I'm talking about cast iron ones, not the kind where you fart and hold your significant other's head under the covers.
Anyhoo...Wanting to buy one and the price range goes from $35 up to $300 and I'm wondering if I buy a cheaper one, will I be happy with it?...or is it better to fork out the big bucks for a fancy shamncy one because it will work better and last longer. Also, is it better to get the enamel coated kind? I have a stainless steel one, but I want to be like the cooks on TV with cast iron. They look like they know what they're doing.
Opinions? Experiences?
I have Cuisinart and I love it. I'm actually starting to use it more than my slow cooker. I like it because it will actually reduce and brown sauces as opposed to the slow cooker which creates more liquid as it cooks.
It's perfect for braising meats and slow cooked meatballs. I'll see if I can find the recipe for the best meatballs I have ever had.
I've got both the cuisinart and just plain old iron ones. Love them both for different things. Prolly not necessary to go Le Creuset but go decent like a cuisinart.
Here is the recipe:
http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Classic-Meatballs
Brown the meatballs separately, not in the dutch oven. Be careful when you are browning the meatballs as they are very delicate. Build the sauce in the pan that you cooked the meatballs in and then carefully add everything to the dutch oven an place in the oven covered. Cook for 3 hours or so at 300 degrees.
8 quart, cast iron, sixty bucks.
I have a 'Lodge' that I use all the time. Haven't had any problems with it and it too has mostly replaced my slow cooker.
Quote from: peoplething on July 15, 2013, 08:29:25 AM
8 quart, cast iron, sixty bucks.
I have a 'Lodge' that I use all the time. Haven't had any problems with it and it too has mostly replaced my slow cooker.
This is the one with no enamel? I have the same in a 6 qt I think. It works well. We still use the slow cooker mind you.
^ yep, sans enamel.
I figured the coating would just end up cracking or chipping down the road, plus the raw iron was quite a bit cheaper. After using the naked metal for a while, it's absorbed different flavors from here and there. Over the weekend I roasted some tater's and meatballs in it. My wife said 'man the rosemary you used is great on this - it's delicious!'
I didn't use any rosemary at all, in fact the only seasoning was salt and pepper.
The cast iron ones are very cheap so if you want to fuck around with putting coals on the lid and so on then get one of those for outside.
Otherwise for inside you need an enameled one - the cheap ones will flake off so only get an expensive one. Do they have those oversold stores like Ross Stores or TJ Maxx's by you? They have them. Get a round one, not an oval one.
Hot tip: Buy Bar Keepers Friend to clean the inside back to white - nothing else works!
Good call, mjs.
The Bar Keepers Friend is also great for keeping stainless steel pots and pans (like the cuisinart or calphalon one's) shiny and spot free. It works so well it's kind of spooky.
Protip: barkeepers friend is a microabrasive similar to car waxes sans the wax. I keep a tin of it in my truck for when I am antique/pawn shopping to clean off serial numbers and logos to make sure of my purchases.
As black said, does wonders on stainless. Keep it away from your teflon.
on amazon, you can get an enameled lodge for $50. Mine lasted a couple years and only chipped when I foolishly threw a bunch of metal untensils in it while doing the dishes.
The best is crueset but thats $250. fuck that.
yeah for $50 this one is kind of a no brainer, not sure if this s the ones Shaft is poo pooing, but if i was in the market i'd pull the trigger. 6 qt:
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41nPt8fAdTL._SX450_.jpg)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41lgZvGPnLL._SX450_.jpg)
http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-Color-EC6D43-Enameled-6-Quart/dp/B000N501BK/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1373932097&sr=1-1&keywords=lodge+dutch+oven
Certainly not bulletproof though.
i have that exact one and the 8qt. too.
So, I guess the consensus is the 50 dollar enamel one...doubt I'll be thawing hot coals on it or anything. Thanks for the advice!
My wife bought a colorful enamel "Rachel Ray" oval 6 qt. Dutch oven years ago. I laughed at her when she brought it home because I always associate TV cooking personalities with garbage cookware.
