Jump to content

Vintage Cast Iron?


willland

Recommended Posts

Speaking of cast iron(cooking with) again, I just seared a bone-in ribeye on my new(to me) and newly restored 1950's Griswold number 8 on my grill's side gas burner and finished with salted butter in a 400 degree oven.  Only Montreal Seasoning or cracked pepper and sea salt.  I wish I had taken a photo of the art work after it was done.

 

 

 

Bill

Griswold No 8.jpg

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just a suggestion for all of you that may not have tried this yet.

 

For steaks, and many other things, cook it Sous Vide and then sear or smoke it the way you like your finish.  When you can control how done it is within a degree and then, pan seer, grill seer, torch it, end smoke it, whatever you feel like, the results are fabulous.  

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here is a tip for making a great steak. Put your 12 inch or bigger skillet based on steak size in the oven at 425 or so. Warm it up for 20 to 25 mins at 425 degrees then put broiler on high and let broiler get hot with skillet still in oven.. Now open oven throw steak in skillet and  cook both side at the same time. It won't take but a few mins and you will have to figure out the time based on how well done you like it. After pulling you can put a slice of butter on top if you like and let rest of bit if you like or if you like it super hot heck just go for it ., I just use course salt  and course pepper and let steak warm up 20 to 30 mins on counter before sticking in oven. It will get little smokey so turn off fire alarms or use fans 😎!

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, mr clean said:

I just use course salt  and course pepper and let steak warm up 20 to 30 mins on counter before sticking in oven.

Also let it "settle" for about 10 minutes in room temp before cutting into.

 

Bill

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, willland said:

Also let it "settle" for about 10 minutes in room temp before cutting into.

 

Bill

I like to do that also but sometimes I like it hot hot. I does let the juices redistribute waiting I agree . 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 5/23/2019 at 4:54 PM, Pete H said:

Just a suggestion for all of you that may not have tried this yet.

 

For steaks, and many other things, cook it Sous Vide and then sear or smoke it the way you like your finish.  When you can control how done it is within a degree and then, pan seer, grill seer, torch it, end smoke it, whatever you feel like, the results are fabulous.  

+1     Heat to 129 Deg and sear it with butter on HOT cast iron. Perfect med rare every time and no need to let it sit.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

When I was in Florida, I tried the pan fried NY strip.....  though it had to be among one of the best I ever had, it FILLED that little apartment with so much smoke, I turned the (window) AC unit on 100%, opened the door and as I recall, a bedroom window (to allow more air to flow through)

 

The smoke was THICK.  A stranger walking by could have thought something was on fire...

 

Meanwhile, I was munching on that delicious NY strip and some home made fries.

 

I love a crusted exterior.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Moderators
2 hours ago, Coytee said:

When I was in Florida, I tried the pan fried NY strip.....  though it had to be among one of the best I ever had, it FILLED that little apartment with so much smoke, I turned the (window) AC unit on 100%, opened the door and as I recall, a bedroom window (to allow more air to flow through)

 

The smoke was THICK.  A stranger walking by could have thought something was on fire...

 

Meanwhile, I was munching on that delicious NY strip and some home made fries.

 

I love a crusted exterior.

That's what they call blackend here, steak, duck almost anything, blackened fish is really good. But your right is should be done outside.

 

My favorite is fish, dip the filets in seasoning to get some to stick on it, when the pan gets hot drop a spoon of butter and quickly put a piece of fish on it. It will make a white smoke that will choke you, after a few seconds flip. The seasoning will turn black but not taste burned but make a crust.  

We would to it outside, once I made the mistake of trying it inside hoping the vent would suck most of it out, no way we had to go outside, it would take your breath away.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...

I use 3 cast iron cooking items daily, 1 skillet, 1 Dutch oven, and 1 griddle. Believe it or not, if seasoned correctly, eggs will not stick. I was told Avocado oil has a higher smoke point, takes longer to burn off, but builds a nice glaze. If I do have items stick as I did tonight when I made chili, I used a little bit of salt for abrasion and a paper towel, wipe clean with a little bit of oil and heat it to where it starts to smoke. Works great every time, no rust and great tasting food.

Sent from my SM-G986U using Tapatalk

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

17 hours ago, The Dude said:

I was told Avocado oil has a higher smoke point, takes longer to burn off, but builds a nice glaze.

excellent oil , and not cheap either , that the only oil we use for cooking , better for avoiding plaque in the arteries

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, The Dude said:

Believe it or not, if seasoned correctly, eggs will not stick.

Oh yeah, they(fried eggs) will slide around a well seasoned cast iron pan as well as in any "no stick" pan you can buy.

 

9 hours ago, The Dude said:

I was told Avocado oil has a higher smoke point, takes longer to burn off, but builds a nice glaze.

I don't specifically use avocado oil to season my skillets but use it every time I sear steaks as well as pan frying fish.

 

9 hours ago, RandyH000 said:

excellent oil , and not cheap either , that the only oil we use for cooking , better for the avoid plaque in the arteries

Great oil with the heart healthy benefits of quality extra virgin olive oil plus a high smoke point.  Kind of like EVOO on roids.

 

Bill

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Reading everybody's different cleaning methods shows just how forgiving the vintage cast iron is. Make sure it is cool to the touch before submerging in dish water. Especially important on the larger pieces.

 

Griswold, Wagner, piqua, are the most desired brands. Wapak is another but harder to find.

 

Both Griswold and Wagner produced iron cookware under different labels.

Wardway comes to mind. Sold thru Montgomery wards but made by one of the other two.

 

I have a different skillet for each food item to be cooked, eggs has their own as does potatoes, cornbread & biscuits, asparagus, pizza. A dutch oven for pot roasts. 

We wash with normal dish soap after every use. Nothing sticks.

 

A Natural gas stove is most responsible for the built up crud on the outside of skillets that electric stove users won't have.

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Skelt said:

Griswold, Wagner, piqua, are the most desired brands.

While I do love my Griswold and Wagner skillets I own, my favorites to cook with are a pre 1940's BSR #5 for fried eggs and a 1960's Lodge #8 for searing steaks on LP burner and higher temp(+400 degrees F) oven use. 

 

To be completely honest, if it all came down to two pans/skillets in my collection, these modern Lodge pans, 10SKL and 8SK below would excellently do any cooking tasks that I perform.

 

Image #1

Image #1

 

Bill

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...