• snooggums@midwest.social
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    3 months ago

    The cast iron subreddit drama is one of the few things I miss from reddit. Even got me to buy a few more and cook more often with them!

    • AnarchoSnowPlow@midwest.social
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      3 months ago

      I was super precious about all my cast iron for a long time. Then I had a thought watching this “cowboy” YouTuber wash his cast iron with some specialty thing.

      “This fucking guy is like pretending to be out on the pasture or whatever. In the actual 1800s, this shit was probably just wiped out, or they used lye soap or something ridiculous! Why the fuck am I being so fucking careful?!?”

      Now I do not care, like I’ve had my shit get rusty, crusty, “overheated”, the reality is that it’s a big ass chunk of metal! Short of deformation or intentional or extreme neglect (leaving it in the rain uncovered for 40 years) you will not destroy it.

      If it gets too “sticky”, you oil it up and heat it, and bingo, it’s fine again.

      • Bertuccio@lemmy.world
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        3 months ago

        Ok. But should you never put citrus in your garbage disposal because it summons the pipe demon, or are you supposed to put citrus in your garbage disposal because it repels the pipe demon?

        • grue@lemmy.world
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          3 months ago

          You should rip your garbage disposal out and replace it with a normal drain, then put your food waste in the compost or trash instead.

    • CosmicTurtle0@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      3 months ago

      I’ve graduated from cast iron to ceramic coated cast iron.

      All of the benefits of cast iron with the added appeal of never having to reseason it.

      • ramble81@lemm.ee
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        3 months ago

        I have a LeCruset enameled cast iron pan and love it. So easy to clean, doesn’t need seasoning.

        • rustydrd@sh.itjust.works
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          3 months ago

          Funny enough, I made the opposite journey. Bought a LeCreuset a while back and had to toss it after 1.5 years, because the enamel started to flake off, despite great care handling/cleaning it. Replaced it with a cast iron skillet and am thoroughly enjoying its simplicity.

          • mipadaitu@lemmy.world
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            3 months ago

            There’s a huge difference between the low end LeCreuset and the high end ones.

            I don’t even understand why they make the cheap stuff, the ceramic just flakes off and it’s garbage. The high end $$$$$ stuff lasts forever tho.

            • rustydrd@sh.itjust.works
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              3 months ago

              Oh this was a high-end model (medium-sized pan, wooden handle, cost about 200€). This is why I was so disappointed that it didn’t last very long.

  • Treczoks@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    At least, the pan as such is not ruined. You’ll just have to season it back into the proper condition.

    • Scrollone@feddit.it
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      3 months ago

      And this is how I discovered pan seasoning.

      Given the recent horrible things about non-stick pans, I wonder if I should just buy seasoned cast iron pans.

      • Captain Aggravated@sh.itjust.works
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        3 months ago

        I don’t think I’d trust a pan that says it’s “pre-seasoned.” Get a cast iron pan and learn how to season it yourself. It’s kind of an ongoing process anyway; every time you fry something in it with butter or oil you’re maintaining the coating.

        • Enkrod@feddit.org
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          3 months ago

          Meh, one of my pots came pre-seasoned and I just started using it as if I’d seasoned it myself, after the first couple of weeks of simply using it, it now has the exact same surface as everything I seasoned myself, because every time you fry something in it, it just improves the seasoning.

          shrug

          I mean I’m happy I know how to season my stuff, but if it lowers the entry-barrier to cast iron I think it’s worth it.

          • Captain Aggravated@sh.itjust.works
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            3 months ago

            And see I’m getting to an age where I’m not convinced there’s a procedure for anything. Get eight people together, ask them how they season their cookware, you’ll get nine different answers and none of them work for you. Half of what that guy said, some of what this guys says but I’ll use this detail from the third guy, that works well enough for me and my life improves drastically the instant I stop giving a shit.

      • Enkrod@feddit.org
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        3 months ago

        I can only tell you about my experience, I’ve made the switch half a year ago.

        Cast iron is heavy, REALLY HEAVY and comparably more expensive than cheap non-stick pans. It’s a hassle to work with because it’s so heavy, no easy flipping stuff by throwing the pan around (inertia is a bitch), you shouldn’t clean it with soap, just hot water and some elbow-grease and you should always keep is slightly oiled. Oh and there is no “the handle doesn’t get hot”, it always does and you should wrap a cloth around it.

        But Oh My Goodness!

        I’ve needed some tries to get the seasoning right, needed some time to adjust my cooking as to not leave acidic food in the pan or pot over night, but now that my pan and pot are very well seasoned and I know how to handle them… nothing sticks, at least not for long. I can make a fried egg or some bacon and after sticking for the first few seconds it just… lift’s off the surface and moves freely in the pan. No non-stick pan has ever given me a non-stick experience like this and making steak has become one of my most fun experiences, because the pan keeps its heat when I throw the cold slap of meat into it and evenly browns the beef without any sticking.

        Absolute game changer. just don’t heat an empty pan too much, because you can burn the seasoning off again.

      • daniskarma@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        3 months ago

        I just bought a stainless steel pan.

        Easy to take care of, that thing is indestructible. And to avoid sticking just heat it really high. Inmediatly after using and it’s still really hot stick it under cold water. It cleans itself while making a cool noise.

        For some meals like eggs or omelette you can have a non-stick only used for those. But steel is good as a daily pan.

  • aaaaace@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    3 months ago

    My 40 year old Swiss steel pan still going. Lighter than iron.

    I wipe it off with paper towel, no washing.

    Untoasted sesame oil is great for starting a new seasoning, then whatever one prefers to cook with. I like avocado oil and ghee right now.

    • MrJameGumb@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      That is what cast iron looks like if you strip it down to the bare metal. It’s not actually ruined, but it will be unusable until someone goes through the process of re-seasoning it

        • rustyricotta@lemmy.ml
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          3 months ago

          I had a roommate who thought this, and therefore never washed or rinsed their cast iron. They refused to believe otherwise.

          • zarkanian@sh.itjust.works
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            3 months ago

            You should avoid washing and rinsing it as much as possible, especially avoiding soap. When food sticks, I usually just soak it, scrub it using a loofah, and then dry it over a hot burner or in a high-temperature oven.

            I saw one guy on YouTube who scrubbed his out using salt. I think I’m going to start using this technique, because it avoids water altogether.

            • TimewornTraveler@lemm.ee
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              3 months ago

              no, the soap thing was from back when soaps contained Lye. dont use grandma’s soap on cast iron. please use a small amt of soap on your cookware

    • bluewing@lemm.ee
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      3 months ago

      Ya Boi is accidentally pretty smart. One of the biggest issues I have with Lodge cast iron is the poor bottom finish - such rough tool marks. I have sanded the bottoms smooth on several of the pieces I’ve gotten over the years. A quality smooth finish, (like you find on good vintage cast iron pieces), makes for easier curing and a slicker surface.

      So do what Lodge didn’t do and sand those insides shmoove.