Thread: Cast iron?

Oh...also make green bean almondine to go with it.

Originally Posted by PaulFLUS

Oh...also make green bean almondine to go with it.

I like your cast iron frying pan Paul.
I had one too, no one told me they didn't go it the dishwasher and it hasn't really been the same since.

The nice thing about them is you can't really destroy it. Worst case you strip it to bare steel and start over with a complete re-season.

This one I dug out of the dirt.


Only the corner was showing and I didn't even know what it was until I unearthed it. I scrubbed it clean with a wire brush, washed it well and reseasoned it and now it is one of my best pans. If you do a search online you can find many sites that show how. Here is what Lodge has to say:

https://www.lodgecastiron.com/discov...bout-seasoning

Originally Posted by STF

I like your cast iron frying pan Paul.
I had one too, no one told me they didn't go it the dishwasher and it hasn't really been the same since.

All you should need to do is clean and then reseason it.

I prefer a beeswax based seasoning.

Originally Posted by 32t

All you should need to do is clean and then reseason it.

I prefer a beeswax based seasoning.

so do i never wash it at all, ever?

Originally Posted by STF

so do i never wash it at all, ever?

Close, but not exactly.

I never use soapy water to clean mine.
Just hot tap water and a washcloth.

Rinse and dry while hot, then a lite coat of oil on a paper towel. That's all..!!

The beeswax/ grease fills the pores of the metal and then bakes into a slick surface.

Lots of different opinions of how to best aclomplish that.

A hard cleaning removes all of your work.

The heat of the pan kills any residual problems.

JMO Tim

Well, anyone who uses Cento San Marzanos is obviously a very wise and skilled cook and is OK in my book.

Any oil will work. I have used a bunch of different ones and have stuck with lard as that is the one I personally think works best...for me. As per usual though YMMV. The only reason you might have to, or rather choose to go back to bare metal is if large chunks of the seasoning coat are chipping off or if something caustic has gotten under it; that or you just want a fresh start. The heat will kill anything organic and the oil will fill in the crevices. Really it is usually best to just keep calm and carry on as the pan improves as it is used, all of which has been said. Just an alternative to what Mike said, I use plain hot water and a soft nylon kitchen brush. after that I put mine on the stove on low-medium to dry out all the moisture then put a small gob of lard on a paper towel and coat the inside.

The other important thing is to warm the pan thoroughly before putting any food in it, That gives it good anti-stick properties. I had to laugh when "anti-stick coated" pans came out. They act like it was some new invention. HA! what do you think the seasoning on a cast iron pan is? People just don't know how to use one or are too impatient to wait for the pan to warm up properly. The rule of thumb I use is, once the handle is warm, almost too hot to touch, then the pan is ready, THEN put your oil in IF you even need it. Usually you won't if you coated the pan properly when you put it away.

EDIT: Oh, I should add that the one exception to the lard is that I use olive oil on my clam sauce pan. That pan though is a special purpose pan.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

Well, anyone who uses Cento San Marzanos is obviously a very wise and skilled cook and is OK in my book.

I first learned about San Marzano tomatoes from Carmine's in Manhattan, not the one on Broadway. The one in the theater district. They are better there. That is where I got the clam sauce from. We were there and had it and I thought it was the best thing I had ever eaten. I had always eaten the white but someone ordered the red and now I hardly ever make white. Anyway, I spent years trying to recreate that recipe. Finally, once we went back again I found they had made a cookbook which, of course, I bought. I highly recommend it. there are so many killer recipes and tips in there it is worth 10 times...100 times the cost f the book. Anyway that is where I read about the San Marzano tomatoes and that took my clam sauce to the next level. There are a bunch of different companies that sell them with varying quality and broadly varying prices but I have had the best luck consistently with the Cento brand. All brands ebb and wane in quality some but they are the most consistent I have used for good price comparatively so I stick with them.