seasoning cast iron

[Spotted Owl]

What about this new preseasoned stuff? Anyone use this yet. We are needing a couple more things and the preseasoned is getting real popular. I think I would try and burn it off or brush it down and start over the old way myself. How would you guys handle this preseasoning?


Owl

 

[howellhandmade]

Cracklin' Cornbread

Preheat oven and skillet to 400-425F. Heat a tbsp. or so of bacon grease (cracklins) in the skillet.

Dry ingredients:

1c yellow corn meal
1c all purpose flour
2tsp. baking soda
pinch of salt (and some sugar if you want sweet cornbread)

Wet ingredients:

2c buttermilk
2 eggs
2 tbsp oil

Mix wet and dry ingredients separately, then together, then pour into hot, greased skillet. Should be enough grease to "crackle" and make a nice, thick, fried crust. Use cooking oil instead of bacon grease if you don't like it or you're worried about cholesterol. Bake in oven until browned, about 15 min.

As someone mentioned earlier, it's best if you have a dedicated skillet for this. The first couple of times you make cornbread in the skillet, it will stick. But after that, it will pop right out. No need to wash the skillet. I use my dad's cornbread skillet that he got from his mom. Every couple of years she would build a wood fire and burn off the accumulated seasoning on her skillets and start over. The wood fire is for cleaning, seasoning is done with oil.

Jack

 

[slowp]

Mmmm, my mom always fried potatoes in bacon grease, mmmmmmmm. So good, so bad for you. Mmmmmmm.:drool:

 

[CentaurG2]

Now, I have to buy a new range. Electric. Because I like my cast iron, I can't get a smooth top. Or can I? Am I stealing the thread? You betcha.

From what they tell me cast iron pans will scratch the P out of glass/ceramic cooktops. If you need to stick to electric range and cook mostly with cast iron, you are better off with the coils although there are almost no options left in a new coil top range. To cook bacon, you are better off cooking it low and slow in your oven than pan frying. Suspend the bacon on a suitable rack above a pan (#9 griswold/wagner) to collect the rendered bacon fat. To save the bacon fat, heat it up and pass it through a coffee filter. To purify further, melt fat on top of a large pan full of hot water. Give it a good stir and let the pan cool down/place in the ice box till cold. Skim the harden fat off the surface. You can use bacon fat in any application that you use butter or with other oils to add flavor. Tasty stuff but a little goes a long way. Why the heck are we talking about this on a chainsaw site???

 

[spacemule]

From what they tell me cast iron pans will scratch the P out of glass/ceramic cooktops.

That's what I've been told. However, I asked the appliance guys at work about it, and he said there's no reason you can't use cast iron on a smooth top so long as you're very careful and don't slide the pan around. Made sense to me.

I like the coils though. Coils are also the fastest heating electric.

 

[HimWill]

Now you've given away the secret to Grandma's cornbread, why it tasted so good and can't be duplicated using vegetable oil.I think this thread is still going because everyone loves "homecooking" and it's rapidly fading away in today's fast paced lifestyles.So much easier to pop some "faux" food in the microwave, nuke it, eat it and move on.
Try popping some popcorn in bacon grease,see what you're missing.Top it off in the bowl with a couple of shots of Louisiana Hot Sauce,shake well to mix and eat hearty.

 

[sloch24]

Use Stihl bio-bar oil to season cast iron...works for me...

Gary

Only if it's a Stihl pan though, right?!?! Aren't you stuck on using Stihl for Stihl, Husky for Husky, Gary Goo for Gary Goo, etc... ?!?!?!?

 

[fredmc]

Are you actually supposed to wash them? I figure-heat em up scrape off the crap from last time and start cookin.

 

[Dan_IN_MN]

What........ are they building saws out of cast iron now????:spam:

 

[Austin1]

Antique stores. They are all over around here.


Griswold was made in Erie PA, my hometown.