But I've used it a hundred times or more and the thing always amazes. I do a lot of pork shoulders in it. Marinated and cooked with soy, pineapple, banana and other nasty, sticky, destructive stuff. By the end, it looks like i have destroyed it. But the thing gets back to clean every time.
The Le Creuset is on my wish list, but I'll stick with the Rachel Ray for now. Oh...forgot to add it was a clearance item at 70% off or something like that. I think it was $25. Best $25 she's ever spent.
Quote from: Dr.Zayus on July 16, 2013, 12:00:04 AM
So, I guess the consensus is the 50 dollar enamel one...doubt I'll be thawing hot coals on it or anything. Thanks for the advice!
yes, look at the reviews on the link. close to 1500 with 4 1/2 stars. And do a google on Le Creuset vs. lodge and you'll find that they're about dead nuts even - at least for the product line I posted. Consider your audience though, perhaps you might want the 7.5 qt; my link was for the 6qt.
Pro Tip for cleaning burned cookware: Fill it with warm water and add a bounce strip. My wife did it one day. I thought she was out of her mind. We let it sit over night and it came right out.
True story.
Also if you're looking for a cast iron skillet they are almost always available at thrift/antique stores for a fraction of the cost of a new one. sometimes they are a rusty mess. Pissy can tell you how to get it looking like new.
I don't think I've ever bought a new cast iron. have always gotten them used. I take a wire wheel and a die grinder to them. Then re season. my new favorite pans are the DeBuyer mineral B.
Our $50 dutch oven chipped within a few years - so I decided I was done with cheap versions of this stuff. Best luck - you will regret it.
I will have to remember that bounce fabric softener sheet - I have heard that before.
The $250 one is probably 5-6 years old now and thanks to bar keepers friend, still fairly light on the inside - not a single chip though. Solid. I have blackened it many times intentionally or otherwise and foolishly left it sitting for a few days, always cleans right up.
I like the cast iron one for outside - you can make cornbread and baked beans - all that shit you would make on a campfire and they come with a lid lifter that you can use to kill zombies.
Quote from: RAGER on July 16, 2013, 10:56:28 AM
I don't think I've ever bought a new cast iron. have always gotten them used. I take a wire wheel and a die grinder to them. Then re season. my new favorite pans are the DeBuyer mineral B.
Oh man, Rager...If you posted that wire wheel/die grinder bit over at the Griswold and Wagner forums, you'd be cast out. No pun intended.
All of my cast iron, besides the Dutch oven, has come from garage or estate sales. Or family hand-me-downs. I've reconditioned them all with a home made electro-bath. In some cases, EasyOff oven cleaner saved the day, but I don't like that method. It works, but the chemical residue thing freaks me out. Grinders, wire wheels, sanding, media blasting are all big no-no's when cleaning or reconditioning old cast iron.
If you want to get involved in some serious nerd-level discussions on cast iron, go check out this place.
http://www.griswoldandwagner.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?catselect=castirongeneral (http://www.griswoldandwagner.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?catselect=castirongeneral)
Oh yeah, you need to be vetted by the admins before they let you post. But once inside, you'll find more info than you can shake a wooden spoon at!
Shit all my pans I've done that to and they've lasted just fine. I'll prolly check that place oot but i swear in the kitchen and play satanic music super loud while cooking and I'd bet they frown on that. I am soooo done with forums that ignore the real world.
Oh and I don;t like to follow the rules either.
Well, I have $20 to buy a new one at the hardware store.
Quote from: RAGER on July 16, 2013, 12:33:02 PM
Shit all my pans I've done that to and they've lasted just fine. I'll prolly check that place oot but i swear in the kitchen and play satanic music super loud while cooking and I'd bet they frown on that. I am soooo done with forums that ignore the real world.
Ha...It's a really interesting mix in there. Mostly antique collectors and cast iron collectors, but also tons of cooks, chefs, and cleaning/reconditioning hobbyists. I had no idea about a lot of what I was doing, or supposed to be doing, with old cast iron. Browsed through that forum for a couple weeks and found out all kinds of interesting stuff.
