Popular Post RichardA Posted January 5, 2018 Popular Post Report Share Posted January 5, 2018 I had a couple of visitors from Australia today, they only stayed an hour or so, but the time was well worth it. Lewis C and his wife dropped by on their way to the snowy part of America. They're headed to Chicago, by way of Indiana. Maybe the next time they come to our country, we can get them to hang around and get in some shop time together. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted January 5, 2018 Report Share Posted January 5, 2018 I also love cast iron cookware. I'll side with Steve when comparing the more modern Lodge stuff (heavy!) to the older stuff I inherited from both grandmas (Wagner, I think is the brand). The old skillets are lighter, deeper, easier to handle, and smoother on the inside. If you guys have to worry about using soap to wash your iron, it just isn't 'seasoned' deeply enough. My old skillets are blacker than coal, and the coating is about as thick as pour-on bartop epoxy. These things could take a few trips through the dishwasher with no danger of rust! My "cleaning" process consists a quick dip in hot soapy water (usually while the pan is still scorching hot), wipe with a rag or sponge, and rinse with more hot water, and drain until dry. NEVER scrub a cast iron skillet clean! A light coat of iron oxide (rust, that is) actually helps form a more protective barrier on initial seasoning. Sort of like the 'browning' used on old firearms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post lewisc Posted January 5, 2018 Popular Post Report Share Posted January 5, 2018 1 hour ago, RichardA said: I had a couple of visitors from Australia today, they only stayed an hour or so, but the time was well worth it. Lewis C and his wife dropped by on their way to the snowy part of America. They're headed to Chicago, by way of Indiana. Maybe the next time they come to our country, we can get them to hang around and get in some shop time together. Thanks Richard. It was awesome to get out of the big cities and meet some of America’s real people. Driving through the country side has been truly fun. I think if I had a year, I still couldn’t explore all of this place. Time was short but worth it. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliff Posted January 5, 2018 Report Share Posted January 5, 2018 I have issues cooking on my cast iron stuff. I think I need to learn to use it better. But it's also a thing where.. I don't use it for 12 months then try to remember the ways of cast iron and fub it up then give up for another 12 months. I remember trying the Alton Brown method of cooking steak on a cast iron pot, the smoke detector went off immediately, and the house was just completely full of smoke. We do have several Le Creuset pans that are cast iron coated with ceramic I think. They are fantastic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bankstick Posted January 5, 2018 Report Share Posted January 5, 2018 My wife had a co-worker who complained her cast iron rusted. When questioned about it, she put it in the dishwasher! That is a no-no! I sold restaurant equipment and supplies. Chefs will take an aluminum saute pan, rinse it out with very hot water, wipe it clean and hang it up. No soap as this removes the seasoning! I scrub cast iron with a wet paper towel under very hot water, rinse it thoroughly, and put it on the gas stove to dry. After about two minutes, I take it to the sink and spray it with Canola oil and let it cool on top of the stove. We gave my parents a four piece set of cast iron cookware. My mother gave it away as everything stuck to the cookware. She would scour the inside each time she used it and ruined the seasoning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattF Posted January 5, 2018 Report Share Posted January 5, 2018 3 hours ago, Cliff said: I have issues cooking on my cast iron stuff. I think I need to learn to use it better. But it's also a thing where.. I don't use it for 12 months then try to remember the ways of cast iron and fub it up then give up for another 12 months. I remember trying the Alton Brown method of cooking steak on a cast iron pot, the smoke detector went off immediately, and the house was just completely full of smoke. We do have several Le Creuset pans that are cast iron coated with ceramic I think. They are fantastic. Same thing happens at my house when doing steaks in a cast iron skillet. The is exhaust fan in our kitchen is terrible. We are scheduling a kitchen remodel in the next year and I have two requirements: 1) Gas range 2) An exhaust fan that will suck the damn hat off your head. 14 hours ago, wdwerker said: Many years ago an ice storm knocked the power out at my last apartment. I lit my little Big Green Egg , grabbed my cast iron skillet and a copper coffee pot. Within 30 minutes the smell of bacon drew attention. Several neighbors joined me with food they had no way to cook. Had the same thing happen in San Diego several years ago. One guy doing maintenance took out power for a couple million people. We had an Omaha Steaks truck pull through the complex trying to sell steaks. He was a commercial dealer and restaurants were refusing to buy anything due to not knowing when power would be restored. We bought $250 worth of meat for $25. Dumped all but two in the deep freeze and fired up the Weber Kettle. Neighbors were jealous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattF Posted January 5, 2018 Report Share Posted January 5, 2018 14 hours ago, lewisc said: Cast iron is great. I’ve got one frypan that I use most. It holds heat, gives a great sear and if seasoned properly, is non stick. I’ve been going through a steak phase over the last 6months using the reverse sear method. Low heat in the oven for about 30-40mins and then into a hot frypan for 1min each side. When you flip the steak over, throw in a few garlic gloves, butter and thyme and baste. If you get the timing right, you get a perfect steak. Cast iron is great for this method. I use this method quite a bit. Trying adding some rosemary to the thyme and butter. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
