/ck/ - Food & Cooking

>>18586576
why can't it iron?

>>18586576
Hey I was just looking at that for the first time like 10 minutes ago. What a coincidence.

>>18586576
you're going to be putting a layer of seasoning on it anyway

Is this Dutch oven as fancy as the French enameled? This is 100 cheaper

>>18586581
Sychricity

>>18586610
The inside is so smoothe

>>18586679
>>18586576
there's no "e" in "smooth"
also a pan being very smooth is in no way a sign of quality

>>18586700
seethe

>>18586576
>come to this thread looking for an intelligent convo on cast iron pans
>find a bunch of gaylords

many such cases

>>18586579
No hands

>>18586700
a cast iron pan doesn't need to be THIS smooth, but modern commercial cast iron skillets (Lodge, etc.) are trash because of how rough they are.

>>18586700
it is a sign of quality, smooth means it had to be machined at some point, that raises the price so it usually means the manufacturer is intending to make something nice.

the rough ones are just sand-casted and then shipped out the door

>>18586576
I don't get the point of these super expensive high end raw cast iron pans.
Cast iron cookware is supposed to be unpretentious reliable shit used by peasants through the centuries. I can understand its nostalgic value, but there are many superior alternatives these days. At this point it makes more sense to just buy a cheap Lodge skillet and then sand it smooth.
Ok, time is money, but if you're rich enough to buy a $150 cast iron pan, I hope you already own equally expensive but more valid options like copper pans.

>>18586679
>>18586679

not a fan of black dutch ovens, it makes it a bit harder to see the fond in the bottom when trying to scrape up with whatever liquid you use. Never had a cast iron dutch oven, mine is enameled. How does it compare? Constant seasoning it all that stuff?

>>18586943
cons of a raw cast iron dutch oven:
>have to take care of the seasoning
>can't use it to cook acidic foods in it, at least not for a long time
>some might prefer a clear interior
>probably worse non-stick properties, unless it's very well seasoned after years of use
pros of a raw cast iron dutch oven:
>better and faster browning compared to an enameled surface
>cheaper than enameled (that doesn't apply in this case tho)

>>18586868
>a cast iron pan doesn't need to be THIS smooth, but modern commercial cast iron skillets (Lodge, etc.) are trash because of how rough they are.
Agree ^
A somewhat smooth cooking surface is much easier to work with than cooking on literal 10-grit sandpaper, even if you can make the 10-grit Lodge work with enough oil. It's just nice to not have to soak your food in oil and spend the extra time at the sink afterwards trying to clean food out of the deep texture.

>>18586934
Two factors.
-Lodge cast iron prices are artificially kept low by cost-saving manufacturing techniques. Lodge has to compete with Chinese products, which are manufactured, in many cases, by compelled prisoner labor (i.e., slavery). These small cast iron operations, like Stargazer, Smithey, Field, Butter Pat, etc., have a high overhead to run a manufacturing business with first world (paid) labor and a low sales volume (not everybody cares for cast iron). It's the "small scale manufacturing tax."
-$100-150 is not that much comparing to other quality cookware designed to last forever. Again, you are probably comparing to Chinese garbageware, such as teflon-coated aluminum and other sorts of toxic one-time-use garbage. If you're comparing to a quality All-Clad or Demeyere stainless pan, the price is very comparable. That said, carbon steel is low cost, but it is also in very high demand in Asian kitchens.

If you are paying $150 why not just get a 5-ply All-Clad

>>18586868
>a cast iron pan doesn't need to be THIS smooth, but modern commercial cast iron skillets (Lodge, etc.) are trash because of how rough they are.
Agree ^
A somewhat smooth cooking surface is much easier to work with than cooking on literal 10-grit sandpaper, even if you can make the 10-grit Lodge work with enough oil. It's just nice to not have to soak your food in oil and spend the extra time at the sink afterwards trying to clean food out of the deep texture.

>>18586934
Two factors.
-Lodge cast iron prices are artificially kept low by cost-saving manufacturing techniques. Lodge has to compete with Chinese products, which are manufactured, in many cases, by compelled prisoner labor (i.e., slavery). When you're talking about "super expensive high end" cast iron, like Stargazer, Smithey, Field, Butter Pat, etc., they can't compete with either Lodge or China, so they don't bother trying to. They have a high overhead to run a manufacturing business with first world labor and a low sales volume (small market share of all cookware). Basically, from a consumer's standpoint, if you want a new manufactured cast iron skillet with a smooth cooking surface, this is the market. Lodge is not even relevant.
-$100-150 is not that much comparing to other quality cookware designed to last forever. Again, you are probably comparing to Chinese garbageware, such as teflon-coated aluminum and other sorts of toxic one-time-use garbage. If you're comparing to a quality All-Clad or Demeyere stainless pan, the price is very comparable. That said, carbon steel is low cost, but it is also in very high demand in Asian kitchens.

