Where my fellow cooks at???

[BigMcK]

Hashbrown potatoes are best made in cast iron.

[shmenguin]

Hashbrown potatoes are best made in cast iron.

i had to throw away my last batch since they got stuck to my steel pan. i'll try cast iron.

[Shyster]

If you keep it properly seasoned, then I would say the answer is "everything you can do with a fry pan." You can also use it in cases where a regular nonstick pan might get damaged, like right under a broiler or on a grill.

[columbia]

Ideally, one would have two cast iron pans: savory and non-savory.
You don't really want your pancakes tasting like garlic and curry powder.....Although I do like dosas, but that's a different matter.

[mac5155]

Going to try some cube steaks in it tonight.

[tifosi77]

I procured a cast iron skillet last week. Other than searing steak what else can I use it for? Baking a pizza?

In addition to what Shyster and columbia have mentioned, I would say that it's also great to use indirectly. I have three sizes: 8", 10", 12". The 12" pan pretty much lives in the oven and is only used to make traditional style fried chicken. But it lives in the oven because it's a fabulous heat sink. If you properly pre-heat the oven (meaning heating it to the desired temp - verified by an oven thermometer - and holding it there for 20-25 minutes before putting anything in it to cook) then you'll minimize heat loss and subsequent recovery time when you open the oven door.

It's also good at setting up a mini-convection current in the oven. I've found that if I invert that pan on the rack over my pizza stone I can get temps a good 50 degrees or more hotter than not using it. (My old oven would be more like 70 degrees hotter on the stone)

On the short list for purchasing this year is a baking steel.

[viva la ben]

Properly seasoned cast-iron cookware is great for making grilled cheese sandwiches, and burgers.

[viva la ben]

This weekend I made maduros plantain fried in coconut oil in my cast iron pan...so good.

[Shyster]

In addition to what Shyster and columbia have mentioned, I would say that it's also great to use indirectly.

I have a small sacrificial Lodge pan (maybe 6") that I keep on the bottom of the oven and use to generate steam blasts when baking bread. The iron holds heat so well that pouring hot water on it will keep generating steam for quite a few minutes. It'll eventually rust out, but based on the progress so far that will take many years.

[Letang Is The Truth]

How does one properly season for savory? Non savory?

[mac5155]

Or properly season, even. Do u just wipe with oil after each use?

[tifosi77]

Chemistry of Cast Iron Seasoning: A Science-Based How-To

Another accurate title might have been "Super Time-Intensive Method Of Seasoning Cast Iron That Leaves You With A Final Product That's Nearly As Non-Stick As Teflon®".

It's time intensive, but not labor intensive. There are a lot of heat-cool-re-oil cycles involved (six, to be exact), but most of the time is passive.

And now, for science!

Only two steps are truly crucial when seasoning cast iron or high-carbon steel: first you must oxidize the iron content at the surface into the black oxide known as magnetite (Fe3O4 ), instead of the more common red oxide hematite (Fe2O3), also known as rust.

The second step is to form a durable, waterproof film made from oxidized fat that is bound electrochemically to the metal.

You accomplish both steps by coating the pan or wok with animal fats or vegetable oils, then heating it to very high temperatures, more than 480 °C / 900 °F. At these temperatures, the fats decompose into an assortment of molecules, including fatty acids. These acids provide the caustic conditions necessary for high temperatures to oxidize iron into magnetite. The other thing that happens is that the fat degrades and polymerizes into a class of molecules known as esters that form a strong and durable film bound to the metal that repels water and protects the wok from the food. With proper use and care, the patina becomes thicker and more durable over time. It’s this patina that makes a wok or a skillet nonstick.

[viva la ben]

In my experience lard is best for cast iron seasoning. Vegetable oils can polymerize and become sticky.

[viva la ben]

Also, a gas grill is great for applying heat as you won't smoke up your kitchen. Just put the skillets in facing down

[columbia]

Just in case you drop a pricey standing rib roast on the kitchen floor.....

http://gizmodo.com/the-five-second-rule ... 1542466695" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[tifosi77]

In my experience lard is best for cast iron seasoning. Vegetable oils can polymerize and become sticky.

I used lard the last time I seasoned cast iron, but that was like six or seven years ago now. Given what was asserted in the link I shared (about the properties of lard today vs yesteryear), I think I'm going to give the flaxseed approach a go in a month or two. I bought new cast iron grates for our grills, and they come from the manufacturer unseasoned.

I have high hopes for the 2014 grilling season. I'm planning on doing a lot of bbq, and the rotisserie attachments arrived and are ready for installation.

[tifosi77]

Just in case you drop a pricey standing rib roast on the kitchen floor.....

http://gizmodo.com/the-five-second-rule ... 1542466695" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Or you could hit the bits that touched the floor with a propane torch for a few seconds. It kills the germs and cooks the dirt.

[Letang Is The Truth]

How do you clean it after it's seasoned? Just soap and water? Does it wear down over time

[columbia]

The rib roast or your pan?

[Letang Is The Truth]

Valid point of clarification; pan.

[mac5155]

I wiped mine with soap and water then rubbed a coat of veg oil on it. I used it tonight and didn't have anything special

[viva la ben]

I was inspired by the steak thread and cast iron discussion here so I went to market district to buy strip steaks for the kids, delmonico for my wife and I.
Market district had a lot levels to pick from
-grass fed
-prime
-dry aged
-choice
We did choice strip for the kids, and one choice, one dry aged for the delmonico. The dry aged was twice as expensive, but it didn't really taste twice as good as the choice.

[shmenguin]

I wiped mine with soap and water then rubbed a coat of veg oil on it. I used it tonight and didn't have anything special

I forgot what thread I clicked and had no context for this post.

Then I laughed. A lot.

[tifosi77]

How do you clean it after it's seasoned? Just soap and water? Does it wear down over time

While the pan is still fairly warm to the touch, throw a good pinch of salt on to the surface. Moisten a paper towel and wipe out the pan, using the salt as an abrasive. (Be careful here that the pan isn't too hot; otherwise you'll give yourself a nasty steam burn as the water in the paper towel flash-boils.) The wipe a small bit of veg oil around and let it air dry.

[tifosi77]

I was inspired by the steak thread and cast iron discussion here so I went to market district to buy strip steaks for the kids, delmonico for my wife and I.
Market district had a lot levels to pick from
-grass fed
-prime
-dry aged
-choice
We did choice strip for the kids, and one choice, one dry aged for the delmonico. The dry aged was twice as expensive, but it didn't really taste twice as good as the choice.

It's also important to know which end of the primal your steak is coming from, too. Generally, you want steaks from the chuck end (shoulders) of either the rib, short loin or sirloin. Those cuts are going to be made up of one single muscle, and will have much finer muscle fibers. Cuts from the other (rump) end will be made of two or three muscles, which means connective tissue between the muscle fibers. These tissues do not break down into gelatin in the quick cooking times used for steak cookery, nor will they break down at all at the relatively low temps at which one consumes steak.

You can spend a lot of money on something like American wagyu - that's like 35% fat - and still end up with a chewy, unenjoyable dining experience if the steak is from the wrong end.