Perpetual stew vibes
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Honestly, depending on the specifics here, not the worst. If they're using an oil that will polymerize, then as they oil/heat/cool cycle it, the seasoning will further develop over time, as long as they're somewhat scraping off remnants of their cooking as they finish, leaving it as clean as it can be without actually washing it, and then heat cycling it to sanitize any bacteria that might be there, I don't really see a problem with it....
It's not exactly up to modern hygienic standards, or social standards.... And I'm pretty sure if any restaurant or food joint did the same they would get shut down by the health inspector before long.... But you do you buddy.
For anyone not in the know, the thing with cast iron and cleaning is no longer a problem. Clean your cast iron. When cast iron was just about the only cookware, soaps included lye. Lye will erode the non-stick "seasoning" on cast iron. Modern soaps do not contain lye, so go ham.
Cleaning, however, introduces water.... And water causes iron to rust, so it is generally advisable to clean your cast iron cookware, then immediately heat it up past the boiling point for water, to vaporize any liquid water and carry it off the surface of the iron. Once past that temperature, let the cookware cool, then treat it with a thin layer of oil. This will protect the surface from atmospheric moisture and allow the cookware to work over much longer periods of time without needing to be "re-seasoned" (which is removing the layers of polymerized oil on the cast iron, and then re-applying it using a slow method of oiling, then heating the cookware, allowing it to cool, oiling then heating again)...
Don't be afraid of cast iron, it needs a little more attention than other cookware, but it's a joy to actually cook with.
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Clean it, don't clean it, oil it, salt it, water it, "season it", season it by not cleaning it so your french toast gets all that good hamburger flavor from the night before...
I've read so many different ways to treat cast iron that at this point I'm convinced that it's all just superstition.
It is, I literally just cook in mine, don't baby it, scrape the hell out of it with a heavy stainless steel spatula and use a paper towel to get out anything. If stuck bits of food, they get scrapped, then water and soap. Then just oil the pan and rack it again. None of that silly shit. Just use the damn thing.
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That's not it, we have no issues any other time cooking, just when doing cast iron.
wrote last edited by [email protected]But cast iron is iron. It doesn't smoke.
Oil makes smoke. You can use oil on steel, that is not an issue for you?
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I wash mine with soap and hot water, then dry and rub a bit of cooking oil on it (high smoke point oil, not olive oil).
I’ve built up a pretty substantial amount of seasoning on mine though. One of the ways to recognize that is that when you’re rinsing it out after washing the water should just bead right off, not wet the surface. Any areas where the water wets the surface could use some touch up seasoning. A well seasoned pan should be nice and hydrophobic.
As a hydromomie, i always die a little inside, when i read the word hydrophobic.
TIL it's even worse when actually typing it out.
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high smoke point oil, not olive oil
Olive oil has about the same smoke point as many standard cooking oils. It's a common misconception that it's not suitable for frying.
Only if it’s refined to remove all the suspended solids. When most people think about olive oil they think of EVOO which has a low smoke point and turns very bitter if overheated.
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Only if it’s refined to remove all the suspended solids. When most people think about olive oil they think of EVOO which has a low smoke point and turns very bitter if overheated.
Again, this isn't true. Extra virgin olive oil of decent quality has a smoke point similar to canola oil.
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In my world, that housemate would quickly become a houselessmate.
Weird that he's still your mate though. And not just somebody that you used to know.
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Again, this isn't true. Extra virgin olive oil of decent quality has a smoke point similar to canola oil.
Do you have a citation for that claim? It’s pretty well common knowledge that EVOO is a lower smoke point than typical refined cooking oils.
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So if you just wiped it out with a paper towel, how many years do you think one could go before getting actually sick? I'll volunteer to be a test subject if I find a cheap cast iron. Apparently I'm supposed to get away from my non stick pans anyways
I mean your average Griddle is not cleaned to the level of an indoor cast iron and yet we do not get more sick from them. And the average indoor cast iron is going to be more dirty than your average skillet.
The only way years would change anything would be in how immunocompromised are you at your old age?
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Do you have a citation for that claim? It’s pretty well common knowledge that EVOO is a lower smoke point than typical refined cooking oils.
Google it
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Google it
I did and all the links back me up and contradict you.
