Cast Iron

This pan was difficult to get completely stripped, but I prevailed in the end. I used Easy-Off, and it took multiple tries to get the stubborn stuff off. This is while applying the first coat of shortening to the bare iron. I tested both pans for lead, even though I've been using them both for a number of years. Thankfully, they tested negative.

The pan on the left has 4 coats of seasoning. The pan on the right has one. I wanted to season them together, but the pan on the right took a long time to strip so it fell behind.

Both pans are in the oven as I write this, getting their 6th and 3rd coats, respectively. I don't have a goal in mind, but I'll stop when the bigger pan looks good.

I have a Griswold #8 that had some areas where the seasoning was failing. I don't remember what I seasoned it with, but it was about 5 years ago so it didn't last long. I blame my wife.

Anyway, I decided to strip and re-season. I used the Easy-Off method -- spray it down and let it sit in a garbage bag. This worked well except for some stubborn spots. I re-sprayed multiple times but the oven cleaner didn't seem to work.

I was going to keep chipping away at it with oven cleaner, but my can ran out so I went to the hardware store. Looking at the ingredients in oven cleaner, I realized that maybe drain cleaner would also work.

I got a big bottle of drain cleaner and headed home. I made sure to get basic (Sodium hydroxide) drain cleaner instead of acid, and got "gel" style so it would stick to the sides of the pan better.

It didn't work. I don't recommend trying it because it's a waste of time. Oven cleaner must have a bunch of other stuff in it, not just lye.

So, I'm going to head back to the store and get more oven cleaner. It's so close to being fully stripped, I'm sure I can finish it off with oven cleaner.

In the past I've used electrolysis, self-cleaning oven method, and oven cleaner. Oven cleaner is my preferred method, even after struggling with a few spots this time.

I was going to try and finish this pan off with the self-cleaning oven method, but the latch on my oven door is broken, so it won't perform the cycle.

Anyway, thanks for reading! I don't have any pictures, but I will take some once I start the seasoning process.

Finally got a cast iron takoyaki pan, it works so well!

I just acquired a Vollrath #8 deep dryer with lid, in fantastic condition, just needing to be stripped and reseasoned. I see these going anywhere from $140 to $290 online.

I got it for $40!!!

Made some pan pizza, the other day. Followed this recipe, with some added Napoli Salame on top.

Note: The white sauce is some home made ranch dressing. As the crust is covered in caramelized cheese/frico, I enjoy dipping it into a special sauce.

Edit: Used the leftover tomato juice for a bloody mary, which is in the glass next to the pizza.

Here are some more photos:

I always try to mix in a little bit of oregano, thyme and basil. Remember to add a tiny bit of extra water when using dry ingredients.

I made an apple pie in a cast iron pan. It's actually easier to make than it seems. Everything is from scratch.

I was originally going to make Chile Rellenos but I ran out of time. I made Rajas and added them to the Picadillo that was going to be the pepper stuffing. I didn't take a photo of that because I was too hungry. It came out great.

Edit: You char all sides of the pepper. Then you let it steam in a bag for 10-15 minutes. This allows you to remove the char and you are left with a pleasantly smokey and flavorful pepper.

Lately I've been cooking everything in my cast iron pans. Once you get the hang of them they're fantastic.

For this pan I sanded the original sandpaper like texture with an orbital sander then applied many coats of seasoning. Sadly, I may have made it too smooth. The seasoning doesn't stay on as well as another smaller pan that I own. Which means I'll sand it again with 40 grit in order to help the seasoning stick. Fingers crossed.

I don't use crisco regularly for cooking, so I have the box of it in my fridge. It's messy to be opening the cardboard box and paper wrapping each time I add seasoning. Does anybody have a clever way to store it?

Just for your entertainment. This was a partial whole wheat/ white with herbs. Cold fermented inside the pan with lid on (brush lid with some oil so it doesn't stick). I made half pesto, half spicy and it's very far from traditional focaccia, except the dough, really.

Smaller one is a Griswold No. 8, marked 704H.

Larger one is a Wagner Ware 11 ^3^/~4~ Inch Skillet, with a "10" on the handle.

I managed to get them for $50 total. I can't find exact matches online, but I think this is a good deal for these two. Is it?

Focasia dough with part pesto/mozzarella and part tomato/mad hatter/mozzarella. I decided against the traditional dimples. Did the secondary rise inside a 12" cast iron pan with lid.

Served with a choice of olive oil in combination with salt & pepper as well as extra tomato topping. Best cut with a very sharp bread knife.

I used my 13.25" cast iron skillet to bake a large carrot cake. I found the recipe online and adjusted the cooking length to accommodate the larger pan.

Homemade pizza dough and sauce in my Lodge double Dutch oven lid and Darto carbon steel pan. The dough was cold fermented in the fridge then proofed in buttered pans. I cooked the dough on the stove top briefly to help it firm up before adding sauce and toppings.

For a crispier bottom, an alternative is to preheat the pans then add oil and (carefully) spread the proofed dough into the pan before adding toppings and cooking.

What can I say? It's Friday again

First time making saganaki. Halloumi cheese pan-fried in ghee, finished with a squeeze of lemon while in the pan.

I picked this up at a yard sale and reseasoned it. There are no markings on it. Any idea what brand this is?

It actually did end up with a breath of sourdough to it and a nice chewiness. This was some starter that I had built up and maintained, dried and stored over a year ago, then rehydrated a week ago.

Experimenting with making a pesto loaf, and it came out pretty good using the Lodge loaf pan. The dough is actually made from a pizza dough recipe that I like to make pan pizza with and had extra of. For one loaf (or pizza):

• 200g bread flour
• 25g whole wheat flour
• 158g warm water
• 4g salt
• 2g instant yeast
• 9g olive oil

Mix until all the dry bits are absorbed into a sticky dough ball, and let rest for a few minutes. Then stretch it out and fold it in half once from each side (top to bottom, right to left, bottom to top, left to right) and tuck it into a ball. It should be stronger, smoother, and feel less sticky afterwards. If it still feels like a weak shaggy mess, let it rest for another 10-20 minutes then repeat the folds. Then put the dough ball in a covered container that’s twice as big as the ball and put it in the fridge overnight (it’s good for probably up to 5 days to a week, and it will actually develop more flavor that way).

Pull the dough out about 1.5 hours before you want to bake. Roll the dough out with a rolling pin to a rectangle that’s as wide as the loaf pan is long, and make the dough as long as you can roll it out without too much trouble. Spread the pesto over the flattened dough, leaving a bit of a margin along the edges, with a bigger margin at the bottom. Roll the dough from the top down into a cylinder that will fit nicely in the pan and pinch all the seams along the loaf and at the ends to seal it up.

Grease the pan with softened butter, place the loaf in the pan, and cover with plastic wrap (or whatever). Let it rise until it’s at least 1.5 times larger (probably 1-1.5 hours). When it’s close to the right size, preheat the oven to 350°F. When the loaf is risen, uncover and brush the top with melted butter. Bake for 40-45 minutes until the inside is 190-200°F. Take the loaf out of the pan and cool on a wire rack for at least 45 minutes, then slice and enjoy.

This one happens to be square!

See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vlaai

For your viewing pleasure and inspiration.

Vlaai is a typical Dutch pastry which just so happens to fit really well in a 10" cast iron skillet. Super easy to make and with the cast iron it doesn't stick to the pan. Serve with a generous amount of whipped cream and coarse sugar.