>>18586934
This, anon should have gone with a solid silver pan. Cast iron is ok for cornbread though.

>>18588140
what you're saying is totally accurate
but at the end of the day you're still paying a premium price for something that is supposed to be low-tech and much cheaper. I would rather spend the same money or even more for a Demeyere 5-ply pan or something like that. But high-end raw cast iron certainly has its niche and most of them look cool, so power to all those small non-chink factories that make quality products.

>>18588297
I just don't understand this mindset.

>it's a little more than I want to pay, so I'll never buy one
If you don't want one, then don't get one. If you want one, why not save your money? They're not going to get any cheaper from you waiting, and you're not going to be able to make one for yourself anytime soon.

>but it's supposed to be cheap
Said no one of importance. The price is what the market will bear. No one is forcing you to pay it, just like you can't force them to charge less, since you think it's overpriced.

>>18588335
Not him but he's just saying only retards pay $150 for cast iron. Cast iron is shit pan and only reason anyone would shell out that much is because it's become a meme.

>>18588339
>Not him but he's just saying only retards pay $150 for cast iron.
I know what he's saying. It's a stupid statement. I'm trying to have a conversation with him, but clearly we are speaking past each other.

>>18588339
Cast iron pans have their uses. I would never even consider making flatbread on a pan that wasn’t cast iron. Then again, my cast iron pan is older than I am.

Smoothness doesn’t necessarily mean to better non stick surface. It’s all about the seasoning.

>>18588339
Go away ESL

>>18586700
smooth is the highest indicator of quality. a smooth pan makes it much easier to scrape out all of the burned food.

>>18588140
My Teflon garbageware is made in France and costed me like $10. It just doesn't make sense to buy expensive meme pans as a home cook.

>>18588140
only if by "enough oil" you mean "no oil".

>>18588487
you are fat and dress like a slob

>>18586576
>>18586679
go away, ESL

>>18588506
>absolutely seething
how does it feel seeing your $400 finex getting mogged by a $15 lodge?

Eternal reminder

>>18586576
Just by a shitty cast iron pan/pot and polish it down. There are many guides online that show how to do this.

>>18586576
smithey finex field and stargazer are a1 cast iron companies, but they cost a fuck ton most of the time.
that being said, my 8 inch finex is probably the pan i use the most unless i want pan sauces

>>18588335
>it's a little more than I want to pay
no, it's a LOT more than I'd want to pay for a cast iron skillet.
I would gladly pay 3 or 4 times more for a clearly superior product, but 8X is frankly too much, all those things considered.
The really important feature in a premium cast iron pan is the smooth finish, and that can be achieved by sanding down a $20 Lodge pan.
Anyway, I spend more money on kitchenware than most people, but I'm currently not that interested in raw cast iron cookware. I had my cast iron phase in the past, but now I barely use the pans I already own. If I had infinite money I would throw some of it at one of those fancy skillets, but just because

>>18588515
feels better than being fat and dressing like a slob

>>18588487
what kind of pan is that?
vintage Lodge? modern Lodge as it came out of the factory? modern Lodge that has been sanded down?

>>18588523
what is this an eternal reminder of anon

>>18586934
Cast iron still has more thermal mass than any copper pan, even vintage extra thick hotel copper you can't even buy new these days. Thermal mass is more important than conductivity in most instances, that's why >2mm thick copper is trash. It may be extremely conductive but all of that potential is wasted when you put food into it and it immediately loses temperature. Cast iron doesn't have that issue.

>>18588140
Lodge cast iron is kept cheap through huge amounts of automation and the vast American scrap iron industry that keeps the cost of raw material at rock bottom prices, it has nothing to do with China. The reason higher end CI is more expensive is simple: it has more hand labor involved, and the cost of hand labor in the US is high. I'm not going to work for $2 an hour sanding down pans.

>>18588704
>If I had infinite money

I just understood a lot more about your personality by this phrasing. You see the world as having a finite or paucity of resources. This is called a scarcity mindset. Also known as how poor people keep themselves poor. You probably only have one way of making money for yourself, work on a fixed salary or wage, and don’t understand how else to live. It’s sad to see you struggle, really, because it’s not much of a struggle at all. Do you also count down the days to your retirement? Why not take it to the next logical step and count down the days to your death?

