For those of you that cook, what is your favorite implement of culinary destruction?

Jstas

So tell us what it is and why you like so much!

For me, it's gotta be my cast iron pans! My mother and grandmother had them for years and still use them. When I got married and moved out, I got a few of my own pans and I keep collecting them as I have time. When I get a house, I'm builing a BBQ pit so I can make fires for using the dutch ovens.

Why do I like them so much? Well, first off, if properly cared for and used, they are indestructable. When seasoned correctly, they work better than Teflon at keeping food from sticking to them. As they age, they only get better! Ever heard of an aluminum frying pan being an "heirloom". Also, the flavors that a properly seasoned pan/pot/over can impart on what you are cooking is almost endless. They heat very evenly and hold heat for a good long time.

The only drawbacks are that the heat can be difficult to deal with because so many oven mitts out there are incapable of handling the 500+ degree heats that the pans can sometimes reach. Also, since part of teh reason they work so well is the seasoning then that means they have to be washed by hand because the dishwasher and the detergents will strip the seasoning right out and rust the pan. That sucks because the pan is basically ruined for cooking then.

faster100

Copper bottom revere ware pans, we have a large collection of old (old revere ware stamped) and newer... love em.. and we have a large collection of kitchenaid appliances if that counts.. The 475 watt stand mixer, 11 cup food processor, the blender,the remake of the 1940's coffee grinder and a ton of utencils and other gadets.. all in RED.. they work fantastic and are worth the extra dough to buy em.. We love to cook and have about every tool, pan and glass casserole you could think of.. we also have a huge amount of old retro pyrex casseroles, mixing bowls and such that work so good and clean up easier then the clear glass crap they make now.. we have the white interior with painted outsides... anyways.. thats it, good topic

Tour2ma

Cast iron rocks...

Heat to white hot for blackened fish, steaks, chicken...

Properly seasoned they're virtually non-stick.

Easy clean up... water... brush... and back on the heat to dry...

faster100

I have a few cast iron pans.. just picked up a vintage corn stick pan, to make corn bread.. looks like a half a corn cob molds..

madmax

Cast iron pans are awesome. I seem to have problems with sticking no matter what I do though. I'm sure it is something to do with seasoning but I don't know what it is. Any insite?
madmax

pjdami

Originally posted by madmax
Cast iron pans are awesome. I seem to have problems with sticking no matter what I do though. I'm sure it is something to do with seasoning but I don't know what it is. Any insite?
madmax

I like to "season" my cast iron stuff with bacon grease. Put the oven on 275 and coat the cast iron skillet, etc. with the bacon grease and bake for 2 hours. Several treatments may be needed. Eventually, you get like a black carbonized coating on the pan that is non-sticky.

Cast iron gear is a must here for me. Only way to prepare a good "roux". The "roux" is a base for many gumbos and stews we have here in south Louisiana. The cast iron gear creates a good and uniform heat sink area for even heat transfer required to cook a good roux.

Paul

pjdami

p.s. Please remove any plastic parts on the pot or pan (like handles) before you put it in the oven. I know that sounds obvious....but..............

LOL...

Demiurge

Yup...Cast Iron.

...and I love my Wusthof knives! :eek:

Tour2ma

Plastic on cast iron??? Some kind of starter set I guess...

I've just used vegetable oil to season in the past...

And yes, Wusthof rocks as well... Have a set on the kitchen island. On a budget, Tratonia will also do quite nicely...

pjdami

Plastic on cast iron??? Some kind of starter set I guess...

Well, none of mine have plastic handles but I just wanted to throw that out there just in case.

As far as the vegetable oil, it is recommended to use bacon grease or the solid form (lard) to season for best results. I don't know the reason why but that is what everybody says around here. I do coat the pan with a very light film of vegetable oil after each use / cleaning to prevent rust.

danger boy

i've used cast iron frying pans.. etc..

the real drawback that I don't care for with them is their weight..

since i'm such a girlyman.. they're to heavy for me. Waaa, waaaa!

my mom has had hers for about 30 yrs now. uses them every day to fry bacon and eggs and potatoes for dad every morning. she cooks every damn thing in those iron pans. Huevos con chorizo is my fave. yum!

my fave kitchen utensil has to be a chefs knife. probably the most perfect kitchen knife ever built. it must have a thin blade on it. not those kinds with the half inch thick blade. those i hate. thin is in!

My other favorite kitchen item would have to be a garlic press or a food processor. Love em both.

dragon1952

Being from So. Cal. I'd have to say my favorite implement of culinary destruction would be the jalapeno! :cool:

RuSsMaN

If you can get a cast iron skillet to 'white hot', you obviously don't have a single hair on your body.

Veg oil? Bacon baby, period. At least to get it nice and broke in. Then still, EVOO at the minimum.

