cast iron cookware questions

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   I know almost nothing about cast iron cookware.    What makes it so good for use in bad times?  What is the purpose of seasoning it?  How often does it need to be seasoned?  And how do you clean it?  
I have yet to get any cast iron cookware.   I suspect that I should have some.
  Any input would be greatly appreciated on my end.
Woffman  

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woffman Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Valued Member Joined: January 04 2006 Status: Offline Points: 31	Post Options Post Reply Quote woffman Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: cast iron cookware questions Posted: February 11 2006 at 6:31pm
	I know almost nothing about cast iron cookware. What makes it so good for use in bad times? What is the purpose of seasoning it? How often does it need to be seasoned? And how do you clean it? I have yet to get any cast iron cookware. I suspect that I should have some. Any input would be greatly appreciated on my end. Woffman

TNbebo408 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Adviser Group Joined: December 10 2005 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 295	Post Options Post Reply Quote TNbebo408 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: February 11 2006 at 6:41pm
	Try to get preseasoned cast iron. Best cookware known to man is Lodge cookware. Seasoned means USED, blacked with grease, inside and out. Coat it with lard, cook the iron on 200 for hours. Do it again raise temp to 300, keep doing this till, you get it blacked and slick to the touch. You can cook in it, wipe it out, put a bit of grease in it, and cook again. No crappy stuff to peel off like, what is the stuff, the no stick junk, teflon thats it, kept wanting to type velcro. We have some well over 100 years old. Use it all the time. NEVER PUT IN DISHWASHER! WILL RUIN IT!

Guests Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Guest Group	Post Options Post Reply Quote Guests Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: February 11 2006 at 6:43pm
	Use a good, seasoned cast iron skillet and you'll never want one of those lightweight aluminum jobs again. They heat very evenly, and frankly, I think the food tastes better cooked in cast iron. Seasoning essentially makes it non-stick. Also keeps it from rusting. Takes some getting used to, never using detergent on your skillet (removes the seasoning), but I've never had a problem. Generally, you just wipe them clean, then rinse. I usually dab a bit of crisco in mine after washing, and wipe the cooking surface with a paper towel. Sometimes a single edged razor blade or a brillo pad is needed to remove burnt on food. Generally, you only have to season it once before you use it. If you clean one with detergent, you may have to reseason it. The only down side is, they are heavy. I've developed carpel tunnel syndrome and have to be very careful handling one.

CountryGirl Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Valued Member Joined: February 03 2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 30	Post Options Post Reply Quote CountryGirl Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: February 11 2006 at 7:06pm
	Woffman, You can use cast iron when cooking over an outside fire or on a stove. The dutch oven is great because you can cover it with hot coals and bake. It's very versatile.
	Country Girl

Guests Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Guest Group	Post Options Post Reply Quote Guests Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: February 11 2006 at 10:01pm
	The cast iron pan can be easy to clean with very little water or none Paper towel oil and salt is how Ive cleaned mine for years that way You can use these on top of a wood stove on the barbeque or just camping. You need to keep them with a little oil(on them )this is the old way straight out of the mining camps.

janetn Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List V.I.P. Member Joined: February 04 2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 333	Post Options Post Reply Quote janetn Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: February 12 2006 at 11:41am
	I cant find any good cast iron around here. I have a couple of pieces from my grandmother and the stuff Ive seen doesnt even compare. So TN you recomend Lodge, where can I get it and does anyone have any other brands they recomned

Wraith Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List advanced Member Joined: February 06 2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 22	Post Options Post Reply Quote Wraith Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: February 12 2006 at 1:40pm
	Jane, check out thrift stores, junk stores, ebay, any place that sells used stuff. My step dad owns a junk shop and he gets good, seasoned cast iron weekly and sells them for less than $10. Griswold is the best cast iron ever made and wagner is a pretty close second. There is nothing made today that even comes close except maybe for lodge, which is made in the US, everything else is foreign garbage. Dennis
	The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape, finding oneself in the ranks of the insane. Voltaire "There is nothing more frightful than ignorance in action" Einstein

chefmom Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List V.I.P. Member Joined: January 31 2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 85	Post Options Post Reply Quote chefmom Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: February 12 2006 at 2:10pm
	I have bought Wagner sast iron skillet on ebay for $7 and shipping was pretty cheap too. Try yard sales and don't over look a piece of nasty looking griswol that is rusty and such. Steel wool removes it and you can reseason it. Cast iron is very forgiving in my experience. My husband brought home a muffin pan that looked like a big piece of rust and now it is shiny black and perfectly seasoned. It is also true that once you cook in a cast iron skillet you'll never want to cook in anything else
	May God protect us all.

TNbebo408 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Adviser Group Joined: December 10 2005 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 295	Post Options Post Reply Quote TNbebo408 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: February 12 2006 at 3:11pm
	No doubt Lodge is the best, I think wally world has it, cracker barrel does I know. We have some been in family for a hundred years, cooked on it today. And will tommorrow. Look up national cornbread festival, should have links to Lodge.

swifty Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Valued Member Joined: February 04 2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 4	Post Options Post Reply Quote swifty Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: February 12 2006 at 3:28pm
	Yes Wally World does carry Lodge. Just picked up a :combo cooker" today. Pre-seasoned and ready to go. I had a brain fart years ago and actually got rid of my awesome Wagner fry pan. Never will understand what I was thinking!

Kumera Kid Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List V.I.P. Member Joined: February 11 2006 Location: New Zealand Status: Offline Points: 33	Post Options Post Reply Quote Kumera Kid Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: February 12 2006 at 4:51pm
	Have cooked on it regularly for years over an open fire. Never bought a dud brand as long as it was cast iron. Different story with cast aluminium. What ever you do dont use soap or detugent when cleaning it. I use hot water and wipe it out with paper towels. The more you use them the easier they become to clean