I am a cast iron hunter plain and simple. I look for it everywhere I go and I get pretty lucky sometimes.
I hope you might have caught my two part A Wok To Remember Part One and A Wok To Remember Part Two.
Although I believe that the diminutive
carbon steel wok is the best all rounder when it comes to versatility, adaptability, survivability, hillbillity and more, I do love and value many other types of cookware.
My prized collection of Zwilling
double Henckel stainless steel pots and pans are a pure joy to cook with. They will give nearly anything in the world a run for its money for any truly challenging chef task, and almost nothing will caramelize better. My stainless steel collection is my goto when I really want a terrific, hassle free cooking experience.
I will likely not be able to stop myself from doing a stainless steel post or two at some point. They really do serve a wonderful niche and I would consider them the mainstream champ when space isn’t a factor. And stainless steel has one other major advantage when it comes to high quality cookware. It is the pound for pound, or ounce for ounce champ in the quality to weight ratio war.
One could argue that nonstick is a winner in many ways and they would have a very valid point. An argument can be made that non-stick coatings are unhealthy and dangerous. The point I would focus on with non-stick in general is their lack of durability. Newer coatings being screamed from the infomercial rooftops claim newer and tougher non stick coatings that steel utensils will not harm. I’ll be looking more into that in the future simply because it interests me greatly and I am no shrinking violet when it comes to embracing and adapting to new tech. I only ask that it survive my personal gauntlet of tests and measures so to speak.
But!
Today, we are going to talk about the star of the show.
Cast iron. And my love, and obsession with finding and liberating old cast iron pans. Like the Island of Misfit Toys, I find cast iron. I restore it to the best of my limited ability (I don’t have a cast iron electrolysis set up) using common methods. I give these cast iron treasures a new home and a new lease on life. There is something so magical for me about the process. I got one cast iron pot from a guy for two bucks that was so rusty, it looked like a rusted out brake drum off a 50 year old transport truck left in the rain. In England. That’s a lot of rain, and a ton of rust. But, some patience and TLC and a lot of vinegar baths and elbow grease. Voila, it’s like a pretty woman makeover.
I also love trying to find out about where it was manufactured and any historical information I can dig up. If any inanimate object had a soul, my first thought would be my guitar. I have bled blood into the fretboard of my guitar and it has resonated my joy and pain more than any friend has ever been there for me. It has never judged me, hurt or insulted me. It has been a companion with unconditional love and acceptance like having a pet. It doesn’t say much until I pick it up, but then wow, it has a lot to say. The wood resonating against my chest and arms brings a reassuring comfort that is familiar, constant and provides a depth of understanding as deep as the ocean or space.
Having said that, cast iron comes in
at a close second to musical instruments for me. Here is something that cannot have a meaningful existence without care. Left unattended and uncared for it will quickly rust and become unusable for its intended purpose. But if you take care of cast iron, it will last a dozen lifetimes and more and will be a faithful companion for life.
Like any good relationship, there are boundaries and rules. Don’t boil water in me. Don’t make dishes with a lot of acidic ingredients like spaghetti sauces and other pasta dishes. The food that comes off of a cast iron pan, for me, has a life of its own. The meal itself is life giving, but if an inanimate object could experience joy, it would be when a cast iron pan has made a beautiful meal for its owner.
Cast iron, when used for its intended purpose,
will provide some of the best meals possible. There is an indescribable nuance with cast iron cooked food. It is strange to say that the food feels hotter, more cooked through, more consistently heated, tastier and just wow overall. I believe that it is impossible to have a better pan fried burger than in a cast iron pan.
You also need to have faith.
When you put meat in a hot cast iron pan, the immediate reaction is to try to move it around or flip it to keep it from sticking. Have faith. Let go and let cast. With a little patience and some self control, and a lot of faith, the meat will be released from the pan’s grip in a few minutes.
The treasure I want to share with you today
was a find in Cobourg, Ontario Canada. It was sold by weight and I got it for $3.50 Canadian which is about 22 cents USD. Well, not quite lol. Typically a medium/small cast iron pan is going to go for 10-50 bucks depending on make etc. This little treasure features double pour spouts and was painstakingly manufactured in Japan. The finish on it is just wonderful. I gave it a lovely vinegar/water (50/50) bath for a few days. I lightly scrubbed it with soap and water and stainless steel scrubber until it looked almost like the day it was made.
Don’t worry too much about the stainless steel scrubber. Some people use wire brushes on a drill to clean up cast iron. It’s pretty tough to hurt it. Unless you neglect it, then it will become forlorn.
Blurry cell phone pic alert!! But you can see how the cast has come to a nice, restored silver colour and is ready to be seasoned.
Eventually I gave it one last wash
and a very quick dry (rust forms almost instantly) and I applied some flaxseed oil. A super thin coat. Not a single drop running. Barely a sheen. Then I baked it for a few hours at about 450 degrees fahrenheit or 230C. Flax oil has an interesting property that turns it into a type of baked on enamel/polymer. If you repeat this 5 or 6 times you will have a wonderfully serviceable pan that will last forever.
