A gift of cast iron.

Today I was gifted two cast iron frying pans. Upon receipt of the pans I could immediately tell that the young lad had neither the knowledge of their use and care or the patience to learn... :shake:

As I grabbed the plastic bag that they were in, I immediately said to the wife..."One is a lodge, I can tell by the feel" Lodge pans have their own feel.
When I pulled them out of the bag, they were poorly cared for....food still stuck on then and all....
One was indeed a Lodge....
The other pan, nested inside the lodge was a Griswold......

SCORE!!!!............ :grin:


They have found a good home....and will be well cared for.

Love my old Griswold. Belonged to my grandmother. My wife and I arae about to get an amicalbe divorce, and I am giving her the Wagner Fat-free Fryer. I'll miss that pan.

What's your procedure for making your cast iron pans "stick free" and was the Lodge pan a plain cast iron pan? My 8 qt. Lodge Dutch oven is my favorite pot for big lots of food which are then frozen....but it's enamelized porcelain. Also have 2 smaller Dutch ovens which are "stick free" through use.....Fred

flehto said:

What's your procedure for making your cast iron pans "stick free" .....

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Fry bacon and/or pan-fry tortilla chips/fried chicken...

I like to get som side pork( uncured bacon) fry a pound, leave the grease in pot to cool, repeat through four or five pounds leaving the standing grease to cool between each pound. Scoop out the grease save or disgaud as suits your fancy, heat until what's left till liquid, clean in hot water, heat the pan and coat with olive oil or clean lard or unsalted butter and alow to cool.
Clean and oil after each use.

flehto said:

What's your procedure for making your cast iron pans "stick free" and was the Lodge pan a plain cast iron pan?

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Yes....a plain frying pan of their new design...with the forward hand grip.

"Stick free" ?...I just use them and treat them well....but I have a few pans that just resist, so I use them for cooking things that don't stick... I also think technique play a big role in non-stick cooking ...oil, temperature, and time are all factors that can make food stick...

I've seen people stick food to Teflon...It helps to know how to cook.

Popping popcorn is a good way to season pans...
I had a steel wok that just wouldn't season....so I used it as a popcorn popper for a year...problem solved....and they make great popcorn too.

Bake enough corn bread in them and they season themselves

I think this poor kid mistook the "never use soap " rule to mean never clean... :shocked2:

I think a common mistake people make is, they don't let the pan properly and evenly pre-heat....so they throw whatever in and it sticks to the cold pan....Then they crank up the heat realizing it's too cold, trying to correct it and make things even worse...

colorado clyde said:

..."never use soap " rule...

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You can still use soap to clean soiled cast iron. I use soap on occasion, rinse well, dry and re-season a hot pan with oil.

You have to add the "novice" context....some folks think you soak greasy caked on pans overnight......Bad news with cast iron.... :shake:
Some folks throw cast iron in the dishwasher...

These things work fine....if you goal is to have to re-season your pan....cause it will ruin the seasoning.

The only time soap ever touches my cast iron is if I plan to start over and re-season.....
And even then It is a rare practice....I usually burn off anything that needs to be removed....

If using soap works for you.... :hatsoff: ..I'm guessing the devil is in the details...

colorado clyde said:

If using soap works for you.... :hatsoff: ..I'm guessing the devil is in the details...

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I don't use soap often, but it can be done without too much trouble.

Soap + greenhorns = much trouble.... :wink:

I soap wash my Dutch ovens after every use but don't use steel pads. When staring to cook again, some oil heated to a high temp makes everything good again.

Also for many dishes I want some sticking to produce a fond which disappears w/ a liquid wash, mostly wine or broth.

My 8 qt. Lodge enamelized porcelain Dutch oven might not meet the cast iron purists' requirements, but it's a joy to use and a whiz to clean. My main reason for using it is the even heating and large volume. It has to its credit.....paella, chicken soup, chili, spaghetti and lasagna sauces, various stews, Hungarian goulash, chop suey and many pot roasts. A meal or two is eaten and the rest is frozen.

For smaller batches my 4 & 6 qt. plain cast iron pots are used and I really can't discern a difference in taste between them and the 8 qt. Lodge......Fred

Cleaning cast iron while it is still warm from cooking makes it a lot easier. The temptation to soak is related to waiting until the next day to clean it.

:thumbsup: ...90% of the time I clean the pan even before I eat... :hatsoff:

I never use soap on mine. Clean hot pan with hot water, and heat till dry and oil hot. I have also boiled water in pan to clean. I too clean before cooking.

When done cooking with the cast iron, place over your heat source fill with water about half way and gently boil Using a wooden spatula to gently stir and scrape off stubborn stuck bits. Dry thoroughly and coat with un-salted lard lightly. Gently re-heat let cool and wipe down with toweling put away. Been doing this for years no soap, was taught this method by my grandmother.

your way sounds logical and hopefully I can eliminate the soap. thanks.....Fred

My preferred method of cleaning: Scrape it out with a thin metal spatula, then wipe it out with a paper towel. That usually does it. It scrapes better if it's hot, so either do it right after cooking or reheat the pan before you start cleaning.

If that doesn't work, and I have some really stuck material in it, I will put hot water in it, let it soak for a bit, to heat up and moisten the goo, usually 5-10 minutes is generally enough; then do the scraping and wiping. If water was used, I heat the pan until dry and wipe it with a small amount of cooking oil. If water wasn't used, I don't worry about adding any oil until I am going to cook something.

I usually clean like R.C. Bingaman and Pondoro... :thumbsup: