# Need help selecting Cast Iron cookware



## A J (Oct 16, 2014)

AJ was here.


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## keith9365 (Apr 23, 2014)

Try some flea markets. I have a few cast iron skillets and a dutch oven that I picked up over time. I seasoned mine by coating the inside with lard and baking at 300 degrees for about two hours then 200 degrees for two hours. Once seasoned they are the best cookware you can get. Nothing sticks. Never put it in the dishwasher.


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## MrsInor (Apr 15, 2013)

I have an electric smooth top stove (first and last) and I use my cast iron on it all the time. I can't use my pressure canner on it as it is too heavy. I have a two quart Dutch oven I use a great deal. I also have a larger chicken fryer I use even more. We use a cast iron high side skillet for roasting coffee beans. All on the cooktop.


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## HuntingHawk (Dec 16, 2012)

Lodge makes the best cast iron dutch ovens because of the lid sealing so well.

A trick to testing used dutch ovens for seal is open, put a burning piece of paper inside, & close the lid. No smoke should escape.


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## MrsInor (Apr 15, 2013)

HuntingHawk said:


> Lodge makes the best cast iron dutch ovens because of the lid sealing so well.
> 
> A trick to testing used dutch ovens for seal is open, put a burning piece of paper inside, & close the lid. No smoke should escape.


Bet that goes over real well at garage sales.


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## A J (Oct 16, 2014)

MrsInor said:


> I have an electric smooth top stove (first and last) and I use my cast iron on it all the time. I can't use my pressure canner on it as it is too heavy. I have a two quart Dutch oven I use a great deal. I also have a larger chicken fryer I use even more. We use a cast iron high side skillet for roasting coffee beans. All on the cooktop.


So would the normal Lodge 5pc kit be a good start? What additional pieces would YOU want to have?

http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-L5HS3-Pre-Seasoned-Cast-Iron-Cookware/dp/B004QM8SLG

Thanks,
AJ


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## MrsInor (Apr 15, 2013)

That would be a good start especially for seventy bucks. I do like my chicken fryer. And I would purchase a lid for the smaller skillet. You might want to take a look at their bread pans too. I don't have one - yet.


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## Hemi45 (May 5, 2014)

A J said:


> So would the normal Lodge 5pc kit be a good start? What additional pieces would YOU want to have?
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-L5HS3-Pre-Seasoned-Cast-Iron-Cookware/dp/B004QM8SLG
> 
> ...


Excellent! I was going to suggest buying Lodge from Amazon.


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## Dinah (Sep 22, 2014)

The corn pone pan I have 3 of those.
Size 8 skillet is the size we use most often. We have the regular and the high side. I have my aunts size 10 skillet. We have the dutch ovens one with a round top and one with the lid especially designed for placing coals on top. I am going to have to try the coffee bean trick (ty MsInor) If I am buying new I go for Lodge.
For cooking on a campfire you need one of those long sticks .. if I can find a photo I will post it on this topic string.

I have no desire to cook like that on a day to day basis..lol


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## HuntingHawk (Dec 16, 2012)

That is actually a bean pot & not a dutch oven. A dutch oven has a ridge around the top for holding hot coals. Baking with a dutch oven you have to have heat top & bottom.


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## Dinah (Sep 22, 2014)

HuntingHawk said:


> That is actually a bean pot & not a dutch oven. A dutch oven has a ridge around the top for holding hot coals. Baking with a dutch oven you have to have heat top & bottom.


Correct... the bean pot has a rounded top. the dutch oven has the ridge. It is the best one for cooking biscuits and cornbread because you get browning top and bottom.


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## HuntingHawk (Dec 16, 2012)

Exactly right Dinah.


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## diamondjim (Aug 19, 2014)

We have a cast iron waffle iron I bought at an auction while in college, for $.25. This same Griswold unit runs $50. today. Not a bad investment. Of course that was in 1961....
We use an electric smooth top as well. Cast iron is used at least 5 days a week.


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## 7052 (Jul 1, 2014)

HuntingHawk said:


> Lodge makes the best cast iron dutch ovens because of the lid sealing so well.
> 
> A trick to testing used dutch ovens for seal is open, put a burning piece of paper inside, & close the lid. No smoke should escape.


I second the rtecommendation for Lodge brand. I have 2 Dutch Ovens (different sizes), a Kettle, and 2 skillets. ALL good.


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## MI.oldguy (Apr 18, 2013)

MrsInor said:


> I have an electric smooth top stove (first and last) and I use my cast iron on it all the time. I can't use my pressure canner on it as it is too heavy. I have a two quart Dutch oven I use a great deal. I also have a larger chicken fryer I use even more. We use a cast iron high side skillet for roasting coffee beans. All on the cooktop.