I have an abundance mindset. I work a job that pays commission basically as much as I’m able to sell. In September, I made around $9,000. In October, only $2,800. I also can make money a number of other ways, if my main avenue of income dries up. I am by no means rich and I don’t say this to brag. Honestly, some months, I make $0. However, it boggles my noggle to see someone delude himself into thinking that a $100 Stargazer pan is a completely unattainable luxury and not even worth saving up for. Yes, $100. They routinely run first time customer sales, which knocks the price down to $100. That is not too expensive. It’s half what you’ll pay next time you go to the grocery store, probably.

>>18588752
Timestamped pictures of your kitchen and outdoor view or you're a LARPing faggot

>>18588751
> Lodge cast iron is kept cheap through huge amounts of automation and the vast American scrap iron industry that keeps the cost of raw material at rock bottom prices, it has nothing to do with China
Either you’re too stupid to understand the difference between “how” and “why,” or you’re some kind of pro-China shill trying to gaslight me.

>>18588754
I have no idea why you are requesting something so creepy or why you believe making stupid demands is the best method of getting your way from people. Did your parents never teach you how to cope with not getting your way all the time?
No. Even if I wasn’t in bed, I wouldn’t take “timestamped” photos for some random manipulator on the internet. Learn to live life as an adult.

>>18588756
>implying
Lodge itself uses Chinese slave labor you monkey. Their entire enameled line is made through that means. The cost of a new Lodge has literally nothing to do with competing with China and everything to do with the fact that there's already significant profit margin baked into the pan at its low price point.

Confirmed for LARPing faggot
Imagine being fake-rich on the internet loooool you don't have an abundance mindset anon (unless you count the dicks that go into your gangrenous asshole), you have a homosexual mindset

>>18586576
The heat of the iron melts the savage monkey pox.

>>18588752
god i hope you kill yourself you tiresome retard

>>18588766
>Hi! I just came to this kooky 4chan place from my subreddit, do I fit in yet?
You have to go back.

>>18588752
are you a larping teenager who just took his first psychology class? go shit yourself, faggot

>>18588752
hahaha holy shit...
Dude, I'd just rather spend my $150 or even more on a different kitchen gadget (probably something than most people would find equally superfluous).
Can you afford to buy every fucking thing on the market that you might like? Since I'm not a billionaire I have to make choices, and right now I'm not that keen on $150 cast iron pans

>is this better than the cheapest cast iron brand
uhh probably?

>>18588744
when I cook bacon in a cast iron pan on a coil top, the center cooks much faster than the edges. quite annoying.

I'm sure a stainless steel pan that costs 4x the price or a teflon pan that will fall apart in 6 months would work better, but I'm cheap so I still prefer the cast iron.

>>18588884
Coil tops are pretty infamous for uneven heating

>>18588741
>he doesn't know about panfag
>>/ck/thread/S12331592

>>18588487
you can do this with pretty much any non nonstick pans if you oil it properly with either a brush or a paper towel, but most retards just pour their oil in and let it pool in the middle or the side, so the food sticks anyway since it's not spread properly

This is why to save time, chink chefs will pour oil in their carbon steel woks, swirl it around, then pour it out to oil the whole surface

>>18588751
Lodge is made in China though.

>>18588772
You are contradicting yourself, you realize that, right?

>>18589397
Are Finex pans really preseasoned with flaxseed oil? That is so weird, considering flaxseed oil is never used to cook with.

>want to buy wok
>everyone online -everyone- says carbon steel
>buy one
>it's just about passable but basically a nightmare to use
>do more research using Chinese-language sites
>they literally all say cast iron
>view Chinese (mainland) chefs like Wang Gang on YouTube
>they're also using cast iron
Really fucking weird if you ask me. Is this just a huge marketing scam or is it HK/Singapore/ABCs being weird?

>>18589869
Carbon steel has exploded in popularity in recent years and there are plenty of marketers looking to cash in on the fad. I'd say get the cast iron, it's less of a pain to deal with and much more durable.

>>18588418
newfag

>>18588752
>abundance mindset
:D:D:D:D

>>18589849
I'm not contradicting shit, you have reading comprehension issues. Lodge's main line of CI isn't designed to undercut anything, it already has a significant profit margin baked in due to extremely low production costs. It has absolutely nothing to do with China. They're certainly not keeping the prices 'artificially low' or whatever nonsense conspiracy theory you cooked up on your meth binge. High-end CI costing more doesn't need a meth fueled dey is trying to hurt dey Chinese!!! boomer ramble explanation in order to explain itself, it's very simple economics. Hand labor costs more in the US. Better fit and finish costs more in terms of labor. Economies of scale work against smaller manufacturers. None of this has fuck all to do with China.