I re-season my pan after every use by rinsing it with very hot tap water while the pan is still hot. A very light scrub will clean it right up then back on the heat until it’s good and hot and a very light coating of olive oil and it’s good to go again. I like olive oil the best for ongoing maintenance because it doesn’t easily go rancid when in contact with air. If you seasoned with bacon fat, for example, it would go rancid within a day or three very likely and the pan would be unhealthy and would need to be stripped and redone.
I would very much love to hear about your cast iron or other cookware stories.
Omg I've never seen a restoration that successful before!!
That's honestly amazing, it looks brand new. I also LOVE cast iron but I've actually never had a go at restoring one. I've only ever purchased brand new and I stick with the Lodge American brand.
I completely agree with you that food seems to taste better when cooked in cast iron. I don't know what it is exactly either but it definitely seems to be more moist, it's got a better crust and it seems to be more evenly cooked.
If it wasn't so damn heavy I would replace all my cookware with cast iron but for now my two cast iron pans are good enough :)
Great post thank you for sharing!
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Thanks @phamished! Yes, that one turned out ammmmazing. I have another small one that is just to crusted up I'll have to take a grinder wheel to it poor thing. I hope it forgives me!!
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Where do you actually find people selling cast iron cookware? I’ve actually never seen it being sold second hand before :/
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I just get lucky at yard sales and thrift stores. One place I go to often undervalues them and toss them over with teflon trash lol.
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Wow lucky you! I guess a lot of people think cast iron cookware is just heavy pieces of crap that are high maintenance 😪 but lucky there’s people like you to come and clean them up haha
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this was very informative!!!
My hubby loves castiron but he never cleans it so I got rid of it all LOLL :D
I finally found a set of pots and pans he didn't destroy in the first week ........we have now had them 3 years and they are almost like new but the nonstick coating is all still intact and the set was? 60 US :D
But cast iron does make the best food ever!
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gotta agree with you there. Nonstick works, but cast iron is worth the effort.
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Thanks for the great comment @snook! There is really a lot of great stuff out there now. The sheer weight of advertising can certainly make it confusing for people!! Navigating through all the nonsense and finding what works for you is a big task!! Glad you found something that works! :D
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doh! you got rid of them wow
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Hi @thebugiq, I just stopped back to let you know your post was one of my favourite reads and I included it in my Steemit Ramble. You can read what I wrote about your post here.
Join us on Thursdays for Pimp Your Post Thursday at 11am EDT or 7PM EDT in the Steemit Ramble Discord or:
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Thank you Shadows!! :D
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I absolutely prefer cast iron to anything else. Been using them for years. Getting incredibly more difficult to find them though. Thanks for the tips on reseasoning:)
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That's true @prydefoltz, I do find I have to look pretty hard to unearth a treasure. What's pretty neat is there are a couple of really solid companies in the USA that have started up extremely high quality cast iron projects. Lodge is lodge and is pretty ok but their finish will always have that microscopically maddeningly stippled feel. Mind you, that finish is as non stick as any other and some aficionados claim the slightly rougher finish creates superheated air pockets which makes it even more non stickish. Jury's out on that one lol. Check out The Field Company and Stargazer. They make some of the best in the business now!
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I have a couple good ones but when I was in Spain it was impossible to find one and I had to look near and far to get the ones I have now:) The seem to push the non-stick on us these days. Cast iron lasts forever and non-stick must be replaced every few years ...
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Amazing to see how that turned out to be looking new again!
To me this is kinda like magic!
Baking it.... I need to try this as well sometime!
Great post and enjoy using this!
Now make me some good food! :P
xxx
snekkers
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LOL I'll get to cooking right now!! I'm thinking some steaks :D
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Wow. I'm flabbergasted at the detail and passion you show for cast iron. You've talked me into getting a skillet, which I haven't had for quite a few years. And I think it would be more fun to find an old, neglected one and bring it back to life! :-D
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Just remember how easy it cleans. If you had breakfast and the pan is unwashed and cold, heat it up to cooking temp. Run hot tap water till it's hot as possible. Hot iron, hot water and will clean right up. No soap. Then back on the heat up to cooking temp and wipe with olive oil. Some table salt and a touch of water to lightly scrub off stuck on eggs etc. It'll never let you down. :)
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I to love a cast iron frypan, I have one that I have had for well over 15 years now, actually it was one of the first pieces of cookware I bought when I moved here
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Oh sweeeet, what size??? Pour spouts??
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I guess its about 8 inches in width and yes it has pour spouts
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This is such a great post! I'm glad I'm seeing it now. I have a cast iron dutch oven in my shed that is rusted and I don't know what to do with it, but one day hope to restore it. Thanks for showing me that it can be done!
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whoa what beauties, i just picked up one myself and want a larger one for frying chicken. the one i got was an antique 8" but yours looks so much better. nice!! what is your price range usually for "good pricing?" i got mine for $30 in colorado. woot
ps. i was always told not to use water at all, like ever and to clean with a paper towel, salt, and oil. i was told and read that flaxseed oil is very good so i've been doing that. also, olive oil and i saw lard is pretty good too. hmmmm so much info so little time ...
pps. i'm also so confused bc the 50/50 i was told with vinegar would ruin it .. omyyygoshhh
this japan pan you got for such a bargain is a beauty! love ittttt
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