Gravy's Cooking Thread

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BrutulTM

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Steak/pork chops are great in a cast iron skillet. The nice thing about them is they have some weight to them and transfer heat really efficiently so they're great for searing meat. Also good for making corn bread where you heat the pan up in the oven ahead of time and then pour the batter into the hot pan.
 
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popsicledeath

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Also good for making corn bread where you heat the pan up in the oven ahead of time and then pour the batter into the hot pan.

I have fond memories of my mom making cornbread in just such a way in a cast iron pan on a red hot wood stove in the winter. Was always crusty and extra light/fluffy. Good stuff. Sometimes being poor wasn't so bad.
 
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popsicledeath

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So I'm getting a cast iron skillet, because I've never had one. After seasoning it I'm going to cook some bacon. My other thought is I want to try making a pizza in it.

Anything really stand out cooked in cast iron?

Which brand? Cheap Lodge or something fancy like Stargazer?

Familiar with cast iron cooking or new to it? It can be a tricky. My new, cheap Lodge pan took months to be serviceable. Antique Griswold machined smooth is a dream that even after stripping was great after one seasoning. I'm still seasoning the Lodge pans every few weeks trying to get a durable surface.

Generally, good for searing meat. Home fry potatoes on stovetop then oven. Deep frying especially on induction burner. Nothing is better for grilled cheese or quesadillas or the like than my smoothed Griswold pan.

I have a flat, square cast iron griddle style baking sheet that gets the most use. Have started searing with it since it has short sides so let's more moisture evaporate. Is great for pizza or biscuits or oven bread as a baking stone. It's a trooper and really shines with versatility.

Deepish dish pizza in cast iron pan is a benefit too, especially if you're brave enough to preheat the pan.
 

Burren

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I came home with a rib roast that was about $80 and my wife freaked out. I reminded her how much it costs when all 7 of us go out for dinner, and she got it immediately. Plus my steaks are better than the ones I get at whatever restaurant I go to. And the wine is cheaper.
Seven? You have five kids, or you bringing the dog and the goldfish too?

How the hell does anyone with 5 kids:
- get anything done
- have any peace and quiet
- have any personal hobby time
- go do anything on a whim
- fuck spouse any time or place

I'm stressed out thinking about it, lol.
 

slippery

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Which brand? Cheap Lodge or something fancy like Stargazer?

Familiar with cast iron cooking or new to it? It can be a tricky. My new, cheap Lodge pan took months to be serviceable. Antique Griswold machined smooth is a dream that even after stripping was great after one seasoning. I'm still seasoning the Lodge pans every few weeks trying to get a durable surface.

Generally, good for searing meat. Home fry potatoes on stovetop then oven. Deep frying especially on induction burner. Nothing is better for grilled cheese or quesadillas or the like than my smoothed Griswold pan.

I have a flat, square cast iron griddle style baking sheet that gets the most use. Have started searing with it since it has short sides so let's more moisture evaporate. Is great for pizza or biscuits or oven bread as a baking stone. It's a trooper and really shines with versatility.

Deepish dish pizza in cast iron pan is a benefit too, especially if you're brave enough to preheat the pan.
I've never had one, it's a cheaper one.
 

lurkingdirk

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Seven? You have five kids, or you bringing the dog and the goldfish too?

How the hell does anyone with 5 kids:
- get anything done
- have any peace and quiet
- have any personal hobby time
- go do anything on a whim
- fuck spouse any time or place

I'm stressed out thinking about it, lol.

You find ways to make it happen. It's a lot easier now that they are 14-21 years old. They've always been independent. Honestly, it gets easier all the time, but I regret none of it.
 
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popsicledeath

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I've never had one, it's a cheaper one.

Be patient with it as it will not perform great at first. My smoothed antique pan is virtually nonstick. Newer cast iron with factory seasoning will stick like crazy, including stuff like bacon or meat the other pan is great at.

I'd strip it to metal with a scouring pad since most factory seasoning is sprayed on crap. Then look up some seasoning guides and methods. I like avocado oil, many swear by flaxseed but I think it doesn't adhere to the pan very well.

Even after getting a new seasoning layer on it still gonna need to baby it some. It just won't act like a well worn pan with years of use until it is one.

Cast iron gets very hot and stays hot, which makes it easy to burn or overcook stuff. One nice thing is the dark surface doesn't reflect so a thermal gun can give precise temps of the pan surface so pan temps are easier to dial in.

If you're handy there are many guides on machining/sanding the surface smooth, which is a hotly debated topic but I think makes a huge difference in performance.

It takes practice and some effort to deal with cast iron, but it's worth it imo, especially for sear then bake recipes, frying where you want a heavy pan/pot, and high temp stuff. And baking is where cast iron shines, which surprises a lot of people, but that heat retention is amazing.
 
