/ck/ - Food & Cooking

>castironfag
Or maybe you should have just bought a superior product in the first place?

>>11218847
Just live by yourself fag.

>>11218863
This
castironfags are insufferable and think the pinnacle of cooking it a seared steak at medium rare. Nothing wrong with owning a cast iron for that purpose but they're generally the only pan used by low tier cooks whose only meal they cook themselves is a steak once a week and then act like they're fucking Gordon Ramsay. All these fuckers do is share cast iron memes on facebook and never clean their disgusting pan because of "muh seasoning" not realizing washing it with soap does nothing for the seasoning and actually cleans your shitty cast iron unlike wiping it down with a paper towel, xD

>>11218917
I use cast iron because it's easier to keep clean and I'm a lazy fuck

>>11218863
>everything sticks and burns unless you use a disgusting amount of oil and don't take your eye off it for more than 3 seconds.

>>11218932
>I'm actually retarded

>>11218918
Stainless steel is just as easy to keep clean and you can do literally almost everything with it, cast iron is still useful but if you had one pan you had to use stainless steel wins all day

>>11218917
Where did the skillet touch you, anon?

I'd argue cast iron is really good for entry level chefs then once you understand how to control your temperature you move on and get a nice stainless steel pan that you won't scorch like a baby chef.

>>11218917
8/10

>>11218932
>everything sticks and burns unless you use a disgusting amount of oil

How to quick-season a stainless steel pan to keep your food from sticking:

1. Heat the clean, empty pan on your stovetop.
2. Pour in a quarter tsp of water when the pan is hot.
3. If the water sizzles and boils off the pan is not hot enough yet, keep heating.
4. If the water doesnt evaporate but floats and rolls around the bottom like a puddle of quicksilver (Leidenfrost effect) the pan is hot enough.
5. Now wipe the pan completely(!) dry with a dish towel and generously coat the bottom with some high-temperature cooking oil (e.g. canola).
6. Keep heating the pan until the oil just barely begins to smoke, keep it at that temperature for a minute.
7. Pour out the excess cooking oil and let the pan cool down to the desired temperature.

>>11219105
Wa la, you now have a perfectly non-stick stainless steel pan. The seasoning will last through all frying until you strip it off with dish soap or acidic stuff.

Yeah, my daughter put my custom wooden cutting board in the sink and left it there for 3 days. It fell apart.

>>11218917
I don't understand why these same people will tell you that fat will go rancid if it's not refrigerated, but then doesn't keep their cast iron the fridge when not in use.

MFW

>>11219105
You don't need to do any of that shit. Just put in like half a teaspoon of butter as you heat up the pan and it'll be clarified by the time the pan is ready to cook with. Nothing ever sticks except fond, and that comes off with so easily you could deal with it by cooking some broccoli.

>>11219105
>smokes his oil into transfat
it's ready !

>>11219113
>>but then doesn't keep their cast iron the fridge when not in use.
Why would that be needed? A properly seasoned pan does not have any oil on it. There is no need to wipe a pan down with oil, that's a practice perpetuated by idiots who don't understand how to care for their pan.

>>11218868
spbp. One way to avoid room mate stories is to not have any.

>>11219140
if it doesn't have oil, do you not make steaks with any fat, or cook bacon?

>>11219125
"just barely begins to smoke"

>>11219147
You add oil just before you cook, and you remove it when you wash the pan after you're done, just like any other kind of pan.

I was talking about while the pan was being stored, not while it was in use. Follow the thread, or the text I quoted. "When not in use".

>>11219113
who says fat goes rancid out of the fridge? Different fats are different. I dont put my avocado oil in the fridge.

>>11219213
>who says fat goes rancid out of the fridge?
someone who is sorta-but-not-quite right.

Fats go rancid when exposed to oxygen, such as that in the air. To reduce that you can keep them in tightly closed bottles. Keeping the oil in the fridge helps too, but it's a very minor factor compared to just keeping them in airtight containers.

>>11218917
The use of soap and water can degrade the polymerized oil coating (seasoning) that fills the voids in the cast iron and makes the pan “non-stick”. Proper use, cleaning, and drying with heat prevents rapid removal of the polymers. Re-treating the pan or the removal and reapplication of the coating is occasionally required and not difficult for those who wish to take trouble to do it.

