Cast Iron Question

[sclifrickson]

Does anyone cook with cast iron in their trailer? We boil water in our skillet to clean it then follow with a thin coat of olive oil. My question is really about what to do with the boiling water. Our trailer sink is plastic. So is the loo. So I'm concerned about putting boiling water down either of those. Pitch it outside? Thoughts?

[Glenn Baglo]

You don't need to boil water in it to clean it. If it is properly seasoned, you can just wipe it out with a paper towel. Don't need to use olive oil either.
I removed my cast iron to save weight, but I use it at home.
Google "Lodge cast iron" for seasoning and maintenance instructions.

[Dennis mn]

I have a couple of cast iron pieces in the trailer. A 6" skillet and an 8" waffle iron. I agree with Glenn that if your piece is properly seasoned, you do not need to boil water. I just wipe mine with a 3M Scotch Brite pad, rinse it and dry over a low flame on the stove. The waffle iron needs no cleaning. I do store my cast iron with a very light coat of oil to prevent rust.

[bpfick]

We cook with cast iron ONLY. But ONLY at home.
We do everything we can to keep weight down in the trailer. Sorry

I agree. The Lodge site has good information.

The plastic sinks can take very, very hot water wihout damage.

[sclifrickson]

Glad to hear it, thanks! What about the plumbing? We have a 2010 Escape if that helps.

[BillE]

Use a chainmail..Google "The Ringer" for cleaning..then for seasoning use flax seed oil....we use cast iron on our Big Green Egg all of the time.

When seasoning cast iron with flax seed oil..you can get almost a Teflon smooth surface

[Glenn Baglo]

I went back and looked at Lodge site to refresh my memory.
I see they recommend a wipe with vegetable oil.
I know that olive oil has a low smoke point and likely wouldn't be recommended for that reason.
What's the smoke point of flax oil?

[reeves99]

When I've got boiling water to dispose of (like from draining pasta or cleaning a frying pan) I either let it cool, or dilute it with cooler water, before it goes down the sink.
The trouble with modern Lodge (or other) cast iron is that it's left rough from the mold, not like older cast iron that was sanded smooth after casting. So it's hard to clean sometimes and boiling water in it helps.
And why isn't modern cast iron sanded smooth? Because that process costs too much.
Old, sanded (smooth surface) cast iron skillets have become much sought after 'collector' items.

[Roselyn]

I put a layer of Morton coarse kosher salt on the skillet as soon as it's empty. Then I add a bit of veg oil to make a paste. "Scrub" it around with a paper towel or Lodge brush 'till food bits are loosened then dump used salt into trash. If bits are still stuck to pan, repeat. Finally, when all food bits are gone, I wipe with another bit of oil (or, on occasion, rinse quickly and dry) then put it away.

[Kai in Seattle]

Note--Flaxseed oil is in the lowest smoke point category:


FRYING OILS AND FATS, SMOKE POINTS
Smoke point is where oils become chemically altered and possibly carcinogenic

Unrefined Canola Oil & FLAXSEED Oil 225°F
Unrefined Safflower Oil & Sunflower Oil 225°F
F
Unrefined Corn & High-Oleic Sunflower Oil 320°F
Unrefined Olive Oil & Peanut Oil 320°F
Semi-Refined Safflower & Unrefined Soy Oil 320°F
Unrefined Walnut Oil 320°F
Shortening, Emulsified Vegetable 325°F
Hemp Seed Oil 330°F
Butter & Semi-refined Canola & Soy Oil 350°F
Coconut Oil & Unrefined Sesame Oil 350°F
Vegetable Shortening 360°F
Lard 370°F
Olive Oil 375°F
Macadamia Nut Oil 389°F

