/ck/ - Food & Cooking

>>16619598
I thought those were carrots in the thumbnail.

>>16619598
Lodge steel sucks ass but it's still just steel. I've been abusing the shit out of a lodge pan I got on markdown and it's basically a better nonstick pan than any teflon in my cupboard. I almost exclusively use it for meat and eggs, though.

>>16619598
>all that work when you can just buy a cheap nonstick pan

>>16619598
Enjoy the monumental gas or electric bill.

>>16619621
I already bought a cheap non-stick pan and I prefer it. I just want to see if I can actually make this non-stick.

>>16619629
It's fine as long as you don't cook sticky sugary bullshit in it or anything with tomados. Those are probably the only 2 things to really avoid since sticky bullshit will mean you need to wash the fuck out of your pan and will ruin any seasoning-in-progress.

For domadoes, it's just acidic so it eats away at the season layer.

>>16619629
>non-stick
what you really mean is idiot proof
because food not sticking relies on using oil and temperature and timing correctly
It's not either just durf stick or not stick
and food sticking is even a large part of cooking, like if you cook meat in a pan, what sticks to the pan is called a fond and deglazing that stuck on stuff is how you make pan-sauces, or, tasty meat-flavored veges so a pan, cast iron or teflon which truely resists sticking can be unhelpful for many uses.

>>16619648
are you trying to spell tomatoes more and more retarded each time

>>16619652
Yo, relax, man, the cast iron company can't hurt you or your dog.

I got thee cheap ones like a week ago. Everything gets stuck but they're easy to clean for some reason. All that stuff just peels off with a bit of water.
I'm planning to sand the bottom of one of the pans to see if it helps with the sticking.

>>16619652
Every top tier chef has non stick pans in their restaurants. And they aren't idiot proof because more people fuck them up compared to how they're supposed to be used.

>>16619657
What's wrong with the way I spell dumedos?

>>16619662
>every top tier chef
I bet they have a cast iron pan too, retard. Might as well say every farmer has a tractor.

>>16619662
i have a teflon pan for cooking omelettes and pancakes
it's not ideal for -anything- else.

>>16619671
And not every farmer uses their tractor for everything as the other poster was suggesting.
Non stick pans have their specific uses, like a cast iron. You arent going to use a stainless steel pan for making eggs or omlettes youll need a shit ton of unnecessary oil.

>>16619648
I'm going to cook eggs two ways at the end of the week: scrambled and fried. That will be the measure of my success or failure.
>>16619652
I'll be cooking an egg using low heat first, because I don't want to have to choose between crispy bottoms or undercooked tops. I don't like my eggs that way. If that doesn't work, I'll cook an egg using a more moderate heat. Whatever the case, it will be documented here.

>>16619694
Medium-low is where I'd start, honestly. Eggs don't really set well at low and cast irons store a ton of heat to begin with. As long as you preheat your pan pretty well, it'll be fine.

>>16619692
>You arent going to use a stainless steel pan for making eggs or omlettes youll need a shit ton of unnecessary oil.
I would lol
my prefered eggs are either poached, or fried with a shit tonne of butter to baste them with. Honestly frying an egg without a lot of butter seems kinda dumb to me. If you're a health cuck or want a light egg, you can get a much more delicate egg with poaching.

Omelette, sure, teflon, but that too uses a lot of butter.

>>16619694
>because I don't want to have to choose between crispy bottoms or undercooked tops
put a tablespoon of water in the pan and cover with a lid. That will steam the whites on the top and ensure the bottom doesn't brown. That's how to cook a fried egg, that, or, basting the whites with butter.

>>16619727
I don't like how using a lid makes the yolk milky, and I don't like milk solids and brown butter defiling the purity of my wholesome fried egg. I could clarify butter, but that's not the point. I want to see what I can do with this pan and record my experiences.

>>16619744
the thing about seasoning is it will build up over time as you fry/saute stuff with fat in the pan. It's not like you establish it and then don't use oil/fat. That's not really how you use a cast iron pan. If absolutely low-cal meals are your priority it's probably not the right pan.

also, poached eggs anon. Learn it.

>>16619598
I just made spanish tortilla on my lodge, no issues

UPDATE: It just came out of the oven for for the first time after about 40 minutes. It looks fine in the middle of the pan, but around the sides it looks like this. Based on what I've seen online, this is a result of too much oil. I thought I was wiping it pretty thoroughly, but maybe not. From now on I'll use one Chux cloth to wipe on the oil, and then a fresh and clean one to wipe it off. This should reduce the amount of oil and hopefully and pan still stop looking weird.