OP’s pic appears to be a carbon steel pan (not cast iron) that was gouged then washed and left to air dry. Wash with soap and water, dry and heat slightly to remove all moisture. Reseason, if easy food release is desired.

Cast iron has unique properties that allow for an even high heat application and provides the ability to quickly sear meats and render fats to release flavonoid compounds. It is not the only tool or even the best tool, depending on the desired result. You have to know how to get what you want.

That’s why cooking is an art and a science.

Not reddit, I just use APA style when writing cause I don’t care.

>>11219239
>The use of soap and water can degrade the polymerized oil coating (seasoning) that fills the voids in the cast iron and makes the pan “non-stick”
No. A properly done seasoning will not be removed by anything short of lye soap, a dishwasher, or a strong abrasive like sandpaper.

You can safely wash a cast iron pan with soap and water without harming the seasoning, assuming you seasoned it right in the first place.

There is no need to wipe a cast iron or carbon steel pan out oil when you are done using it. such a process is not only counterproductive, but also unnecessary.

>>11219113
Pans seasoned with certain types of fats can go rancid (ex. Lard). However, these fats do not form as good of a season as canola other high heat oils that do not go rancid. Usually, cooks that season with lard use their pans almost daily so the animal fats do not have time to “go off” between heat applications

>>11219254
>Pans seasoned with certain types of fats can go rancid
No.
You don't understand what you are talking about. "Seasoning" means that the fat has been polymerized. Once it is polymerized it can no longer react with air and go rancid. Only ordinary (not-polymerized) oil is capable of becoming rancid.

>> Usually, cooks that season with lard use their pans almost daily so the animal fats do not have time to “go off” between heat applications
that's not "seasoning" at all. That's keeping a perpetually oily pan and confusing that with seasoning. It's a mistake. An error.

>>11219248
I made a general statement as I was not going to go into chemical properties of various detergent compounds, abrasive coefficients, grits, the physics of debriding vegetable polymers, animal polymers, non-food polymers, or why you shouldn’t hack at your cookware with broadswords, air hammers, spatulae, sand blasters, lasers, or even live squirrels coated in glass powder and sulfuric acid.

You can degrade your coating through the use of detergent (non-specific, see above), water (or other fluids of varying Ph levels), and force (variable, see above). I would never presume to overestimate the intelligence of some of the mongs on this Tibetan basket-weaving forum. Some of these readers cook and eat chicken trendies with the same balisong knife.

>>11218940
>just as easy to keep clean
Not really, cast iron usually takes a rinse and light scrub at most.

Stainless can require some real elbow grease if you get something particularly stubborn.
The seasoning on the cast iron makes sure pretty much nothing can stick, or if it does stick running some warm water and some gentle scrubbing is all that's required.

>>11219266
I understand perfectly what seasoning is. I have the chemical science down pat. You don’t understand the concept of speaking to the lowest common denominator, Dwight.

>>11219298
>I understand perfectly what seasoning is
then why did you say that a pan seasoned with certain kinds of fats could go rancid? Once seasoning has occured rancidity is an impossibility.

Rancidity is only possible if there is non-polymerized oil present. A dirty pan is not the same thing as a seasoned one.

>>11219290
Not the guy you were talking to, but are you really so pretentious you can't just call it a butterfly knife?

>>11219113
Because there is a chemical reaction called polymerization that changes the oil into a dry, stable coating.

>>11219338
What about the morons who wipe their pans with oil before they put them away every time they use them?

>>11218917
>Gordon Ramsay
Uses non stick for steaks now.

>>11219348
Putting on a coat of oil before storing is a good idea if it wont be used for an extended period (3+ days).

But if you use your cast iron daily, it's a non-issue and there is no reason to put on a coat of oil since the natural oils from cooking will do the same.

What is stopping me from using a 20 dollar skillet set from Walmart, using fresh oil every time I cook something, washing it with Dawn and a sponge immediately after I'm done, and putting it back in the cupboard?

>>11219361
Nothing. It won't distribute heat quite as well, but seriously, unless you're a pro master chef or somesuch it makes so little difference it's not worth the headache.

>>11219353
>Putting on a coat of oil before storing is a good idea if it wont be used for an extended period (3+ days).
No. It's a dumb idea.
If the pan is properly seasoned there is zero benefit to doing so. A properly seasoned pan doesn't need to be oiled to prevent rusting. And keeping the pan oily only serves to waste your time and make the pan rancid.