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I did and all the links back me up and contradict you.
There's this list for example
There's also this article
There's also the fact that in mediterranian cuisine it has been used that way for centuries with no complaints about the taste.
And then there's just my personal experience of not a single dish I've prepared tasting bitter due to using extra virgin olive oil for frying.
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PSA be careful buying lye. It has other uses than soap making, including stripping of carcasses to the bone, and then turning the fat into soap. If you order enough you might get a visit from your friendly government agent.
Corrected as to what it does.
wrote last edited by [email protected]throwback to this amazing scene from Four Lions
"Bleach scene"
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There's this list for example
There's also this article
There's also the fact that in mediterranian cuisine it has been used that way for centuries with no complaints about the taste.
And then there's just my personal experience of not a single dish I've prepared tasting bitter due to using extra virgin olive oil for frying.
Those are cherry-picked high numbers for EVOO and low numbers for canola oil. I have seen 450F/230C as a more common high end figure. I cook with sunflower oil which ranges 440F-480F and ghee which smokes at 482F.
I would also like to note that the original discussion was about caring for and seasoning cast iron pans which occurs at temperatures close to the smoke point of the oil, not about frying or sautéing. Cast iron pans are often seasoned in the oven and even used for roasting or baking at oven temperatures exceeding 500F. I would never put EVOO into an oven like that unless it was protected (such as included in a pizza crust) but even then I would prefer to drizzle the olive oil over the pizza after baking rather than before, due to the volatility of all the aromatics.
I have cooked plenty of times with EVOO but I would never use it for stir frying!
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It is, I literally just cook in mine, don't baby it, scrape the hell out of it with a heavy stainless steel spatula and use a paper towel to get out anything. If stuck bits of food, they get scrapped, then water and soap. Then just oil the pan and rack it again. None of that silly shit. Just use the damn thing.
Exactly. Just soak it in bacon grease, let the cats lick it dry overnight, then bury it in loamy soil under an orange tree during the full moon. So easy. I'm not sure why anyone doesn't use cast iron.
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At first you're gonna boil them. And after tha t you're gonna mash them, then you can choose to stick it in a stew.
Po-tae-toes
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But cast iron is iron. It doesn't smoke.
Oil makes smoke. You can use oil on steel, that is not an issue for you?
No, but I'm also not bringing oil to its smoke point when I'm doing normal cooking.
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PSA be careful buying lye. It has other uses than soap making, including stripping of carcasses to the bone, and then turning the fat into soap. If you order enough you might get a visit from your friendly government agent.
Corrected as to what it does.
That's why I buy all my lye through my LLC, Bone Soap Co.
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Wait, how does an oven give migraines? Legitimately curious
Edit: I forgot Americans have inferior electricity and often use gas ovens at home lol
In most parts of the US, the typical range is all electric running on 240v. Gas is not the norm. Outlets are typically 120v, but appliances are connected to specialized high voltage outlets or hardwired.
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99% of all the old "don't wash cast iron!" shit you hear is antiquated information from back in the day when they used lye for soap.
There is absolutely no reason today to not wash your cast iron today. That doesnt mean you always have to, though. Often just wiping it out with a damp rag is more than enough, and if you have a lot of really stuck on shit.. You can scrub it with a slurry made up of salt, water, and soap (Make sure you use little water so the salt doesnt dissolve into the water and disappear). The salt will provide some abrasive scrubbing without damaging the cure.
outside of that, again, if you choose to, you can absolutely wash it. Warm water and soap, dry it off, put it on a hot burner for a bit to dry off any remaining water.. and if you are using it again tomorrow, you're done. If you're not gonna use it for a while, then a very very light coat of oil would be wise until you use it next time.
and just in case anyone wants a good way to cure.. I cover my cast iron in a thin layer of lard, and put it on a rocket hot grill, and leave it until it stops smoking. then i take it off, let it sit until i can handle it again.. put another coat of lard on, and repeat. a couple coats should give you a great starting base to build your cure up from.. and its not something you have to do often unless you really abuse your cast iron.
Unless you live in a humid area, a microscopic amount of water isn't going to harm anything before it dries. Clean it with soap then use a dry towel to dry it and leave it on the stove, it'll be fine.
