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Farm Kitchen:  Cast Iron anything  |
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Marcia30
True Blue Farmgirl
159 Posts
Marcia
Mt. Carmel
IL
USA
159 Posts |
 Posted - Nov 11 2010 : 11:02:28 AM
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I would like to know about cast iron any size, shape or make. I wanna know what you use your for.
With God all things are possible!! |
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Marcia30
True Blue Farmgirl
159 Posts
Marcia
Mt. Carmel
IL
USA
159 Posts |
Posted - Nov 11 2010 : 11:10:04 AM
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I use mine for just about anything. I just recently got my dutch oven. I have onlyusedit once but i think i am gonna love it. I also have a 12 inch skillet and a 5 inch skillet and i am adding more everyday when i can.
With God all things are possible!! |
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Okie Farm Girl
True Blue Farmgirl
1674 Posts
Mary Beth
McLoud
Oklahoma
USA
1674 Posts |
Posted - Nov 11 2010 : 11:18:40 AM
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I have my grandmother's cast iron ware and they range from 5" skillets to a 15" skillet, a cornbread pan that looks like ears of corn and a divided cornbread pan that makes 8 preshaped triangle pieces. I also have a cornbread pan that is shaped like cactuses! :-) I just got a dutch oven as well and love it. I use my cast iron for just about everything. It heats so evenly and so well. Cornbread just isn't cornbread unless it's baked in cast iron!
Mary Beth
www.OklahomaPastryCloth.com
The Sovereign Lord is my strength - Habakkuk 3:19 |
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kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
Posted - Nov 11 2010 : 11:19:17 AM
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I have all sizes and use them daily. I have stainless steel pots but all my pans are cast iron. I cannot use anything else because these are just so easy to use and I never have anything stick so not any work at all. They are good for all types of cooking. And oven baking also. I can bake cakes in them.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
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Ms.Lilly
True Blue Farmgirl
826 Posts
Lillian
Scotts Mills
OR
USA
826 Posts |
Posted - Nov 11 2010 : 11:54:34 AM
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Let's see here- I own 4 skillets, 4 bread/loaf pans, 3 dutch ovens, 1 very old muffin pan, 4 enameled cast iron pots and 1 enameled cast iron skillet. I pretty much cook in cast iron as I don't own anything else. You can cook anything in the cast iron except if it is tomato based, so my spaghetti sauce gets cooked in the enameled pots. Love my cast iron!
Lillian |
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Ninibini
True Blue Farmgirl
7577 Posts
Nini
Pennsylvania
USA
7577 Posts |
Posted - Nov 11 2010 : 8:16:36 PM
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I use my great-grandmother's cast iron skillet for everything! I don't think a day goes by that it's not on the stove or in the oven at least once! But Lillian - I never knew you couldn't use it for tomato-based foods... Why is that? Is there a health concern or is it something about a chemical reaction? I'm worried now - we've always used it to make sauce and plenty of other tomato based foods... But my cast iron isn't enameled... is that the concern, maybe? Please let me know! I really appreciate it! - Nini
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
Farmgirl Sister #1974 |
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gramax18
True Blue Farmgirl
106 Posts
Elinor
meeker
Colorado
USA
106 Posts |
Posted - Nov 11 2010 : 9:17:11 PM
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I use my cast iron for tomato stuff all the time. The pan I use I have been using for 55 years and it seems fine. The only thing I don't use it for is to boil potatoes in. I have over 20 differnt pieces and love them all.
Elinor |
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Nanniekim
True Blue Farmgirl
206 Posts
Kim
Arizona
206 Posts |
Posted - Nov 12 2010 : 02:37:47 AM
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I cook tomato stuff in my cast iron, too. I've heard that when you cook anything acidic (like tomatoes) in cast iron that some of the iron leaches into your food. I don't have a problem with my family getting a little iron once in a while. Things like spaghetti sauce or chili seem to have a richer flavor when cooked in cast iron.
Kim |
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SarahJ
True Blue Farmgirl
198 Posts
Shreveport
Louisiana
198 Posts |
Posted - Nov 12 2010 : 06:23:38 AM
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I have cast iron skillets that I use all the time, from cooking food to baking cornbread. I also have enamel coated cast iron pots that I use constantly for any recipe that calls for a dutch oven.
SarahJ
Farmgirl Sister #116
http://bayoumama.wordpress.com/ |
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MamaCrunch
True Blue Farmgirl
161 Posts
Nasvhille
TN
USA
161 Posts |
Posted - Nov 12 2010 : 06:30:59 AM
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I have a 9 inch skillet, 6 inch skillet (I think) a small griddle pan, grill pan, cornear corn bread pan, and a tiny skillet I use for melting butter. I'm hoping Santa brings me a Dutch oven or two for Christmas.
I've recent stared using CI now that we live in a house that doesn't have a
glass top stove. Have to admit I'm totally smitten!
Farmgirl #2161
Just tryin' to homestead in the middle of a suburban neighborhood!
