Cast iron skillets

Kevie192

JackieO wrote: »

I used to have one years ago but now sadly can't use them as my right arm can't hold anything heavier than a cup of tea.I do have an olf fashioned 'girdle' in the cupboard that I used to make my soda scone rounds on and that was great for them.I may dig it out and see if I can use it as I really loved 'proper soda scones ' like my late mum used to make .Day-old and toasted, dripping with butter and honey they are heaven on a plate :)

Sounds lovely! Could we have a recipe?

[Deleted User]

I actually leave both my skillets on the hob (induction) and just move them if I need the room as they are heavy. The dutch oven (5qt size) is on the lowest level of a pan stand and easy to get to. They are too heavy to keep at the back of a low cupboard and yes jackieo, I would love that recipe too please

PipneyJane

snowedunderitall wrote: »

I've wanted one of these for cooking, but not sure where to source one from. I've tried freecycle with no luck, and I've looked on ebay etc but there's so many that are very cheap and I don't want to buy something that won't last, although I'm not sure what sort of quality I'm looking out for if that makes sense. Can any one help please?

I have an 11 inch cast iron frying pan made by Warners, which I bought in John Lewis for £14 in the mid 1990's. I also have a griddle pan from the same firm. I bought a similar one for a friend a couple of years ago for approximately £25. Points to note:-

1. Even empty, they are very heavy (need two hands to lift them when full of food). If you're buying on eBay, ask the seller how much the pan weighs, which will give you a guide as to the thickness of the metal. FWIW mine weighs 3kg.
2. Cast-iron is very friable and breaks easily if dropped. If you're buying on eBay or over the internet, make sure the seller insures it and/or will replace it if it arrives broken. Ideally, see if you can collect it in person.
3. All cast-iron/black-iron wear requires seasoning: coat with oil and bake at 150C for an hour then allow to cool overnight, wash off any excess oil and it's good to go. Do annually and the pan will be virtually non-stick.
4. If it is dirty or rusty, it is fairly easy to clean it up and get it into working order. A rusty pan just requires a good scrub and seasoning. If it is black and flaking, there is a cleaning recipe in the Complete Tightwad Gazette that will remove the coating (note: I've not tried it; I just remember it's there). It'll need seasoning afterwards.

Hope this helps.

PipneyJane

snowedunderitall wrote: »

I've read up on cleaning them, how do you all clean them then? Literally just a wipe with kitchen roll, or do you wash gently with washing up liquid if very dirty?

Dishwashers aren't good for them because the chemicals remove the seasoning. I just wash mine in the sink with the other dishes in very hot soapy water and let it air dry. If it needs scrubbing, I'll scrub it. You can wipe it later with oil before you put it away, but I've never bothered.

DO NOT SOAK it because that will remove the seasoning.

Sheahaven

Hi snowedunderitall

If you have a Home Bargains store nearby, try them.

I was in Home Bargains this week and they had both the round and square skillet pans for £3.99.

The round one looked like the one advertised on Amazon.

It's one of those items that's not a staple, but reappears throughout the year.
HTH

thriftwizard

It's worth asking on Freecycle, checking out a couple of car boot sales or asking at your local dump, if they are allowed to sell things on. I've picked up two big Le Creuset frying pans over the years - one still had its labels on, never been used at all - a complete set of saucepans including the milk pan, and 4 big matching Nomar casseroles which had been well-used but were still perfectly good. People are often given them as wedding presents and find them too heavy to use, or can't get the hang of the seasoning thing, or put them in the dishwasher so they develop a layer of rust. But it's easy to clean & re-season them & will save you a lot of money; the most I've paid was £5 for the complete set of pans.

mandragora_2

Aldi and lidl are good places to try, along with TK Maxx - they also come up quite regularly at our local car boots - and the tip! If you don't mind giving it a scrub up yourself and seasoning it, you should be able to find one new or second hand for a price in almost any budget, because a lot of people buy cast iron cookware and then find it's too heavy to use, or have no idea how to look after it to keep it seasoned! At the moment I have a great range of cast iron in my pans cupboards, ranging from a le Creuset casserole (that I got for £35 and intended to sell on ebay, but just somehow ending up using it!), another casserole for £1 from a car boot, to a fantastic frying pan that I picked up for 50p at the tip - it looked a wreck and very, very old, but because it didn't have an enamel coating on the inside, my hausband was able to sand the surface down with a grinder at work, we reseasoned it, and it's been fantastic ever since. The Aldi griddles looked pretty good quality to me - they had them in over new year - I was tempted, but am too tight to spend the £20 they were asking, when I reckon I'll be able to pick something up at a car boot for about a fiver in the summer!

VfM4meplse

I bought a small one, designed to be brought to the table (it has it's own wooden base) because it was lighter and ideal for just 2 people. It cost £2.99 from a factory shop.

I've never actually used it .

seraphina

Gothicfairy wrote: »

I would go for Lodge if at all possible as they seem to be the best..I have a skillet from them that is over 30 years old and is totally non stick now. I did buy a cheaper one and even after seasoning it several times it still stuck and the finish was rougher on the cast so things did not come off as cleanly.
The one thing to remember is not to "hard" wash them, you need to be careful when washing with soapy liquid and I always coat mine in a little fat if I am not going to be using it for a day or so.

Oh and if you want to season it without the house filling with smoke use a BBQ and put hot coals into the skillet as well as around it.

I also have two Lodge skillets and they are fabulous. I picked mine up in the US for about $20 each, but the best place for cast iron in the UK is TK Maxx - they usually have skillets in.

THey are bombproof, and I can now cook eggs, pancakes etc without sticking. MrS swears by them for cooking steaks on.

They are quite heavy though.