Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with castiron

Lazy Cornbread

turgid dahlia — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:26:53 -0800

I want to make cornbread in an electric cast iron skillet/pan. Is this a good idea, or bad? I've got a basic recipe: flour, cornmeal, baking powder, eggs and buttermilk. Also sugar and salt. Butter or olive oil.

I've got cast iron skillets with wooden handles so they can't go in the oven, and they also don't have lids so they can't really go on the stovetop. I guess if it came to it I could unscrew the wooden handles but I'd rather not.

But I've got a massive electric cast iron frying pan. With a lid. Can I make a tasty cornbread in there?

How can I make my cast iron pans nonstick?

Stewriffic — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 10:55:58 -0800

Are well-seasoned, well-cared-for cast iron pans really supposed to be nonstick? If so, how do I make mine like that? Many people say that cast-iron is as good as, or near as good as, nonstick pans in their nonstickiness.

Others disagree. I am among them. Advise me on what I need to do to move me into the agreement category.

So, assuming that the people who say cast iron pans are the bees knees* and don't cause stickiness** are right, what am I doing wrong? I want to cook things without sticking. Eggs are the worst, of course. Meat is OK if you sear it well, but there is still going to be residue sticking onto the pan.

Background: I follow cast-iron care recommendations to a T. I do not use soap. I dry thoroughly with a hand towel and then put in a low oven. I preheat. I keep the pans lightly oiled. I do not cook acidic foods in cast iron.

*Me.
**Not me.

How to save our skillets

specialagentwebb — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 19:36:51 -0800

Our cast iron skillets caught fire. Can they ever be used again? We have 2 cast iron skillets, and in the process of re-seasoning them after a washing mishap, the oil in them caught fire. We put out the flames with an A,B,C dry chemical fire extinguisher, then put the pans outside to cool down (and not smoke up the house any more).

The chemical extinguisher mixed with the oil, and it seems like it's not coming off of the skillets.

What's the best route to take from here. Can the skillets be saved? If so, what's the best way to go about cleaning them?

Searing inquisition.

Darth Fedor — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 09:40:25 -0800

How do I obtain an Argentine chapa (cast-iron flat-top grill, set over a wood fire), as described by Francis Mallman in his cookbook Seven Fires? I imagine I won't be the only person looking for one of these after reading this positively eye-popping book of meat alchemy. But I did, and I am.

If I must, I am not wholly opposed to to putting a cast iron skillet on a grill. However, the chapa is so simple (and alluring in its simplicity) that I would strongly prefer to own or have made the real McCoy.

I've tried to search BBQ retailers on the web for a chapa or something like it, to no avail. Mallman himself, in the sources section at the end of Seven Fires offers no illumination other than the previously mentioned jury-rigged cast iron skillet on a fire.

I want one real bad. I lack knowledge and equipment for welding and forging, but am open to whatever's necessary if I can at the least obtain a 30-inch or so square piece of thick cast iron.

Thoughts? Help? So much meat to be cooked!

Where can I find a replacement lid for my Dutch Oven?

Diablevert — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 15:48:01 -0800

Does Benjamin & Medwin still exist? And if they don't, any idea where I can get a lid for my cast iron pan? Can I make one? I have a cast iron pan that came with a glass lid --- dropped it the other day and the knob cracked. I had thought it was a Lodge --- but it's not, it's by a company called Benjamin & Medwin. There are some stores selling their stuff online, I couldn't find any that had my Dutch oven. They don't see to have their own website, and the when I called the number given for the only address I could find for them, it had been disconnected. Does anyone know of a company that makes glass lids that will stand up to the high heat of cast iron cooking? (I particularly liked to do no-knead bread in mine, and for that I usually crank the oven to 450.) Or if not, is there at way to tell whether a plastic knob from the hardware store can take that kind of heat? The glass itself isn't cracked; I could screw in a new knob.