>>16619806
correct
you should scrub that off

>>16619795
I understand how seasoning naturally builds up over time, but I don't want fucked up food and a difficult to clean pan in the meantime. I'd prefer to build up a decent layer of seasoning to make it more reliable to cook with and easier to clean, and then I can start using it regularly to improve it over time. This thread isn't just about getting use out of my cast iron pan though, I've had it sitting around for over a year. I want to see what I can achieve with the seasoning process. If I never use the pan again afterwards, that's fine.

>>16619827
sure you just kind of implied to me you want to cook eggs with not much fat in the pan and that might work one day but it's not good practice with cast iron anyway and i don't think it will work well now, regardless of how successful you are re-seasoning.
Good luck though, it is interesting, post updates.

>>16619806
This is fine. The oil does puddle up a little like this when you use a thicker coat, but it's ok. You don't need to scrub it off. After it cools off try to press your fingernail into it. If it is soft and gummy you need to heat it longer. If it's hard, it's fine. Continue to apply more thin coats and it will even out. The basic rule is that the oil is finished polymerizing when it stops smoking. You really only need to go through this process when the pan is new or if years down the road you need to reseason. Otherwise just cooking with it normally, then wiping it down with out after you wash it is fine.

UPDATE: It's going back into the oven now. I used less oil and wiped it off very thoroughly with a clean Chux cloth. If anything noteworthy happens after it comes out of the oven, I will detail it in a future post.

>>16620105
Are you gonna cook with it throughout the week or wait til the end?

I seasoned mine 3 times yesterday, cooked eggs in it this morning. Eggs stuck somewhat (except the parts cooking in bacon fat, my oven is off-center and all the fats pool to one side) but came off once I rubbed the pan with kosher salt and a brush. I've heard it's a good idea to season a few times, and then deep fry the first time you use it to really get those layers of polymer on. But anything in it WILL stick unless you use some fats, it's just the nature of the metal. Also, if you have quite a few layers of seasoning built up, it's okay to cook tomatos in it. I made shakshuka in mine just a few weeks ago, just make sure to give it a quick wipe in oil afterwards.

>>16620205
I'll cook with it at the beginning or end of each day to document the progression of the seasoning.

i wanna reseason mine anyone know the best way to get rid of the old seasoning that doesnt include buying 5 bottles of white vinegar?

>>16619806
yeah, you really want to buff off the oil.

UPDATE: It still came out somewhat splotchy, but it's only noticable in the right light. Unless I were to use no oil at all and only what will come out of my slightly oily cloth, I cannot use get a thinner coating of oil. Given these circumstances, I will continue as I am.

Note: after it came out of the oven with a very splotchy look the first time, I could almost restore it to black by wiping it with a clean cloth while hot. I also scrubbed it with the green side of a sponge and hot water afterwards, but it made little to no difference and did not significantly reduce any splotchy quality that remained. I wiped it with a clean cloth while hot the second time as well, but with the lesser amount of oil it made no difference.

>>16620288
Yeah, it looks good. It's filling in. Just start cooking with it.

UPDATE: I'm putting it into the oven for the third time before I will attempt to cook bacon and eggs. The bacon will be cooked on medium heat, and the eggs will be cooked on medium heat to begin with and then once they're in the pan the heat will be reduced to low. Since the amount of oil I have been using has been the most contentious issue I have encountered so far, I have taken a picture of the oil in the pan before it's wiped around and then out.

>>16620538
What time is it for you op?

>>16619598
>I don't use it because I tried to season it once
you dumb piece of shit, they come from the factory already seasoned. I have one and it is pretty damn non stick for cast iron.

>>16619629
it is not possible to have a "non stick" cast iron.

>>16620683
Based on the products I'd say 4 or 3pm at the earliest.

>>16620708
I cooked with it once before seasoning it myself because it came factory seasoned, and my eggs stuck horribly.
>>16620683
It's 7am now.

>>16620105
that pan is already seasoned you imbecile.

