Cast Iron Skillets. You dig them?
 

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What's the best way to cook a burger at home, on a gas stove?

I heard that Cast Iron Skillets are the way to go.

Would you agree? Have you tried burgers on them?

They are awesome when your (ex)wife doesn't insist on filling them with soapy water and leaving them to soak overnight...

Hell to the mutha****in yea. I love em.

Calling Fire Me Boy! (at least I think it's FMB who has a serious cast iron obsession and is something of an expert).

**** YEAH!!!!

She's your ex because you killed her, right?

Any brand in particular? Any tips on making burgers on them?

Do I go for the cast iron griddles or just regular ones?

It's tough to beat a burger made on cast iron. I rarely do burgers on anything else.

I bought one a couple weeks ago. They are amazing for cooking a strip. Put in in the oven and preheat the oven to 500 degrees. When it's done, turn on a burner to high. Put the skillet on the burner and put the steak on for 30 seconds then flip and cook the other side for 30 seconds. Put it back in the oven for 3 minutes, flip, and 3 more minutes. Perfect steak.

Don't use soap when you clean it, though. Scrub it under hot water, dry it, and rub a little olive or vegetable oil on it before putting it away.

:)

Not really. Le Creuset are the top of the line, but I've never seen or heard anyone who owns 'em say they were worth the extra money you spend. Most of my cast iron is Lodge.

Personally, I'd skip the griddle and go with a 10- or 12-inch skillet. Everything tastes better in cast iron, and you'll limit what you can do with just a griddle.

Sounds like you either A) Watched a very old episode of Good Eats or B) Purchased Alton Brown's cookbook.

That's a verbatim description of how he cooks his steaks indoors.

It's a passable winter substitute for wood-charcoal in a Weber grill...

I have a Le Crueset set that my wife won in a baking contest. It's pretty nice, but nowhere near worth the money they ask for them.

I use my Cabellas Dutch Oven more than I use any of her stuff and it works great. Otherwise I just use my cheapie Lodge skillet and have never had a complaint.

Spending a bunch of money on Cast Iron cookware is dumb - it's strength is in its simplicity. That's like spending $100 on a flathead screwdriver because it has ivory inlays in the handle or something.

For seasoning, I still haven't done this, but according to Cook's Illustrated, this is the ultimate way to season a cast iron pan. It'll take some time, but you'll be rewarded.

From a recent edition of Cooks Illustrated (please pardon any typos - I had to re-type it from the magazine):

Sounds good. Do I get preseasoned or season it myself?

Can't wait to get my hands on one.

It's the only reason people go to farm auctions anymore

We did that with this freaking 40 day aged T-bone my buddy brought up the other day. Insane.

Neither. I got it word of mouth, but I'm pretty sure that Alton Brown was involved in the creation of the chain. It's ****ing good, though.

Yup^. Scrub with a stiff brush, no steel wool or detergents (like SOS pads).

That reminds me. It can't be some shitty 1/2 inch cut. It's got to be 1 1/2 inches thick. This should go without saying, but you never know.

They're almost always pre-seasoned these days, but you'll be better off if you give a little attention before you cook on it. If you try the method above, report back.

As for cleaning, someone else mentioned just use hot water. DO NOT USE SOAP, and ALWAYS DRY IT IMMEDIATELY. These things will rust fast. If you've got some stuck on bits and need some scrubbing power, salt and a paper towel work wonders. Don't use an abrasive scrubbing sponge because it can wreck the seasoning. If you need to strip the seasoning for any reason, pop it in the oven and put it on self-clean.

Here is mine. Better burgers and steaks than on a grill for sure. Just get it real hot. Scrub with non soapy water and a pastic brush. Dry, then add a bit of oil and wipe it all over.

That's a good lookin' skillet my friend.

Fap material for sure... umm... you know... if you get excited about cast iron. :bolt:

I will say that holding a cast iron skillet in your hand is a very satisfying feeling. It's like holding a heavy handgun or something. There's just something about it that appeals to a guy.

Yeah, it's a killer recipe in Alton's book Good Eats.(love that book).

Saul, if you like blue cheese, do the same thing to cook your steak. Then de-glaze the skillet with about 1/4C brandy, then a add in the blue cheese to melt. Spoon out on the side. It makes a great dipping sauce for a steak (not that steaks need it, but you get the idea).

Alton's recipe^ not mine.