Canola Oil, Refined & Walnut Oil, Semi-Refined 400°F
Olive Oil, Extra Virgin* 406°F
Corn Oil & Sesame Oil 410°F
Cottonseed Oil & Grapeseed Oil 420°F
Olive Oil, Virgin 435°F
Olive Oil & Rapeseed Oil 438°F
Peanut Oil & Sunflower Oil 440°F
Corn, Safflower, & Soy Oil, Refined 450°F
Peanut Oil, Refined 450°F
Sesame & Sunflower Oil, Semi-Refined 450°F
Olive Pomace Oil 460°F
Olive Oil, Extra Light 468°F
Grapeseed Oil 485°F
Soy Bean Oil 495°F

Safflower Oil 510°F
Avocado Oil, Refined 520°F


From: All Grammy's Best Recipes and All Grammy's Top Recipes

[BillE]

Here is from the authority themselves...

https://www.cooksillustrated.com/how...ason-cast-iron




Hey.... but whom am I to say....we all need to draw our own conclusions...all I can say...is once I did our cast iron this way...it is great...I won't go back..we even do our Staub dutch ovens this way.

[sclifrickson]

I'm leaving for the store now. Must find flax seed oil!

[getaway1]

Hi I agree with Glenn Baglo, find a good quality heavy pan with a non stick coating and use it with lower heat on the burner to avoid scorching the pan. I use one called the "rock" and am very happy with it. Cast iron is durable but heavy and does require care and seasoning. Duane

[Casita Greg]

I love cast iron and have several of them including some old ones made by Erie and Griswald, but I also found these about a year ago.

Spring Blackline carbon steel frying pans. I have 4 of them: 8", 10", 12" & 14".

The 8" and 12 live in the trailer. The 10" and 14" I use at home.

They have all the benefits of cast iron, but about half the weight. Can be used anywhere you would use cast iron. Most of all I like that there aren't any rivets in the cooking area of the pans to collect crap. Very durable, lifetime warrantee, and they cook like a dream, especially if you like to get a good high heat sear. Oven safe and can be used on induction tops as well.

Carbon Steel Fry Pans - Fry Pans - Cookware - Restaurant Supplies - BigTray

[Denece]

Good ( i.e. Old) cast iron isn't that heavy. The new stuff is much thicker and best used for anchors or doorstops IMHO


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[ssatkinson]

I carry 2 vintage cast iron pieces and use them for nearly all our meals: #8 skillet and a #8 Dutch oven (they share a lid). To prevent food sticking/scorching be sure to preheat your cast iron. If you boil water, add some cool water before putting it down your plumbing. Cleaning- I use a small piece of chain mail after wiping mine out to take off any remaining residue. Occasionally I will add a very small amount of warm water with the chain mail, wipe out until dry and set it on the warm burner for a few minutes to prevent rust, and I always wipe the inside down with olive oil sparingly before storing for the next meal. Get vintage if you can and reseason it-mine are as smooth as my nonstick pans and so easy to use! We also use ours on the grill. We feel the weight is worth it for the versatility.

[BillE]

Let me know what you think after you season as recommended

[ZachO]

I'm glad you posted that link. I just bought a "new" 1987 Wagner skillet, with the machined smooth surface. The fact that I love cast iron, have this "new" pan (it actually still had the Kmart price tag and Wagner pamphlet stuck to it...never been used), and love America's Test Kitchen, means there are just too many reasons to try that seasoning method.

Cast Iron is worth the weight, for me. But those carbon steel pans that were linked would be great, if I could justify the cost.

[Donna D.]

Somehow DO cooking and rallies seem to go together. I bet there's a BUNCH of DOs that are goin to be used at Quartzsite this weekend.

[Casita Greg]

Cooks Illustrated just did an article on their testing of various cast iron seasoning methods, and their recommendation was to use Flax Oil, applied as several coatings, very thinly, and heating the pot/pan upside down in your oven at 500 degrees. Several coating layers were required to achieve the proper degree of seasoning. Apparently Flax oil offered the best results in their rigorous testing of all the oils (and lard) that they tested.