>>16620719
>I cooked with it once before seasoning it myself because it came factory seasoned, and my eggs stuck horribly.
cast iron is not teflon.

https://youtu.be/qJSBbRv9pR4?t=299
watch this and stop trying to "season" and already seasoned pan.

dear OP
I would appreciate it if you just simply heat up the pan until it's smoking hot, then apply a thin layer of oil
do this before cooking anything
after cooking, unless something particularly sticks to it, which shouldn't happen, wipe it off without soap
no need to reapply oil before putting it away, just make sure it's dry. You can put it on the stove again for 30s to evaporate any moisture after cleaning it with hot water.
not much different from a carbon steel wok, are they are both pourous materials

imagine going through all this trouble when you could use a stainless steel pan. Cast iron is the ultimate pretentious edgelord faggotry

UPDATE: I have cooked an egg without sticking. I began by pre-heating the pan to about medium, and then I wiped a thin layer of oil on the cooking surface. I then put in a very small amount of butter in the pan to help it along and cracked my egg on top of it once it was foaming. I left the egg alone for about 30 seconds, and then I began tilting it to slide the egg. I slid it to one side so the now firm white can be seen climbing up the side of the pan, showing its non-stick property. I will try cooking another egg but scrambled on the same heat. I will also post another picture of the finished egg and the amount of butter and oil that was left in the pan.

>>16619598
I actually love my cast iron and use it for nearly everything, including tomatoes. I think the meme is to try to get it to be non-stick. it's not what it's for and it will never be more non stick than an actual non-stick téflon pan. Instead, just accept that it will stick a little and you have to use oil / fat for everything.

the advantages are not the non stickiness, but the heat retention and that that you can scrub it with steel scotchbrite and use steel utensils on it. much easier cleanup than nonstick that you have to pamper.

>>16620747
TheMudbrooker
I'm glad someone else knows of him. Goddamn wisconsin is so fucking based. I stumbled across his videos and immediately knew he was from my home state

It was a little overcooked because I was looking for a small plate I was screwing around taking pictures. Here is the amount of butter and oil remaining in the pan.

>>16620766
Stainless steel isn’t nonstick.

>inb4 teflon
Teflon is toxic and has the lifespan of a diseased fruit fly. If those downsides are acceptable to you personally then that’s fine, but it’s not “pretentious” to want something a little longer lasting and healthier and to be willing to put up with some inconveniences to get that

>>16620828
>Teflon is toxic
source? Teflon is basically the worlds most inert substance ever created. It's only toxic when chinesium manufacturers leave processing chemicals all over the pan or if you heat it above its vaporization point.
As such, breathing in vaporized, polymerized oils is also fucking bad for your heath.

>>16620837
do tell good sir retard where you bought the finest Teflon not made by Chinese

Scrambled eggs were another success. This time I didn't rub the pan with oil, I just used butter, and my eggs did not stick. For my taste they were a little overcooked, but for most people they would probably be just right. I didn't disturb them in the pan very much because I was afraid something bad was going to happen so they are large curds. It's difficult to judge how much fat is in a cast iron pan when it's liquid, it always looks like more than it is, so I will post another picture of the amount I actually used.

>>16620853
NASA.

This is the amount of butter I used. I should also mention that in both cases I could wipe the pan clean, the only difficult part of cleaning was removing small pieces of scrambled egg that became overcooked sitting on the pan and broke up into smaller pieces upon being wiped.

>>16620877
>>16620859
Nice job OP

>>16620853
>do tell good sir retard where you bought the finest Teflon not made by Chinese

Given that my cooking trials so far have been successful, I will increase their difficulty. Later when I want to eat eggs again I will update this thread with another fried egg cooked on a lower heat (sufficiently low to not cause browning) and using no butter, only a thin layer of oil wiped onto the cooking surface.

>>16620792
I grew up before there were teflon pans. we used cast iron. in the 15 plus years I used them (before we got teflon) we never worried about seasoning the pan, how we cleaned it, or anything like that.

a couple of years ago I found one of those old pans in my mothers house. I tried using it, but had to totally clean and re-season it because it had too thick of a seasoned surface.

The first thing you should cook in a newly seasoned pan is a mess of hash browns. not bacon or anything super greasy you want the starch from the potatoes to get deep in to the microscopic pores of the cast iron and turn in to carbon. Don't over clean a newly seasoned pan until it has a mat black finish. if it's shiny it's not fully seasoned. burn the hell out of the surface a few times.

>>16620859
I remember as a kid we used tons of butter or bacon grease when cooking in cast iron pans.

Cast iron is not non-stick. If that's what you're expecting, you're using the wrong pan. This shit sears meat like nobody's business. Best way to do steak besides sous vide

>>16619722
steam the top my dear faggy-boi

UPDATE: Regrettably the test without oil resulted in total failure. I soaked the interior of the pan to scrape the food off, and then heated it and used salt as an abrasive to scrub it with a tea towel. Unfortunately, the egg has not been easy to remove.

