Cooking: Cast Iron Pots & Pans

Cast iron
http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/clay118.html

By Jackie Clay

  (SNIP) ... Yes, cast iron is heavy. Especially the larger pieces of cookware. But that weight is why it cooks so very well. The iron heats up quickly, distributes that heat evenly, and holds the temperature a long time. You have fewer burned meals where a spot on the pan scorches your dinner, fewer "undone" spots in your baked foods, and, because you season the pans, the surface is quite "stick-free," without Teflon coating to chip out in your food. (Which, by the way, has dubious health cautions.) The iron does leach minute amounts of iron into the food you cook, which is good for you, preventing iron deficiency without taking a vitamin supplement! ---CONTINUED---

Includes:

   Buying cast iron
   Restoring rusty cast iron
   Seasoning your cast iron
   Frying with cast iron
   Roasting in the Dutch oven
   Baking in the Dutch oven
   Waffle irons, muffin pans, and cornbread stick pans
   Using a cast iron griddle
   Deep frying in cast iron
   Problems with cast iron
   Washing your cast iron

Cast Iron Cookware:-How to Cook with It and How to Take Care of It
https://grandpappy.org/hskcasti.htm

This article discusses the following topics:

Advantages and Disadvantages of Cast Iron Cookware.
How to Select New Cast Iron Cookware.
Other Very Useful Items.
How to Season Cast Iron Cookware.
How to Cook With Cast Iron Cookware.
How to Use a Cast Iron Dutch Oven When Camping.
How to Clean Cast Iron Cookware.
How to Remove Rust From Cast Iron Cookware.

Non-Stick Survival Cookware
https://apartmentprepper.com/non-stick-survival-cookware/

Finding cookware that will cook food efficiently in any environment can be a challenge. It should cook food evenly, with all types of burners, whether you are using gas, electric or a campfire. It also needs to be sturdy and long-lasting.

I think cast iron cookware fits the bill. ---CONTINUED---

Seasoning your Cast Iron
http://americanpreppersnetwork.com/seasoning-your-cast-iron/

  Ok, readers, I do appreciate all of you so I am responding to a request on seasoning your Cast Iron. Personally, I have never had a problem with the seasoning. I bought new from Fingerhut one year. I coated it in . . . . ---CONTINUED---

How To Clean and Season Old, Rusty Cast Iron Skillets
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/how-to-clean-and-season-old-ru-151535

   There are a lot of tutorials out there for seasoning your cast iron, but not a lot about getting rust off. (One I found involved oven cleaner. NO thank you.) The ones I did find used steel wool, which I didn't have handy and I don't much care for it anyway because I always manage to cut or scratch myself with it. So...I used what I had sitting around and got to it. ---CONTINUED---

The Secret To Cooking With Cast Iron
http://christianhomekeeper.org/the-secret-to-cooking-with-cast-iron/

  This is information from an older radio program of mine. I felt like the info on Dutch Oven cooking was important enough to re-post it and get it out there.

All of my cooking pans, both for the kitchen and outdoor cooking are cast iron with the exception of some heavy stainless steel pans I bought in a moment of weakness about 15 years ago. Don’t be afraid of using cast iron, its easy to use and maintain after you get the hang of it. Check out antique stores and flea markets for used cast iron, its usually less expensive than buying new and often, you can get pans that are already seasoned well.

The Rule Of Two Rule for Dutch Oven Cooking

The Rule Of Two uses charcoal briquettes to disperse heat under and above your dutch oven to cook food. If you don’t use charcoal briquettes, you can ... ---CONTINUED---

How To Wash, Season, And Maintain Cast Iron Cookware
http://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/how-to-wash-season-and-maintain-cast-iron-cookware-article
(SNIP) ...  Properly seasoned and maintained, cast iron can last for generations and sustain a longer-lasting easy-release surface than contemporary non-stick pans. But in order to do all this, cast iron has to be well taken care of. And that's no small task, because no other piece of cookware incites greater debate and panic over its care and maintenance. To soap or not to soap? What's the best way to season it? And what about store-bought pans that claim to be pre-seasoned? Take a deep breath, people—we've got answers. ---CONTINUED---

10 Advantages Of Using Cast Iron Cookware When SHTF
https://www.askaprepper.com/10-advantages-of-using-cast-iron-cookware-when-shtf/

  Cast iron is one of the best types of cookware to use in everyday life. Even better, cast iron is a great cookware option to go for in a SHTF scenario. Cast iron is not the lightest but is sure worth it to bring. To survive you are going to need some way to cook. Having a cast iron pan gives you the ability to cook food and has much versatility as you will soon see.   ---CONTINUED---

How to Buy Cast Iron Skillets and Dutch Ovens
http://www.dutchovenscookware.com/how-to-buy-cast-iron-skillets-and-dutch-ovens/

  Let’s talk about how to buy cast iron skillets and dutch ovens. Whether you are a first-time user or you’ve been using it forever, everybody needs a tip every now and again and I’m going to go through my top tips.

