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Lodge 7QT Dutch Oven & Wagner #10 Skillet

I got my share of cast iron.

No name cast iron 9" frying pan that is 3 generations old. A 10" my neighbor gave me that was a wedding gift to her 40 years ago. She also gave me a 5 qt dutch oven.

I also have a 4 qt and a 6qt Lodge camp dutch oven with the feet and flanged lid. I can make a mean pinapple upside down cape in them.

The only cast iron pan that I really didn't like was the grill pan I bought on a whim because I missed having a grill. It's PITA to clean after using.

One of my favorite dishes is pan fried steak with a shallot and cream sherry sauce. Cream sherry or marsala fortified wine can really wow a dish for me.
 
I'll admit, I didn't read every post in this thread, so this may not flow with the conversation.

I LOVE cast iron stuff. I swore off non-stick fry pans over a year ago. I have a 10" and 6" Lodge skillets and a 4 qt dutch oven. I cook mostly just for me (not married or anything), so that's all I really need. The seasoning is screwed up on my dutch oven, though. I haven't been using it lately. I may have done something wrong, but the whole thing is sticky, like it has been covered in super glue or something. You don't have any suggestions, do you?
 
I'll admit, I didn't read every post in this thread, so this may not flow with the conversation.

I LOVE cast iron stuff. I swore off non-stick fry pans over a year ago. I have a 10" and 6" Lodge skillets and a 4 qt dutch oven. I cook mostly just for me (not married or anything), so that's all I really need. The seasoning is screwed up on my dutch oven, though. I haven't been using it lately. I may have done something wrong, but the whole thing is sticky, like it has been covered in super glue or something. You don't have any suggestions, do you?

That's old oil that's congealed. You can burn it off or boil it off. That's how the two pieces I got from my neighbor were. Tacky oil with cat hair stuck to it.:scared: I was going to strip that down before touching food to that.

IIRC I hit it with a green scrubbie in the sink with hot water until I couldn't get anything else off. Then I put them in the oven and basically overheated the oil until it carbonized. Let them cool a bit, then I did two coats of bacon grease and put them in the oven 30 minutes each time.
 
Cast iron is wonderful stuff. Love the traditional stuff and also the enameled. I just don't think you can improve on it.
 
I only have one Lodge skillet, but it is my favorite. One thing I've learned is that a lard seasoning is MUCH more effective than vegetable oil. The lard provided a much darker, longer lasting, and better stick-free surface. How do you guys season your cast iron?
 
... but the whole thing is sticky, like it has been covered in super glue or something. You don't have any suggestions, do you?
I've heard that you can strip cast iron by letting it sit through a self cleaning oven cycle. I've not done it, but it stands to reason. Scrubbing the sticky stuff off is another, more tedious option.

I only have one Lodge skillet, but it is my favorite. One thing I've learned is that a lard seasoning is MUCH more effective than vegetable oil. The lard provided a much darker, longer lasting, and better stick-free surface. How do you guys season your cast iron?

I agree that fat is better for cast iron than Pam or vegetable oil. I keep a jar of bacon grease in the fridge, and it really keeps the seasoning in top shape.

I season a new or stripped piece by warming on the range, giving a light, all over coat of bacon grease and then baking upside down in a 350 degree oven for one hour. I let it sit in the oven while it cools.

You can repeat a few times for a more durable coating, or simply just use the pan for bacon a few times before subjecting it to something acidic like tomato sauces.
 
That's old oil that's congealed. You can burn it off or boil it off. That's how the two pieces I got from my neighbor were. Tacky oil with cat hair stuck to it.:scared: I was going to strip that down before touching food to that.

IIRC I hit it with a green scrubbie in the sink with hot water until I couldn't get anything else off. Then I put them in the oven and basically overheated the oil until it carbonized. Let them cool a bit, then I did two coats of bacon grease and put them in the oven 30 minutes each time.

Yep. In agreement with that. Another thing you can do is to toss it into a fireplace or campfire. After the fire is out and the iron is cool, you will basically have a virgin skillet. Other than 2 small sauce pans, all I have is cast iron. The thing that is used the most is a round griddle. Hardly a day goes by without a flour tortilla being heated up on it. I use only olive oil on the griddle. As far as seasoning a skillet or dutch oven, I put enough oil in them to easily float stuff and then use them like deep fryer for a few days without even draining the oil. Just leave on stove, covered. Always works for me better than oven method. New cast iron usually says it comes fully seasoned. HAH!!
 
I only have one Lodge skillet, but it is my favorite. One thing I've learned is that a lard seasoning is MUCH more effective than vegetable oil. The lard provided a much darker, longer lasting, and better stick-free surface. How do you guys season your cast iron?