>>16621621
It's gonna stick with no lubricant. I'm probably gonna make some bacon and eggs now.

>>16620240
Sand it down with sandpaper (coarse grit, then smoothen & polish with gradually finer grit). Everyone who say a smooth surface doesn't matter for non-stick properties is lying. Hated my lodge before sanding it, now it's my favorite pan and I use it for nearly everything.

>>16621621
I either do my meats first and throw the eggs on the drippings left behind or just drop a tiny splash of oil because the egg is a bitch to cook without any lubrication

>>16621780
If you fry bacon in an iron pan are you supposed to wash it afterwards, or just leave the fat sitting there?

>>16621852
I wait until it cools off, then pour it in an old oil jug. I keep some in the fridge in case I want to use it for cooking something.

>>16619598
You're cooking it wrong.
I bought chinkshit cast iron pan, and shit is amazing.
Just as non-stick as PTFE coated shit. (you can literally put cheese, then bread on top of it, and then you got yourself a cheese crust sandwich)
Just as durable as stainless steel. (you can wash this fucker with fucking sandpaper, all you need to make sure is that shit is dry or else it would rust, and if you damage seasoning - no big deal, just turn on stove, put pan, put a bit of oil, wait until it starts slightly smoking, turn off the stove and done, or just cook, it will get seasoned automatically)

Yes, in the beginning shit is not as anti-stick as teflon, because there isn't enough oil in seasoning, but after week of use, shit is literally fluoropolymer-free teflon.
Kinda amazing that 2000 year old chinese technology beats 1950 technology.

>>16620837
Teflon isn't stable at cooking temperatures. There is a reason why hot Teflon pans aren't allowed anywhere close to birds.
Google "teflon flu".
>>16621057
It is non-stick enough. Stainless-steel is not non-stick, for example. Bare aluminium.
>>16621621
You need a bit of oil, no matter teflon, or cast iron or stainless. It is kinda like thermal paste.
>>16621852
You can wash it. A bit of soap, cold water - no problem. Not gonna hurt seasoning much.

>>16622617
You can wash it, but are you supposed to? With my nonstick I just leave it and wipe it out with a paper napkin next time I want to eat. I assume the heat kills anything of importance.

>>16622628
You should.

>>16622651
I don't wanna.

Cast Irons are not a meme, I'm a digital nomad who fell for the minimalist meme. I only own 2 pans, both which are cast iron. You can cook anything using those 2 pans.

Let me guess, you need more?

>>16622617
300C is not 'cooking temperatures'

>>16622663
Your teflon pan is a thin sheet of aluminium. Some parts are cooler, some are hotter.

>>16622685
My pan is whatever thickness I care to use. There's plenty of heavy teflon pans available. The hottest part is the centre - where the food is there to dump the heat.

>>16622703
Even if you get nice thick aluminium one, 300C is just not enough. Like for ex, what if you're idiot that left pan on the stove? It would reach 600C and melt eventually.
And I'm pretty sure it makes gas at lower temperatures too.
Combine that with fact that teflon coating is fragile... and yeah, not that great. It is better suited for lubricants, plumbing tape etc, not cookware.

>>16622721
I'm not that idiot, and it's not hard to not fuckin' scrape your pan with metal. As long as you don't outright abuse your pans, the coating lasts just fine. I'm not saying it's the best for all cases, but it's a perfectly valid option with its own caveats like the others.

The temp usually quoted for margin of error is 260deg, which again, far above any normal cooking or even deep frying temp. As long as you're not trying to sear stuff on a crappy thin pan, it's not an issue.

>>16622730
My pan says its rated for 460F.

>>16619598
give it some thought:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljSQrSoSYAE

I am done seasoning for the day. It received about seven coats. I will begin anew tomorrow.

>>16623532
enjoy your pointless activity.

>>16622730
>260deg, which again, far above any normal cooking or even deep frying temp
What? 350-375F is standard deep frying range. The fuck are you doing deep frying BELOW 260?

>>16619598
I had trouble with the Lodge pan I got, too.

>>16619598
....don't lodge pans come preseasoned? The fuck?

UPDATE: Curiously, and against conventional understanding, I have experienced sticking from bacon more than from eggs. This morning I cooked two eggs and two pieces of bacon on this pan that has now been seasoned eight times. With medium heat and peanut oil wiped across the cooking surface thick enough so little pools of oil are visible upon being heated, both my pieces of bacon stuck a little bit, and left food residue clinging onto the pan. My eggs, however, were fine, though I cracked them into the pan on top of a small amount of added butter. I could not wipe the pan totally clean, and after soaking the interior of the pan for five minutes, found that I still had to use salt as an abrasive to scrub the soiled food free of the pan with a cloth. Next time bacon is cooked, I will perform every action in the same way, with the exception of increased heat.

