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11-10-2007, 09:28 AM
|  | Registered User Culinary Experience: Restaurant Manager | | Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Hope Mills NC
Posts: 32
| |  Cast Iron question
I am a fan of Cast iron. I think it is just the greatest cooking vessels to be used...i have seen people talk about stoneware and copper...
What do you experts think of Cast Iron? Is there an advantage to using it? A disadantage?
What is the best? Please tell me all you can about what we cook with...  |
11-10-2007, 09:46 AM
| | Registered User Culinary Experience: Professional Chef | | Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Vancouver, Canada
Posts: 1,528
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Cast iron has the advantage of absorbing a lot of heat, when the product is placed in the pan, a cheaper pan will cool down very fast, but not a heavy pan, and cast iron also distributes the heat fairly evenly.
Cast iron doesn't like acidic ingredients, like wine, vinegar, citrus juices, and tomato products. I've also never attempted to make a cream sauce or soup in a cast iron pan or pot. |
11-10-2007, 01:41 PM
| | Registered User Culinary Experience: Restaurant Manager | | Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Hope Mills NC
Posts: 32
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Quote:
Originally Posted by foodpump  Cast iron has the advantage of absorbing a lot of heat, when the product is placed in the pan, a cheaper pan will cool down very fast, but not a heavy pan, and cast iron also distributes the heat fairly evenly.
Cast iron doesn't like acidic ingredients, like wine, vinegar, citrus juices, and tomato products. I've also never attempted to make a cream sauce or soup in a cast iron pan or pot. | Thanks Bro- so do you use copper pots for your sauces and other items?
What about aluminum? |
11-10-2007, 06:33 PM
| | Registered User Culinary Experience: Professional Chef | | Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Vancouver, Canada
Posts: 1,528
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I usually end up with restaurant quality s/s pots, and carbon steel saute pans. Got a $300 copper and s/s pan for christmas once, a joy to work with, but very heavy and needs a certain amount of TLC.
I hate aluminum, hate it worse than politics, politicians, or Gov't agencies... On larage pots the handles are invariably riveted on, and the rivets work themselves loose very quickly, leaving you with wobbly handles and built in overflow protection device (ie the ^&*-ing thing leaks!).... The bottoms on aluminum pots invariably warp-usually in the first 3 mths, so you get a rock-a-bye-baby, and aluminum oxides, leaving clothing, countertops and shelves black with oxidization. Aluminum pits very easily, and you can't do any cream based sauces in an aluminum pot, when you whisk the liquid it'll turn grey.
Did I say I hated aluminum? |
11-10-2007, 09:04 PM
| | Registered User Culinary Experience: Owner/Operator | | Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Southern Indiana
Posts: 30
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Quote:
Originally Posted by foodpump Did I say I hated aluminum? | Me too. It sucks. Stainless is the way to go....
As far as cast iron though, I have been using it more often lately. I just inherited my grandma's pans. I love making corn bread in the square pan. I also have a big dutch oven that we used for chili, but after reading foodpump's comments about not doing acidic stuff in cast iron, I will have to rethink.
The only thing I don't like is the clean up. No soap. I have forgotten a couple times and I think I messed up a couple of the pans  !!! |
11-10-2007, 10:59 PM
| | Registered User Culinary Experience: Line Cook | | Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 246
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lana
The only thing I don't like is the clean up. No soap. I have forgotten a couple times and I think I messed up a couple of the pans !!! | its not that your cant use soap you just have to make sure its dry when your done washing it. i have a cast iron grill pan and a skillet and love them both. i know your not supposed to cook acidic things in cast iron but i did the other day and it was fine. You just have to reaseason it when your done. |
11-10-2007, 11:07 PM
|  | ChefTalk Moderator Culinary Experience: Professional Caterer | | Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: St. Louis Mo
Posts: 6,855
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just bought 6 cast iron pans at a couple of Indiana antique shops for $4-5 each!!! Love um. Same reason stated, you can get a really great sear.
Also, they go from the stove to the oven, BIG plus. And of course corn bread is just the best out of a cast iron skillet. |
11-11-2007, 01:32 AM
| | Registered User Culinary Experience: Restaurant Manager | | Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Hope Mills NC
Posts: 32
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Quote:
Originally Posted by foodpump Did I say I hated aluminum? | I'm not sure...  Shroomgirl wrote: Quote:
just bought 6 cast iron pans at a couple of Indiana antique shops for $4-5 each!!! Love um. Same reason stated, you can get a really great sear.
Also, they go from the stove to the oven, BIG plus. And of course corn bread is just the best out of a cast iron skillet.
| Agreed...and i am glad you got a nice deal...is it OK to post pics here or link to them?...i have a pic of my cast iron pots in my kitchen...i hang em on a well made rack... |
11-11-2007, 01:33 AM
| | Registered User Culinary Experience: Restaurant Manager | | Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Hope Mills NC
Posts: 32
| |
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lana Me too. It sucks. Stainless is the way to go....
As far as cast iron though, I have been using it more often lately. I just inherited my grandma's pans. I love making corn bread in the square pan. I also have a big dutch oven that we used for chili, but after reading foodpump's comments about not doing acidic stuff in cast iron, I will have to rethink.
The only thing I don't like is the clean up. No soap. I have forgotten a couple times and I think I messed up a couple of the pans !!! | I have never had a problem with chili in cast iron... |
11-11-2007, 05:58 PM
|  | Registered User Culinary Experience: Culinary Instructor | | Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 582
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Once your cast iron has been well-seasoned a few years, you won't have much of a problem with chili or stew or marinara. | |
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