Cast Iron Cookware

[pbilly]

nice

 

[Philbert]

Went to Cabela's

Much easier when you can see (and lift!) this stuff in person. Even though the new Lodge stuff may not be a good as some of the 'older' stuff, you could clearly see the difference between those and the lower priced 'Cabela' branded skillets (made in China). The casting on the Cabela's was noticeably coarser.

Had some 'club points' to use. Went in to buy an 8" handled skillet, with some points to spare, and left with a 12" small handle pan that will also fit into an oven, minus a few extra dollars. Will run these through the dishwasher ( JUST KIDDING !!!) when the other stuff arrives, and try smoothing them out a bit when I get some time: seems like a low risk on this quality stuff.

Thanks for all the advice shared in the past 16(!) pages.

Philbert

 

[Philbert]

So it looks like our local Goodwill has been catching on to the 'chic' of cast iron. Did not see any at several, then finally found 4 items at one I happened to pass on the way. But the pricing for Lodge cookware, needing quite a bit of love was not much less than buying the same items new, from Amazon, delivered. The little pan was OK, but not something I needed. The cornbread pan was from Taiwan.


I did receive a nice, classic skillet from a very generous member of this site, partially restored (the surface rust, and smear on the inside, in the photo wiped right off):


Very clear to see the difference in quality and finish. THANK YOU!

Philbert

 

[pbilly]

you're welcome i hope you enjoy it as much add i do mine

 

[Backyard Lumberjack]

I've got a couple extra pans of no real value, I'll give it a shot.

you mean we gotta wait... 6 months! omg

 

[Backyard Lumberjack]

Getting ready for Spring Crappie season here in the Midwest. Last year wasn't too good at the lake so I've been sparingly eating up last years supply.
Had some tonight done in my most used Lodge.

View attachment 895835

tasty fare! looks good. i do like crappie ~ fun to catch 'em, too!

 

[Backyard Lumberjack]

I did some catfish on my cast iron pizza pan. Oak charcoal with a touch of apple wood. Got the iron heated to about 400° with some olive oil. Catfish seasoned with a little Cajun seasoning. It was very good!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

nice platter full! i was at grocery, crusied the meats and fish dept... catfish fillets were $6.95 and 5.95/#.... you catch those?

 

[Backyard Lumberjack]

did you soak the catfish in buttermilk for 24 hrs first?

i never have - never could wait that long to eat once i had them. i like catfish bits, too. afterall, each bite is a bit of the whole. lol they were $2.69/#. i can remember when they were 99-cents/#!

 

[Backyard Lumberjack]

Svk's enthusiasm dragged me into this, along with a renewed interest in cooking. Used cast iron many years ago when working at a camp. Passed up many pieces at garage / estate sales since then. Ordered a Lodge 10" and griddle off that place named after a river to get started. Then, visited 3, different Goodwill stores over the past few days, figuring that buying some would cause others to appear. Some surprisingly good cookware available, if you don't need a matched set, but no cast iron. Yet.

Philbert

i have a nice cast iron pots n pans collection, too. mostly came from a scoutmaster neighbor who used in boy scouts camp outings. and accumulated the cast iron collection over many years. small fry pans, to pots to larger dutch ovens. all cast iron. he passed on. one day riding my bike, passing by... i saw his kids loading it all up in truck. storage? well, i'll ask. no, going to dump with it. i expressed an interest. sure, he said, u can have it all. i had to get my big wheel barrow to get it all home. 2 loads. don't use it all, but sure do like it all.

 

[djg james]

nice platter full! i was at grocery, crusied the meats and fish dept... catfish fillets were $6.95 and 5.95/#.... you catch those?

I'm not into catfish. Too strong fishy flavor for me. Besides, every time I tried to fry them they seemed mushy inside and I have a thing about under cooked meat. No sushi for me; if it's raw, it's bait. The fishiest fish I eat is white bass. Some remove the red view, but I don't mind.

 

[Backyard Lumberjack]

I'm not into catfish. Too strong fishy flavor for me. Besides, every time I tried to fry them they seemed mushy inside and I have a thing about under cooked meat. No sushi for me; if it's raw, it's bait. The fishiest fish I eat is white bass. Some remove the red view, but I don't mind.

me, too! i am not into any fish that tastes fishie - . but, i have to say... in general, fresh catfish is more of a sweet meated fish. not quite as sweet as fresh crappie, but tasty. and very popular down here. i have several tanks (cattle drinking ponds) up on my ranch. one is close to 3 acres... that is my bass tank. another i have a few south 40's over on the other side... is my catfish tank. toss out catfish food and water boils....

 

[Backyard Lumberjack]

' and very popular down here. '

Ingredients

• 4 catfish filets
• 1 c buttermilk
• 2 1/4 c cornmeal
• 1 Tbsp black pepper
• 1 Tbsp salt

 

[Backyard Lumberjack]

i like to cook up what i call 'fried medallions'... deer meat clones. sometimes i just do in a std fry pan, or maybe on my steel fajita platter. heavy thick steel plate. plan on some grilling for dinner today, and yesterday found the cut i like to use on sale. got a 2#'r chunk... and prob will try it in one of my cast fry pans... or if i get motivated enuff... maybe even over some hot oak wood coals... always tasty, my venison clones....

 

[Drptrch]

A little solo breakfast this morning

Sent from my iPhone using see

 

[Philbert]

Interesting article on using flaxseed (aka 'linseed oil', ***but not the stuff you buy at the paint store***) oil to season cast iron, even though its smoke point is not as high as some other oils:

https://www.thekitchn.com/i-seasone...h-flaxseed-oil-and-heres-what-happened-224612
And, at least one opinion not recommending it:



Philbert

 

[pbilly]

i read that article and have used it just like she said and it works great i have used crisco and i have used a combination of both. my pans that only have the organic flax oil have never flaked off i did do it six or seven times and they are a nice brown when done and they cook perfectly. i have tried just crisco and it works really good too and the pan that has the best nojstick surface is the pan that i used both on and when it was fresh i cooked tomato sauce in it and etched on accident but my wif cooked vegtables really hot with oil for a while and i believe that her cooking with it totally against all of the recomditions on how to use a fresh cast iron skillett are why it works so good. i can fry eggs in a little butter and if the edges of the pan were more gradual i could flip them without a spatula.

 

[Philbert]

This is a nice video too, showing some higher end, US cast iron cookware being made, including the process, and their attention to detail:



Philbert

 

[pbilly]

that is a great video. i would consider buying one of their pans if i didnt have so many now. i really like my dutch ovens too. I have a lodge that iz new, a german one that was my grandmothers and a grizwold one that i got online

 

[Philbert]

i read that article and have used it just like she said and it works great . . . my pans that only have the organic flax oil have never flaked off

Maybe some people don’t clean / prep their cast iron properly before applying; use too thick of a layer; don’t let it polymerize correctly, etc.


Philbert

 

[Backyard Lumberjack]

did some cast iron cooking Saturday. thot i would go it over hot wood coals. got fire ready...