There are people that use sanding and wire wheels to clean their pans. And they'll swear all day that they're fine and work perfectly. I don't doubt it. But the electrolysis method is magic. And once you do it, and have yourself a little setup, you'll be hunting down the nastiest, dirtiest, caked-on grease laden pans you can find, just for the challenge of making them new again.
I never really cared to much for estate sales or garage sales. Now I'll stop just to see if they have any cast iron or any tools.
Nice work, Detective Shaft.
*So...after watching that second guy, I will tell you that a 2 amp trickle charger is almost useless, and it will take you a week to get carbon build-up off a cast iron pan. Interesting that he's using electrolysis for rust removal because it usually doesn't work that well.
I've used my neighbors 40 amp charger set to 20 amps continuous. Continuous charge is important. Pulsing and trickling don't work as well. Plastic bucket like that guy had, but I welded up a couple of sheets of latticed stainless plates I found at the local recyclers. That sits at the bottom of the tub. Then I welded the anode to that. Hook it all up and any carbon based nastiness bubbles off over time. The more power you have coming from the charger, the quicker and bubblier things get. But it can get too hot and produce a bunch of gas. I always do it outside. The process works great for cleaning. I typically stay away from cast iron with too much rust. If it's just surface rust its no big deal. Major rust usually requires a lye bath or some other nasty stuff.
Fun stuff to do with the kids. Go find some nasty old cast iron, make yourself an electro bath, watch electricity and chemistry work in harmony, and try not to blow shit up!
I've done that with the gas tank on my motorcycle. Took 2 days, but it pulled all the rust out.
Thanks for those links Ryno!
Most of my cast iron pans have been bought new, second hand "vintage" stuff is ridiculously expensive here, my new Lodge Dutch oven cost half of what I've seen similar sized rusted to fuck ovens go for at the local antique barn, and I've bought raw, unseasoned Chinese cast frying pans for 14 bucks. The surface is pretty rough, so I just rub it down with a broken grinding wheel until it's smooth before seasoning.
I've just been given a tiny little cast iron pan that looks very old, and high enough quality to have a machined cooking surface. It looks brand new, but at some point, someone has painted it black to hang on a wall or something. Any ideas about how I should handle it before I use paint stripper or blast it off?
I would either just sand it off or use the electrolysis method. I'm gonna try it with something just cuz it sounds dangerous and involves electricity.
Had a half hearted scrape at it today, and it ain't paint. Looks like some sort of stove enamel or even rust converter. Dunno how well electrolysis will work on that stuff. Might try some oven cleaner or paint stripper next to see what happens.
The thing about the electro method, that makes it so useful, is that it's working on all the gunk from the inside out. Scrubbing, sanding, oven cleaner all work from the outside in. The electric charge from the pan and washing soda create an environment where the gunk has no choice but to flake off and bubble away, leaving the cast iron pretty much in its original state.
It's not always quick. In your case NCR, it might take a few days or a week to get that stuff off but it SHOULD come off.
When I found this pan it looked like what yours sounds like. So much shit caked on it I couldn't even imagine getting it clean. It looked like 40 years of grease caked on it. I couldn't even see any words on the bottom. The only reason I tried the electro method was because of this pan. It took me a week for most of the cleaning in an electro bath, and I still had to scrub little bits and pieces off with salt. Then I re-seasoned it, and this is how it turned out. Notice the lines from milling. This thing gets used almost daily. Best egg pan ever. Low-med heat and nothing ever sticks in it.
(http://www.metalheaddesign.com/random/skillet_1756.jpg)
(http://www.metalheaddesign.com/random/skillet_1757.jpg)
Impressive - what can I use for he electrical source? The only thing I own is a black and decked backup battery that can jump a car battery - if I left it plugged in to the wall would it work? Seems like I would break it.
Just go get a cheapy charger that does 10 or 12 amp.
Cheers Ryno! My pan's got a faced surface so it's dead flat. Looks good quality even though its made in Taiwan. I've got a bunch of old battery chargers around the place, so I might just give this a crack.
Start up a business. "Crikey's Crust Removal" I'm just brainstormin' here.
Shafty...
You just need a decent charger. 12 volt and something along the lines of 15-20 amps or more. But for it to work well, it needs to be a 15-20 amp CONTINUOUS charge, not a trickle charge.
