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Fellow Goons, I come to GWS seeking your wisdom. As a Wedding gift, my wife and I received a few cast iron skillets. Aside from making grilled cheese and the occasional omelet, I have no goddamn clue what I am doing with these things... Do you have any helpful hints, tricks, or recipes I can borrow to create awesome with these potential murder weapons?
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Nov 16, 2013 01:36
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| # ? Apr 16, 2024 07:05 |
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Steak. Do steak. Extremely high heat, some oil, slap the steaks in for a minute each side and finish in the oven if you like.
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Nov 16, 2013 01:53
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Bacoooonnnnn
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Nov 16, 2013 02:12
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Steak sounds badass actually...
MrDesaude fucked around with this message at 16:00 on Nov 16, 2013 |
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Nov 16, 2013 02:46
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deimos posted:Bacoooonnnnn Followed by homefries with finely chopped rosemary.
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Nov 16, 2013 08:28
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Cast iron is good for frying in oil, toasting/browning stuff, searing meats. You can also do some pretty drat good pizza in them! You may read articles telling you to do fiddly things with your cast iron. You can promptly ignore them. Cast iron usually comes pre-seasoned, but becomes even more seasoned over time as you keep cooking with it. Eventually (maybe after a month) you'll be able to slide eggs off it as if it was non-stick, provided that you use a medium temp instead of high. After cooking, let them cool down then scrub them under hot water with a bristle brush. Dry off, and maybe rub down with a little vegetable oil. Once in a while (like every month or so) you might need to take a sponge and soap to it. Or maybe not! Don't leave in water overnight or it might form rust. Don't cook acidic things too often (sometimes is fine). That's all the maintenance you'll ever need. If the seasoning ever flakes off just keep cooking greasy food and it will heal itself over time. Steve Yun fucked around with this message at 08:56 on Nov 16, 2013 |
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Nov 16, 2013 08:47
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I use mine almost ever meal I cook. I have abused the hell out of it and it keeps on giving back delicious meals. I had to learn a lot with iron. First it takes time to reach it's stable cooking temperature, it has a capacity for heat, the dame thing does not need soap, it is not a princess piece of cookware. Its a solider met for the front lines. One way I learned to cook with it was by making omelets. Just plain eggs and herbs. I didn't want just okay omelets I wanted perfect omelets, so I cooked with the iron everyday for a few weeks making just omelets to learn how it heats and acts. I've since made fried chicken (Alton Brown's technique). I've made butternut curry, steak, and and entire breakfasts (made of eggs, hash, bacon, and veggies all in one pan!) Pancakes too! My favorite trait of the iron is it goes from stove top to oven and vise versa.
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Nov 16, 2013 11:56
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Have sex with it because your wife will become loose while the cast iron will not. Serious: cook everything in it but tomato sauce. Did it come with a lid? Yes? Put that lid on and you got dutch oven cooking in your apartment oven. And that's loving great. Okay, here, do this: Come to own these things: Some chicken thighs and drumsticks (and wings if cheap) Basil Garlic Onion Potatoes Canola (or some other med) oil. Don't eat for three days. Put cast iron on stove. Turn to med-high. Fill w 1/8 inch oil. Get it hot. Salt/Pepper potatoes cut in like 1/2 inch fragments. Drop in pan. When golden on one side remove. Salt/Pepper Chicken. Same. Same, except do both sides. Drain 90% of oil. Turn off stove. Return potatoes to cast iron in layers. For every layer salt/pepper add diced onions, garlic and basil. When that shits done add the chicken on top. Put on some more garlic and onions and basil. Put on the loving lid. Throw that bitch in the oven with the lid on at 400 degrees fahrenheit for 45 minutes. Take off the lid and crank your bitch rear end oven up to 450 for 5 minutes. Pull it out and wait 10 minutes. Lid off still, please. Eat. Die because the best thing ever happened to your mouth.