Blog~ http://thelittleboygreen.com <<I've been slackin' on the updates! |
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Ms.Lilly
True Blue Farmgirl
826 Posts
Lillian
Scotts Mills
OR
USA
826 Posts |
Posted - Nov 12 2010 : 07:00:56 AM
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You are not supposed to cook acidic things like tomatos in cast iron due to the reaction with it. Like using a metal bowl when making a sourdough starter. Personally I don't like the flavor when spagehetti sause is made in cast iron pans, but everybody has different taste. I forgot to mention DH bought me a cast iron wok a few years back and it is the best wok a person could have! If I take the burner plate out of the wood stove it fits in the hole just perfectly and I can cook just about anything in it.
Lillian |
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rosarita78
True Blue Farmgirl
206 Posts
Reina
Drought ridden High Plains
New Mexico
USA
206 Posts |
Posted - Nov 12 2010 : 07:42:13 AM
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Oh I'm seriously obsessed with my cast iron. I use it for everything. I use them on the stove of course I've made lots of things with it in the oven. I've never made a cake in them but I have made cobblers and there is a cookie recipe out there. I make corn bread, fry corn tortillas, make tacos, chicken pot pie. I do make spagetti in my cast iron, I don't really notice the taste. And I've never heard not to use acidic things in CI. Those are the only skillets I have I do not cook in anything else. My favorite its the 10 inch square. But I have all sizes.
Several years ago I was anemic all the time. I eat plenty of meat and so I was having to suplliment often. My mom said start cooking in your CI more. I did, I fell in love with it. I have not had any problems at all even when I was preggo. And my kids have very healthy iron levels as well. My kids were on WIC and the nutritionist was amazed that my kids iron levels were so consistant. She told me that was rare, I told her CAST IRON!! lol
I have two 10 inch skillets, one small skillet (a six??), 3 flat comal I don't know what they are called in different sizes. One that has a griddle in in like a grill pan. two dutch ovens, one is the enamel ware one.
Next I'm wanting to buy some CI trivets. So it anyone want to trade I'm up for that.
I just LOVE my cast iron. I can't get enough. Once you learn how they work. It is just a great tool. My square pan I hope to pass along to my daughter one day.
Reina
http://reinascountrykitchen.blogspot.com
http://icookinnewmexico.blogspot.com |
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Ninibini
True Blue Farmgirl
7577 Posts
Nini
Pennsylvania
USA
7577 Posts |
Posted - Nov 12 2010 : 09:05:52 AM
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Reina - I have two ornate round white enameled cast iron trivets from LeCreuset that I never use. They aren't old, but they are really, really pretty. If you're interested in them, please email me! I'd be thrilled for them to go to a good home! :) - Nini
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
Farmgirl Sister #1974 |
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Marcia30
True Blue Farmgirl
159 Posts
Marcia
Mt. Carmel
IL
USA
159 Posts |
Posted - Nov 12 2010 : 10:33:21 AM
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Sorry i have not posted yet but i have been moving and stacking hay all day. anyway my dutch oven is enamel and i have a problem with things stickng why is that should i put alot of oil in there before i start cooking?
With God all things are possible!! |
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Marcia30
True Blue Farmgirl
159 Posts
Marcia
Mt. Carmel
IL
USA
159 Posts |
Posted - Nov 12 2010 : 10:37:36 AM
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I am hoping to get a big skillet for christmas. And maybe a grill pan.
What a day god made!!! Gorgeous beautiful day here in IL!! |
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Marcia30
True Blue Farmgirl
159 Posts
Marcia
Mt. Carmel
IL
USA
159 Posts |
Posted - Nov 12 2010 : 10:39:57 AM
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I have never heard of not putting tomatoe sauce in them either but a good thing to know. What about using metal utensils in them. I use wood spoons but i have a metal spatula. Is it safe to use them? I didn't know if it scrapes some of the metal off in the food or not???????
What a day god made!!! Gorgeous beautiful day here in IL!! |
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DyaLynn53
True Blue Farmgirl
78 Posts
Dianne
Roseburg
Oregon
USA
78 Posts |
Posted - Nov 12 2010 : 10:47:17 AM
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I have a large old square skillet, that belonged to my hubbys grandma, a newer and little bit smaller skillet that was my mom's that I bake my cornbread in; get it screaming hot and pour the batter in for a delish crunchy crust. I have a new square grilling skillet, and 2 old round ones, one was my grandma's and the other my mom's. I had a huge round skillet that I gave to one of my daughters and an old dutch oven that I gave to the other daughter. I'm lookin for one of those corn stick pans and also an abelskever (sp?) pan. I love my cast iron so much that when I was looking at new kitchen stoves and would have liked one of those smooth glass top models I turned it down when the salesperson told me that cast iron shouldn't be used on them. Got the new stove but a conventional model cause I just will NOT give up my cast iron. LOVE IT!!
Farmgirl Sister #682
"Life is a great big canvas and you should throw all the paint on it you can." Danny Kaye |
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Marcia30
True Blue Farmgirl
159 Posts
Marcia
Mt. Carmel
IL
USA
159 Posts |
Posted - Nov 12 2010 : 12:29:45 PM
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Can anyone tell me if you are not supposed to use metal utensils or not on CI i would really llike to know if anyone knows.
