Post Punk Kitchen Forum

My big 12 inch skillet is wearing out on me, so it's time to start looking for a replacement. I'm thinking about going cast iron. But, oy, they're so expensive! I know I'll get good use out of it, but is cast iron really all it's cracked up to be? Even with the seasoning, etc?

Thanks for any advice!

Cast iron is the best, really. I didn't believe the hype either, but once I got my own, I fell in love. You can get really cheap cast iron pans at thrift stores and garage sales. If you're like me and have no such luck, I got an Emeril one (10 or 12 inches) for less than $30 at a williams-sonoma outlet store.

Cast iron is pretty awesome and it lasts forever - so you can get it used. You can find cast iron pretty cheap at thrift stores. If it's in bad shape, scrub off the rust with steel wool and season it. I inherited a set and love it. I use the skillet for frying, tortillas and a bunch of other stuff.
Even more than my skillet, I love my cast iron Dutch oven. When I bake bread I put the cast iron in the oven while it heats, then put the bread inside the Dutch oven. Best. Crust. Ever.
I have gotten some pretty hellacious burns doing that, though.
But cast iron is so worth it.

don't buy them new! You can get great cast iron pans at tag sales and flea markets. There is a lot of info online as how to clean and re-season them.
They are totally worth it, that is all we cook with at our house. We have ten pans or various shapes and sizes, none of which we paid more that $5 for.

I just got this one! I'm not used to it completely yet (first cast iron) but I'm happy with it so far. Waiting for it to heat up and all that is new to me... but I'm psyched that I finally have one! I feel a little more committed to cooking now.

I have a Lodge skillet, I think it cost me 30 dollars and I love it. Just make sure to read up on seasoning one. I just read this buying guide before I read this post, you might find it helpful.

When I looked for info on seasoning I saw that you use lard. So then does shortening work? What about oil?

Also, if you don't clean it with soap, how do you know it's clean? I must admit I'm pretty suspicious about never really cleaning a pan!

But, worries aside, I would love to have a heavy skillet that heated evenly!

This is so helpful! Thank you!

Just scrape any remaining food bits off and rinse, if needed. Dry thoroughly and coat it with fat. Lard/shortening is usually recommended because it's solid at room temp, but I just mist it with my spray mister and wipe with a napkin.

I use veggie oil or shortening. If it's well seasoned (and you clean it right away) stuff will just wipe off. My partner sometimes ends up using soap on ours when he cleans it, though, so I just re-season a lot.

My cast iron pans were actually pretty cheap. I have a 8" skillet that cost a measly 7 GBP and a grill pan that was about 13 GBP. New. From a fairly expensive catering supplies place.

how do you guys wash yours? I've heard mixed things on you should wash, you shouldn't. What's the ppk consensus?

It's so worth it, you will want to marry it. Seasoning it is a pain in the asparagus though. But, again, worth it, and you can buy them pre-seasoned.

I just use really hot water and wipe it out without soap, then if it seems like it's a little dry later I just rub some olive oil around in it before cooking with it again.

This is what I love most! I ruin pans in the blink of an eye because I get them too hot, don't wash them fast enough, or for whatever reason. This cast iron skillet is going to CHANGE MY LIFE.

Question, since I'm new to all of this: if you spray with the spray mister (which is what I've been doing), why do you need to then wipe it down? Won't it just seep into the "pores" of the pan?

I rinse with water, put it on the burner to dry it out a little and oil. If I clean it at all. I tend to use it mainly for dry things

I wipe it after letting it sit for a bit, and sometimes I don't. but I don't want it so greasy that it gets all over my hands when I pick up the pan or that it leaves a mark/drips on the wall where I hang it.

Here's my favorite vegan guide to seasoning cast iron: http://ieatfood.net/2009/04/19/seasoning-cast-iron-without-lard/
Also a post from the same blog about caring for/cooking in cast iron: http://ieatfood.net/2009/05/02/cooking-in-and-caring-for-cast-iron/

It's especially useful if you're buying vintage, which I definitely recommend. You can get a vintage one into working shape even if it is rusty and gross. I have two (a normal sized one, maybe 10 inch, and a teeny tiny little baby one that was so cute I couldn't resist, maybe 4 inch), and bought them both at antique stores for pretty cheap.

Cast iron is amazing. My mom has had hers for thirty years and they are in great shape. I love my lodge 12 inch for most things.

I got my Lodge 12" as a wedding shower gift 20 years ago and it is the most used item in my kitchen. I love it. The only thing I've ever had a problem cooking in it are store bought veggie burgers. They always stick.

I use a green scrubby pad to clean it. I wash it last of all the dishes when there is no soap left in the pad. If anything sticks to the pan I pour kosher salt on and scrub it off. I always dry it immediately. I've never had to re-season it.

I have a Lodge skillet (well, two--a 12" and a smaller one) and I love it. I season it with coconut oil since I rarely buy shortening. Anyway, most of my cookware is cast iron or enameled cast iron (the Martha Stewart brand from Macy's, since it's way less expensive than Le Creuset and other like brands). I like that it holds heat well and washes easily. I also use it for pressing tofu, since it's pretty hefty.

I wash it with just hot water (no soap) and will use a dish brush thingy to scrub of any bits of crusty food. Then I wipe it dry. Done.

Lodge is great. I have the wok and other cast iron pans that were handed down. I seasoned with shortening and just wash with water, dry and wipe a little bit of oil on them with a paper towel. I love cast iron.

I've used cast iron, and enjoyed cooking with it, but always had trouble with keeping the seasoning in good shape (rusting!) and always wanted to wash it with soap. So, I ponied up for a Creuset enameled cast iron skillet. I adore my Creuset more than I ever loved any cast iron I've had in the past. I don't think my experience is very common and is just my two cents.

I'm also in love with my cast iron cookware. I have a frying pan that I bought new and a stock pot with a lid that my grandmother gave me. What is awesome about the stock pot is that she got it from her mother so the thing is probably over 100 years old.

I'm going to be contrarian here and recommend you only get an enamel-surface cast iron.

Without the enamel surface, you have to be very careful about washing with soap, drying it off, and re-seasoning it. Not a big deal, I agree.

However, you can't really cook in it if you're using acidic ingredients - vinegar, wine, citrus juices (lemon, lime, orange, etc,), tomato sauces, etc. Otherwise you'll leach out possibly unsafe amounts of iron into the food. As long as I'm not using those ingredients I love my cast iron, but I could love enamel-covered just as well and cook anything.

If I had to do it all over again I'd buy one enamel-covered skillet instead of my 2 cast iron ones.