I’ve had my cast iron for a few months, but its been kind of a pain in the ass. After every use I have to scrub the thing with water and paper towel (leaving bits of paper towel all over), then rub the whole thing down with oil, wipe off the excess oil, and put it in a hot oven. Maybe it’s the weight of the thing, but non-stick just seems easier (leave it soaking in soapy water, then wipe it out and rinse off). I wonder if I’m doing something wrong.

Oh, and I’ve heard using walnut oil is better for cast iron because it doesn’t get rancid like vegetable oil can.

What brand is it? It looks great.

That's the scary thing about them. You need to know how to care for them.

It's funny. I hate blue cheese, but it's really good on a steak. It's almost like I hate and love it at the same time when it's on a steak. Hard to explain, but maybe I'm in the process of acquiring the taste. If anyone's ever been to La Bodega, that blue cheese encrusted steak is amazing.

I usually rinse with hot water, get all the food etc off, the dry with a regular towel. then I put it back on the burner just to get it warm; then I apply a small amount of crisco all around inside it with a paper towel; then cool.

Mine was like $13 bucks at Walmart.

I have 8" and 12" cast skillets. Love those things. I don't use them every day, but they are irreplaceable. I also have a 6 quart cast iron dutch oven. It's an enameled one, and it is amazing for soups and stews. I use the hell outta that thing...... especially in the fall and winter.

same here. to overwhelming any time else for me, except when that taste is cut a bit by a rich/juicy steak.

LMAO

Still can't beat a good horseradish sauce, though.

thats just so not right. worse is in dishwasher

If you really want to know whats what in CI..http://www.wag-society.org/

Used mine to cook a couple of filets last night. Delicious as always.

Your not using it enough if your vegetable oil is getting rancid. I've never had an issue using Vegetable or Canola oil as my after dry wipe down.

It's made from monkey cum, you know.

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Or swing them at your head.

I have some cast iron skillets my Dad gave me when my grandmother passed away. Love cooking on them, but they could probably stand to be stripped and re-seasoned. May have to get some flaxseed oil! Thanks Firemeboy for posting that.

I use them, but not very often as I am lazy and like to throw shit in the dishwasher. But they are pretty bomb. I mainly use them camping...

Not scary at all. Once you have a good seasoned layer it is pure simplicity.
I use Olive Oil and nothing else to keep it oily.
Only warm water and a wood scraper to get the tough stuff out.
Lodge is the way I go.

The bonus of Cast Iron is cooking in them is FAT FREE!
A little known fact is Cast Iron absorbs all the bad fats from Bacon and Sausage....thats what Dad told me and I am stickin to it:thumb:

Yeah, once again I feel pretty stupid. We have had the same big old cast iron skillet for 40+ years and only use it for frying chicken. We knew nothing about the seasoning or proper cleaning until this thread.

Smart dad!

trip out.....my cast irons are seasoned the old fashioned way.....I may have to try this...thanks for posting..

would flax seed have any different flavor or odor than veg oil?

can I season with just bacon? cook the bacon wipe and repeat?

For burgers, first sprinkle salt in the skillet, the heat until it is searing hot before adding the meat. Supposed to keep the meat from sticking. That's the way I do it anyway.

My grandfather always popped popcorn using bacon grease and a black iron skillet. It's actually pretty good.

yep. pretty much what I have done with mine, and I am satisfied.....although the flaxseed method above supposedly gets you better results (less spotting and rusting apparently, although I dont get much with bacon/veg oil)

awesome! :drool: :thumb:

If it's sticking, your pan either isn't seasoned very well, or you're trying to flip it too soon.

:thumb:Important tip....this is key to frying floured Deer loin.

I'm not even sure of the brand. I bought that at a garage sale prbably 20 years ago. It was my camp skillet, then got moved to the kitchen when my parents gave me a "set" of cast iron stuff. If you season them well, deglaze them after use, scrub with a plastic cleaner, dry, and re oil after each use, yours will look just like mine in a year or so. It is basically non stick now. I think the biggest keys are to deglaze with water after use, and re oiling every time.

CAAAAAAST IIIIIIIIIIRON

There is no better feeling than re-seasoning.

So I have the option of grabbing a 10 inch Staub cast iron skillet , griddled or order online a 10 inch Lodge, not griddled .

What do you recommend? I will end up paying the same price for either one, considering shipping costs.

I mainly plan on using it on burgers, searing steaks and grilling Fish. Will I regret my decision if I go with Staub?

Here it is

http://resources.shopstyle.com/sim/d...-grill-pan.jpg

Not to hijack the thread, but since it's a cooking thread- I got some gift certificates to Williams Sonoma recently and I'm considering a nice quality knife and sharpener. Up to now I've always used just the stuff you get at Target, etc.
Does anyone have an opinion on brand, style, etc? (I was looking at Shun, Wusthof and Global) Are these knives worth it?

I don't really like using vegetable oil to season the pan as the surface can get gummy after a while. We use tallow to season ours. A saturated fat won't oxidize or go rancid like a polyunsaturated will.

Standby on that. The most recent Cook's Illustrated reviewed knife sets. I'll get it and give you the rundown.

I don't care for cast iron grill pans. I find them terribly difficult to clean and season really well, and you can't do everything you want in them. And if I want to grill, I'll use the grill.

I'd go with a standard 10- or 12-inch cast iron skillet, like what tooge pictured above. That's your standard go-to pan and will do a kick ass job with burgers.

You'll like the enameled exterior, though.

Are you talking slicing knife? Like for turkey/roast?

And how much are you looking to spend? The basics of the CI article was that none of the blocks are worth it for money for the quality. Instead, they came up with a DIY set based on their highly recommended knives (one or two Wusthofs, Shun shears, and a few others) and one of those Kapoosh blocks. Total cost runs $375ish, if I remember correctly. A little shopping around and I'm sure you could find it cheaper.

Generally speaking, it just depends on what you like. Personally, I go for the Japanese blades. I really like the 15-degree blades better, and prefer their handling and sharpness.

Oh, I was thinking he was looking for a set... :doh!:

All three of the brands you mentioned are good, as are Henckels. I'd go with what you like. I was going to buy a Shun santoku, because I love the look and idea of them, but the handle was kind of small and the feel a little light for my tastes. I have gigantic hands and very long fingers, though.

I'd go non-griddled. You are going to want as much surface area of the meat to be seared, and the griddle will only give you the grill marks.

I use this

http://ak2.ostkcdn.com/images/products/P12285337.jpg

It's made to fit over 2 burners and it's flat on the opposite side.

I was looking at knives that run $150-$200 for a chef's knife or Santoku knife. For instance, they have a two piece Wusthof Chef's knife and paring knife for $150, and a Global Santoku for $200.
Not knowing much about them, I guess I'm wondering if one of the brands is considered cheap or somehow inferior in quality. Or, if you're getting one of their knives, even the entry level quality, is it considered pretty good?

I guess I'm sort of gathering from your post that maybe it's somewhat personal preference, and I just need to go down and hold a couple maybe and just see what feels better when it comes to the physical styling.

If you're looking specifically for a chef's knife or a santoku, check out www.japanesechefsknife.com or www.watanabeblade.com/english/. These guys rule. I have a Tojiro 8-inch chef's knife that I absolutely adore, and I have a santoku from Watanabe Blade that is my No. 2.

The Tojiro ran about $90, and it was the blade that got me really into quality knives.

As a brand, Global has the "top of the line" rep, and I don't think you'd go wrong there, but I'd check out one of the sites above. Masamoto makes a helluva knife, too. Check out their 210 Gyoto (Gyoto is chef's knife style).

yep. don't get griddled. You'll spend alot of time cleaning inbetween the ridges, and it doesn't do anything a straigth 12 inch pan won't do. If you are after grill marks, then use the grill to sear and finish in the oven in your cast iron pan.

Thanks. Lodge it is :)

I agree. I'll go with a regular Cast Iron Skillet then :)

Will the oven cleaner method work to make sure a used pan is 100% clean? I've wanted to be able to buy used pans at yard sales but need to make sure someones old pancakes don't rise to the surface.

Yes, that'll strip the seasoning and you'll be left with bare cast iron.

Thanks.

if there are just spots of rust around the outside, do you have to strip the seasoning completely? Or can you just wipe it off with a washcloth or something and reseason then?

A resounding yes from me. Burgers and even steaks are great in iron skillets.

Cast iron skillets hurt like hell when you get slapped up the side of your head with one.

Hey don't make fun of Matt Cassel's childhood injuries. It's not his fault his mother is a stickler for good Peewee football QB ratings