Griswold No. 8 I got at a garage sale for $10. I call this « 5 ingredient stew ». Whatever meat you have kicking around (kielbasa gets used a lot), onions, cabbage, garlic & chicken stock. Cooked over junky pine…my family is still alive!
I did that once. Didn't know any better at the time. Didn't take me long to figure it out but took a long time to get it back good again.
The cast iron facebook groups are pretty bad. That's a funny one though. I really can't wrap my head around the people who think a new Lodge is useless unless you bust out the grinder and make it mirror smooth. total waste of time in my opinion since those pebbly surfaces hold seasoning just fine, and even a smooth pan will have problems with food sticking. Most of those guys don't even cook yet they are experts on cast iron cooking apparently.
I never really knew Lodge made carbon steel, what do you like better about it? I've pretty much only cooked on cast iron or enameled iron for the past several years but I'd try out one of those Lodge carbon pans. One thing that got me thinking outside the box of cast iron is my blackstone which is cold rolled steel is far more non stick after seasoning than any of my cast iron that i've been cooking on for years, so now when I have to cook certain things inside I do get a bit fed up with cast iron depending on what we are making.
Seasons easily, light weight,makes a huge difference on the big pans,restaurant style handle,oven-smoker-grill safe,less of an angle on the sides,easy storage,and they handle better.....you can really tilt the pan around when for example searing off basting a ribeye.i rarely use any cast,my dutch oven and a couple 6" tiny pans for cornbread. There's no looking back for me. I'm sure the carbon steel haters will be along shortly.
I have tried the carbon steel and I like it and hear from several sources that it is lighter, easier, and other reasons to switch. I've just not had good luck with getting it seasoned and / or keeping it seasoned. Maybe I don't think of it the same as cast and aren't as careful with it.?.? are there any tips for seasoning / cleaning / storing? I always seem to find rust when I get them out to use. What am I doing wrong, or did I buy inferior steel? I'm always looking for better ways and better stuff...
That is hilarious! Reddit is exactly the same, except there's 100's of sarcastic remarks mixed in that totally derail the thread right from the beginning. Usually stating you Have To check the skillet with a lead test kit because people melted lead in skillets to cast bullets...
Our flat top for the camp stove ended up in the back of the truck, then in the garage. Needless to say, it got pretty rusty. I scrubbed it like crazy with vinegar, dried and oiled it (with Rotella 15-40 Full Synthetic, of course), then baked it in the oven. We'll see what it looks like when we get it out in the spring.
So... I got questions.. Lodge cookware.. junk or fine? I bought a 12" skillet, and it's been seasoned after every use, and it is not non-stick. As per the lack of privacy, I get ads for a different company selling cast iron cookware, and it states that current manufacturers are leaving the pan "unfinished" and rough. Leading to non-stick issues. I've VERY little knowledge here, but we have a Griswold #3 that is quite smooth.. I took this as to years of use. So.. Should I upgrade, or will the Lodge pan improve with age? Oh.. the Griswold.. Great for a couple eggs.. but that's about it.
Lodge is good stuff and will absolutely improve with time and use. My cornbread pan is a Lodge that took a fair bit of time to get just right. You can sand/wire brush to speed up the smoothing process if need be. Try more grease in the mean time, I think it’s called floating. Don’t be afraid to scrape when cleaning and flipping, it will kick off the high spots in the finish. Keep up the seasoning every use to help fill in the low spots in the finish, don’t skip especially if you’re scraping. It will be worth the hassle when it’s right where you want it. Owl
New lodge is fine. I used to live an hour from one of the their outlet stores. I'd go and buy seconds that I hand selected for gifts. I did grind all the edges smooth and sand the cook surface flat and smooth. That level of work was for friends and family. Straight from the store with some extra seasoning was for camping.
Cast iron pans improve with age and proper maintenance. One wonderful thing about them is that they can be recovered from abuse and neglect. I gave my really big pans to one of my sons. Too heavy for just the wife and me. I am sure he'll use them for years to come. Those pans were given to me by my parents.
cabbage & onions with bacon and noodles is a go-to comfort food in our house. Any variation on this is always a treat!!! Great down home easy meal that never disappoints!!!
Mmmmm! Can you explain the noodles...? Are they mixed in when cooking, or is the cabbage, onion, bacon mixture put over the noodles? Spaghetti noodles, or other?
Fry a pound of bacon first in a dutch oven. I usually cut it up into bits with scissors before cooking. Start the EGG noodles, usually half a bag (kluski if you can find them) in chicken broth or water with bouillon to get them cooked. Cook a large chopped onion and half a head of cabbage covered in about half of the bacon grease in the same dutch oven to get all the bacon fond flavor. Season the cabbage as it cooks cuz it will absorb a lot of flavor of your favorite seasonings. When the cabbage and onions is almost done, throw in the noodles and a just a little of the broth, toss in the bacon and let it all blend. It's usually even better as leftovers the next day... I'm looking forward to trying the sausage variant. Also the other 40 versions that come to mind... I just ate and I'm hungry again after typing this... LOL
Well I forgot to take a picture while cooking (I was hungry after clearing snow all day) but the meal was cooked in two of my cast iron pans. Black bear chorizo hash and over easy eggs for dinner. I was so hungry I didn't even bother to toast the pumpernickel.