This is hot shit/overkill and will work really well...
(http://c.shld.net/rpx/i/s/i/spin/image/spin_prod_675244801?hei=1000&wid=1000&qlt=75,0&op_sharpen=1&op_usm=0.9,0.5,0,0)
But something along these lines will work too...
(http://c.shld.net/rpx/i/s/pi/mp/19845/3732960908?src=http%3A%2F%2Fecx.images-amazon.com%2Fimages%2FI%2F519spK5eudL._SX300_.jpg&d=9504444f183ad657a73c7679b5f2b4acd9e06e80)
The more amperage, the hotter things get, but things get cleaner faster.
Ryno's right, electrolysis can get really hot with lots of current. if you go for larger current, check the tank twice a day to make sure the buffer isn't all evaporated and refill as necessary.
lab buildings have burned down because 1 or 2 L electrolysis rigs (we use them for protein or dna size separation) were left on over the weekend.
the buffer evaporates and the whole thing can catch fire - and that's in the couple hundred milliamp range.
Sparklemotion went thrift store shopping today. We're doing it.
(http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r32/EXKid1975/174938BB-24B7-403E-AD68-D5E49371A45A-1980-00000302FDC31205_zpsdd58ca9d.jpg)
(http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r32/EXKid1975/81DAF407-002E-4372-B7B6-7B205D802A56-1980-0000030327783DB2_zps337c8a32.jpg)
Yeah I think you're doing it rig..........KAPLOOEY!!!
I figure the process makes hydrogen gas, so keeping it ventilated is pretty critical. The current is low. Not getting hot at all.
If I were to leave it and let the electrolyte evaporate then I think that hydrogen could be hazardous for sure. But I've seen no problems.
Quote from: Pissy on September 07, 2013, 07:49:48 PM
I figure the process makes hydrogen gas, so keeping it ventilated is pretty critical. The current is low. Not getting hot at all.
If I were to leave it and let the electrolyte evaporate then I think that hydrogen could be hazardous for sure. But I've seen no problems.
Hydrogen eh? what could go wrong?
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/84/Hindenburg_burning.jpg/260px-Hindenburg_burning.jpg)
Quote from: Chovie D on September 08, 2013, 05:45:54 PM
Quote from: Pissy on September 07, 2013, 07:49:48 PM
I figure the process makes hydrogen gas, so keeping it ventilated is pretty critical. The current is low. Not getting hot at all.
If I were to leave it and let the electrolyte evaporate then I think that hydrogen could be hazardous for sure. But I've seen no problems.
Hydrogen eh? what could go wrong?
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/84/Hindenburg_burning.jpg/260px-Hindenburg_burning.jpg)
I know right? What could possibly go wrong?
Honestly, I think my farts are more hazardously flammable. That being said, I wouldn't hold a match to that bucket.
Right on Pissy! Can't wait to see it finished. Hit it with a light coat of oil as soon as you pull it out and dry it.
Have I talked about my mineral B iron pans from DeBuyer? These things will far out last me.
(http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee74/spicoli420_2007/IMG_13331_zpsdbd01c73.jpg) (http://s228.photobucket.com/user/spicoli420_2007/media/IMG_13331_zpsdbd01c73.jpg.html)
Please talk about them more. I was going to hit you up for some info on those DeBuyer pans at some point. I'm currently in the process of moving. The new place has gas so i'm stoked. I've been looking at those fry pans. And the crepe pan looks bitchin, even though i don't know how to make crepes yet. Are they as heavy as traditional cast iron pans? What else can you share, good sir?
These pans fucking rule. I would say that yes they are about as heavy as a cast iron. They are super affordable and will outlast your entire family and their family. When you get them use the method of boiling potato peels to remove the wax coating then heat,oil, and wipe. You;re ready to start using it. I like one guys method of cooking some sacrificial bacon in it first to get a little layer of fat going. Well worth the money which isn't that much. I have that pan and the 2 smaller ones. That little egg pan works soooo good. A little butter and that egg just slides right out.
Why would you boil a potato peel in it to remove the wax?