Cast iron cooking
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Any cast iron enthusiasts in here? I like to use a 12 in camp dutch oven as well as numerous cast iron skillets. My best skillet is a very old Griswold that I got as a gift.

@ndmike There’s a following on this site for these gems. I have about 8-10 of them (12,11,10,8,6,4 skillets; 1 Dutch Oven-3 peg; 1 square-about 8 inches; 2 enamel coated Dutch Ovens and a 9-13 baking tray). There may be more. But those are the core. My fav all depends on what I’m preparing. They are the most versatile cooking instruments. The only item that I’m not fond of is when making in them is crepes. Most of mine were gifts from people or the Goodwill store that looked like OMG at the beginning. Glad you also enjoy these instruments of goodness.
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Is there a certain brand you recommend for the enameled ci?
RJ Adventures Don’t know if I have any particular brand that I would tout, I have Le Cruesant(sp?) and Lodge and I have seen a a nickel plated one I think made by Grizzly. I would stick with a name brand. I have seen some older CI but unfortunately the enamel has been abused
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RJ Adventures Don’t know if I have any particular brand that I would tout, I have Le Cruesant(sp?) and Lodge and I have seen a a nickel plated one I think made by Grizzly. I would stick with a name brand. I have seen some older CI but unfortunately the enamel has been abused
YooperDog @RJ Adventures I know one or two are Lodge, the others are toooooo old or worn to determine. I just know that they do well in my world. Maybe if I cared, I would look closer. Cleaned up 3/4 of them with sooo much rust on them, I just knew that they were definitely cast iron.

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YooperDog @RJ Adventures I know one or two are Lodge, the others are toooooo old or worn to determine. I just know that they do well in my world. Maybe if I cared, I would look closer. Cleaned up 3/4 of them with sooo much rust on them, I just knew that they were definitely cast iron.