Mrs.Inor,I dont mean to deviate from the thread but,I am of the understanding that cast iron cookware is not to be used on a smooth top range.we have an electric glass top range and are afraid to scratch the heck out of the deck.do you use anything in between?

As well,we want to get a pressure canner,Presto says on their small canner(I cant remember the size,pretty big though) that it can be used on a smooth top as well.that size would suit us.we have done water bath canning on the top with our I guess 2 or 3? gallon canner with no problems.

On the cast iron cookware question,Lodge seems to be the best,we have some great old passed down stuff.look at flea markets,and goodwills,cheaper than new.
we have even found a chinese large frypan(texsport brand) that cleaned up really good.not as heavy as a Lodge,but it cooks really well and for a couple of bucks it was a really good deal.


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## MrsInor (Apr 15, 2013)

MI.oldguy said:


> Mrs.Inor,I dont mean to deviate from the thread but,I am of the understanding that cast iron cookware is not to be used on a smooth top range.we have an electric glass top range and are afraid to scratch the heck out of the deck.do you use anything in between?
> 
> As well,we want to get a pressure canner,Presto says on their small canner(I cant remember the size,pretty big though) that it can be used on a smooth top as well.that size would suit us.we have done water bath canning on the top with our I guess 2 or 3? gallon canner with no problems.
> 
> ...


Have been using cast iron on the glass cook top for years and nary a scratch. I don't have anything between the pot and the top. I do water bath can on it. I use a propane camp stove to pressure can, either on the deck or in the garage depending on the weather. That is the main reason I will never have a glass cook top again.


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## MI.oldguy (Apr 18, 2013)

Thanks for the info,we bought a turkey fryer type cooker from Menards for our future pressure canner.


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## Seneca (Nov 16, 2012)

Lodge is a good brand of cast iron, it is heavy. I have an older (not old old) lodge chicken fryer, everything about it is heavy even they pyrex lid. It works great for soups chilis and stews and of course chicken. I wouldn't trade it for anything. 

I also have a bean or stew pot that I use for roasts and such, it too is an older piece of cookware that I've had for about 30 years. It also is lodge and works great. Then I have a couple of old and I mean really old cast iron skillets. Which are a joy to cook with, they both are noticeably lighter than the skillets currently produced by lodge. 

If by chance you decide to go with used cast iron be prepared for some steep prices for names such as Griswold or Wagner. If the pan is cracked or warped then by all means pass, as it is probably not worth what they are asking for it. Yet if it is not warped or cracked and they are not asking a lot for it then you may have found an exceptionally good deal.


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## oldgrouch (Jul 11, 2014)

My wife, Mrs. Grouch, cooks cornbread in cast iron all the time. I've used my deep chicken fryer on the grill a lot. THe dutch oven is collecting dust, but I purchased a Lodge recipe book So I'll give it a shot this winter. We have Lodge iron.


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## tinkerhell (Oct 8, 2014)

If you find any rusty cast iron pots at a yard sale, don't hesitate to buy it at a good price. When you get it home, take a wire wheel on a drill to clean it, then re-season it like you would a new one.


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## BullseyePrecision (Jun 10, 2014)

Lodge. Nuff said


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## A J (Oct 16, 2014)

What about the enameled Cast Iron that I see?

Anybody with experience with those?

AJ


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## chenlin (Nov 11, 2014)

Excellent! I was going to suggest buying Lodge from Amazon.

______________________
Melamine Plates wholesale, melamine dinner plates supplier - QZMENEED


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## GTGallop (Nov 11, 2012)

If you are looking for NEW - Lodge can't be beat.

If you don't mind used - classic Griswold or Wagner is a better option.

Regardless of what you get, use a whet stone and polish the cooking surfaces real good going finer and finer and finer. If you can get a mirror finish, then great. I always quit before then. The smoother - and I mean SMOOTHER - the cook surface is, the easier clean up is and the better it transfers heat to the food. Also helps a little with sticking. After you are done polishing, you will need to re-season it.

You can (one day I will) take your cast iron to a machine shop and pay to have the surfaces polished. They do a better job and faster than you can but it does cost some money.


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## bigdogbuc (Mar 23, 2012)

I have a ridiculously huge Dutch Oven. And a tripod for it. I use wood to cook in mine, top and bottom like charcoal. It just beats paying for charcoal. 

My favorite Dutch Oven recipe;

Grease it; Bacon grease, lard, Crisco, vegetable oil...