Will my cast iron pots work on a ceramic glasstop electric stove?

serunding — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 17:43:32 -0800

Will our cast iron cookware (Le Creuset) work on an electric range with a ceramic glass cooktop? Our apartment does not allow for gas stoves and we need to change our old stove which has electric coils. But we have heard different opinions on whether we will be able used our Le Creuset pots on the new ceramic glass cooktop which I understand uses radiant heat (not induction). This is despite the Le Creuset website stating that its products will work on glass cooktop.

The Kenmore stove which we are considering is described as having an "Easy-to-clean ceramic glass cooktop with one 12 inch Double, one 9 inch Turbo Boil™ Element and two 6 in. radiant elements". Any personal experience would be very much appreciated.

Why season matte enamel?

Kemayo — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 23:46:33 -0800

Why does my Ikea SENIOR casserole, which has a "matte enamel interior", come with instructions for seasoning? It was my understanding that seasoning cast iron cookware was only relevant when the iron was bare. It seems pointless if it's just going over enamel...

The seasoning instructions are in a little booklet with care instructions for the SENIOR line. I thought it might be that, say, the frying pan was bare cast iron, but according to the website, they all have the matte enamel interior.

(It seemed, from look/feel, entirely plausible to me that the interior could be bare iron. However, I'm not terribly familiar with cast iron cookware.)

For me and my grill

doift — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 07:51:51 -0800

Convince me to keep my cast-iron grill pan. A couple of years ago, on a lark, I bought a Lodge pre-seasoned cast-iron grill pan much like the one in the link above. I've mostly tried to use it for things like burgers (meat and veggie), chicken breasts with onions, and bacon when I had just moved and didn't have any other pans yet. I've never really been happy with it: stuff doesn't cook evenly and gets stuck on the little grooves, it's been hard to clean, etc. At this point I've probably ruined the seasoning trying to remove stuck-on veggie burger bits. I've just about decided to give it away.

But with all the cast-iron love I see, I'm tempted to give it another chance, and do it right this time. So I'm seeking recipes and recommendations. Why should I keep this thing? What can I cook in it that other cookware just can't do properly? What techniques can I use to make the most of it? There are a few posts already about cast iron care and re-seasoning, but do you have any grill-pan-specific care tips? Convert me!

For how long does fatty pig skin stay good in the fridge?

Anything — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 13:35:26 -0800

For how long does fatty pig skin stay good in the fridge? For re-seasoning my old cast-iron frying pain, I got some pig fat from the butcher, with the skin still on it. After having postponed the job for five days, I moved the fatty skin from the fridge to the freezer. Is it still good?

what should I cook in my cast iron pan?

peep — Thu, 01 May 2008 10:30:26 -0800

What should I cook with my cast iron skillet? Due in large part to this question about homefries, I finally bought a cast iron skillet last Christmas. It's a 10" preseasoned Lodge.

So far I've made homefries, hashbrowns, and cornbread. I also know that lots of people make pineapple upsidedown cake in a cast iron pan.

For a couple of months, though, the skillet has been severely neglected. What other foods or recipes take on a new level of awesomeness when prepared in cast iron?

Very few caveats: I hate eggs, and no beef. I'm also sort of looking for things that are exceptionally yummy when cooked in cast iron, like the homefries question, not general stuff like "you can cook anything in it."

What should I make next?

I need a new cast iron electric bbq

phirleh — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 07:26:30 -0800

Can anyone recommend an indoor electric bbq grill with cast iron or stainless steel grill? I'm looking for a stand alone model without a teflon coating, the only one I've really seen is this type . Does the hive mind have any experience with any other types that they are happy with? I'm looking to spend under $200.

Staub cookware question

tula — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 18:28:23 -0800

Are these pinholes in the enamel surface of my new Staub cookware normal or flaws? So I just bought my first piece of expensive enameled cast iron cookware (Staub Pumpkin, from Ebay) and being inexperienced with the stuff I don't know if I should consider these pinholes problematic or not. I'm not asking for your opinion on the aesthetics of the holes; I'm asking if, with use in high temperatures and washed in water, pinholes of this size (and they seem pretty deep, too) will cause the enamel to chip or crack. Can moisture reach the iron and cause problems? I've purchased a few things on Ebay and never had quality problems before, and I'm not a terribly fussy person, but this wasn't cheap, so I'm less inclined to just let it go.

