I threw most of my pans away and...

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Replaced them with cast iron. I do NOT know how I ever lived with teflon and non-stick pans. Cooking with cast has been amazing. Food tastes different in a good way. Stuff cooks better and more evenly. I will NEVER go back.
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Which ones did you buy?

I'm pondering getting some cast iron stuff, too.


My pieces are all Wagner except for 1 Lodge that was a gift. I Bought all of the Wagner stuff (round skillet, square skillet, 2 dutch ovens and a griddle) for pennies at antique stores all in EXCELLENT condition.

The lodge is a 12" (I think) skillet and while I enjoy it, it just doesn't seem to cook as good as my Wagner pieces. My limited research indicates my Wagner pieces are from the 1940s but I have not done enough verification/reading to say it with authority.
 
I have a set of Cuisinart French Classic stainless cookware that I complemented with a Lodge Logic cast iron griddle, skillet, and dutch oven.

I must admit to owning one non-stick pan that I use for eggs. I believe it's anodized aluminum. I haven't found anything better for the occasional omelette that I enjoy. They are possible in the stainless, but take more oil than I care to use.
 
I had gotten the cheap 3-pan set from Harbor Freight one year and recently got a larger Lodge model pan. I thought the pre-seasoned Lodge would make life easier but I haven't quite mastered cooking in them/seasoning them yet.

My wife will definitely not let me season them in the house, so my first attempt with the HF ones was out on the gas grill... it's something I need to try to do again as I'd really like to cook with them.
 
I've got a lot of cast iron, including a Lodge that I found at the dump...only pans that we traditionally use.

I bought an enamelled cast dutch over and a french pan the other week, and am in love with those also.
 
Proper encapsulated-base stainless pans are the best, but can be expensive. Similar, Anodized Aluminum pans are also good options.

Neither are no-stick, but neither are difficult to clean either, and the residue from cooking meats in these pans are terrific sources of flavour or bases for Gravies.

One or two non-stick pans are useful but not as your daily cookware; use them when necessary such as an oil-less egg dish.

NEVER use a non-stick at anything beyond medium heat (and this is why you need the "regular" pans) and if you can turn it lower than medium, do so. That is why they are not the answer for pancakes; although the non-stick is nice, you are at the same time playing games with your health.

I like a cast iron pan but you have to be careful with anything acidic (such as certain soups, chiles and spaghetti sauces, etc) so again, a proper triple-ply encapsulated stainless steel pan is more versatile.

You can get enamelled cast iron, and they are excellent, but generally are just as expensive as the better tri-ply SS pans, so what you end up with is a heavier pan that offers no other real advantage.

Cast Iron is certainly better than cheap, single ply bottom pans, though, by a long shot, so if that's all you can afford, then cast iron is your answer. Plus, when camping or at the cabin, since you should never clean them with soap and water, they are easy to deal with when you have limited facilities.
 
Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
How does everyone clean their cast iron after every use?


I wipe them out with a paper towel or 2. A properly cured/seasoned piece of cast will wipe right up.
 
I think there is certainly a use for cast iron pans but I do not think there is any one type of pan construction that is good for all types of cooking. There is also plain cast iron and enameled cast iron.
 
Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
How does everyone clean their cast iron after every use?

Scrape out the residue, rinse & dry, and apply a bit of oil before storing. Do not use soap or detergent. Bake it at 500F with a fresh coating of oil to reseason as need be.
 
Originally Posted By: 04SE
Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
How does everyone clean their cast iron after every use?


I wipe them out with a paper towel or 2. A properly cured/seasoned piece of cast will wipe right up.


Or a rag you can wash.

Sometimes it's just not practical to avoid water, but if you do wash a seasoned cast iron pan, do so quickly and place the pan back on heat immediately so that all the moisture evaporates within a minute or three. Be prepared to re-season regularly if you go this route.

It's hard sometimes to get women to actually practice the proper, water-free method ... they just won't do it ... so that is what you get them to do instead.
 
I clean cast iron with water only , perhaps a scrub pad, but no soap. Its really non stick if its seasoned properly. My cast iron is really seasoned. a few of my pans are 70years old.
 
Use water and stainless steel scrub pad. Rinse and dry with paper towels
 
I use primarily tri play stainless steel pans.
Cuisinart multiclad pro.
Or calphalon tri ply with you want to pay double for glass lids.
Other than that I use cast iron, skillets and round griddle as well as a double burner rectangle.
Also have a corn stick pan and a cast muffin pan.
For cast iron the OLDER the better.
Arguably highest quality is old "ERIE" or GRISWOLD with the slant/large logos.
After that would be small logo Griswolds and "WAGNER"

Trust me a quick Google Search on old cast iron CD new cast iron will school you quickly.
 
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