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Nov 16, 2013 13:13
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What if your cast iron pan doesn't have a lid? Mine doesn't 
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Nov 16, 2013 13:25
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I bought a (I think 12'') lodge cast iron skillet may be 2 months ago because I had a good deal on one and I think cast iron looks cool  It's now by far my favorite thing to cook in. Unless it's something with a ton of liquid 90% of the time I'll cook it in the cast iron. Once it gets hot it stays how which is so great for searing meat but also great if you're stupid like me and tend to overcrowd your pan because who the fucks wants to cook their mushrooms in two batches? Some people say not to cook acidic thing in them but I did so a few times and nothing exploded. Just rub some oil with a paper towel in them after you've washed them (I like to do it every time I clean mine, but I doubt it's necessary). Also, don't worry too much about soap. I use a slightly soapy scrubbing thing to clean mine when I feel like it's necessary and I haven't noticed any problem. Oh and final tip, if you want to use it for non stick applications like eggs, putting the salt and pepper in the pan before placing your eggs in will help tremendously. I personally don't use my cast iron pan for eggs because I have a non stick pan that I use only for that that works much better, but I've done them a few times to test the pan and it works OK.
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Nov 16, 2013 13:27
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KingColliwog posted:I personally don't use my cast iron pan for eggs because I have a non stick pan that I use only for that that works much better, but I've done them a few times to test the pan and it works OK. You're doing it wrong. Once I got my cast-iron properly seasoned, I found no need for my non-stick pans. It is is as non-stick as the Teflon stuff now.
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Nov 16, 2013 13:32
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VERTiG0 posted:You're doing it wrong. Once I got my cast-iron properly seasoned, I found no need for my non-stick pans. It is is as non-stick as the Teflon stuff now. I use it daily and it never got as non-stick as a "real" non-stick pan. It's fine for crêpes, pancakes, omelettes, etc. But for plain eggs it's never been as good as a dedicated non-stick pan for me. I'll break one in three or four eggs when using it which isn't worth it when I can just use that ceramic coated thing that would let me cook eggs without any fat if I wanted to.
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Nov 16, 2013 14:16
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One you get it right, eggs float like they do on a properly seasoned flattop. That said, OP, you absolutely can't go wrong with steak or bacon. Or hell, fill it up with some shortening and fry a chicken. We did a whole thread about that recently... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6oPcB57IcU
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Nov 16, 2013 15:24
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brick cow posted:Have sex with it because your wife will become loose while the cast iron will not. Ok, gonna have to find a Lid for this thing... The big one is an "Emril" skillet (likely the most expensive thing in my kitchen I don't make beer with) so it has to have a lid somewhere... Liquid Communism posted:One you get it right, eggs float like they do on a properly seasoned flattop. Still trying to get to that point, that video is awesome! That said, You are all awesome! So quick recap: Medium heat, cook like hell on it, and just use a scrub brush. Soap is a sometimes thing...
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Nov 16, 2013 16:08
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If something sticks, just scrape it off and then cook more bacon. There's honestly no seasoning problem in cast iron that you can't solve by cooking more bacon. 
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Nov 16, 2013 16:10
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Three is no human problem, with the exceptions of high blood pressure, heart attacks, and congestive heart failure that cannot be solved with more bacon...
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Nov 16, 2013 16:24
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VERTiG0 posted:What if your cast iron pan doesn't have a lid? Mine doesn't Do you have an oven safe plate? Use that.
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Nov 16, 2013 16:40
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Or just hit up Amazon/your local outdoors store and get a lid. They've got 'em in tempered glass and cast iron. I'd get the cast iron, though. Much better because you can bake with it.