Since you will be getting Married soon I suggest you hide the Cast Iron Fry Pans they make a dangerous weapon. Just kidding!lol
It's just this Thread reminds me of a story my Grandmother told me as a little boy, about a friend of hers that smacked her husband right between the eye's with a cast iron pan for coming home drunk.
Swine Flue be dammed I season mine with Lard:hmm3grin2orange:

 

[046]

if you season cast iron like I posted earlier... you can clean it anyway you want and cook what ever... no oil seasoning ... no nothing required.

the wood fire method makes absolutely world's best cast seasoner.

 

[spacemule]

if you season cast iron like I posted earlier... you can clean it anyway you want and cook what ever... no oil seasoning ... no nothing required.

the wood fire method makes absolutely world's best cast seasoner.

I'll have to try that. May be some time before I can though, because I'll have to go out to the sticks where my brother lives. I'm in an apartment in the middle of town.

 

[teacherman]

I'll have to try that. May be some time before I can though, because I'll have to go out to the sticks where my brother lives. I'm in an apartment in the middle of town.

I know the real reason...come on, admit it, ya hafta wait till you can go catch a possum fer the grease to season the pan with......:greenchainsaw:

 

[CentaurG2]

Swine Flue be dammed I season mine with Lard:hmm3grin2orange:

If you are going to season or cook with lard, see if you can find some leaf lard or render your own. Try to avoid the hydrogenated junk you find at the grocery store. You are way better off eating bacon fat that that man made junk.

 

[Austin1]

If you are going to season or cook with lard, see if you can find some leaf lard or render your own. Try to avoid the hydrogenated junk you find at the grocery store. You are way better off eating bacon fat that that man made junk.

That is true I actually got some real lard from Huterites. I use it as patch lube on the old .54 Hawken. I swear it works better than anything I have used to keep the fouling soft.

 

[RNeurath]

As far as seasoning cast iron I've tried a lot of different ways and found most don't advise using a high enough seasoning Temp.Here's what works best for me.http://www.melindalee.com/Cast-Iron.html
Ron

 

[CentaurG2]

That is true I actually got some real lard from Huterites. I use it as patch lube on the old .54 Hawken. I swear it works better than anything I have used to keep the fouling soft.

Yep, real leaf lard can be a stretch to find but if you have ever had an apple pie (made with Baldwin apples) with a real leaf lard crust, you would give up lubing them minie balls with lard and switch to paper patches.

 

[Austin1]

Yep, real leaf lard can be a stretch to find but if you have ever had an apple pie (made with Baldwin apples) with a real leaf lard crust, you would give up lubing them minie balls with lard and switch to paper patches.

Lol!Now your making me hungry!

 

[Austin1]

Yep, real leaf lard can be a stretch to find but if you have ever had an apple pie (made with Baldwin apples) with a real leaf lard crust, you would give up lubing them minie balls with lard and switch to paper patches.

As a kid I worked in a produce Dept so I know my apples!

 

[howellhandmade]

Now you've given away the secret to Grandma's cornbread, why it tasted so good and can't be duplicated using vegetable oil.I think this thread is still going because everyone loves "homecooking" and it's rapidly fading away in today's fast paced lifestyles.So much easier to pop some "faux" food in the microwave, nuke it, eat it and move on.
Try popping some popcorn in bacon grease,see what you're missing.Top it off in the bowl with a couple of shots of Louisiana Hot Sauce,shake well to mix and eat hearty.

There are probably a number of reasons it is impossible to duplicate "Grandma's" cornbread. Take eggs, there's a big difference between family eggs and supermarket eggs. Dairy products, too. But not many people use bacon cracklins for cooking these days, and back then it was common. Li'l bit in green beans, mmmmm. I use vegetable oil when my wife is home 'cause she's a vegetarian (how a Calgary girl got like that I'll never know) but a little bacon grease gets cornbread to 90% of grandma's.

Jack