My number one tip for buying cast iron is ...   ---CONTINUED---

Hat Tip to rick1:

How to Clean and Season a Cast Iron Skillet
https://www.almanac.com/news/home-health/healthy-home/how-clean-and-season-cast-iron-skillet

A cast iron skillet can last a lifetime—probably several if it’s passed from generation to generation. Here’s how to clean and season a cast iron skillet to keep it in the best possible condition. ---CONTINUED---

  3-part series on Cast Iron Cooking:



Cast Iron Cooking – What You Need to Know – Care and Cooking Tips
https://commonsensehome.com/cast-iron-cooking/

How to Season Cast Iron Cookware
https://commonsensehome.com/season-cast-iron-cookware/

How to Restore Cast Iron Cookware
https://commonsensehome.com/restore-cast-iron-cookware/

Is There a Wrong Way to Clean a Skillet? Cast Iron Experts Weigh In
https://gearpatrol.com/2019/12/07/how-to-clean-cast-iron-skillet/

Is there any activity in the kitchen more stress-inducing than cleaning a cast-iron skillet? No other pot, pan, knife or appliance demands as many overwritten how-tos, way-too-long seasoning videos and ritualistic cleaning routines. But the people who make cast-iron skillets want you to know something: you’re overthinking it. Here, two pros weigh in. ---CONTINUED---

I Seasoned My Cast Iron Pan with Flaxseed Oil, and Here’s What Happened
https://www.thekitchn.com/i-seasoned-my-cast-iron-pan-with-flaxseed-oil-and-heres-what-happened-224612

A few years ago I heard that flaxseed oil — not vegetable oil or shortening — was the best oil for seasoning cast iron. I’d always wanted to put that theory to the test, but decided to wait until I’d sufficiently neglected my own cast iron skillets to warrant a full re-seasoning. (It was bound to happen at some point.)

That day came eventually: Thanks to my lazy maintenance, the seasoning on my 12-inch Lodge skillet had become patchy, rough, and sticky. But this time around, instead of coating it in vegetable oil and heating the pan in the oven for an hour, as is the norm, I decided to spend 18 hours baking six coats of flaxseed oil into it.

Here’s how it went. ---CONTINUED---

How to Clean a Cast Iron Skillet
https://stonefamilyfarmstead.com/how-to-clean-a-cast-iron-skillet/

Cooking your favorite keeper recipes in your cast iron is great, but not the part where it starts to stick. What gives? Cast iron is supposed to work just as well as other pans in respect to non-sticking, but yours isn’t. The answer is likely in the cleaning and reseasoning department. Let’s talk about how to clean a cast iron skillet, and how to reseason it once it’s clean. ---CONTINUED---

Byron's Dutch Oven Recipes
https://www.supertroop197.com/images/7/71/Byrons_dutch_oven_recipes.pdf

NOTE: Go to page 11 for how to care for cast iron dutch ovens:

Dutch Oven Care
Seasoning Your Dutch Oven
Cleaning Your Dutch Oven
Ready To Use” Cast Iron Care
Stripping Rusty or Rancid Dutch Ovens
Storing Your Ovens
A Few Cast Iron No-No's

Lodge has a line of cast iron that more lightweight and pre-seasoned called Blacklock.

I picked up a new Lodge griddle this week. Good size for burgers and french toast. Haven't used it yet. Altho Lodge says it's preseasoned, they also recommend you season it. Go figure.

I knew when SHTF I would be cooking/baking a lot but I thought I'd be laid off and not working a 40 hr week. This girl is tired.

*sigh*

Tips for Baking in a Cast Iron Cake Pan
https://www.lodgemfg.com/story/tips-for-baking-a-cast-iron-cake-pan

1. Grease the Pan

We recommend using a baking spray that contains flour to grease the pan before baking. If you don't have a cooking spray, you can also use a tablespoon of room temperature butter to coat the pan. ---CONTINUED---

Cast Iron Cook-It-All, by Lodge
https://www.lodgemfg.com/story/5-ways-use-cook-it-all

  Transform your campsite into a top-notch outdoor kitchen with the cast iron Cook-It-All. With five cooking configurations, two pieces of iron, and a pair of heavy duty handles, the Cook-It-All brings a world of possibilities to your next outdoor gathering. Here's how you can use the Cook-It-All in five different ways: ---CONTINUED---

===MORE===

5 Commonly Asked Questions About the Cook-It-All
https://www.lodgemfg.com/story/5-commonly-asked-questions-about-cook-it-all

The Cook-It-All is a unique new outdoor cooking system, and we've been asked a lot of questions about it. Here are a few of the most popular questions about how to use the Cook-It-All:  ---CONTINUED---

Tips for Making Bread in Cast Iron
https://www.lodgemfg.com/story/tips-for-making-bread-cast-iron

  If you've ever wanted to try your hand at making bread in cast iron, you're in luck! We've asked some bread making experts for tips that are guaranteed to give you a beautiful loaf every time! ---CONTINUED---

How To Restore A Cast Iron You Bought At Garage Sales
https://www.askaprepper.com/how-to-restore-a-cast-iron-you-bought-at-garage-sales/

  (SNIP) ... It is not uncommon to find some old cast iron cookware in at yard sales or flea markets, but most of the time it is rusted or crusted with the use and storage. Some pieces of cast iron cookware can be very disheveled looking, and you might wonder who would ever buy something so beat up?

Well, if you know how to restore cast iron cookware you can wind up with an entire inventory of high quality, durable, cookware that was nearly someone else’s trash!   ---CONTINUED---

10 Cast Iron Cooking Mistakes You Need To Stop Making Right Now
https://www.askaprepper.com/10-cast-iron-cooking-mistakes-you-need-to-stop-making-right-now/

(SNIP) ... there’s also a good chance that you’re committing one of many egregious mistakes that can be made when you are cooking with cast iron.

Here are some of the most common cast iron cooking mistakes you might be making – and why you should stop making them as soon as you can. ---CONTINUED---

15 Cast Iron Cooking Mistakes to Avoid
https://homesteadsurvivalsite.com/cast-iron-cooking-mistakes/

  (SNIP) ... Cooks new to historic cast iron don’t realize it is the original non-stick cookware. A well-seasoned, non-greasy pan will cook up eggs and pancakes that will slide right from the pan to your dish!

Learning the rules of cast iron cookware is not difficult. Even if you don’t have granny and her heirloom pan, you too can become a pro. Learn the how-tos along with these 15 cast iron cooking mistakes to avoid.   ---CONTINUED---