What a day god made!!! Gorgeous beautiful day here in IL!! |
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Ninibini
True Blue Farmgirl
7577 Posts
Nini
Pennsylvania
USA
7577 Posts |
Posted - Nov 12 2010 : 3:27:05 PM
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I do, Marcia... I use them in both my cast iron skillet and my porcelain coated 9 x 13... I haven't had any problems.
Diane - I use my cast iron skillet on my glass top stove all the time. I am thinking it's probably not recommended because they're so heavy and you can break the glass if you drop it, but I'm not sure. Did he say why you shouldn't use it on the glass cook top? Either way, I'd prefer gas to cook with - it's just not an option for us yet! :)
- Nini
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
Farmgirl Sister #1974 |
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Marcia30
True Blue Farmgirl
159 Posts
Marcia
Mt. Carmel
IL
USA
159 Posts |
Posted - Nov 13 2010 : 07:47:49 AM
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I use a glass top and i have not had any problems and my mother in law has always used glass top that is all she has ever had. She does not have the option for gas. I have the option to have gas but we can't afford a new stove right now.
Cow Lover USA!! |
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edlund33
True Blue Farmgirl
1507 Posts
Marilyn
Renton
WA
USA
1507 Posts |
Posted - Nov 13 2010 : 08:42:44 AM
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I also have a glass top stove and use my cast iron skillets on it all the time. I'll bet weight is probably the main concern, and possibly burning oil residue from freshly seasoned pans. For those reasons I don't think I would ever set the dutch oven on my stove, and I'm careful to keep the amount of oil on the bottom of my skillets to a minimum. I especially love cast iron pans because when our power goes out during the winter - which it does quite often - I can cook on the top of our wood stove, too.
Cheers! ~ Marilyn
Farm Girl No. 1100
Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. - Ralph Waldo Emerson |
Edited by - edlund33 on Nov 13 2010 08:43:27 AM |
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Marcia30
True Blue Farmgirl
159 Posts
Marcia
Mt. Carmel
IL
USA
159 Posts |
Posted - Nov 13 2010 : 12:03:02 PM
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What are some of the most unusual recipes you had made in your CI? Share some stories and or recipes. :)
God is good all the time!!
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J.F. Brown
True Blue Farmgirl
130 Posts
Jamie
Beaverton
OR
USA
130 Posts |
Posted - Nov 13 2010 : 1:27:58 PM
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My cast iron ranges from a little six-inch to a big 'cauldron'. I cook everything from scrambled eggs to apple butter, and have done my whole life. Most of mine was my mother's first,dating back to early in her marriage... so nearly sixty years. I am a bit of a heretic, and I do use soap & water, but it never bothers the pans. Some pieces see more use and some less than when I cooked for six or eight every day.The cute corn-sticks and similar ones I only use for holidays.
Regarding tomatoes, I'd always understood that acids do leach some iron into the food... and when I was pregnant, my midwives always encouraged that. I have used the skillets, and even the dutch oven to bake as well as to cook on the range, and they seem to love it! |
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Marcia30
True Blue Farmgirl
159 Posts
Marcia
Mt. Carmel
IL
USA
159 Posts |
Posted - Nov 14 2010 : 07:40:02 AM
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I made omlets in my big skillet this morning and they stuck. I have never had anything stick before in this one. But by the time i got to the last one my daughter wanted to make her own. So she forgot to put milk in the eggs and it turned out perfect.
God is good all the time!!
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Okie Farm Girl
True Blue Farmgirl
1674 Posts
Mary Beth
McLoud
Oklahoma
USA
1674 Posts |
Posted - Nov 14 2010 : 08:21:56 AM
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I think the two best items to cook in cast iron are pineapple upside down cake and chicken upside down dinner. For the latter, you take whatever parts you want to eat - legs, thighs, breasts, wings (enough to fill the skillet)- and put them in a plastic ware bowl with lid. You sprinkle with garlic powder, salt and pepper, paprika and thyme and toss until each piece is seasoned. Then, gently fry them in my medium cast iron skillet in just a smidge of oil. Brown on both sides and then cover with a lid to slowly simmer until tender and nearly falling off the bone. When they are done, make a 'drop biscuit' recipe - any will do - and drop the dough over the chicken still in the skillet. Pat out the dough to cover to the edge of the skillet and bake at 400 degrees until biscuit dough is brown and crusty on top. Remove from oven and invert onto a platter. The chicken is on top and the biscuit on bottom. It is delicious. :-)
Mary Beth
www.OklahomaPastryCloth.com
The Sovereign Lord is my strength - Habakkuk 3:19 |
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Marcia30
True Blue Farmgirl
159 Posts
Marcia
Mt. Carmel
IL
USA
159 Posts |
Posted - Nov 15 2010 : 06:47:35 AM
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That sounds delicious. I think i might try that some time.
God is good all the time!!
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Farm Kitchen: Cast Iron anything |
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Cast Iron anything
