Cast Iron Chefs: DOGs
As things are starting happen again, are there any Dutch Oven Gatherings you have plans on attending?
Forum Discussion
wopachop wrote:
Wish i could go back in time and ask my grandpa if he has any old cast iron laying around. Is it true the new stuff just aint the same? Or is the older stuff just better because of all the years of seasoning?
We have antique Griswold and Wagner pans, skillets, and muffin pans (makes 11, not 12 muffins!) as well as every "new" piece made by Lodge and many by Le Cruiset.
There are tons of myths surrounding cast iron, things like you can't use soap (you can) and you can't scrub with hot water (again, yes you can). The critical thing is to DRY the pan over medium or low heat. No need to wipe with oil if it's been completely dried.
Seasoning is the result of cooking and the polymerization of oils/lipids (Too Much Info). Cast iron is porous and absorbs oil. Heat changes the oil and it fills the spaces in the iron, solidifying. It can't be scrubbed out, only very high heat can take out the seasoning.
New cast iron comes pre-seasoned and sometimes the old pieces haven't been cared for, but I use pans that are more than 100 years old and some that are less than a year old, they all work great.
