58
votes
Accepted
What are the consequences of dishwashering a cast iron skillet?
A cast iron skillet which is regularly washed in the dishwasher will be progressively stripped down to bare metal, which will quickly and consistently rust. It will not be usable for cooking until you ...
- 30.2k
38
votes
Food is still undercooked on cast iron
Your pan was too hot. Cast iron pans can get ripping hot (which is good) and retain heat very well (which is also good). But, on the other hand, if you have a thicker piece of meat and want medium ...
- 4,402
34
votes
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What is this old "lemon-squeezer" shaped pan
What you have appears to be a vintage or possibly antique cast iron grill pan.
The pan would be used on the stovetop and could be used for steaks, chops, burgers, bacon, certain vegetables, etc. The ...
- 18.3k
33
votes
Accepted
Can you butter-baste steak without a gas stove?
The couple of seconds it takes to scoop up the butter won't have any significant effect on your pan's temperature, especially if you use something that retains heat well, like cast iron.
- 660
33
votes
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What are the advantages of seasoned cast iron vs enameled cast iron?
Enameled and seasoned cast-iron cookware share a number of properties; they're very heavy, not terribly conductive of heat (leading to hot-spots when over a high flame), and capable of storing an ...
- 2,431
27
votes
Accepted
Why does rapeseed oil turn sticky but coconut oil doesn't?
It is a chemical quality of the oil called "iodine number". There is nothing you can do about it, it is as inherent in the oil as its smoke point. Oils with a low iodine number create hard polymers, ...
- 140k
26
votes
What is this old "lemon-squeezer" shaped pan
For what it's worth, this particular grill pan is commonly used to cook "Genghis Khan" (lamb barbeque), a soul food popular in Hokkaido, Japan.
Genghis Khan consists of slices of lamb with an ...
- 361
26
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Seasoned Cast Iron NOT being Non-stick
Don't use flaxseed oil, it's one of the worst.
Something I only discovered recently is it's not just the smoke point you should be concerned about, it's the iodine number. This is important when it ...
- 29.9k
26
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What is the point of the "oven" step in seasoning pans?
For me, the oven simply works better than the stove. It is the stove that you can skip.
First, the heat. It is the same principle as with many foods. A pan heats quicker, but with more variability. An ...
- 140k
26
votes
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Usage of butter and flour mixture in cooking
This is called a roux, a common way to thicken sauces; there is nothing about it that is specific to cast iron pans. By first cooking the flour in butter (or another fat), the taste improves and the ...
- 12.1k
23
votes
Does burnt mark on cast iron crepe machine mean it’s ruined?
This is not a burnt patch, cast iron doesn't burn. It is almost certainly a rust patch.
Since the surface comes into direct contact with food, you cannot use the rust removers sold in home improvement ...
- 140k
23
votes
How to use a ridged cast iron griddle?
What you have is a ‘grill pan’
They work well for meat, but the real advantage is that if you have something that gives off a fair bit of liquid, the food doesn’t end up swimming in it.
Mind you, the ...
- 81.6k
22
votes
How do I fix improperly seasoned cast iron pans?
Cast iron care need not seem so intimidating or mystical. There are lots of ways to take care of it, and though many will profess their own gospel and taboos associated with cast iron cookware, many ...
- 1,047
18
votes
Does using a heavy based cook pot stop things from burning on the bottom?
A heavy based pot will not prevent burning, but it help a great deal as more mass retains and distributes heat evenly, allowing more flexibility with temperature. Depending on what you are cooking, ...
- 76.9k
17
votes
Accepted
The more I season, the worse it gets with my cast iron
A couple of things - the first is that I often hear people say that you should strip off/remove the pre-seasoning that comes with skillets, as it is inferior or will interfere with a proper seasoning ...
- 3,644
15
votes
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How did rust appear on my cast iron in a matter of minutes?
The problem with your last step was the lid, I think.
If you had placed it on the hot coals, open, the heat should have driven the water off as you intended, drying the pot before it rusted. With ...
- 11.8k
15
votes
What are the consequences of dishwashering a cast iron skillet?
First, about the literal question in the title. I would go farther than Sneftel: almost no cast iron skillet is so perfectly seasoned that the metal is perfectly sealed. The seasoning is good enough ...
- 140k
15
votes
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How to use a ridged cast iron griddle?
If your alternatives are an oven or non stick pans, these sit perfectly in the middle. They really shine at high temperatures, and with marinated foods.
I personally mainly use mine for meat, as my SO ...
- 526
15
votes
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What is the point of the "oven" step in seasoning pans?
The primary benefit of seasoning in the oven, rather than on the stovetop, is that the sides of the pan are also heated. (Cast iron has low heat conduction, so the sides of the pan may take a long ...
- 30.2k
15
votes
Accepted
How long to heat up a cast iron pan for cooking
You heat it until it has reached the heat you need for the recipe you are going to make. It doesn't matter how long.
You can use any method you like to decide when it's ready. You mention that you are ...
- 140k
14
votes
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Why doesn't chainmail ruin a cast iron's seasoning but metal scouring pad will?
Steel wool, or other scouring pads, are made of quite small, rougher metal fibers or ribbons that will get into much smaller spaces, and clean away much smaller bits of matter, which includes the "...
- 1,028
14
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How to use a ridged cast iron griddle?
I've had one of these for years, but usually can't be bothered to dig it out.
The only real gain I can see is … it makes nice stripes.
I've seen people claim it's for "lower fat" cooking, ...
- 29.9k
14
votes
Food is still undercooked on cast iron
The very short answer: You had bad temperature control.
You have to leave meat on the skillet until the proper internal temperature is reached. If the outside burns before that, then you used too high ...
- 140k
13
votes
how to not get burned keto flour pancakes?
Your pan is getting too hot.
Cast iron has a lot of" thermal mass", which means that it takes a good bit of energy (and time) to heat up, then it holds on to that heat and takes time to cool ...
- 9,052
12
votes
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Frying potatoes in cast iron: sticking!
Preheat the pan for longer than you expect, then preheat the oil as well. Cast iron takes a long time to heat up. With some foods you can get away with not preheating so it may seem silly to just let ...
- 2,648
12
votes
Very moldy cast iron cookware - what's the best way to clean it?
The most efficient method would be to skip the whole bleach step, and start right in on burning the mold (and seasoning) off either in a fire or in an oven on the self-clean cycle. Then proceed to re-...
- 19.1k
12
votes
Accepted
Does Lodge A-SPRAY provide any useful benefit over canola oil spray or bottled canola oil?
As you pointed out in your question, Lodge A-Spray is 100% canola oil. It is also in a non-aerosol container. Those two things mean that you have no added propellants or ingredients.
Most cooking ...
- 18.3k
12
votes
Accepted
Does using a heavy based cook pot stop things from burning on the bottom?
The situation you describe is burnt material all over the base of the pan. That is caused by using too high heat and would not be helped by using a heavier pan.
The point of a heavier pan is to ...
- 3,231
11
votes
Cast Iron Skillet with Lid Rusted togethe
There is a product called Naval Jelly that is designed to remove rust from metal items. Its available in our area at most hardware stores. Menards has it. Use a toothbrush to work the jelly in ...
- 871
10
votes
What oil is best for seasoning a cast-iron skillet
I will disagree with the top answers here and say that it is best to look for something saturated, with low iodine value. I personally stand by lard, but there are other options.
The advice that ...
- 140k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible