Mrs. 'Hook returned to cooking with cast iron after a few years of trying non-stick and stainless steel pans. Both of us have moved our parents in recent years, and during the packing/unpacking process we expressed great interest in some fine Griswold and Wagner units we didn't know they had. After hearing a lot of stories like "Your great Aunt Addy used to cook steak, taters and gravy with this pan..." we were gifted many in various sizes from both families. We also retrofitted a gas cook top in the kitchen a few years ago which we've found to be perfect for cast iron cooking.

There's just something special about sausage, eggs and hash browns cooked in an old family cast iron skillet on the weekends!

quote:

Originally posted by BGULL:
Not much on cast iron skillets, right now. But I have two Lodge cast iron loaf pans that are great for bread baking!

Does using the Lodge cast iron loaf pans require a change in the baking time?

erj_pilot

Thanks for the video.

quote:

Originally posted by deepocean:

quote:

Originally posted by BGULL:
Not much on cast iron skillets, right now. But I have two Lodge cast iron loaf pans that are great for bread baking!

Does using the Lodge cast iron loaf pans require a change in the baking time?

Nope. You still cook 'em till they're done.

Before Sig Forum, 0 cast iron pans.

Upon finding Sig Forum, 11 cast iron cookware pieces and counting (8 are Griswold). Plus a couple Griswold trivets and dampers.

<Griswold Junkie>

That was an excellent video, very nice and easy way to keep them looking nice and functional. I have a few that I used years ago and put them away. I think it is time to drag them out and see if I get them clean and ready to use.

I bought some Lodge pieces last summer and love them. Yes people say they are not as good as "the old stuff" but I didn't pay $250 bucks a piece either. I scrub mine down and season them with Crisbee three times and they are phenomenal. They are pretty much all I use now. Cleaning? Drop a bit of water in them when they are warm, let it sizzle (pulls most everything up), dump that water, add a little more and rub with a nylon brush. Place on the stove on low while you eat to evaporate all the water and hit with a
light coat of Crisbee before you put it away. Faster than the "non-stick" crap out there. And the best part? I can use a real metal spatula and real metal utensils and not worry.

Ok the second best part. They work awesome on the grill for breakfast



Or breakfast pizza:







Or just an omlet, corn bread, and overcooked bacon on a chilly North Carolina weekend



Lazy day chili in the Dutch Oven?



Maybe beatin' down the grease with eggs and bacon on the same skillet?



Can you tell I love my Lodge cast iron.

Cast iron is the shit.

We cook on nothing but. All of our pans are vintage pieces with either generic "made in the USA" markings, or older Wagner. I've obtained quite a few from Goodwill or the Salvation Army, although I would check any thrift store for them.

Check any used pan for warping by setting it on a flat surface and gently rocking it in all directions. A pan that wobbles will obviously still cook, but will do so a bit unevenly, as it will pull food towards the center. Don't be put off by a nasty, grungy, or rusty looking pan (unless it is obviously pitted) as they can be easily cleaned and re-seasoned by following the excellent video above.

For a cleaning device, after years of trying different ways, I strongly recommend a chain mail style scrubber. No soap is ever needed, it will gently scrape away the most stubborn cooked on food, and leave the pan glossy, slick, and uniform. For anyone getting the heebie-jeebies about never using soap, it is cookware; it gets hot enough to kill anything that could possibly get a foothold in it.

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I've been tempted to try and tack a sander or grinder to my lodges to put an old time smooth finish on them.

I had one I did just that to,it turned into my favorite.
That is the inside bottom I worked.

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Originally posted by Gustofer:

quote:

Originally posted by deepocean:

quote:

Originally posted by BGULL:
Not much on cast iron skillets, right now. But I have two Lodge cast iron loaf pans that are great for bread baking!

Does using the Lodge cast iron loaf pans require a change in the baking time?

Nope. You still cook 'em till they're done.

Maybe a little shorter on the time, I'm not that sophisticated as a cook. The loaf pans are a good size-shape, a little shorter deeper than stamped loaf pans. My oven is not very good wrt to temperature evenness so I rotate often and cook to temperature with a good thermometer.

We use a big skillet and a Dutch oven quite a lot.

When I don't bake in the cast iron loaf pans, I do use a Lodge dutch oven. It is great for no knead boule style loaf bread.....

I was gifted a bunch of old pans that were used by my grandparents in their cabin in Canada. They were terribly rusted. I used an electrolysis set up to remove the rust, then a series of layers of flaxseed oil baked on at high temperatures to reseason them. Worked great! Gave a couple to my sister and parents, kept the rest, including to classic corn stick pans that are awesome for cornbread. I also sanded a Lodge skillet smooth and re seasoned it the same way, great for the grill or stovetop. I just clean in hot water, then dry in the oven with a light coat of oil. No more rust!

I would have starved in college without my cast iron Dutch oven! I fried in it, did pinto beans and ham hocks, made seafood gumbo, etc. this was before microwave ovens were cheap enough for college kids. I would make a pot full of something and eat on it for several meals. When I got thru I would put the Dutch oven in the refrigerator, then the next meal I would put it in the oven on low to warm it back up (gumbo was always better the second day).

Damn you guys, I just went and bought a Lodge 10.25" skillet. I hope this hasn't started something...

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Originally posted by ryan81986:
Damn you guys, I just went and bought a Lodge 10.25" skillet. I hope this hasn't started something...

It has. Just roll with it.

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Originally posted by 71 TRUCK:

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Originally posted by cruiser68:
I've got one I use weekly for breakfast casseroles. My wife and I will either eat them or she will take it for lunch. The never using soap creeps me out a little but at this point this one is pretty well seasoned and shit tastes delicious coming out of it

Yea cleaning is a little different. I use a little water and a scrub brush. No soap and a little oil when I am done.

Try a plastic putty knife, 1.5 - 2" wide version, for scraping.

I don't use my cast iron skillet all the time. I like to think of my pots and pans as specific tools suited for certain tasks. I use the cast iron skillet where I need very high heat or very low heat with little thermal variation.

For day to day tasks, I like anodized aluminum with non-stick. Fast heat transfer, lighter, the handle doesn't get hot, and rapid temp changes when I need it.

got a cool present for my birthday last week from my mom. 6 1/2" lodge... perfect for cornbread for two (unless I eat it all.)