Traditionals and Cast Iron Cookware

[Old Hunter]

Put the beans, onion, and tomatoes in the crockpot and then browned up the venison burger, the venison chili came out pretty good. This skillet cleans up nicely too, I’ve been cooking in it almost three months (I did oven bake three coats of seasoning in it the first month I received it, used the Grapeseed oil). Now I use either grapeseed oil or vegetable oil to cook with. OH

 

[Reaper AL]

The long awaited Lodge set arrived Friday. Two and a half months after I ordered it.

One of the pieces had its maiden voyage today. This is the 8" skillet, 3 eggs in a little olive oil and butter. Prep was a quick rinse and dry of the skillet out of the factory box, and then straight on the stove with nothing on it but the factory seasoning. I let it heat up about 6-8 minutes, added a small amount of olive oil, swirled that around until the bottom was coated, added a pat of butter, swirled until it melted, then the eggs.

The Case 6318 Stockman in the photos is what I used to cut the packing tape on the shipping box and the Lodge box that the set came in, and will probably be used to break down the cardboard boxes for the recycle bin.

The swath on the right side of the pan was where I slid the pat of butter into the pan.

Shortly after this photo was taken, I flipped the eggs just using a silicone spatula. It did not take much to loosen them for the flip and nothing stuck to the pan. Cooked about 15 seconds flipped, then turned out onto a plate. A perfect over-medium with the yolks about half firm, half runny, which is just how I like them.

Cleanup was using the front edge of the silicone spatula to gently loosen up a few little pieces left behind, and then wipe up the remaining oil and butter with a paper towel. It looked spotless. No washing or scrubbing needed. I was really surprised to be honest, especially with the standard bumpy Lodge factory finish. But no problems, and the eggs were great.

This is the after-cleanup shot. The Stockman is sitting on the paper towel used to wipe out the pan.

That is the 10.5" flat griddle in the background (on a cold burner) that is part of the set. I have not cooked on it yet. The 10" skillet is not in these photos. My wife says she wants to use it to fry some chicken as its first duty.

Any weirdness in angles is a result of the perspective of the phone. Both pans are laying flat on the stove top.

i wish you the best of luck and it looks like its off to a great start

 

[Old Hunter]

Waking this thread back up, earlier this past week I sauteed some chicken strips and put them on pasta - used my older Lodge (my go-to skillet before receiving the Smithey). I put the Lodge back in the oven drawer and pulled my 2023 regular skillet back out - the Smithey. Just browned some stewing beef for a beef stew - tonights dinner. Just like I have two 12" skillets, I have two EDC Ulster 58OT medium Stockman pocketknives. Been carrying both a bit lately - they posed with the skillets. OH

 

[BladeCommander]

Bought a cool vintage lodge with some interesting tooling patterns on the cooking surface. This has got to be the roughest machined cast iron piece I have seen, but it was interesting and was in great shape, so it came home with me. The machine marks will fill with seasoning over time and get a little smoother, but overall I don't think this one has the advantage of the smooth machined surface I expect from vintage iron. Its only about 1/4lb lighter than a new model, but also cost me about the same $$ anyway, $25+tax. Photo'd with a new project knife, an older SS Queen fixed blade that my Great Grandpa would cut bait with on his fisihing trips with my Dad and Grandpa. I will do my best to clean this one up and probably put new handle scales on it at some point.

 

[Old Hunter]

BladeCommander - two very cool, vintage items. Looking forward to seeing the skillet and the knife get renewed. OH

 

[Reaper AL]

Been using my smoker a lot but just had to cook this porterhouse in the smithey.the moose was was used to flip it

 

[cudgee]

Been using my smoker a lot but just had to cook this porterhouse in the smithey.the moose was was used to flip it View attachment 2192857

A fine looking piece of Bovine.

 

[Reaper AL]

A fine looking piece of Bovine.

Thank you in my opinion it’s just hard to beat a porterhouse cooked in cast iron

 

[cudgee]

Thank you in my opinion it’s just hard to beat a porterhouse cooked in cast iron

We call that a T-Bone steak here. The porterhouse and the scotch fillet attached to the T Bone.

 

[Barman1]

We call that a T-Bone steak here. The porterhouse and the scotch fillet attached to the T Bone.

Not a big difference here in the US, a porterhouse is "technically" a t-bone but a t-bone can't be a porterhouse.
It's all about the size of the filet portion.
If the filet measures less than 1.25" from the bone it's a t-bone, more than 1.25" it's a porterhouse.
When the filet becomes too small it's a club steak or strip.
I'm a ribeye fan, just polished one off and I apologize for the lack of a picture...I was goal oriented.

 

[Old Hunter]

..I was goal oriented.

A worthy goal! Had a ribeye last nIght for dinner.

 

[Old Hunter]

I made some blueberry pancakes for breakfast a few weeks back. Forgive the pictures, they loaded all out of order! OH

 

[Barman1]

A worthy goal! Had a ribeye last nIght for dinner.

I did use my 14" Lodge with plenty of butter, garlic, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper...
But the meal came together a little too quickly and I was way too hungry, that ribeye looked a little too eager to be consumed.
Did use my Opinel #10 for dissection.

 

[cudgee]

I apologize for the lack of a picture...I was goal oriented.

 

[Reaper AL]

Haven’t made sirloin pinwheels stuffed with sausage in quite som time. So I made a bunch for the freezer but couldn’t pass up doing one in the cast iron for lunch

 

[RLB0414]

Haven’t made sirloin pinwheels stuffed with sausage in quite som time. So I made a bunch for the freezer but couldn’t pass up doing one in the cast iron for lunch View attachment 2230639

Looks good but for me the rub is cooking the sausage. Always had pork fully cook but love steak med rare. How cooked is the sausage

 

[Reaper AL]

Looks good but for me the rub is cooking the sausage. Always had pork fully cook but love steak med rare. How cooked is the sausage

You are correct to cook the sausage fully your sirloin is also cooked more than I prefer but I give up the doneness of the sirloin for the taste of the sausage with the beef. I do not see any other way. That is about the only time I will give up my med rare steak.

 

[tongueriver]

Not a big difference here in the US, a porterhouse is "technically" a t-bone but a t-bone can't be a porterhouse.
It's all about the size of the filet portion.
If the filet measures less than 1.25" from the bone it's a t-bone, more than 1.25" it's a porterhouse.
When the filet becomes too small it's a club steak or strip.
I'm a ribeye fan, just polished one off and I apologize for the lack of a picture...I was goal oriented.

Correct!

 

[Old Hunter]

That steak/sausage pinwheel looks good! We have been moving an hour and fifteen minutes up the road for the last month (two more weeks to go) - haven't had time to fish or cook - been eating lots of sausage biscuits and hotdogs! This will end soon and we can get back to normal living. OH

 

[cudgee]

To those who don't know { this does not apply to the good folk here } about using Cast Iron instead of chemically infused non-stick pans, here is an example. Cooked these 2 eggs with about a 1/4 of a Tea Spoon of beef dripping, completely non stick. Removed them with a flat blade knife. It's amazing the versatility of Cast Iron, no wonder it has stood the test of time, and much more economical than having to replace chemically coated pans when the non stick ain't non stick anymore.