>>16625875
Yeah I think I'll stick with teflon.

>>16624223
Yes, OP is being a fag as usual.

>>16621852
I've left continuous drippings, grease, oil, and slight food debris sitting in my cast and other pan for months straight. I don't clean that shit if I don't have to. But if I go about a month without using the pan - which happens in college - then I'll wash it just start over. Besides, I've got a few concoctions saved from before.
I saved this small condensed amount of grease I had left over from some of the best steak I ever had in my life, lamb.

>>16627159
I tried the pre-seasoning and my food stuck.

>>16627209
Seasoning or no, you're still supposed to put a bit of oil or butter or fat/grease in the pan to get the food started on.

>>16627228
I did that, and my food stuck.

>>16619598
Why the fuck, is it that every time anyone starts a conversation about cast iron pans, some faggot always bring up “sticking”. Use more fucking oil then you retard degenerate fag

>>16627254
Because they're retards who think cast iron seasoning should work like teflon.

Do you retards that complain about cast irons “sticking” even use any oil? My pan never stuck even when I bought it brand new. It’s not Teflon you health fag.

>>16619626
I get free electric between 2000 and 0500

>>16627254
I don't want a liter of oil with my eggs.

>>16627281
>teflon is unhealthy
>oil is unhealthy
WHAT THE FUK

>>16620719
Did you use oil?

>>16627310
Half a tablespoon in a small pan should be more than enough.

>>16627310
Why are you cooking eggs in a cast iron?? It’s main purpose it to literally brown your food.

>>16627386
Yes.
>>16627391
It wasn't enough.
>>16627421
Cast iron enthusiasts are always boasting about cooking eggs in their non-stick pans.

>>16619607
Thank you for your valuable contribution to the thread asshole.

>>16627421
>It’s main purpose it to literally brown your food.
What?

>>16627421
Its main purpose is to retain heat so that when your electric stove cycles on and off the temperature doesn't spike and dip.

UPDATE: I cooked a steak simply with a little oil, it stuck, but not enough to ruin the surface of the steak. Soaking the interior in water removed the large particles, but the small particles were still embedded in the pan in such a way that I could almost see the discolored outline of the steak in the pan's surface. I used salt as an abrasive to clean this out. There was also a sticky residue to one side of the pan that is presumably oil cooked until gummy. I used salt to clean this out too.

Question: is this sticky residue to be expected at high heat when cooking with cast iron?

There has also been another development that threatens my ability to continue conducting this research. My mum yelled at me for keeping the oven on all day, and she said I should throw away the pan because it's annoying to use and a waste of time, oil, salt and gas. I defused the situation by agreeing with her and apologizing. This seemed to be brought on by an attempt to instruct her in the usage and care of a cast iron pan. After seeing the process, she seemed irritated, saying it's too much work, and then she went to watch a TV show about renovating houses. From now on I'll have to season my pan in secret to avoid her notice.

I want one of these because the pans I have now do not get hot enough to good steak blue with a crust on it

>>16628412
OP is really taking the time to expose how useless these pans are, and how pathetically pretentious the people are that use them.

Thanks for the lesson OP, will stick with my stainless steel

>>16628412
You really don't have to season it this way. Just cook with it and use oil normally

>>16628412

>done cooking
>wait for the pan to cool down
>wash it with hot water while scrubbing it (I use a small chain with rounded links)
>put it back on the stove for 10-15 minutes to dry it out completely
>spread a little vegetable oil all over the pan, just enough to cover everything

Always add oil or butter before cooking. If it's new, start with fatty foods and avoid anything acidic like lemons or tomatoes.

>>16628823
I am cooking with it, I've been cooking bacon, eggs and steak.

>>16628883
Isn't 10-15 minutes to dry it out needlessly long? I only do it for a few minutes.

>>16619648
>It's fine as long as you don't cook sticky sugary bullshit in it
I woke up to my girlfriend burning plantains in it yesterday. I love her, but holy fuck. I can't seem to get it completely clean, so many burnt bits stuck on there now.

>>16628884
I'm saying stop putting it in the oven so often. It's unnecessary

>>16622659
>I'm a digital nomad
fastman.jpg