>>11219361
Nothing, I suppose. Except the fact that walmart pans are cheap flimsy shit that won't last and don't cook evenly.

>>washing it with Dawn and a sponge immediately after I'm done, and putting it back in the cupboard?
That's no different than how you would care for a properly seasoned cast iron pan.

>>11219371
I'd argue a good pan is more important for noobs than for pros. A pro knows how to work around a shitty pan. A noob fucks up his food and blames himself rather than the pan, then gets frustrated, thinks cooking is hard, and gives up. A noob doesn't need a high-end pan, sure. But a shitty one is counterproductive when you're just starting to learn. The fewer opportunities for error the better.

>>11219383
>won't last
What does that even mean?
It's fucking made out of metal.

>>11219383
Yep, agreed. Lower-middle end pan is okay. Not sure how good or bad $20 Walmart is, but got mine from Ikea for like $3 and it's pretty decent.

>>11219383
Leave your properly seasoned non-oiled pan sitting out for 2-3 weeks without using it and lemme know how that seasoning held up.

>>11219398
>What does that even mean?
If it's nonstick the coating will fail soon.
Handle might break off, the pan itself can warp. Lots of their pans have plastic handles which can't survive being placed in the oven. I'm not saying that all of their stuff is junk but most of it certainly is.

>>11219409
I have several pieces of cast iron in my cupboards. some of them haven't been used in nearly a year. My griswold muffin pans haven't been used in two years. No rust on any of them because they are seasoned correctly.

>>11219418
Maybe you're just in a dry area.

Around here we have 80-90% humidity days, good luck getting your cast iron to survive more than a week or two without using it or at least leaving a coat of protective oil on it.

>>11219428
I live in Seabrook, Texas. It's humid as fuck here.

Just season your shit properly anon and you don't have to keep re-oiling it like a tard.

>>11219538
this

>>11218847
When I first got one my gf washed it with soap and water and destroyed it. She bought me a new one and is afraid to touch it now.

>>11219550
Sounds like you gave her a proper good beating and she learned her lesson. Good job, it's the only effective method to teach a woman.

>>11218847
> drop cast iron pan
> tiles on the floor break
lol ironfags and their natural nonstick coating memes

>>11219576
Was the pan too heavy for you?

>>11218940
Stainless steel takes forever to heat up. I hate it

>>11219225
The only thing that helps oil not go rancid in the fridge is that its an AIRTIGHT container even more so then putting the cap on something because its designed to hold temp. My grand parents held valuables and shit in a old broken refrigerator in the barn so they wouldnt dust.

>>11219616
Fridges aren't any more airtight than a bottle with a lid is. And even if they were it wouldn't matter because the fridge contains a great deal of air inside it.

Chances are your parents were using it to avoid condensation on things that would be stored in a barn otherwise.

A running fridge is cold. Cold temperatures slow down chemical reactions like oxidization/rancidity. It's the same reason why people store camera film or batteries in a fridge to keep them lasting longer.

>>11219550
You can just sandpaper or burn the rust off, you went into autist rage for no good reason.

>>11218847
End all be all way to reseason a cast iron pan
GO

>>11219867
stovetop

>>11219867
In an oven. Coat with a high smoke-point oil and bake at 400 for an hour. Wipe down, re-coat, and store until your next use.

>>11220026
>re-coat,
Why? If you seasoned it right this is stupid. See above.

>>If the pan is properly seasoned there is zero benefit to doing so. A properly seasoned pan doesn't need to be oiled to prevent rusting. And keeping the pan oily only serves to waste your time and make the pan rancid.

>>11219550
>my gf washed it with soap and water and destroyed it
WTF are you talking about, you can put a cast iron pan through a dishwasher and then reseason and it will be as good as new, or better. You basically cant destroy a cast iron pan

>>11219867
>End all be all way to reseason a cast iron pan
Coat with a thin film of oil, put on stove top, bring to high heat until it begins to smoke, keep wiping the inside with a wadded up oil soaked paper kitchen tissue, wipe off excess oil with dry paper kitchen tissue. Keep that up and you will have a seasoning that is already perfectly fine for almost all kinds of foods.

>>11218863
this.