[ 3 / biz / cgl / ck / diy / fa / ic / jp / lit / sci / vr / vt ] [ index / top / reports ] [ become a patron ] [ status ]
2023-11: Warosu is now out of extended maintenance.

/ck/ - Food & Cooking

View post   
File: 601 KB, 1242x2208, EB0A074D-66B9-40FF-AECD-8BB98031A72D.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
13476526 No.13476526 [Reply] [Original]

What’s the best affordable cast iron for a poorfag?

>> No.13476711

>>13476526
Stainless steel

>> No.13476744

Some garage sale/second hand shit. Otherwise a new Lodge. But the 2nd hand cast irons can be gold

>> No.13476786

Get a lodge griddle.

>> No.13476801

vintage from garage sale or thrift store.

>> No.13476977

do you have an angle grinder or hand sander?

>> No.13477116

>>13476977
No, why?

>> No.13477368

>>13476526
>best
Anything that has a smooth surface. Any bumps like Lodge Brand will make your shit stick like no tomorrow
>affordable
just shop around. I suppose "affordable" could mean different amounts to different people. I found mine at a discount retailer that sold homegoods

>> No.13477877

I bought my wife several cast iron pans. Smithey, stargazer, finex, le crucet.
One she uses the most is the finex 12. Has a lid for it too, the others dont.
They all have smooth bottom areas and are non stick and heavy as fuck. She baked a lasagna for dinner in the finex one this evening.
Just invest in a good one. All the pans we bought when we first got married have been thrown out, teflon garbage. Cast iron lasts forever.

>> No.13477881

>>13477368

The bumpiness on Lodges doesn't make food stick, but it *is* irritating to scrape a metal spatula across. I ground mine smooth because of that.

>> No.13477885

>>13476744
This.
>>13477368
>Any bumps like Lodge Brand will make your shit stick like no tomorrow
Just bought a lodge, and baven't had any sticking yet. Maybe it's because I seasoned when I took it home?

>> No.13477906

>>13477877
>finex 12
bumps dont matter and teflon is useful richboy

>> No.13478303

>>13476526
How is cast iron not affordable? Do tards pay a lot of money for cast iron? Its iron, its the cheapest fucking metal you could buy.

>> No.13478640

>>13478303
>accidentally pour drop of water while it's still hot
>cheap cast iron break in half

>> No.13478644

>>13478303
I spent $350 for a set of two pans made in Japan from Japanese iron and half that cost was international shipping

>> No.13478794

>>13477885
Iirc Lodge comes preseasoned as well. So you probably double seasoned it, which isn't an issue at all.

>> No.13478803

>>13476526
Got a tramontina 12 inch for 9.97 at Costco. Works great. Even came with a silicone handle.

>> No.13478819
File: 48 KB, 657x527, 1557553799368.png [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
13478819

What does it mean to season your pan? Asking for a friend


Don't make fun of me.

>> No.13478840

>>13478794
pre-seasoning is a joke and they only do it so that the dipshits who don't know what they're doing don't instantly crash their reputation.

>>13478819
basically means you're burning oil onto the pan in a thin layer, it helps seal the surface and essentially makes them non-stick
theres a tonne of guides on youtube but it basically just comes down to smearing it with a suitable grease or oil and baking it in the oven, I usually use bacon grease but most people seem to swear by olive oil

>> No.13479160

>>13477116
if you buy a cheap new skillet like a lodge chances are it will still have a really rough finish on the inside from the sand casting. Some people like to grind it smooth and re-season it. It helps stop sticking with some of the trickier stuff like eggs and makes it easier to clean. Of course you could just keep using it until the seasoning is so thick it evens itself out but i'm an impatient oaf and you might be too

>> No.13479382

>>13478840
Nobody swears by olive oil. Not even americans are that stupid.

>> No.13479395

>>13479382
you know better than that
most people are terrible

>> No.13479555

>>13476526
Lodge for new, whatever cheap vintage you can find for old.
Why'd you feel the need to make this thread when the 'net could've spoonfed you?

>> No.13479559

>>13476526
Cast iron is the fedora of cookware
Only acceptable if it's been in the family for decades and you don't make you don't center your identity as a cast iron cook

>> No.13479564

>>13478819
Cast iron is porous, meaning it has holes. Think of SpongeBob.
Seasoning is the process of filling those pores with oil after cleaning so that the next meal you cook will taste yummy

>> No.13479777

>>13478819
The actual thing:

"Seasoned" as in prepared. The "seasoning" is in the form of polymerized fats that adhere to the iron.

So, when you heat fats to a certain point, it reacts with oxygen and once it cools it does not return to it's prior state, the molecules organize and crosslink to make a solid coating.
You are not burning oil or fat into the pan, this is done by bringing the fat near its smoke point, not to it or past it.

Its called "seasoning" or "seasoned" because a pan with this attribute has mostly gained it through use. It has been used repeatedly and has accumulated layers of polymerized fat, likened to a seasoned professional, it's supposed to be a sign of having been put to work.