Didn't properly season my new cast iron cookware. Now what?

stuart_s — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 08:22:44 -0800

I bought a cast iron skillet. Rubbed it with oil. 300 F oven for 1 hour. I neglected to clean it in soapy water prior. What has been indelibly burned into my skillet? Should I go to the emergency room now or should I save time and just start start organizing my affairs? If it makes a difference:
1)purchased cheap from a closeout store
2)no discernible grim, dirt or residue

How to install a cast-iron fireplace

Life at Boulton Wynfevers — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 04:39:20 -0800

How do I install a cast-iron fireplace? Please forgive my DIY newbie-ness. I've recently purchased a cast-iron fireplace--it's the same kind of deal as these, though it's an original not a reproduction--and I'm looking for tips on how to install it. I don't yet have the surround/mantelpiece, but I'm thinking I'll need to attach the fireplace to the wall somehow first, right?

Herein lies the problem: there aren't any holes for screws. Neither are there any pegs or hooks on the back to attach a wire to. Should I use some kind of strong glue to attach a wire to the back, hook a screw onto the other end and screw that into the wall? Should I use cement? Is it sufficient, even, to let the surround (which will be screwed to the chimney breast) hold it in place? Any other suggestions?

If anybody has any experience/tips on this I'd be very, ahem, grateful...

Help me use my cast iron pan properly

postergeist — Tue, 15 May 2007 18:57:05 -0800

I just purchased a Le Creuset cast iron grilling pan and after cooking a few times I realize I dont know what the hell i'm doing. Here's what I did with it. First day I got it I washed it a little bit to get the factory seal off it. I then followed some instructions on seasoning in which I coated the entire pan with crisco (which I never use for cooking), put it in a hot oven upside down for about an hour to an hour and a half. When it came out of the oven it looked exactly like the instructions said it should.. really black and nice and shiny. So I figured I had a descent coating on it. Since then I have used the pan a couple of times, the first time I used it, food stuck to it pretty bad. I resisted using a brillo pad on it and just flaked the bits off and used a paper towel to try and soak up the excess crap and bits. I then reseasoned it using the same method. The next time I used it, same thing happened except that the sticking got really bad and I had no choice but to scrape it off with brillo.. it was not coming off at all. I reseasoned it again this afternoon before I planned to cook with it tonight. The nice black color and shiny finish is no more.. instead i'm starting to see gray spots and signs of drippy non-uniform coloration. Tonight I cooked chicken that was marinated in a vinagrette. The entire pan is now caked with burned reminants of the chicken and oils and I have no idea how i'm supposed to clean this thing now without going at it with something seriously abrasive. The caked on stuff is stuck on there really good.

What am I doing wrong? Help me understand how to use this pan properly and also how should I clean it now?

Help me choose cast-iron cookware.

gauchodaspampas — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 13:07:54 -0800

What do I need to consider when choosing cast-iron cookware (a skillet or a griddle)? Do brands, price, pre-seasoned v. not, or anything else make a difference? I'm thinking about starting up a collection of cast-iron cookware. I'm interested in cast-iron because it seems to be reasonably cheap most of the time, and is reputed to last roughly forever. So what do I need to know when choosing my cookware? For now I just want to buy one piece, probably a griddle or a skillet for some basic stovetop cooking, like sandwiches, pancakes, eggs, maybe some sauteeing if I get a skillet. Here are some specific things I'm wondering:

I've read you should leave watery or acidic foods sitting in cast iron. Does that mean I should avoid even cooking things like tomatoes in it, or simply that once they're done cooking, they should be removed? If the former is the case, I will likely go with just a griddle.

What are the advantages/disadvantages (mainly disadvantages) of pre-seasoned cast-iron. Obviously it means I wouldn't have to spend much or any effort seasoning it before use. But will it last as long? Do you think it's worth any extra cost? Cast-iron seems to be cheap all around, even for pre-seasoned, so if there are few or no disadvantages, the extra cost likely wouldn't bother me.

