. Luckily he only managed to only slide the pot a bit before he realized he shouldn't be grabbing it and only a small spoonful of bubbling bacon fat got on his hand.
 
Don't own a cast iron pan but wish I do every time I make corn bread. Nothing like the crust from cast iron.

Hope you heal well and soon
 
CurseTheSky said:
Yeah, it was on a pretty large area of my palm and fingers, and the skin immediately tightened up to the point where I couldn't open my hand without it feeling like it was going to tear open.

It's nothing serious, but they liberally applied burn cream and gauze. My entire palm is one huge blister, and my fingers aren't much better. 🙁
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To each his own then. My disbeleif was because I used to suffer accidental burns like this commonly (worked 10 years in family restaurant business) and we never thought to go to the hospital. I once was cleaning a deep fryer and being in a hurry to go home at the end of the night, my hand slipped and plunged into 400 degree oil. The worst part of that was getting burned under your fingernails and entire fingers blistered from tip to palm. After 2 hours, I drained the blisters and regained flexibility in fingers/hand. Anyway good luck with that burn.
 
Leymenaide said:
Don't own a cast iron pan but wish I do every time I make corn bread. Nothing like the crust from cast iron.

Hope you heal well and soon
Click to expand...

This is what you want. Lots of crispies, and it makes the bread delicious.

VV9iEeN.jpg
 
NetWareHead said:
To each his own then. My disbeleif was because I used to suffer accidental burns like this commonly (worked 10 years in family restaurant business) and we never thought to go to the hospital. I once was cleaning a deep fryer and being in a hurry to go home at the end of the night, my hand slipped and plunged into 400 degree oil. The worst part of that was getting burned under your fingernails and entire fingers blistered from tip to palm. After 2 hours, I drained the blisters and regained flexibility in fingers/hand. Anyway good luck with that burn.
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Yeah, I normally avoid going to the hospital, my family has always been sort of self-sufficient with most injuries, unless it's really serious. My wife's family are all EMTs, and she's the one that really wanted me to go. It isn't a really serious burn, just nasty looking and painful, but I would be kicking myself if it ended up being worse than I thought it was and not going caused the recovery time to double or something.

Thanks guys - unfortunately no pics. 🙁 I had planned to take pictures of the steaks before we ate them, but the burn kind of fast-tracked the eating part. They came out absolutely awesome, and I plan to do it again sometime in the next few weeks, and will hopefully be more careful this time. My hand is all wrapped up in gauze, so maybe I'll snap a picture when I change the dressing.

Edit: regardless of the incident, I'm in love with cast iron now. It was a relatively cheap Lodge cast iron pan, pre-seasoned (still planning to do my own seasoning job), and man was the clean-up easy.
 
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lxskllr said:
Did they give you silvadene? Silvadene rocks.
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Yep, tons of it under the gauze, and a bunch to take home too. My hand was burning and throbbing the entire ride home and for quite a while after that, but I woke up this morning and the pain is virtually gone. Silvadene does rock. :thumbsup:
 
THe worst burn I ever got was at the rifle range. I was shooting my AR and had iron sights on it (the kind that bolt on to the quad rail). The rail was integrerade into the gas block and thus the front sight was very very hot. As I was shooting (about 300 rounds into the session) I noticed the front sight was a bit loose and without thinking I reached up and grabbed the thumb screw to tighten it.

I still have the scars on my thumb/index finger. I feel for you.
 
NetWareHead said:
To each his own then. My disbeleif was because I used to suffer accidental burns like this commonly (worked 10 years in family restaurant business) and we never thought to go to the hospital. I once was cleaning a deep fryer and being in a hurry to go home at the end of the night, my hand slipped and plunged into 400 degree oil. The worst part of that was getting burned under your fingernails and entire fingers blistered from tip to palm. After 2 hours, I drained the blisters and regained flexibility in fingers/hand. Anyway good luck with that burn.
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Yeah, until you get a infection that really puts you out of commission for a while.

You were lucky, but bad burns you don't screw around with.
 
Working for 18 years in a forge where we regularly heated steel to 2250F , I have little sympathy. Hot stuff you approach with the back of your hand.
 
dougp said:
If they are 3rd degree burns, I'd recommend going to the ER (or Urgent Care.) You don't screw around with burns.
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I don't think he had a 3rd degree burn.

If it's not a 3rd degree burn, or a really large burn, you don't need to go to the hospital.
 
When you season, use animal fat, not vegetable fat.

Also, when you cook, use animal fat, not vegetable fat. It works way better.
 
silverpig said:
When you season, use animal fat, not vegetable fat.

Also, when you cook, use animal fat, not vegetable fat. It works way better.
Click to expand...

bacon grease works well, then you can also add to it by sprinkling in some seasonings. My wife is finally used to me packing the stove full of my cast iron, while we bake. I'll add some more grease to the pans then put them on the racks and let them season while cooking the other food. If you are trying for the harder more long lasting type of coating, put some grease in the pan; after it has heated up and cooked in for a little, put the pan (upside down) on a cookie sheet. Put an old paper bag on the cookie sheet to absorb the extra grease, and build from there.

serious bonus to cooking with cast iron are the benefits of getting the additional iron in your food. This is increased when cooking the acidic food (chili, spaghetti, and such). This is just one site I pulled up with some info on it. http://www.pyroenergen.com/articles/cast-iron.htm
 
Lalakai said:
bacon grease works well, then you can also add to it by sprinkling in some seasonings. My wife is finally used to me packing the stove full of my cast iron, while we bake. I'll add some more grease to the pans then put them on the racks and let them season while cooking the other food. If you are trying for the harder more long lasting type of coating, put some grease in the pan; after it has heated up and cooked in for a little, put the pan (upside down) on a cookie sheet. Put an old paper bag on the cookie sheet to absorb the extra grease, and build from there.

serious bonus to cooking with cast iron are the benefits of getting the additional iron in your food. This is increased when cooking the acidic food (chili, spaghetti, and such). This is just one site I pulled up with some info on it. http://www.pyroenergen.com/articles/cast-iron.htm
Click to expand...

Bacon grease does work well, but it makes things taste like bacon. That sounds good, but it can get old after a while. There are other sources of pork fat that are relatively tasteless.

You do get iron in your food when cooking in cast iron, but IIRC it is very difficult for your body to actually absorb and use, so the benefit is limited.
 
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