Cast Iron Frying Pans

[Shady]

2 hours ago, Tommy T. said:

I am contemplating trying to find something like that here too - again, with heavy cast iron.

However, we will have an outdoor "dirty kitchen" and barbecue so not sure how much we might need one. I never tried using a "grilling" pan, but they are strongly touted on cooking shows. Do you think they work as well as advertised or demonstrated? I am totally willing to give one a try if the price is right and it does the job they seem able to do...

That's the thing, they can grill like nothing else indoors, but if you have an outdoor grill then you don't really need one, unless you just prefer to cook inside.

[hk blues]

35 minutes ago, Shady said:

That's the thing, they can grill like nothing else indoors, but if you have an outdoor grill then you don't really need one, unless you just prefer to cook inside.

We gave up using the BBQ a year ago - unlike many we're not into the BBQ thing - it's a means to an end for us.  Now, we just use the grill indoors and take the food outside if we want a "BBQ".  I would agree you don't really need both unless you're a BBQ fan - I know many are.

[Jollygoodfellow]

10 hours ago, Shady said:

The biggest advantage is you don't fry, you grill.

Cast iron pans come with flat base as well as grill. Grill pans are no good for things like eggs. 

[Tommy T.]

11 hours ago, Shady said:

That's the thing, they can grill like nothing else indoors, but if you have an outdoor grill then you don't really need one, unless you just prefer to cook inside.

L and I love true barbecue. I am fine using a propane type but L prefers the taste of the coconut charcoal cooked foods. So I guess we will compromise... I like outdoor barbecue because of the flavour and also because the heat and smells stay outside the (for me before, the yacht) house. I like to add water soaked wood chips (I have some alder that I brought with me last visit to Seattle) to the coals or propane burner to create lots of smoky tastes...

So I don't think we will need the "grill" version of an iron pan...just the flat type that @Jollygoodfellow mentions...

[Shady]

 

 

4 hours ago, Jollygoodfellow said:

Cast iron pans come with flat base as well as grill. Grill pans are no good for things like eggs. 

Cast iron pans are no good for things like eggs

Quote

 

Regardless of how much butter, oil, or cooking spray you add to the bottom of a cast iron skillet to try and prevent the stickiness, the eggs will adhere to the pan like glue, and you'll be left with a large portion of your scramble stuck completely to the skillet. Obsessively scraping the pan with a spatula won't help either, because the eggs aren't stuck so much as they are trapped.   The reason that eggs stick so intensely to cast iron is because cast iron pans aren't smooth. If you run your fingers along the pan, you'll feel the friction and even if you look closely, you can see some of the crevices that are on the surface. Eggs get stuck in these crevices which is why we perceive them as them "sticking" to the pan.  

Moreover, as Epicurious points out, cast iron takes on the the flavors of what you cook. Last night's fish taste in your scramble? Um, no thank you!  - https://www.mashed.com/219563/you-should-never-make-scrambled-eggs-in-a-cast-iron-skillet-heres-why/

 

 

10 minutes ago, Tommy T. said:

So I don't think we will need the "grill" version of an iron pan...just the flat type that @Jollygoodfellow mentions...

Why would you need a heavy iron pan if you aren't grilling?

Quote

Omelets and other egg dishes can stick to the surface when you try to remove them from a cast iron skillet. That means, in addition to serving up an ugly omelet, you may be tempted to soak your pan to get it clean, which will definitely remove the seasoning. Go for an enamel pan instead, and those perfectly folded omelets will slide out with ease.  Like eggs, flaky fish fillets can stick to a cast iron pan, making them difficult to remove. The hard scraping to remove your delicate fishes can damage the seasoning on your skillet. - https://www.prevention.com/food-nutrition/a20486754/what-not-to-cook-with-cast-iron/

 

 

 

[Tommy T.]

7 minutes ago, Shady said:

Why would you need a heavy iron pan if you aren't grilling?

 

I would use them for some of my dishes that require even heating. Also, as noted in one of my previous posts, they are wonderful when needing to heat, brown or sear something in the pan in the broiler of the oven...

Also, as noted above, they are great for finishing some dishes that begin being fried or sauteed then placed in the oven to complete... I used to do this often... You cannot do this with any non-skid pans - at least that I am aware of...

And, actually, I have used them for eggs with great success...

Edited September 14, 2020 by Tommy T.

[Shady]

25 minutes ago, Tommy T. said:

 

they are wonderful when needing to heat, brown or sear something in the pan in the broiler of the oven...

Also, as noted above, they are great for finishing some dishes that begin being fried or sauteed then placed in the oven to complete...

Got it, you'd be putting the pan on top of the oven rack.

They sell baking sheets for that too, steel and stone

 

 

[Jollygoodfellow]

10 hours ago, Shady said:

Why would you need a heavy iron pan if you aren't grilling?

The design you showed was a grill pan. You can also get flat bottom for many uses. Even what was called a dutch oven is cast iron.

[Mike J]

Cast iron pan and a hot oven is the best way to cook a steak in my opinion.

Preheat oven to 450 F

Put a little oil with a high smoke point in the pan (canola or peanut works well) 

Set the burner under the pan to the highest setting and leave it till it starts to smoke

Salt the room temperature steak on both sides then put in the smoking hot pan

DO NOT TOUCH THE STEAK FOR 60 SECONDS!

Flip the steak and cook an additional 60 seconds again without moving it.

Your smoke detectors may be going off at this point, but just ignore the noise while sipping a good Merlot or Cabernet. 

Put the pan with steak in the oven for 4-5 minutes, flip the steak and cook an additional 4-5 minutes.

Plate the steak and loosely cover with aluminum foil and let the steak rest for five minutes or a bit longer.  Do not cut until rested!  Enjoy some more wine. 

Perfect beautiful sear will seal in the juices.  The minutes in the oven will vary based on thickness of steak and how well done you like it cooked.  I like medium rare. 

[Tommy T.]

2 hours ago, Mike J said:

Cast iron pan and a hot oven is the best way to cook a steak in my opinion.

Preheat oven to 450 F

Put a little oil with a high smoke point in the pan (canola or peanut works well) 

Set the burner under the pan to the highest setting and leave it till it starts to smoke

Salt the room temperature steak on both sides then put in the smoking hot pan

DO NOT TOUCH THE STEAK FOR 60 SECONDS!

Flip the steak and cook an additional 60 seconds again without moving it.

Your smoke detectors may be going off at this point, but just ignore the noise while sipping a good Merlot or Cabernet. 

Put the pan with steak in the oven for 4-5 minutes, flip the steak and cook an additional 4-5 minutes.

Plate the steak and loosely cover with aluminum foil and let the steak rest for five minutes or a bit longer.  Do not cut until rested!  Enjoy some more wine. 

Perfect beautiful sear will seal in the juices.  The minutes in the oven will vary based on thickness of steak and how well done you like it cooked.  I like medium rare. 

That sounds wonderful, Mike.

But as a mod...shouldn't this post be in the member's recipe category? Busted!!! 

Kidding you, of course...