Cast Iron cookware and cooking

They make a great weapon though. My sister swung one at her then husband. Fortunately missed, else she might be in prison. But the gouge she put in the kitchen countertop was impressive. Looked like an axe had hit the formica. If that had been his skull, he woulda been a hurtin'.

If you have a combative spouse, I wouldn't recommend these things. They really should be regulated.

 

Iron skillets don't kill people. Angry wives do.

 

You say that like whitish goo is a bad thing.

 

Whitish goo can get you into a lot of trouble.

 

So is oil better than Crisco for seasoning iron?
I had not heard of using oil until this thread.

 

Just made a tasty egg white/ veggie omelet on my $16 non- stick ceramic pan from
BB&B. Used a little olive oil to saute the veggies. Bought 2 years ago. Cleaned
with some soap and water out of box and since, after each use clean off with a bit of
hot water and non abrasive brush.

 

Just use lard. We're all going to die one day anyway.

 

I love my cast iron skillets. The really great thing about cast iron is if needed, you can put them in the oven (like, if you're making frittatas. Heat all of your ingredients and egg in the skillet, turn the oven on broil and put it in for 10 or so minutes)

Get yourself a good bristle brush. As soon as you're done eating, take the empty skillet, turn your faucet on hot water, take your brush and just rinse it out. Use the brush to get the stuck on bits. Dry with a cloth. I always take a paper towel, put a little vegetable oil on it and apply to the inside and sides of the pan.

The main things are: don't let food sit in it for too long (like, overnight). NEVER use soap on it or put it in the dishwasher. As long as you clean it fairly quickly after use, you don't really need soap on it. And if you're being attacked during dinner, there's no better weapon against marauders. 8)

 

Until I was in a Williams-Sonoma this weekend, I did not know a single skillet could cost $400. I did not know a skillet could cost $200. Before this weekend I did not know you could spend more than $100 on a skillet. Now I know this.

 

Before this weekend, I didn't know posts about Crisco could get deleted.

Then I looked up some board history, and I can see why.

 

This is not complicated. Seasoning is simple. If seasoned properly, it's a quick clean with water. Hint: easier to clean when the pan is warm or even hot, rather than room temperature.

We live in an apartment so, here's how we cook a steak (gas stove)

Put cast iron pan (one with grill marks) in oven. Put one rack under the broker Turn up oven as high as it will go (in our case, 550F) When the oven reaches 550, turn on the broiler. Let the pan heat for five more minutes. Take out pan (use very good oven gloves), put in steak and stick under broiler. We leave our steaks in for 5 1/2 minutes for medium rare. Take out, let steak sit for five minutes. Slice and serve. Idiot proof. thanks to Mark Bittman for this idea