Tribute to cast iron pans.

[trof]

Great article.
Enjoy.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/interactive/2021/cast-iron-pans-family-stories/?utm_campaign=wp_post_most&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&wpisrc=nl_most&carta-url=https%3A%2F%2Fs2.washingtonpost.com%2Fcar-ln-tr%2F31daaa2%2F6075c41f9d2fda1dfb4dc4e7%2F5b81e495ade4e224904f6c2a%2F55%2F70%2F6075c41f9d2fda1dfb4dc4e7

[applegrove]

1. My mom had a cast iron dutch oven from the family homestead in Nova

Scotia. She had it on display at the cottage. When we sold the cottage i left it behind. My hands were full of a banner of canada geese, and two antique cast iron irons for my sister who has lots of places to display stuff. The kind of irons you put on a stove to heat up the iron then used to iron your clothes. Those were heirlooms too. I did not have room to display the dutch oven. Display it? Turns out i need a dutch oven to cook with and cannot afford the ones they sell at the dishware store. The enamelware one i use now is flaking paint (turquoise paint). Got that from my mom's house at least. Now i'm kicking myself. When you move things from a big place into a small apartment you underestimate what you should take. I have lots of things like paintings and rugs from the homestead so the farm is represented in my home. How hard something is to transport comes into play too.

[DEbluedude]

2. One of my wifes favorite tools.

She oils that more than I do my old Shovelhead.

[Auggie]

3. I cook in cast iron several times a week

Love it.

[The Blue Flower]

4. I'm still using two I got in 1970 as wedding gifts

I use one of them every day.

[trof]

5. I have my grandmother's deep fry pan.

For chicken among other dishes.
I have two skillets (low sides) with the break marks on the bottom where they were broken from the mold. Probably over 100 years old.
Also an old 6" Wagner.

[bahboo]

6. take care of them and they'll last forever....

we've had ours since I can't remember when...

[I_UndergroundPanther]

7. I have a cast iron pan

That belonged to my great grandma,my grandma,my mom,and me.

It is cured beautifully and is non stick as one of those nasty teflon pans..

I love that pan,use it nearly everyday. I put a light layer of olive oil on it once every 2 weeks and let it sit in my oven at 200 degrees for like 4 hours,turn off the heat and let it cool slowly.

That is how my grandma showed me to do it to keep the cure cured.

It's a big pan too. Has sides that are 3 inches high, covers an entire big electric stove burner with like an inch and a half to spare all around. It is the most kickass pan for fried chicken.

I use a brush and
hot water to clean it while it's hot. Never use soap on cast iron.

[Retrograde]

8. The best dollar I ever spent

Decades ago I bought a cast iron dutch oven for $1 at a local flea market. It was a tad rusty, but I cleaned and seasoned it and it has served me well ever since. Best of all, it came with a lid that fits the cast iron skillet we inherited from my late mother-in-law.

[applegrove]

9. Lucky.

[mitch96]

10. When I was in the market for a cast iron pan I wanted to know what the difference between

The old tried and true Wagner/Griswold and the new ones. For me it was the smoothness of the inside where the spatula hit the iron. The old ones were smooth as glass. The Wagner and Gris were ground down smooth after they came out of the mold. Unless you have a very expensive new model this step is skipped. To me the Lodge is rough and bumpy inside.
Also to get a smooth interior you need to spend a bit more money. So for me I just sprung a $50 for an "antique" (1930's) Griswold or Wagner. Paid less and got a smooth interior. Keep it seasoned and it will be as non stick as you can get.. YMMV
m