Throw some bacon grease in, season some chicken thighs with nothing but sea salt and fresh cracked pepper - throw em in on medium flame. Right as they hit 170 or so, lay some fresh asparagus in with em'.

Yeah, that's what I'm talking about.

Cheers,
Russ

Shizelbs

And cast iron pans are a great way to get iron back into your system. For those anemics out there.

I'm such a nerd.

cubdog

Cast iron is great. If any of you uninitiated are now planning to run out and buy some just make sure you buy the vintage stuff. Older is definately better. Look for Griswold or Wagner at antique shops or malls. They can be had for very reasonable prices most in the $15.00 to $30.00 range. Some of these can be worth hundreds of dollars to collectors. Still less than a SDA! ::)

cubdog

Jstas

Old stuff is hard to find. If you want good new stuff, check out Lodge. Cabelas has great prices on them and will ship them anywhere in the world. Also, Bayou Classic makes some good stuff.


For seasoning, this is the method I use.

Initial Seasoning Process
1.) Wash it off in warm, soapy water. Give it a good scrubbing to take off any sticker glue and/or manufacturing/storing oils.

2.) Rinse it off and dry it throughly. Any left over soap will not only make for some lovely visits to the bathroom but it will also permanently discolor your pan.

3.) Coat the entire surface of the pan/pot/grill with a solid form of vegetable shortening or animal fat. Lard, Crisco or bacon droppings are the best. Use a paper towel to spread it around and make sure you work the grease in good. DO NOT user butter, or margerine or salted fat. Butter and margerine will just burn off way too quickly and salted fat will corrode the bare metal surface. After it's seasoned, salted fat is ok to use.

4.) Place it in a 300 degree oven for an hour. It's gonna smoke and stink so make sure you pull the battery out of your smoke detector or cover it with a shower cap. Also, lay some tin foil down, on a rack, underneath the pan as it is being heated. This keeps any drippings that might occur from hitting and burning on the heating element or gas burner depending on what kind of over you have.

5.) Take it out of the over and BE CAREFUL! This thing is HOT. Let it sit for a couple of minutes and then wipe off excess drippings. Do this whole process two or three times and yo shouldn't have any problems with your new gear. If need be, you can wash it in warm water with a brush to get rid of an drippings that the towels might not have picked up. After you wash it, without any soap, make sure you dry it throughly.


Cleaning and Caring for Your Gear
1.) Rinse with hot water after each use. I mean HOT water.

2.) Scrub with a food brush (I use a small nylon brush to do this, you can pick them up in the kitchen utensil section for a few dollars at any Target). If the food brush isn't working out so great, you can also fill the pan/pot with water and bring it to a boil and that should loosen anything that is stuck. Just do not try to burn it off. It's not safe and will ruin the whole seasoning process you went through earlier and you'll just have to do it again.

3.) Avoid using detergents because they will remove seasoning.

4.) If you do use detergents you can reseason the cookware with the first process.

5.) Dry throughly and immediatly. A good way to do this is to stick it on a burner and heat it up until the water evaporates. At that point, hit the pan with cooking spray like PAM or what have you. Make sure it is straight up coking spray, none of the fancy flavored stuff. Let the pan cool and put it away.

DO NOT place the pan in the dishwasher. The detergents and humid environment will cause rusting and remove the seasoning. If the pan rusts, it is very difficult to repair.


Storage:
- Store in a warm, dry place. I keep my pans in a cabinet next to the stove. It stays pretty warm in there.
- After seasoning, the pan will gradually turn black when it cools and stay that way. This is supposed to happen, do not worry.
- When storing, place a paper towel or two instde the pan to help with absorbing moisture.
- Do not store your lids on your pots/pans. Store the lids seperatly.
- You can hang the pans also just make sure your hooks are of sufficient strength and the place you are hanging them is in a dry place. Above the sink or above a range is not a good place to store them.




If you care for your pan properly, it will last indefintly. It'll probably out-last YOU!

cubdog

Maybe I should start a side business. There is literally tons of old cast iron in Denver. Must be our western spirit.

cubdog

RuSsMaN

Last pan I broke in, I did it in the Gas grille outside, kept my house from smelling like bacon for the next week.

Cheers,
Russ

danger boy

Originally posted by RuSsMaN
Last pan I broke in, I did it in the Gas grille outside, kept my house from smelling like bacon for the next week.

Cheers,
Russ

you say that like the smell of bacon is a BAD thing.

Jstas

Originally posted by danger boy
you say that like the smell of bacon is a BAD thing.

Bacon COOKING is GOOD!

Bacon BURNING is BAD!


Actually, Russ has a good idea. For those of us that are currently in apartments right now though, outdoor cooking is not an easy thing to accomplish.