Modern autism has skewed things a bit. Some people "season" their pan more than they cook with it. By "season" i mean purposely polymerize fats unto the pan so it shines or something.

>>13476526
To answer the op, just get a lodge.
Garage sale cast iron pans can be a blessing, but might be pricier if the person is aware of the market for them. Get a lodge, look them up online to get the one you want: chicken fryer with lid, regular 10 inch, wok style, etc.
And then cook in it.

Do you have an oven, op? It helps to dry the pans, season and part of the fun of cast iron are stove top to oven recipes.

>> No.13480104

>>13477877
finex is retarded you don't want to cook in a polygon while holding onto a spiral get a fucking round pan

>> No.13480116

>>13480104
lol I just looked at them and they charge $80 just for a lid you're a fucking rube

>> No.13480130

>>13479777
>You are not burning oil or fat into the pan, this is done by bringing the fat near its smoke point, not to it or past it.
wrong.


>To initiate or accelerate the release of free radicals, put the oil in contact with bare iron and heat it above its smoke point, which will cause even non-drying oils to release free radicals.

>The basic idea is this: Smear a food-grade drying oil onto a cast iron pan, and then bake it above the oil’s smoke point. This will initiate the release of free radicals and polymerization. The more drying the oil, the harder the polymer. So start with the right oil.

http://sherylcanter.com/wordpress/2010/01/a-science-based-technique-for-seasoning-cast-iron/

>> No.13480203

>>13477368
Gonna re-season and sand my lodge, I did not know what I was doing and half pan seasoned and half has charred stuff that flakes off.

>> No.13480946

Black-steel or cast iron?

>> No.13481112

>>13477881
What do you nigs use to smooth them out properly? Some of us poorfags don't have power tools.

>> No.13481119

>>13481112
You CAN sand it down by hand, it just takes elbow grease.

If you've got a free hour or two, get to it.

>> No.13481348

>>13477368
I cleaned and seasoned my lodge when I got it and didn't attempt something like eggs on the first several uses. It's been completely fine with no sticking, but I was worried about fucking it up before building up the seasoning.

>> No.13481370

You can buy one super cheap if you're willing to search around at estate/yard sales. Otherwise, just grab a Lodge or something. Get one low as like $15.

>> No.13481469

>>13478644
why the FUCK would you import cast iron from japan lmao. imagine being this weeb

>> No.13481667

I have two skillets, a grill pan, and a flat griddle, all Lodges that I bought for under $30 at Walmart. I live near a Lodge outlet store which would be great if I needed some more advanced tools but I inherited a Le Crusset Dutch oven from my grandparents and that's probably all the cast iron I'll realistically use.

>> No.13481705

>>13481112
You can smooth it down with sandpaper or steel wool. (use the kind without soap embedded) It's not hard work, it just takes a while.

>> No.13481891

what grit would you go up to with sandpaper?

>> No.13482255

Redpill me on Le Creuset

>> No.13482277

>>13479777
>By "season" i mean purposely polymerize fats unto the pan so it shines or something.
Yeah, I find it really weird that people season the outside of their pans and even the handles. I don't get it, you only need seasoning on the cooking surface...

>> No.13482349

Not to hijack the thread, but I burned a bit of oil in my enameled cast iron pan. Can't remove the "stain" with scrubbing. What's the best way to remove it? I've read that boiling some water with baking soda should work.

>> No.13482388

>>13477881
>>13481112
>cast ironiggers not only have to season their PANS (???), but have to sand them down as well
i'm sorry, but at what point do these threads belong on /diy/? mods?

>> No.13482530

>>13482277
Because it also protects against rust...

>> No.13482550

>>13478840
>bacon grease
This, or any high smoke point oil/fat works for me.

>> No.13482559

>>13482530
But if the pan has been pre-seasoned, shouldn't that be enough to protect the outside from rust? People talk about seasoning the outside of the pan repeatedly, as much as they do the cooking surface. Seems like overkill to me.

>> No.13482563

>>13482559
Seasoning the outside is just for uniform appearance, no real performance benefit.

>> No.13482566

A 13 dollar lodge and a cordless drill with a sander attachment.
>>13477906
Before I sanded my lodge it took 6 trips through the oven to get a good uniform seasoning. With the cook area resurfaced it took only one.

>> No.13482616

>>13482559
helps with edge flaking to cover more than just the inside edge, not something usually important but kinda more of 'well i'm already here might as well' thing
for outdoors cooking it matters a bit more and for some reason a lot of people like carrying big heavy cast iron into the woods for camping

>>13482388
believe it or not cooking is by definition a trades job

>> No.13483403

>>13476526
Lodge obviously

>> No.13484218

>>13482550
You want to use an oil high in ALA, a drying oil like flaxseed, provides a much stronger seasoning.

>> No.13485607

>>13482550
This, i use peanut oil