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Nov 16, 2013 17:02
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VERTiG0 posted:What if your cast iron pan doesn't have a lid? Mine doesn't Go find one. I can't live your life for you. MrDesaude posted:Ok, gonna have to find a Lid for this thing... The big one is an "Emril" skillet (likely the most expensive thing in my kitchen I don't make beer with) so it has to have a lid somewhere... Do that. This meal is worth it. brick cow fucked around with this message at 18:01 on Nov 16, 2013 |
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Nov 16, 2013 17:58
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VERTiG0 posted:Steak. Do steak. Extremely high heat, some oil, slap the steaks in for a minute each side and finish in the oven if you like. Make sure you use Extra virgin olive oil...  But honestly you don't need oil for high-heat steak searing. At least use an oil with a very high smoke point. If you're getting your pan to 450+ then oils commonly found in pantries will burn and it's bad. Dry the steak with paper towel as much as possible, the drier the surface the better the crust will be. Season with kosher salt no pepper (pepper will also burn at high temps). When it's done and resting is when you grind some fresh pepper on it. Bald Stalin fucked around with this message at 19:46 on Nov 16, 2013 |
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Nov 16, 2013 19:42
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d3rt posted:Make sure you use Extra virgin olive oil... I think Alton Brown recommends safflower oil, which I've always had good results with, although if you get clarified butter I think the smoke point is slightly higher.
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Nov 16, 2013 19:46
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ejstheman posted:I think Alton Brown recommends safflower oil, which I've always had good results with, although if you get clarified butter I think the smoke point is slightly higher. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoke_point Safflower is good. How does it taste?
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Nov 16, 2013 19:50
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d3rt posted:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoke_point Pretty neutral, in my opinion. Nothing that I especially notice, anyway. Looks like it's higher on that chart than clarified butter, which is the reverse order from the chart that Gravity84 posted the other day.
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Nov 17, 2013 00:46
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brick cow posted:Do that. This meal is worth it. So apparently the week before Thanksgiving is "Buy the gently caress out of everything this goon needs" week in my area. Was not able to find a goddamn lid at any store I went to that would fit. Even the camping section of the sporting goods store was sold out, That's hosed up... So I cheated and covered the bitch in tinfoil. Mother of god... This is amazeballs! If a lid will amplify this I will likely die. Side effect: Pretty sure this recipe is an aphrodisiac as my wife promptly jumped me after consuming this. Paired with food coma it is a miracle that I can post this. Brick Cow, You are a gentlegoon and a scholar. This goon seeks your continued tutelage... Edit: Spelling MrDesaude fucked around with this message at 02:04 on Nov 17, 2013 |
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Nov 17, 2013 02:02
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You guys are all wrong on the seasoning front. The best stuff to use is flax seed oil. Warm up the pan, and then wipe down the entire pan with flax seed oil, then take a dry paper towel and wipe away every ounce of excess oil. Heat your oven to 500/Broil/whatever-just-make-it-hot and then pop the pan in, upside down for 40 minutes, then let it cool down (still in the oven, without opening) for 20. Then pull it out and repeat. Two times total covering the entire pan, then 4 more times covering the entire inside only. You will have a near perfect seasoning, ready for eggs and other delicate poo poo, but of course you're just going to use it to cook bacon and steak because that's what a cast iron is for. Here's another recipe that would go well with the chicken/potato recipe above: Ingredients: About 1/3 lb bacon 2 lbs fresh brussel sprouts, trimmed and cut in half from base to tip 1 tablespoon sugar salt/freshly ground black pepper 1) Cook bacon crisp, remove from pan, then crumble/chop and reserve. Discard all but about 3 tablespoons of the fat, keeping the pan/oil over medium heat. 2) Place all the sprouts flat-side down in the pan in a single layer 3) Cook until golden brown (usually 3-4 minutes) but make sure they don't burn. Then turn them over with tongs and brown the other side 4) Reduce heat to medium-low, sprinkle them with sugar and toss. Continue cooking to taste, tossing often. 5) Season with salt and pepper, toss in bacon crumbles. EDIT: Cut this poo poo out, just write like a normal person talks: MrDesaude posted:This is amazeballs! If a lid will amplify this I will likely die... TheQuietWilds fucked around with this message at 19:32 on Nov 17, 2013 |
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Nov 17, 2013 19:28
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At the time of the posting, I just had the best food and wife time of my married life so far. It is what it is. That recipe sounds good too...
