Cookin again

[Dannyalcatraz]

That’s actually similar to my issue with my carbon steel. There’s a sizable patch where the seasoning simply won’t stay put. It’s immediately obvious.

Wten initially seasoned, it became a beautiful bronze color. But after the first couple of uses, a patch peeled right off, returning to its original steely silver.

Repeated seasonings have gotten it a shade or two darker, but nowhere near the rest of the pan, nor even the color of the original layer. And it isn’t just a visible difference- that patch is nowhere as slick as it should be.

 

[prabe]

It's why I have good stainless-steel pans for when I want to work with a fond, and I have good nonstick pans for when I don't want to bother with cleanup.

Given how niche and expensive good carbon steel pans are (or were, last I looked at prices) I'd be more bothered by botching something like that than I was the Lodge cast iron pan.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

For a few years a while back, my wife did lunches by making bento boxes. And more recently my wife has developed chronic migraine, with attendant GI issues - Asian foods tend to lean to using less meat and less fat which seems to sit more easily when she's having a bad day.

Stay away from Filipino cuisine, then. Their stuff is shockingly meat-centric, especially compared to most other asian food I’ve tried. Tasty, yes, but it’s as if they’re eating all the critters their neighbors aren’t.

 

[prabe]

Stay away from Filipino cuisine, then. Their stuff is shockingly meat-centric, especially compared to most other asian food I’ve tried. Tasty, yes, but it’s as if they’re eating all the critters their neighbors aren’t.

On the other hand, you have to love a culture where the equivalent to "Hello" is "Have you eaten?"

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

It's why I have good stainless-steel pans for when I want to work with a fond, and I have good nonstick pans for when I don't want to bother with cleanup.

Given how niche and expensive good carbon steel pans are (or were, last I looked at prices) I'd be more bothered by botching something like that than I was the Lodge cast iron pan.

My issues aside, Matfer Bourgeat consistently gets great reviews- from Amazon and pros (like ATK) alike, and they really don’t cost much.

Amazon.com: Matfer Bourgeat 62005 frying pan, 11 7/8-Inch, Gray: Skillets: Kitchen & Dining

Shop Matfer Bourgeat at the Amazon Cookware store. Free Shipping on eligible items. Everyday low prices, save up to 50%.

www.amazon.com

 

[prabe]

My issues aside, Matfer Bourgeat consistently gets great reviews- from Amazon and pros (like ATK) alike, and they really don’t cost much.

Amazon.com: Matfer Bourgeat 62005 frying pan, 11 7/8-Inch, Gray: Skillets: Kitchen & Dining

Shop Matfer Bourgeat at the Amazon Cookware store. Free Shipping on eligible items. Everyday low prices, save up to 50%.

www.amazon.com

Thanks for the rec. Good to know there's good affordable stuff in the category.

 

[Beleriphon]

• Wash thoroughly with dish soap (to remove anything left on it, this one time.
• Dry the pan completely
• Cover the pan with a thin layer of vegetable shortening or vegetable oil.
• Lay it upside-down in a 375 degree oven. Bake it for an hour. Allow it to cool.

Good Eats has an episode about this. Alton Brown's steps are the same, but he warms the pan in the oven until heated but not too hot to handle, then applies the oil. In theory that will actually open up the iron grain and allow you to get better adherence of the oil to metal.

I use the same method on a cast iron BBQ grilling plate. Works great, have to do it first in the spring, then at least once more during hte summer. Mind you to get it clean for the first seasoning I use brass wire brush head and a cordless drill.

For cleaning, a pile of kosher salt and scrubbing until clean works wonders as well.

 

[CleverNickName]

Yes, acidic foods will take some of the protective layer off. But it shouldn't strip it bare so that the regular oiling after each use won't be sufficient to maintain the pan's condition.

Length of exposure time and strength of the acid are important factors too, but you're right. It's probably not an issue unless you're simmering a tomato sauce in your cast iron skillet for 20-30 minutes, or if you've got tiny scratches in the seasoning layer (possibly from stirring with a metal fork?) But squeezing a lemon over that pan-seared slice of fish isn't going to strip the pan.

99% of the time, my cast iron pan is good to go with a quick spritz of oil and a wipe-down, while the pan is still hot. The other 1% of the time, I'm making my cast-iron lasagna. ;-)

(EDIT: That is to say, the other 1% of the time, I was foolishly using cast iron skillet to make lasagna with. I have more pans now.)

 

[Sacrosanct]

Sometimes, the best lunch is a simple lunch. Shrimp pasta with lemon white sauce, fresh baked bread, and homemade cherry mead with great company.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

On “simple”:

Like I mentioned before, both my Mom and I take mess that it is strongly recommend be taken with food. But if she’s getting to them late night, she obviously doesn’t need a big calorie bomb at bedtime.

So I’ve started making her little “bento boxes”: small Tupperware containers with an assortment of foods. Typically, it’s a slice or two of lunch meat (GAK, chicken or salami) with a little cheese, some baby carrots, and other things like olives, pickled cauliflower, nuts, or the like.