Who uses a cast iron skillet?

[njsweetP]

I am in the market for one. I had one years ago and apparently didn't season it well enough because it would always rust. So what kind do you use and how do you season it? Amazon has some preseasoned Lodge ones that are decently priced. Thanks!

 

[hsmamato2]

we have a few- I love them- even if one gets really rusty,you can fix it- with lots of seasoning- we rubbed an old one down with LOTS of crisco,and let it bake for a few hours,then a few days later really rubbed it down-it works great!

 

[mom2cookies]

I don't know what brand mine are as they were my mom's and grandmother's. They are so well seasoned i don't have to do it anymore. I remember my dad though wiping them down with bacon grease and putting them in the fire in the fireplace. idk if that will help you but it sure did the trick with my moms lol.

 

[Alesia]

Mine was my great-grandmother's, so I have no Idea what brand it was. I use it every single day.

Taking care of it is easy. When you're done with it, just wash it with water (absolutely NO detergent) and set it on a hot burner until all of the water has evaporated. While it's still hot, rub a thin layer of oil all over the inside.

If something does get stuck in it, fill it with water and boil it for 5 to 10 minutes. That should loosen it up.

Cook's Illustrated reviewed several brands of cast iron skillets: http://www.cooksillustrated.com/equipment/overview.asp?docid=10685

 

[reagan75]

We use them as well. It can be cleaned with some work. Any fat or grease will do, just apply it thick.

 

[ilovejack02]

I have two, both Lodge, will always stick with the Lodge brand.

 

[tinkermom23]

Ours are Lodge brand. Works great!
Especially the yummy buns from the Pioneer Woman website. We bought an extra skillet just for those buns!

 

[Rupert B Puppenstein]

I have lodge ones too - we got them from Wal-Mart and they were very affordable. I love cooking with them and they have always been preseasoned. They aren't too difficult to take care of.

 

[3boymthr]

I have two and I love them - I grew up in a family that always cooked on cast iron.

The instructions on the skillet said to use vegetable oil, but I seasoned with butter as per my grandma's instructions. She also said if I didn't have butter I could use bacon fat - but to make sure it was solid when I put in on the pan.

She also said that one of the keys to a well seasoned skillet is to put it in the oven upside down when you first season it with a cookie sheet underneath to catch the drippings so that you don't end up with puddles of butter or bacon fat in bottom of the skillet which will then peel away and result in rust spots.

Grandma was a very wise woman. Can I say I have had my skillets 15 years and they are going great.

 

[rszdtrvl]

We have a Lodge brand one also. Love it! It is DH's favorite pan.

Ours was pre-seasoned. After using it, I wash it with HOT water (no soap), dry it, and then spray it lightly with non-stick cooking spray. I wipe the excess out of the pan with a paper towel.

Ours is a few years old. Still going strong, and is somewhat getting that non-stickness to it.

 

[Green Tea]

The way we have always kept our family's from rusting is after washing, put it on the eye of the stove on low for just a few minutes. It dries all moisture and we've never had any rust.

 

[csharpwv]

All of the suggestions here are spot on! Just be sure that when you go to store them between uses that you put a paper towel or a paper-place in between them if you are going to nest them in your cabinet with anything else (putting other pots/pans inside one another) you don't want to scratch the cooking surface of your cast iron up - it will ruin the seasoning and you will have to do it over again!

And remember - cast iron CAN crack! So do not to put water in them immediately while still hot - and never put cold water in a hot or even warm iron skillet!

If you take care of them they will outlast you - as evidenced by the number of people on here using skillets that belongs to parents, grandparents etc!

The two skillets we own were given to me by a woman who was like a grandmother to me! We also own a cast iron stove-top griddle that came with out stove. I said it was pre-seasoned - but I treated it like it wasn't! It does a great job with grilling and making pancakes!

 

[wmharley]

We have Lodge...

This one
http://www.lodgemfg.com/images/logic_L9OG3_subcat.jpg

and this one
http://www.lodgemfg.com/images/logic_L8SK3-L14_subcat.jpg

We got them at Bealls for like $12 each on sale.

they work great... HOWEVER.. we've yet to find a good brush to clean them with. any suggestions?

 

[DebMcDonald]

Can you use cast iron on a glass top stove?

 

[ApolloSaturnV]

We love our Lodge cast iron.

Here is a tip that will save you a stinky house:

When you season your cast iron with Crisco, turn your outside gas grill on low, set your cast iron in it and close the lid for a few hours.

The smells stay outside, and it works great.

 

[MomOf3LovesMickey]

I have several of these none of which I bought because my grandmother gave them to me when I went to college. I cook with mine just about every day. Have you tried garage sales? My grandmother has found several this way and they are used, so pre-seasoned! A few tips for PP. After drying out the pots on the stove rub them with either wax paper or a paper towel with cooking oil. Also I use plain old steel wool to clean mine...just rinse it well and dry immediately.

 

[Gigi22]

I have my grandmother's cast iron frying pan. I do remember her seasoning it with bacon fat. My mother had the pan for about 40 years, during which time she used it to boil beef liver (which tasted and smelled awful), completely removing the seasoning on the pan during the process, and never reseasoning the pan. I've restored the seasoning. A cast iron pan can come back after a lot of misuse.

 

[sbell111]

Can you use cast iron on a glass top stove?

Maybe.

Some cast iron skillets have ridged bottoms. These shouldn't be used on a glass cooktop. Cast iron skillets with flat bottoms can be used. However, care should be used not to slide the cast iron skillet on the cooktop to avoid scratches. It should also be noted that, like other types of pans, if the bottom of the skillet is not very flat it will not heat properly on a glass cooktop.

When we got our glass topped stove, my cast iron skillets were relegated to grill duty.

 

[hsmamato2]

well...I used mine on my glass top stove.....and it currently has large cracks all over it I think dh put one down too hard....we're in the process of replacing the stove...sigh...... I don't know if I'll use mine stovetop after we get the new one

 

[Calliaz]

I bought some of the pre-seasoned Lodge on Amazon and love them. I'm tough on them, but they're easy to get back to normal if they rust. I use my 8" one the most and I have a ceramic cooktop. You just can't slide the pan around or bang it down. It actually heats better than my other pans since the iron is more even and holds heat better. It's great for searing meats, but I use it for everything.

Even if you buy pre-seasoned, I still recommend doing an initial cure and then once a year. Alton Brown recommends doing it on New Year's Day and it does help me remember!

To clean, I will wash it with water and a scraper. If I need to, I have also cleaned it warm with a little oil and some kosher salt.

Here are cure instructions from I'm Just Here for the Food:

Heat the oven to 350 put the cast iron on the top rack of the oven and a sheet pan or foil underneath on the second rack.

When the pan is warm but still touchable, take it out and put in a dollop of solid vegetable shortening (plain Crisco). As it melts, spread it around with a paper towel so there aren't any pools of oil.

Put the pan back in the oven upside down and bake for 1 hour. Turn off the heat and let the pan cool for a while before removing. Wipe the pan clean, but don't wash until after you use it.