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Lanx

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I'd strip it to metal with a scouring pad since most factory seasoning is sprayed on crap. Then look up some seasoning guides and methods. I like avocado oil, many swear by flaxseed but I think it doesn't adhere to the pan very well.
yea i tried those different oils on my carbon steel pans, not worth it

best just follow the queen bitch (only reason i have a can of crisco)

also ppl do well just by cooking down potato skins in oil too as well.
 
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popsicledeath

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yea i tried those different oils on my carbon steel pans, not worth it

best just follow the queen bitch (only reason i have a can of crisco)

also ppl do well just by cooking down potato skins in oil too as well.

Potato skins?!

I do avocado on a bare pan at high heat to get a base coating, then bacon grease at lower heat to finish and touch up maintenance if I don't have lard. Has worked well enough.

Have never gotten my cast iron wok to keep a seasoning, though, so might be doing too high heat in the thing, but that's why it's awesome.

Edit: never using soap again once seasoned? A bit outdated. Modern dish soap aren't going to strip a proper seasoning.
 
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Ossoi

Tranny Chaser
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but Guga's stuff can be OK for sous vide.

Who did it best?

Guga
or me

egg1.jpg


egg2.jpg
 
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BrutulTM

Good, bad, I'm the guy with the gun.
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Don't overthink it. I cook eggs in a plain ass lodge pan every morning. Nothing sticks to it. There's no reason to use soap in it. Just get it warm enough to melt whatever is on it and then hose it down in the sink and set it back on the burner (turned off) to dry. If it's not shiny you're not cooking enough bacon. That's all you really need to know. If you're a min-maxing nerd then sure, sand the thing down and use 30 different oils to season it on your day off. If you just want to cook food, don't worry about it.
 
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Lanx

Oye Ve
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If you're a min-maxing nerd then sure, sand the thing down and use 30 different oils to season it on your day off. If you just want to cook food, don't worry about it.
min max is life,
min waist
max boob
 
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LiquidDeath

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Potato skins?!

I do avocado on a bare pan at high heat to get a base coating, then bacon grease at lower heat to finish and touch up maintenance if I don't have lard. Has worked well enough.

Have never gotten my cast iron wok to keep a seasoning, though, so might be doing too high heat in the thing, but that's why it's awesome.

Edit: never using soap again once seasoned? A bit outdated. Modern dish soap aren't going to strip a proper seasoning.

What are you cooking that you need anything more than water and a hard bristle scub brush to get off?

Once your pan is seasoned well hitting it with dish soap is just starting the process over again. Dish soap like Dawn is specifically made to destoy oil so you are guaranteeing that you'll damage your season if you use it.
 

popsicledeath

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What are you cooking that you need anything more than water and a hard bristle scub brush to get off?

Once your pan is seasoned well hitting it with dish soap is just starting the process over again. Dish soap like Dawn is specifically made to destoy oil so you are guaranteeing that you'll damage your season if you use it.

In the wok just normal oriental wok stuff. Very high temp gets too much carbon and sticking. Never maintains a good seasoning. If I lower temps it's fine but may as well just use a regular pan at that point.

Soaking cast iron is bad, but a normal, non-abrasive wash with dish soap isn't going to damage the seasoning. If your seasoning is still in oil form you're doing it wrong.

Granted, a good cast iron rarely needs washed, but the dish soap destroying seasoning isn't something I've ever witnessed or need able to replicate when stripping a pan and intentionally trying.
 
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Dr.Retarded

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In the wok just normal oriental wok stuff. Very high temp gets too much carbon and sticking. Never maintains a good seasoning. If I lower temps it's fine but may as well just use a regular pan at that point.

Soaking cast iron is bad, but a normal, non-abrasive wash with dish soap isn't going to damage the seasoning. If your seasoning is still in oil form you're doing it wrong.

Granted, a good cast iron rarely needs washed, but the dish soap destroying seasoning isn't something I've ever witnessed or need able to replicate when stripping a pan and intentionally trying.
I think Kenji food lab man tested this at one point, and soap won't kill your seasoning as long as you use it appropriately. He said that if you scrub it down hard with a bunch of dawn obviously you're going to fuck it up.

But some hot water and a little bit of detergent and a soft sponge is perfectly fine for cleaning the skillet. Really depends on what you cooked. If you're frying eggs obviously there's not going to be a whole hell of a lot of cleaning.

If you're blackening pork chops or catfish Paul Prudhomme style, that may be a different story.

My Le Creuset cleans easily, but if I use it for smash burgers, or true blue blackening, I definitely have to use a bit of soap, even though it's been seasoned for years.
 
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Creslin

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I always either use a light sponge with some dawn if it is super dirty with caked on food or just turn on the gas let it melt the oil/fat and wipe it down with a dry paper towel right before cooking again. Never screws up my seasoning.
 
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Alex

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I've got a chainmail scrubber for stuff that really sticks. Other than that it's just spraying it down with hot water.
 
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