zbigjeff what did you do to clean them up? Only have a couple cast iron and both are lodge, one is a 10" skillet and I have a smaller griddle plate for camping to throw across the outdoor kitchen stove
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zbigjeff what did you do to clean them up? Only have a couple cast iron and both are lodge, one is a 10" skillet and I have a smaller griddle plate for camping to throw across the outdoor kitchen stove
RJ Adventures said in Cast iron cooking:
zbigjeff what did you do to clean them up? Only have a couple cast iron and both are lodge, one is a 10" skillet and I have a smaller griddle plate for camping to throw across the outdoor kitchen stove
For restoring really rusty dirty cast iron, I am definitely sold on the electrolysis method for cleaning cast iron. All you need is an automotive type battery charger, a container large enough for the item, and Arm and Hammer washing soda. When finished you just need to season the item.
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processhead thanks for that link! Never thought about the electrolysis to clean them but makes total sense! Loved doing this in school
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processhead Thanks for posting this link. Had not thought of this method but think I’ll try it on my old Griswold.
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RJ Adventures said in Cast iron cooking:
zbigjeff what did you do to clean them up? Only have a couple cast iron and both are lodge, one is a 10" skillet and I have a smaller griddle plate for camping to throw across the outdoor kitchen stove
For restoring really rusty dirty cast iron, I am definitely sold on the electrolysis method for cleaning cast iron. All you need is an automotive type battery charger, a container large enough for the item, and Arm and Hammer washing soda. When finished you just need to season the item.
processhead yes a lot easier than elbow grease. One of our daily pieces is a 10 " Japanese piece that we found on our property, days of daily scrubbing to get it cleaned up. With that operation we could have let chemistry do the work.
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@ndmike There’s a following on this site for these gems. I have about 8-10 of them (12,11,10,8,6,4 skillets; 1 Dutch Oven-3 peg; 1 square-about 8 inches; 2 enamel coated Dutch Ovens and a 9-13 baking tray). There may be more. But those are the core. My fav all depends on what I’m preparing. They are the most versatile cooking instruments. The only item that I’m not fond of is when making in them is crepes. Most of mine were gifts from people or the Goodwill store that looked like OMG at the beginning. Glad you also enjoy these instruments of goodness.
zbigjeff that is a nice collection. I love cooking on cast iron. I have a stupid glass top stove right now that I want to switch out to gas. I like gas for the control of heat so much better.
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RJ Adventures said in Cast iron cooking:
zbigjeff what did you do to clean them up? Only have a couple cast iron and both are lodge, one is a 10" skillet and I have a smaller griddle plate for camping to throw across the outdoor kitchen stove
For restoring really rusty dirty cast iron, I am definitely sold on the electrolysis method for cleaning cast iron. All you need is an automotive type battery charger, a container large enough for the item, and Arm and Hammer washing soda. When finished you just need to season the item.
processhead spot on for really nasty stuff when restoring.
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Is there a certain brand you recommend for the enameled ci?
RJ Adventures I use Le Creuset. A little pricey but good up well. Great great distribution. Down side, my wife says it’s pretty heavy.
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zbigjeff what did you do to clean them up? Only have a couple cast iron and both are lodge, one is a 10" skillet and I have a smaller griddle plate for camping to throw across the outdoor kitchen stove
RJ Adventures First, baking soda and water into semi loose paste and rub it in to remove most the rust. Then, add white vinegar, let it set for a couple minutes and continue wiping. Sometimes, it takes 2 applications. Then, use a metallic scrub pad to clean it up and remove all of the rust. Wash it off and dry it completely. Apply very light coating of mineral or canola oil to the complete item and place it in either a grill (mostly) upside down for around 15-20 mins. Take out and apply another light layer. Sometimes, the seasoning takes 3-4 applications. You can use the oven. But, you better have a good exhaust fan.
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@ndmike There’s a following on this site for these gems. I have about 8-10 of them (12,11,10,8,6,4 skillets; 1 Dutch Oven-3 peg; 1 square-about 8 inches; 2 enamel coated Dutch Ovens and a 9-13 baking tray). There may be more. But those are the core. My fav all depends on what I’m preparing. They are the most versatile cooking instruments. The only item that I’m not fond of is when making in them is crepes. Most of mine were gifts from people or the Goodwill store that looked like OMG at the beginning. Glad you also enjoy these instruments of goodness.
zbigjeff I don’t think that I ever saw a 13 x 9 CI
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craigrice It’s a cast iron ceramic glaze covered 9x13 pan just like some Dutch ovens. I went to look for it and I saw a note that I lent it to a friend to bake lasagna. Yep, have to get it back.
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RJ Adventures said in Cast iron cooking:
zbigjeff what did you do to clean them up? Only have a couple cast iron and both are lodge, one is a 10" skillet and I have a smaller griddle plate for camping to throw across the outdoor kitchen stove
For restoring really rusty dirty cast iron, I am definitely sold on the electrolysis method for cleaning cast iron. All you need is an automotive type battery charger, a container large enough for the item, and Arm and Hammer washing soda. When finished you just need to season the item.
processhead That I never tried. Sounds like it will turn the trick. Yay for you. I just use baking soda/water. Then, vinegar and steel wool. Usually does a good job.
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processhead That I never tried. Sounds like it will turn the trick. Yay for you. I just use baking soda/water. Then, vinegar and steel wool. Usually does a good job.
zbigjeff said in Cast iron cooking:
processhead That I never tried. Sounds like it will turn the trick. Yay for you. I just use baking soda/water. Then, vinegar and steel wool. Usually does a good job.
For day to day small jobs this sounds like a good method.
Here is a before and after picture I posted a couple months ago of a cast iron sausage stuffer that I redid using the electrolysis method.
https://meatgistics.waltonsinc.com/topic/1379/what-did-everyone-cook-today/2334?_=1619140893542
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zbigjeff said in Cast iron cooking:
processhead That I never tried. Sounds like it will turn the trick. Yay for you. I just use baking soda/water. Then, vinegar and steel wool. Usually does a good job.
For day to day small jobs this sounds like a good method.
Here is a before and after picture I posted a couple months ago of a cast iron sausage stuffer that I redid using the electrolysis method.
https://meatgistics.waltonsinc.com/topic/1379/what-did-everyone-cook-today/2334?_=1619140893542
processhead Sausage Stuffer: Really nice job that you should be proud of for sure.
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zbigjeff said in Cast iron cooking:
processhead That I never tried. Sounds like it will turn the trick. Yay for you. I just use baking soda/water. Then, vinegar and steel wool. Usually does a good job.
For day to day small jobs this sounds like a good method.
Here is a before and after picture I posted a couple months ago of a cast iron sausage stuffer that I redid using the electrolysis method.
https://meatgistics.waltonsinc.com/topic/1379/what-did-everyone-cook-today/2334?_=1619140893542
processhead that is a nice transformation on that old stuffer! My father-in-law has an old Enterprise stuffer that I am trying to convince him to give me!
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zbigjeff @NDMike That is now my go to stuffer. I turned down a tight fitting poly disk from an old cutting board on my lathe to use as a gasket, so no more blow-by past the old cast iron piston.
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zbigjeff @NDMike That is now my go to stuffer. I turned down a tight fitting poly disk from an old cutting board on my lathe to use as a gasket, so no more blow-by past the old cast iron piston.
processhead there is a guy making them here where I live. He sells them for under $10.
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