Will any particular brands or stores have much better or worse quality stuff? For instance, will a piece from a cookware store actually be better than one from target? Will lodge or another established brand be better than a less established brand? Will a higher price actually correspond to higher quality?

Some cast-iron is coated with wax or similar to prevent rusting before it's seasoned. Are there disadvantages to this other than having to scrub the coating off before seasoning?

Are there cheap, long-lasting alternatives to cast iron I should know about?

What else do I need to know before making my purchase?

Help me tame a cast iron wok

slimeline — Sun, 25 Feb 2007 05:14:39 -0800

Help me to tame my cast iron wok. Since I bought this Le Creuset wok I began to question my ability to cook. I realized (too late) that it is not really suited for Thai food but mostly for Chinese. Are there any good sources to teach me how to get the best out of this wok for vegetarian cooking? So I bought this Le Creuset (I know, overrated) huge black cast iron wok. After using it for a month now I still don't feel that I got the hang of cooking with it. First, being cast iron it needs seasoning with oil, I did that following the Le Creuset instructions (rub with vegetable oil, heat for 15 min. repeat) this did not work well, as the coating was not even and food still stuck. I seasoned it in the oven for about 3 hours, this was better for a while, but after a week I had to repeat this process. Does a cast iron wok supposed to be so high maintenance? I know that i should not wash it with soap to look after the surface. And I still have crusts on the bottom that flake and chip next time I use it. Am I missing something?
Related to this: What kind of recipes work best for this wok? And what cooking techniques I need to master to be able to cook good vegetarian and sea food? I am pretty experienced in general oriental cooking. Any tips from owners of this cast iron beast will be greately appreciated.

There's got to be more than two...

cubby — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 22:39:32 -0800

What objects gain value through use and time? Some things gain value over time, like wine or rare books. But they lose value by being used -- and so many collections are dedicated to preserving objects in pristine condition. There are a few things that actually become more valuable, or even more useful, the more they are used. I can only think of two examples: the cast iron skillet (the nonstick seasoned surface gets better with each use) and the Yixing teapot (the unglazed clay absorbs oils from tea each time it is used, enhacing the flavor of each subsequent brew and making the pot more collectable - previously). Can anyone think of other examples where the value and/or utility of an object increases with both time and use?

Chicken breasts and cast iron skillet methods?

keswick — Sun, 07 Jan 2007 11:30:54 -0800

Best way to grill/roast chicken in a healthy way on a cast iron skillet? I used to throw a chicken breast on a Foreman grill for a quick meal, but I've since got rid of the Foreman grill. What's the best way to prepare a chicken breast in a cast iron skillet (with as little (or no) oil as possible), preferably solely on the oventop?

Stripping a cast iron skillet.

nathan_teske — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 11:26:30 -0800

I picked-up an old, cast-iron skillet which has seen better days and needs to be stripped and re-seasoned. Problem: I can't get it stripped down sufficiently. The surface has a mottled, raised texture of old oil which I can't get stripped down. Scrubbing with a nylon scouring pad and hot soapy water doesn't do much. Using baking soda as an abrasive worked a little better, but it's still not enough. I'm hesitant to use steel wool for fears of scratching the iron too deeply.

Any ideas? Anymore I'm beginning to wonder if a nice coat of gasoline followed by a match might work ("It's cast iron, it doesn't care")

How to keep a cast-iron pan clean

starvingartist — Tue, 20 Jan 2004 07:16:53 -0800

How do I keep a cast-iron pan clean? [more inside] First of all, the pan is already seasoned. I know how to do that. But I've started eating bacon in the morning, and the cast-iron seems to do the best job (I can't stand microwaved bacon, and the non-stick isn't big enough). I read somewhere that you shouldn't wash the pan, just coat the inside with salt right after cooking and then wipe it out a bit later. But the bacon leaves spots of cooked fat that don't come off with just a salt wipe. Can I wash it with mild dish detergent?