I despise China and chinkshit in general, but you're a fucking retard who should promptly kys.
>>18589622
Lodge's enameled CI lines are made in China. Lodge's bare CI line is made in Tennessee.

>>18589869
CI is in general superior to carbon steel for most uses. People gravitated over to carbon steel because they wanted a lighter pan that still took a seasoning. The downside to lighter is losing thermal mass and heat retention.
>professional chefs
They're using extremely high heat sources like commercial wok burners and charcoal wok stoves. You should consider their advice accordingly given you don't have access to either. Note that Chinese CI woks are extremely thin and if you buy a western CI wok it will likely be far heavier than what the Youtube chef is using. This means more thermal mass, but it also means you will find it harder to manipulate safely.

>>18586589
good luck trying to keep the seasoning on

>>18588487
>rubber spatula

>>18588487
Get yourself a steel spatula my dude. No excuse for using rubber/silicone on cast iron.

>>18588738
modern lodge 10" chef pan with factory seasoning + several months of use.

>>18589622
only their enameled stuff.

>>18587006
>can't use it to cook acidic foods in it, at least not for a long time
yes you can

its way more non stick
the faster browning thing is pretty much bullshit

Enameled is overall better but its not good for searing as heating it empty can destroy the glass coating.

guess this is the pan thread so i'll just ask here.

i got a stainless steel pan yesterday, first thing i cooked on it was a steak + steak sauce and it turned out great, had no problems with sticking, the fond came out easily, etc. but after i washed it i noticed i can see an outline of where the steak/fond was. is that normal and if not what could cause it? i did wash it with hot water and soap before using it to remove the factory oils/grease but idk if there's anything else i should have done. didn't taste off btw

>>18590163
It’s normal. Use Barkeeper’s Friend if you want it looking like new.

>>18589938
>>18588853
>>18588835
>>18588783
>>18588779
>>18588754
t. triggered scarcity mindset people.

Can’t help you if you don’t want to help yourselves. Best I can do is slap you across the face with a dose of my reality as a breath of fresh air. Don’t blame me if you are so entrenched in your toxic mentality that you think fresh air is poisonous.

>>18590119
>yes you can
yeah if you want your food tasting like blood and motor oil

>>18586700
look at mr big brain here, yet too dumb to tell him he spelled synchronicity wrong

>>18590182
nah, i don't give a shit. i was just worried i had missed treating the pan in some way i was supposed to. also we don't have barkeeper's friend in my cunt (country). thanks

>>18590189
(You)

>>18589869
>view Chinese (mainland) chefs like Wang Gang on YouTube
>they're also using cast iron
Riveted handle with a mm thin edge ... how do you figure this is cast iron exactly?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDwB2YhwR2w

>>18590687
That's just how Chinese cast iron woks look, anon.

>>18588744
You could always line your cast iron

>>18586576
Marco Pierre White only uses copper because the way it conducts heat on a gas stove. If you haven't melt butter on a gas stove and copper you haven't done it.

>>18590189
Make sure to log 15 minutes on the conditioning app daily. We don't need any public freakouts.

>>18588744
Thats why copper pans were used in restaurants
You blast heat to sear then throw into an oven to cook through

>>18590119
a well seasoned cast iron pan can handle acidic foods, but in case of prolonged cooking the seasoning starts to break down and metal molecules start leaching into the food.
America's Test Kitchen did a test, and found out that tomato sauce started developing a metallic taste after just 30 minutes. I mean, it's not dangerous or anything, but it's something I would avoid.
>the faster browning thing is pretty much bullshit
Iron is a catalyst for the Maillard reaction. That's why a steak browns much faster on cast iron or stainless steel compared to other materials like teflon or aluminum.

>>18591249
>That's why a steak browns much faster on cast iron
This cannot be true if seasoning is merely plasticized oil.

>>18590741
That wall is clearly way thicker than in the vid, it has to be with that terrible quality material. Brittle outdated shit, even chinks learned hammered steel was better long ago.
Here's an ancient vlog from Wang from his home kitchen look at the shiny carbon steel fresh from factory.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B82JD32V8aY

>>18586679
Spiraling jar set in the background.. since you shop at this faggy uppercrust establishment, please explain.. who needs to spiralize veg.. into jars.. are they canning zoodles? Who needs this ans what is it for?!?!