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Nov 17, 2013 23:33
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The other day I was visiting my grandma and she gave me an old cast iron dutch oven that belonged to my grandfather's mother, I wanted it for bread but she was saying they used it every Sunday for roasts or something. I want to use it for some cool recipes, but I don't know any actual dutch oven recipes. I started posting this here because it's cast iron but I guess it doesn't matter because you don't really season anything like a dutch oven, do you? It's useful for steaming breads because I've found out that if you wash it thoroughly beforehand the iron absorbs some of the water and it cooks out at high temperatures. I don't know if it's supposed to do that or not (is that what seasoning would be about?), because I don't really know what it is, it's taller than other dutch ovens, and my grandma said it's not the type with the lid that you put coals on - it might just be a round "roaster" or something. The only identifying information on it is a little star stamp on the underside of the lid - it might not be cast iron at all but it's pretty heavy and when you preheat it for bread the house smells like metal.
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Nov 18, 2013 04:37
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You cook stuff in it. I make bread in mine. I also use mine to fry, and today I made cabbage and pork soup in it. You can think of it as a huge awesome pot that can cook a lot of stuff. If you guys want to make a crazy steak, try the Ducasse method in your cast iron. I make it about once a year for my/my go's birthday with some nice rib eyes and it will blow you away. It will also probably shorten your life by a few months at a time
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Nov 18, 2013 05:34
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MrDesaude posted:Three is no human problem, with the exceptions of high blood pressure, heart attacks, and congestive heart failure that cannot be solved with more bacon... If you don't want to make bacon to re-season the skillet, make popcorn. I put a splatter guard over my skillet when I make popcorn to keep the hot oil and popped kernels in the pan while still allowing the steam to escape. It's great. I have barely used any other pan ever since I got my cast iron.
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Nov 18, 2013 15:32
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If you like cornbread at all you need to try making it in the cast iron. Find your favorite cornbread recipe. Turn on the oven to 350 or whatever your recipe says to preheat. Wipe a little oil in your cast iron and place the empty pan in the oven to get hot. While the oven and pan are preheating, mix up the batter. Once everything is nice and hot, take the pan out of the oven and pour in the batter. Cook until you can stick a toothpick in and have it come out clean. Serve immediately with lots of butter (important). The hot cast iron creates a delicious crust on the bottom of the cornbread, it's truly excellent.
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Nov 18, 2013 19:48
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MrDesaude posted:So apparently the week before Thanksgiving is "Buy the gently caress out of everything this goon needs" week in my area. Was not able to find a goddamn lid at any store I went to that would fit. Even the camping section of the sporting goods store was sold out, That's hosed up... Thanks for the compliment. Glad you and your wife enjoyed it. The best part about this meal, to me personally, is I came up with it back when I was so poor I was only eating one to two meals a week. Someone gifted me the chicken and a couple potatoes. So the first time I had it I literally hadn't eaten in three days.
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Nov 19, 2013 00:31
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Johann Suit posted:If you like cornbread at all you need to try making it in the cast iron. My Sister in law make cornbread that way, I'm going to have to get her recipe... brick cow posted:So the first time I had it I literally hadn't eaten in three days. Well now you have confirmation that it wasn't delirium from hunger... Cheating with grilled cheese tonight, its been a long day.
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Nov 19, 2013 02:43
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So what is the going opinion on enameled cast iron? I like all the different look/colors they come in and am currently thinking about getting a full set. Example: 
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Nov 23, 2013 04:13
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Zelthar posted:So what is the going opinion on enameled cast iron? I like all the different look/colors they come in and am currently thinking about getting a full set. They're okay for sauces and searing meat but forget ever putting an egg or hashbrowns or anything that even might stick in there. I have a set and I only use them if literally everything else is being used/dirty. Except for the sticking issue that probably just a personal preference though. They just don't feel right to me.