legenddc Posted January 5, 2018 Report Share Posted January 5, 2018 You all are making me want to try our cast iron pan again. Couple of questions though: How do you clean it if it has some surface rust on it? What's the best way to initial season them? It's cold outside so keeping my oven on all day sounds pretty good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chet Posted January 5, 2018 Report Share Posted January 5, 2018 2 hours ago, Bankstick said: I scrub cast iron with a wet paper towel under very hot water, rinse it thoroughly, This is pretty much the same thing I do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted January 5, 2018 Report Share Posted January 5, 2018 14 minutes ago, legenddc said: You all are making me want to try our cast iron pan again. Couple of questions though: How do you clean it if it has some surface rust on it? What's the best way to initial season them? It's cold outside so keeping my oven on all day sounds pretty good. 1)Baking soda paste scrub. 2)I wipe the pan with oil, then turn it over in the oven. It smells so keep a hood or evac fan on. I seem to remember a call for north of 500° F and experienced some “blister” burst on my first attempt. I sanded the rough edge and subsequent treatment cared for that area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chestnut Posted January 5, 2018 Report Share Posted January 5, 2018 20 minutes ago, legenddc said: You all are making me want to try our cast iron pan again. Couple of questions though: How do you clean it if it has some surface rust on it? What's the best way to initial season them? It's cold outside so keeping my oven on all day sounds pretty good. i have used a stainless scotchbrite scrubber https://www.cooksillustrated.com/how_tos/5820-the-ultimate-way-to-season-cast-iron this sounds like a good ideal way to season never tried it. I usualyl just throw some oil on it with high heat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattF Posted January 5, 2018 Report Share Posted January 5, 2018 18 minutes ago, legenddc said: You all are making me want to try our cast iron pan again. Couple of questions though: How do you clean it if it has some surface rust on it? What's the best way to initial season them? It's cold outside so keeping my oven on all day sounds pretty good. 1. scrub the surface with steel wool until the surface rust is gone. I would go ahead and give it a good cleaning if this is a restore. 2. Tons of how to's on this. Preheat oven to 350, light coat of oil ( I have used EVOO, vegetable oil and lard). Place in oven up side down and let soak for an hour then turn oven off to let cool. Repeat a few times and you should be good to go. Other option is to just start cooking a butt ton of bacon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
legenddc Posted January 5, 2018 Report Share Posted January 5, 2018 Sounds good guys. Thanks for the suggestions. I'll have to try it this weekend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattF Posted January 5, 2018 Report Share Posted January 5, 2018 3 minutes ago, Chestnut said: i have used a stainless scotchbrite scrubber https://www.cooksillustrated.com/how_tos/5820-the-ultimate-way-to-season-cast-iron this sounds like a good ideal way to season never tried it. I usualyl just throw some oil on it with high heat. I haven't tried flax seed oil. May give that a go next time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClassAct Posted January 5, 2018 Report Share Posted January 5, 2018 I used the power of electrolysis to de-rust our skillet, because I'm lazy that way. Worked like a champ. For cutting down on smoke when you season the pan, use an oil with a high smoke point. Corn oil or peanut oil are cheap and have high smoke points. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chestnut Posted January 5, 2018 Report Share Posted January 5, 2018 Oh another good seasoning is fry up some bacon. Might need like 4 or 5 batches ya know for the pans sake Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chestnut Posted January 6, 2018 Report Share Posted January 6, 2018 Got a new shop laptop and realized it has bluetooth. Now i can get ad free pandora to my worktunes everywhere in my shop and my phone isn't tied up. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drzaius Posted January 7, 2018 Report Share Posted January 7, 2018 I use my old phone on WIFI to stream music to the shop stereo. Is nice to not have the phone tied up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliff Posted January 7, 2018 Report Share Posted January 7, 2018 I stream netflix on the laptop and listen through the worktunes headphones. Also audible/podcasts/music from my phone. I really want to get external bluetooth speakers in the shop and a tv. Seems like an extravagance though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClassAct Posted January 7, 2018 Report Share Posted January 7, 2018 My beautiful bride bought a UE Mini-Boom for listening to podcasts while she does her thing in the kitchen. Pricey but the sound is fantastic and easy to link up to a phone with Bluetooth. Highly recommended. When I get a shop, WiFi, a monitor, streaming device, and speakers will be requirements. That way I can watch/pause/rewind instructional vids without having to hover over a laptop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Chestnut Posted January 7, 2018 Popular Post Report Share Posted January 7, 2018 I was at a wedding over new years and it was in a barn. I don't really bother trying to stay up with trendy stuff but it was interesting that they didn't cover the inside of the studs/rafters. I couldn't help but staring at how similar they all were and they looked like bent lamination beams. How did they build this stuff 100 years ago? The forms for these must have been huge. There was a floor below where i'm sitting to take the picture that had 10' ceilings and then this room. Thought some of you might find it interesting. 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted January 7, 2018 Report Share Posted January 7, 2018 I have seen plenty of bent lamination exposed beam churches that go back 40 - 50 years. Before that they probably did whatever the local boat builders did. There is a house up in the northeast that was built from the scavenged hull framing of an early historic ship. Like the Mayflower or something of that era. It was reassembled upside down. Seems like someone recognized the markings on the beams and had to do a bunch of research. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted January 7, 2018 Report Share Posted January 7, 2018 As a musician I have been in several dozen churches like Steve references. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isaac Posted January 7, 2018 Report Share Posted January 7, 2018 1 hour ago, Chestnut said: I was at a wedding over new years and it was in a barn. I don't really bother trying to stay up with trendy stuff but it was interesting that they didn't cover the inside of the studs/rafters. I couldn't help but staring at how similar they all were and they looked like bent lamination beams. How did they build this stuff 100 years ago? The forms for these must have been huge. There was a floor below where i'm sitting to take the picture that had 10' ceilings and then this room. Thought some of you might find it interesting. I love grand old buildings like that, especially when the construction is visible. I bet all that exposed wood gave it a very warm feeling for this cold time of year. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chestnut Posted January 7, 2018 Report Share Posted January 7, 2018 36 minutes ago, Isaac said: I love grand old buildings like that, especially when the construction is visible. I bet all that exposed wood gave it a very warm feeling for this cold time of year. It was -25 air temp the wind chil was estimated around -40. They had heaters running full tilt it was like 75 inside it felt great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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