1 or 2 family packs of chicken: Legs or thighs (or both) or leg and thigh quarters
2 sweet onions - large: Take 1 and cut across and layer the bottom of the Dutch oven, then use the rest and cut how you like to mix in 
10 or 12 potatoes: halve them or they cook too fast and get super mushy
Big Bottle of your favorite BBQ Sauce (I love Sweet Baby Ray's)
Salt
Pepper
Seasonings as desired; I use a lot of seasonings to get the flavor explosion, over and above the sauce.

This almost cooks like a soup so you can pretty much add whatever you like to it, peppers etc. To those familiar with Adobo, this is what it reminds me of, but with bbq sauce and much tastier. 

Get yourself a good bed of coals (especially if using wood) and make sure you have some extra going because you'll need more about half way through. 

Line the bottom of the Dutch Oven with the onion slices
Season your chicken to your liking
Halve your potatoes and cut up the rest of your onion how you like them
Put the chicken, potatoes and onion in the Dutch Oven
Add your BBQ Sauce. I use enough to coat everything "really well", but not enough to make it swim. No swimming. If that makes sense. You're going to wind up with quite a bit of liquid when you're done anyway.

Place the dutch oven over the coals and cover the lid with coals. This is a good time to have a pair of gloves and a garden trowel or SMALL shovel. Remember, you're cooking from below AND above.

I've never really had to go longer than about 50 minutes, MAYBE an hour...just depends on your heat. You don't want to cook too fast, but not take all day either.

First check at about 30 minutes. CLEAN OFF THE LID FIRST, so you don't get ashed in the food. Things should be bubbling/slow boil by now. If not, you need more heat. If it's acting like a pressure cooker, it's TOO HOT. That's bad. Scoop some out from underneath and let it settle down a little bit, then re-add some coals. DON'T be afraid to be generous with the coals, you can always take away from it. 

STIR your pot. You need a hefty stirrer because you're turning a lot of weight.

Add more coals to the lid to replace the ones you cleaned off, add some more coals underneath and check again in about 15 or 20 minutes. 

You should find your potatoes firm, approaching the softer side. If they're hard, your chicken isn't cooked. Even though you're cooking in a liquid, you will see a little bit of browning on the meat. 

Once you've determined the meat is fully cooked, remove it from the heat, pull the lid off, at least halfway, and let it cool a little bit so it thickens up some. Then dig in. And be prepared to have this meal requested over and over. It's a lot of work, and not something I would do more than maybe once a month, or couple of times over the summer, but well worth the effort.


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## SecretPrepper (Mar 25, 2014)

On a side note, we made a fish fryer out of an 18" disk blade. After welding grinding and polishing season it just like cast iron. Use it on an outdoor burner like a turkey fryer. As the fish, shrimp, frog legs or what ever are done. they are pulled up the side of the blade to let the oil drain back into the middle while keeping it warm.


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## tinkerhell (Oct 8, 2014)

If you don't mind me asking, what is an 18" disk blade? I'm a sucker for creative repurposing of metal. I just gotta know.


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## A J (Oct 16, 2014)

tinkerhell said:


> If you don't mind me asking, what is an 18" disk blade? I'm a sucker for creative repurposing of metal. I just gotta know.


I'll jump in with this, (I spent enough pulling one)









All those round 'discs' are the disc he was talking about.

AJ


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## tinkerhell (Oct 8, 2014)

Cool, where do you live, and what time is church? You don't mind if you come home to 1 less disk, do you? (jk)


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## bigwheel (Sep 22, 2014)

A J said:


> What about the enameled Cast Iron that I see?
> 
> Anybody with experience with those?
> 
> AJ


No experience other than its very nice high dollar stuff. The upper crust comp chili cooks love it as it has similar properties to regular old cast iron but lacks the reactive factor from acidic type foods which can impart metallic flavors to the goods. A frog eating Frenchie Brand called Le Cuset is generally considered the cream of the crop. Would not advice beating around on it in a campfire. It aint good to chip the enamel. I am a big fan of hard anodized aluminum for them who can afford it..but here is a link to the enameled cast iron. Several clones of it on the market. I cant see the wisdom of when compared to the anodized aluminum..but for your benefit..here is the link. Aluminum and copper have much better heat dispersal properties than near all other available metals. Much better than cast iron..SS..blah blah blah. 
Cookware | Le Creuset


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## tinkerhell (Oct 8, 2014)

I might get an enamel coated crock pot because I have to admit that if I owned a cast iron crock pot it might be ignored 12 or more months at a time. 

I used to keep my favorite cast iron frying pan in the kitchen but my wife hates it. So no I keep it on my garage woodstove. I make a point of using it every few weeks. Plus it gets heavy use during camping trips.


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