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Nov 23, 2013 04:51
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I get the non-stick lore of seasoned cast iron, but I can't seem to get seasoning down to prevent bad things from happening with eggs at medium-high to high temperatures. That is to say that fried/over easy/scrambled eggs come out great and with no sticking in a cast iron pan at fairly low temperatures, but a crusty film on the bottom of the pan forms at higher temperatures. I stick to hot teflon to get a nice crust for an omelet. In my mind, the best thing about cast iron is that it never has to go anywhere near the sink 99% of the time. Deglazing liquid takes care of almost all sticking, a paper towel deals with sauce residue, and leftover fat adds to the patina. Having to wipe it down with oil afterwards is a great compromise for not having to do more dishes. Marv Albert fucked around with this message at 05:43 on Nov 23, 2013 |
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Nov 23, 2013 05:40
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Well done steak with tomato ketchup
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Nov 23, 2013 07:26
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VERTiG0 posted:slap the steaks in for a minute each side and finish in the oven if you like. What the gently caress is wrong with you? Oven steak? Jesus. Put steak in/on skillet/pan/BBQ-surface (after oiling/buttering it of course dumbass). Medium-ish high heat type thing. Wait for blood/fluids to come to the top of the steak. How much fluid is on top tells you how well done it is. Fluids only just coming up is usually the correct amount of done (don't cook steaks to the point of well done, that's loving disgusting). Flip the steak and repeat for the other side. Put on plate. Serve. Consume. Enjoy. Other easy skillet thing: savoury mince. You can basically cook this however you want and with a little practice and creativity you've got good eating. It's ridiculously refridgerable/freezable so you can do like a week of dinner at once if you're lonely enough. Serve with potato or rice or something. Also, adding grated cheese is awesome. Oil the pan up. Put a pile of mince in there. Get it almost cooked (remember to violently rub it with an egg-flippy spatula or it bunches together like a really lovely burger patty). Insert vegetables 'n' poo poo. If you wouldn't eat them raw, they should generally either be pre-cooked or in very tiny parts. poo poo like garlic or onions is good. Tomato is a must-have. Add beef stock if you want to, makes it generally tastier. Add italianish stuff and lots of tomato paste (or ketchup if you're cheap/too lazy to go shopping) and you'll end up with bolognese, which is doubleplusgood on spaghetti (or any pasta really).
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Nov 24, 2013 17:14
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squeakyneb posted:What the gently caress is wrong with you? Oven steak? Jesus. Yes, that is a good method for making steak, and so is popping steak onto cast iron the heat of the sun and finishing in the oven so it's not entirely raw (or if you like it that way, go without ovening). I usually cook for 45 seconds on one side, and as soon as I flip it goes into a 500 degree oven for a minute, maybe minute and a half. Hate if you want, but why bother?
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Nov 24, 2013 20:58
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squeakyneb posted:What the gently caress is wrong with you? Oven steak? Jesus. Searing on the stove and heating through in the oven is a perfectly acceptable way to make a steak, you also got a couple of other things wrong. You can do a dry pan no problem - most oils and also butter tend to burn at temperatures you want for searing. You want high heat. The highest heat. Nobody has ever heard of this 'fluids coming up' business but you know this is the future and we have thermometers that will tell you the exact temperature of something without having to rely on silly british steak pseudoscience. I'd give you credit for insisting against well done, but then after all of those other things you said I can't help but question what you think well done means. Also nothing about your recipe could ever conceivably result in bolognese but that's a whole other story. If you like bolognese you should try making this recipe, it is pretty good times.
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Nov 24, 2013 21:49
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squeakyneb posted:What the gently caress is wrong with you?. Nothing at all. If done correctly this will result in a wonderful crust. Do you have any other good Italian recipes that use ketchup? Bald Stalin fucked around with this message at 01:11 on Nov 25, 2013 |
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Nov 25, 2013 01:09
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