Cast Iron Beckerheads, Sound Off!

I know, every-time I come in here, I want to cook something too

LOL, well, let me know when you do. Unless its a protected family recipe, then disregard.
 
Alright guys, you will be the ones that know best so I'm asking for help from the powers that be. One of my friends is having trouble getting her Lodge to season properly. She is using an electric oven that doesn't have a self clean cycle and she is using olive oil to season it.

She noticed it wasn't working when her eggs kept sticking and breaking. So I offered what meager assistance I could but also figured you guys would be the ones to ask.
 
Chameleonbear said:
Alright guys, you will be the ones that know best so I'm asking for help from the powers that be. One of my friends is having trouble getting her Lodge to season properly. She is using an electric oven that doesn't have a self clean cycle and she is using olive oil to season it.

She noticed it wasn't working when her eggs kept sticking and breaking. So I offered what meager assistance I could but also figured you guys would be the ones to ask.
Click to expand...

Just my opinion, but olive oil is lousy for seasoning. It smokes at much to low a temperature and burns off.

My method is to cook bacon in the pan, scrape out the solids and then wipe the whole thing inside and out with the grease.

Do this every day for ~a week, and you'll be golden. Not only will you have a fairly well established coating, you have BACON every day! Win win!

Top tip- don't cook anything tomato based in the pan until it got a nice thick seasoning on it.

Just my way of doing it and I've got A LOT of cast and nothing ever sticks.
 
PincersOfPower said:
Tell me about this red wine gravy... I've been meaning to try that.
Click to expand...

Tdhurl1103 said:
Hey Pinchers, can I get the recipe for that red wine gravy?
Click to expand...

PincersOfPower said:
I'm trying to get it myself!
Click to expand...

I cheated on the red-wine gravy shown above. I just used a brown gravy mix and poured in some Pinot Noir.
However, the right way is to make a roux with pan grease/drippings, flour, broth, and wine.
Here's a pretty good approximation of what I've done before: http://lowfatcooking.about.com/od/christmas/r/gravy1204.htm
 
First off, olive oil burns at a fairly low temerature. I use peanut oil with a higher burn teperature and have had good results. There is a link here to info about Flaxseed oil. Although I have not tried it yet. Seasoning pans is like geasing boots a few lighter coats works better than one heavy coat.

If seasoning a small frying pan, I have achieved the best results by putting a light coating of oil all over the pan inside and out. I find about 300 degrees to be the sweet spot. Put something down to catch the dripping oil. And turn the pan upside down when putting it in the oven. If you put it in right side up it will pond oil and not season well.

I find where people have the biggist problem keeping a pan seasoned is their use of soap to clean them. They say the don't, but they do. Even using the same soapy rag used on other dishes has a bad effect on cast iron. Also she should not be trying to do eggs right after seasoning a new pan. Cook some high fat meals in there first. Bacon, sausage, burgers. Give it some time to take on additional seasoning. Most seasoning comes from continued cooking. The initial seasoning is just to keep it from rusting.

Also acidic items like tomatos can degrade the seasoning.

Another issue which is more related to cooking rather than seasoning is letting the pan reach the desired temperature prior to inserting the eggs. If they go in a cool pan the results will not be good. Teflon is more forgiving in that respect.

If you reserve some of the bacon grease from your first recommended meal, you can add a little to your pan to keep working on the seasoning process as you move forward. I keep some in the fridge.

But if you perservere the results are worth it.


My personal best was 17 over easy eggs, out of the same pan, over a wood fire, in the woods, in one setting, before I broke a yoke. And the one I broke was my fault not the pan's.

These pans are truly amazing if treated right. We used to take a big one into an Adirondack lake every year. After a few years we got tired of carrying it in. We started sinking it in the lake and coming back the following year. Burgers at night, bacon in the morning, and eggs would slide right out. This was done for four years running with no ill effects. Except for one dry year when the handle stuck above the water and rusted slightly.
 
Last edited:
Another handy cast iron tip is for long term storage " Mountain Man Style" if you need to store your iron and are worried about rust. Warm them slightly and warm some parrafin wax. Take a rag and dip it in the liqiud wax and lightly coat the entire pan. It drys and forms a barrier to moisture. It is also safe to eat. When ready to use again warm and wipe and you are good to go.
 
Viking and pincers are correct. The biggest thing with eggs---- you gotta let the pan warm up. Also don't turn the burner on too high. I have a glass top electric range and 4 (not quite medium) is the best temp for me to cook at. That is including bacon, eggs, hashbrowns, other skillet stuff. I also lightly coat the entire inside of the pan with canola oil while its warming up. Once it's warm, drop a pad of butter in and move the pan around to melt the butter on the cooking surface. Then drop the eggs in and cook! With this method and my well seasoned pans, I can get over easy eggs to slide around. When you are done just wipe out with a paper towel. If you have some food stuck-- lightly use a soft sponge (not a scrubbing sponge or scour pad) with hot water and NO soap to lightly get the food off. I keep a separate sponge for my cast iron pans that never sees soap for this task. Then rinse and dry. Set back on the burner that is cooling off to make sure its dry for a minute. Then remove and lightly coat it with your choice of oil. A little dab will do ya. Hope that helps along with the keen advice from the others.
 
