Thread: Cast iron?

You have to wait for the periodic sales on the Le Creuset pieces. They are usually around 50% off. That's still expensive but more reasonable.

Originally Posted by DZEC

Attachment 324917

Just passed my mother’s flame orange oval le Creuset to my son. It is one of the originals with the handle cast as an integral part of the lid - not screwed into a hole in the lid.

I got it from my mom after she’d owned it for over 30 years. My son got it from me after I had it for 30 years.

Its finish is a little dinged on the outside bottom and the rim, but my granddaughter will inherit it in about 30 years and it won’t look much different.

It’s still the best pot for stews, beans, baking boules, roasting a chicken, etc I have ever owned.

When I went to the website to check current pricing, I was stunned at the cost these days.

I have a Lodge Dutch oven, but it’s not the same.

While cleaning out my former brother in law's place of all of the dresser drawers and other vintage furniture I was always impressed with the craftsmanship with the pieces. Tongue and Groove construction, glued and nailed drawer guides. Some of those pieces had belonged to the ex wife's great grand parents and are still in very nice shape and fully functional.

Just like the vintage cast iron that I was given and your mother's vintage piece were constructed to last a lifetime and now have lasted two and going on three lifetimes.

I hope your son enjoys that heirloom as much as you and your mother did and I also hope that one day you will see a grandchild use it

I found this in a junk pile outside an abandoned place I worked on headed for the dump.




It was rusty and ugly when I found it but a little work with a wire brush, some steel wool and some soap and water then a re-season and it's good as new. From what I found in the little bit of reading that I did online the ones that have the diameter cast into the steel are not particularly valuable to collectors but still thought of as very good. I saw these selling between $55 and $75 online which is 100% more than what I paid for it.

I know it is not cast iron but I am posting here any ways. I was recently given these three steel skillets. I really like the cold handle style steel skillets. They are good at burning things, which is good sometimes. I like my egg whites burnt with crispy edges and runny yolks and crusty bits on my fried spam. These are just the thing for that.

My other steel skillets have all been abused, and bent. I am happy to have these.

I like those type pans myself, and your description of the eggs and spam are spot on. Maybe next meet we’ll cook up a bunch of eggs and spam the right way.

Charlie that looks like a flat bottomed wok kind of. Woks are great for that because they get hot so fast, especially over gas. It really allows you to regulate the heat much more quickly than cast iron. What I really like is wok seared green beans, seared in peanut oil. They are kind of charred on the outside But tender on the inside. Throw some beef and some brown sauce in it then stir in some short grain rice with soy sauce and a little chili oil and that's some good stuff.

Cast iron 10” skillet got a work out tonight.

Embrace the oil, cooked up some latkes tonight.
Cheers and happy Chanukah!

Originally Posted by spazola

I know it is not cast iron but I am posting here any ways. I was recently given these three steel skillets. I really like the cold handle style steel skillets. They are good at burning things, which is good sometimes. I like my egg whites burnt with crispy edges and runny yolks and crusty bits on my fried spam. These are just the thing for that.

My other steel skillets have all been abused, and bent. I am happy to have these.

You picked the right thread. Glenn posted a couple he has, and I have just got another bigger locally pressed one for no other reason than to fry more chicken at one time.
They take a bit of prep like a wok but you will never wear them out, unlike the non stick pans that seems to be popular these times.

Originally Posted by Grazor

....They take a bit of prep like a wok but you will never wear them out, unlike the non stick pans that seems to be popular these times.

I always thought non stick pans were funny and redundant. A well seasoned cast iron or hammered iron pan or wok prewarmed with or without fresh oil won't stick. The so called non stick pans are for people who don't know how to cook. Kind of like cartridge razorsare for...well, you get what I mean.

Originally Posted by PaulFLUS

I always thought non stick pans were funny and redundant. A well seasoned cast iron or hammered iron pan or wok prewarmed with or without fresh oil won't stick. The so called non stick pans are for people who don't know how to cook. Kind of like cartridge razorsare for...well, you get what I mean.

They may be non-stick, but they are also often not non-flake or non-peel.