I've heard that lard is bad for you, so I use Manteca.
Works every bit as well!

Roger
 
Thanks for all the info, fellas. I'll be working on my little dutch oven tonight. I was afraid I had ruined it somehow.


Is cast iron cookware usable on a glass top range?

No. At least that's what my mom and step dad tell me. My step dad is a building contractor and know a lot about appliances. I don't know what happens if you use on glass top, though. I'm sure it wouldn't hurt the cast iron.
 
My 12" skillet is a favorite. As previously stated, there is not reason to use non-stick when you have cast iron. Not to mention the elimination of whatever chemicals we're told might harm us this week. I never use soap and only scrub with hot water and a soft brush and that's only if it's really messed up. I have relatives who do nothing other than pour off any accumulated fat!
 
I clean cast iron only with water and a stiff brush, never soap. Then, coat in cooking spray and wipe with a paper towel. The older the pan, the better flavor it imparts to food and the more non-stick it becomes. Soap depletes those benefits.

+1. I have to wait for my mother-in-law to leave the kitchen before I clean my cast iron skillets and Dutch oven. She'd be horrified that I don't squirt 'em with soap.

Of course, my great fear is she'll decide to use one of the pans someday, and will clean it for me. :scared:
 
Is cast iron cookware usable on a glass top range?

I use mine on a flat glass cooktop, and it works just fine. The only problem is that they take forever to heat up. The only problem I've had with it is that the cured outside of the pan tends to leave residual cure/oil on the glass cook top that gets burned on. It is most an asthetic problem, as it does scrub off fairly easily from the glass with a little baking soda.

I'll put it this way, my apartment has a glass cook top, and with the exception of my 4 gallon SS stock pot, the only cookware that I use is my great-grandmother's Wagner 10", and two de Buyer black steel pans. I've been doing that for 3 years now, 2 meals a day, without any harm to cook top of cookware.
 
I use mine on a flat glass cooktop, and it works just fine. The only problem is that they take forever to heat up. The only problem I've had with it is that the cured outside of the pan tends to leave residual cure/oil on the glass cook top that gets burned on. It is most an asthetic problem, as it does scrub off fairly easily from the glass with a little baking soda.

I'll put it this way, my apartment has a glass cook top, and with the exception of my 4 gallon SS stock pot, the only cookware that I use is my great-grandmother's Wagner 10", and two de Buyer black steel pans. I've been doing that for 3 years now, 2 meals a day, without any harm to cook top of cookware.

Maybe it's not as big a deal as I thought it was. Next time I talk to my folks I'll ask them where they heard different and maybe why you're not supposed to.
 
Big cast iron fan here as well. I only use Lodge - none of that light weight "cast iron" junk that comes from elsewhere. My wife likes what is cooked in cast iron, but it's too heavy for her wrists when being picked up or moved so she uses the Teflon stuff. But I always use cast iron when I cook.
 
Wow, very happy to see so many cast iron junkies here. Thanks to my brother (who gave me my first safety razor) and Food Network (who gave me Alton Brown), I now have several AD's.

Right now I'm learning the intricacy of my 12" Lodge skillet. Just cooked a ridiculously good meat loaf two days ago, now trying my hand at home-made mac+cheese.

Also - check out cookingincastiron.com for recipe trials, product reviews, etc. The guy's a great teacher!
 
This thread spurred me to purchase a 12" Lodge skillett with lid and a Lodge enameled 6 qt dutch oven about two months ago.

Never used cast iron cookware before....now it is my favorite.

B&B has been edumacating me on a lot more than shaving ;)

Thanks guys!
 
Glad to see that some folks have been open to try the "old" tech of cast iron.

Had a friend give me a Wagner large logo 10" and an 8" to season and keep for him, on a sort of extended lend.

Today I used both 10" skillets to make short work of a package of bacon and two batches of scrambled eggs, one with Rooster sauce and powdered Habenero and one without the heat for the bride and youngest boy. Quick hot water cleanup and they are good to go.

Between the DE shaving, cast Iron and the interest in older music, my wife thinks I might be taking retro too far...
 
Between the DE shaving, cast Iron and the interest in older music, my wife thinks I might be taking retro too far...

You're not taking it far enough. Visit the fedora lounge for some ideas. :lol:

I picked up a small 2 cup sized cast iron pot with with lid a few weeks back. Perfect on the grill for keeping a basting sauce warm!
 
I have two skillets that I use mostly on my grills to make blackened fish. I am not sure why I don't use them more indoors.
 
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