Cast-iron pans

Bliksis said:
I don't leave it with the residue of whatever was cooked in it.

Why is wash in quotations?
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Because you don’t bring soap near it if at all possible and don’t work too hard at getting it super clean either.

My way is to just boil some water in it and let it stand a bit and then use a brush to clean it off. I have one of those with a flat plastic bit on the back which I then use to scrape off really hardcore stuff.

Thing is once it’s seasoned it’s a breeze and residue doesn’t really exist unless you cocked up and ran it too hot.

Which is a mistake people making it turning it hotter than it should.

Cast iron needs time. Put it on medium heat and let it pre-heat for a good five minutes.
 
saor said:
Would like to get a cast-iron pan. Any considerations to keep in mind when buying? Right now I'm leaning toward uncoated (pans without non-stick or enamel coatings). Looking at the 20cm version of this:

https://www.yuppiechef.com/victoria-skillets.htm?id=42597&name=Victoria-Seasoned-Cast-Iron-Skillet
View attachment 1528153

Which seems cool because it also has glass lids available:
https://www.yuppiechef.com/victoria...?id=45773&name=Victoria-Glass-Lid-for-Skillet

Is it necessary to treat this before using?
Cleaning after use?
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Well coincidentally a colleague of mine in Mexico has two spare that Amazon sent him. He ordered a laptop worth 30k pesos from Amazon and they delivered these instead. Weirdest morning ever.
 
SauRoNZA said:
Because you don’t bring soap near it if at all possible and don’t work too hard at getting it super clean either.
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I think you're dealing with outdated ideas when it comes to cast iron.

You can absolutely use soap, not using soap is from the old days when soap contained lye. I use soap and hot water after nearly every time I use my skillet. All you do after is leave it to heat on the stove until it dries. I don't even use oil on mine after washing unless I feel like it could use some seasoning.
 
If you looking for a le creuset pan wait till their yearly sale somewhere in the middle of the year so in a month or two and keep a eye out for promos or when they discontinue a colour.
In 2014 i went to buy a skillet and the lady there told me to get a woolies magazine and give them a coupon out it to get 30 percent off ended up paying about R950 for the square skillet.

My dad has a raw cast iron set that got passed down to him when my grandparents passed. He never seasons it and uses soap after every use. But its so well used and seasoned that i haven't seen a non stick pan came come close to that finish.
 
SauRoNZA said:
Buying an untreated/uncoated cast is always going to be plenty of work for you with maintenance.

Between never really washing it properly and having to re-season it all the time I can’t recommend an enamelled cast enough.

This is my daily driver and I can’t basically do an egg on here as non-stick as can be.


There are other smaller ones that are even on special right now.

Check the Cerise 23cm.


But I’m sure other brands of enamelled cast iron would be near as good.

These are also indestructible, acidity is a non-issue.
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3k for a pan u mad bro?

Those better be Woolies eggs that pan is too expensive for Checkers eggs..
 
RanzB said:
I think you're dealing with outdated ideas when it comes to cast iron.

You can absolutely use soap, not using soap is from the old days when soap contained lye. I use soap and hot water after nearly every time I use my skillet. All you do after is leave it to heat on the stove until it dries. I don't even use oil on mine after washing unless I feel like it could use some seasoning.
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I do use soap on occasion when it’s really gone wrong or burnt on for some reason.

It’s not that I believe it strips the coating like the old days just that doing it this way keeps that oil layer without the extra work and makes it nice and nonstick. Basically never need to season it.

But very good point on heating it after to dry it properly, the biggest enemy of cat iron is not being dried properly and then stored.

Never the dishwasher though.

However enamelled cast iron is just better and less hassle on all fronts.
 
grok said:
3k for a pan u mad bro?

Those better be Woolies eggs that pan is too expensive for Checkers eggs..
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Homemade eggs.

But you’ll note I pointed to the one on special, I’ve never paid full price for any Le Creuset product.

Always on 40% discount or more.
 
SauRoNZA said:
Homemade eggs.

But you’ll note I pointed to the one on special, I’ve never paid full price for any Le Creuset product.

Always on 40% discount or more.
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Still, those are private school pans not for ordinary cooking..
 
RanzB said:
Got one late last year. Awesome to use, especially if you have the stove to back it up.

Normal carbon steel rules apply, ie seasoning/care etc
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Picked up an alcheapo yesterday at Checkers for R79
Carbon Steel
Looks good, should do the job
Will make a Chinese Stirfry next week and report back
 
grok said:
Still, those are private school pans not for ordinary cooking..
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Yeah like I said at full price it hurts.

That being said these have lifetime legitimate guarantees on, not that you’ll ever even need it.

I’d argue the money I wasted on other **** in the ten years prior to going Le Creuset probably levels to what I paid for these.

The biggest mistake I’ve made myself and seen others make is buying sets of things that seem like a good deal but then you never use half of it.

If I had to start over now I’d probably buy one daily pan, one medium-sized pot and then maybe something like a casserole dish and very rarely need anything else.

I would like to think I do a little bit more than ordinary cooking, it has become my favourite hobby.
 
RanzB said:
So I have a 30cm Lodge cast iron skillet that I imported in the early 2010s from Amazon. That's more for frying, searing, baking, every day cooking.

1683489451658-png.1520473


The new enameIled pot I got because while I do have 2 cast iron dutch ovens, neither are enamelled. I could use any of them interchangeably I guess, but this one is a nice size for smaller cooks and I wouldn't be able to use it over a fire if I needed to. You also can't season them to a non-stick finish like you can with the cast iron Dutch ovens. The upside is that it requires less care than the cast iron ones.

That being said, depending on what you are going to be using them for, you can also look into carbon steel pans. They are lighter and quicker to pre-heat compared to cast iron, which takes a while to come to temperature but hold the heat for longer quite well.

I bought a de Buyer carbon steel pan recently, and am still seasoning and learning how to maximise its strengths.
1683489514182-png.1520477
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That Lodge looks dope.

I also went for a DB Mineral B and I gotta say: my Le Creuset satin finish cast iron pan has been relegated to sauté duties because I can't bring myself to ruin the seasoning on the DB by cooking tomatoes and onions in it.

I have found that chicken especially comes out beautifully in the DB. Deep golden brown and it leaves the most amazing, delicious fond behind for making sauce.

pinball wizard said:
Speaking of seasoning, what oil is recommended?
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I personally use avocado, grapeseed or flaxseed in that order. Avocado oil has an incredibly high smoke point.
 
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