Last edited:
I love this thread! Thanks to Protourist I have a Lodge grill. He pointed me in the right direction sometime this past year. I also inherited 3 sizes of Wagner Ware cast iron skillets from my Grandma.

The seasoning recommendations in this thread are a blessing. I haven't been using my cast iron skillets much over the past few years and I believe that they could really use a re-seasoning, but I hadn't taken the time to do research on the best way to do that.

I messaged Mack that I was going to try to find the photos I took of the virgin grilling I did when I first got my Lodge. Mack said, "Go out and cook." Sheesh. I told him that I use it all the time, I just don't take pictures every time I throw something on the grill. Get a life, Mack. :D

In the photo below, I was grilling chicken - each piece seasoned with a different seasoning obtained from Drift Creek Gourmet. Wow... delicious! Photobucket doesn't seem to be working well, so the photo is a smaller attachment via BF. Cursor over it and it will be enlarged.

Lodge Grill Chicken small.jpg



TJ
 
Totally Judy said:
I love this thread! Thanks to Protourist I have a Lodge grill. He pointed me in the right direction sometime this past year. I also inherited 3 sizes of Wagner Ware cast iron skillets from my Grandma.

The seasoning recommendations in this thread are a blessing. I haven't been using my cast iron skillets much over the past few years and I believe that they could really use a re-seasoning, but I hadn't taken the time to do research on the best way to do that.

I messaged Mack that I was going to try to find the photos I took of the virgin grilling I did when I first got my Lodge. Mack said, "Go out and cook." Sheesh. I told him that I use it all the time, I just don't take pictures every time I throw something on the grill. Get a life, Mack. :D

In the photo below, I was grilling chicken - each piece seasoned with a different seasoning obtained from Drift Creek Gourmet. Wow... delicious!
attachment.php




TJ
Click to expand...

What time is dinner?
 
The recipe said to chop the peppers. Should I have used a 9?


Getting translucent:


Shroomage:


Took a few liberties with the recipe. Not sure ground turkey was available in '74 when Ethan's mom published my copy. And I just didn't have enough tomatoes or time to do my own chili sauce.


No can opener, either:


Well, I did have SOME tomatoes. Note - these were sliced AFTER opening the can.

Did the patina get a little deeper?

Mmmm. Sloppy.
 
Youse guys are always getting me in trouble. I was looking over this thread and Mrs. weaponeer peeked over my shoulder. She got interested and we went through the whole darn thread and she did a lot of ooooohhhs and aaaahhhhs. Then she asks, "Where's all our old cast iron stuff?" She has a Lodge cast iron skillet that she uses a lot, but remembered we used to have a lot of cast iron from our old camping days. So I have to go out to the shed and poke through all the old camping supplies and prepper stuff. Lo and behold, I found it!

cast_collection_zps16ebd67d.jpg


Other than the skillet in the lower right, none of them have been used in years. It's time for some rehab and reseasoning. Just what I need, another project!

I think I will do the big skillets and the grill first, and then the dutch ovens. Wifey promises that if I clean'em up, she'll cook something good. Works for me.

I just ordered a BK-5 and a BK-15 from Amazon. Should have them next week. Hopefully I'll update this thread with some rehab work and the new Beckers in a kitchen role.

And, man, I just loved those stone firepits. I gotta see what I can do about one of those and start using the old cast iron again.
 
weaponeer said:
Youse guys are always getting me in trouble. I was looking over this thread and Mrs. weaponeer peeked over my shoulder. She got interested and we went through the whole darn thread and she did a lot of ooooohhhs and aaaahhhhs. Then she asks, "Where's all our old cast iron stuff?" She has a Lodge cast iron skillet that she uses a lot, but remembered we used to have a lot of cast iron from our old camping days. So I have to go out to the shed and poke through all the old camping supplies and prepper stuff. Lo and behold, I found it!

cast_collection_zps16ebd67d.jpg


Other than the skillet in the lower right, none of them have been used in years. It's time for some rehab and reseasoning. Just what I need, another project!

I think I will do the big skillets and the grill first, and then the dutch ovens. Wifey promises that if I clean'em up, she'll cook something good. Works for me.

I just ordered a BK-5 and a BK-15 from Amazon. Should have them next week. Hopefully I'll update this thread with some rehab work and the new Beckers in a kitchen role.

And, man, I just loved those stone firepits. I gotta see what I can do about one of those and start using the old cast iron again.
Click to expand...

Nice collection!:eek:
I can't wait to see what you guys cook up.
 
Is it just a personal preference to use cast iron, or is there actual benifits to using it over other style/ metal pots and pans? I'm goolse it after I get off the forum, but just figured I would ask the people that swear by em. Nice collections, RGo2, and the others.

-dan
 
it tends to heat more evenly than thinner sheet metals, doesn't poison your food like some synthetic "limited stick" coatings, and can be used in a camp fire with no danger of producing cyanide gas if the temp goes over 700F.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top