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DO tell!

I like the regular for camping and for using outdoors. But then my trusty Lodge skillet gets the spotlight indoors too. I'm in the market for a nice enameled one to use in the house. In the end, it's CI..........gotta love both types.

Bob
 
BobBrisket said:
I like the regular for camping and for using outdoors. But then my trusty Lodge skillet gets the spotlight indoors too. I'm in the market for a nice enameled one to use in the house. In the end, it's CI..........gotta love both types.

Bob
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If your looking check costco (Kirkland). Got one for Xmas, havnt used it yet but it is heavy and was affordable.
 
ShencoSmoke said:
If your looking check costco (Kirkland). Got one for Xmas, havnt used it yet but it is heavy and was affordable.
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^^^I'm looking at CD's post and noticed he's using the enameled type in the Kettle with charcoal. How does the coating/color etc hold up on those with that type of use?

I've seen those at Sam's too. Just may need to bite the bullet and do it. Especially in the winter months, nothing like just tossing something into the DO and let the CI and the oven do its thing. Plus........you heat the house up at the same time!:heh:
 
I use raw CI almost exclusively. I cook with them while camping, on the smoker, and in my kitchen. I keep them right on the stove 24/7. I use them for everything. I fry in them, and make soups and stews in them. I bake bread in the dutch oven, and cornbread in the skillets. I'm trying to think of anything I can't do in them, and I'm sure there are probably some things, but I can't think what they might be right off the top of my head. I know folks like the fancy enameled ones, but I'll keep my raw CI. Just personal preference. :wink:
 
I use my porcelain coated Dutch Oven on my Egg with no problems... but, then again, it is on the cooking grid... not sitting on the coals.
 
cast iron only..It does not know the difference if cooking inside..Enamel can not and will not heat evenly, nor can you get a sear like cast iron..Iron will not burn on the bottom...If not used for awhile rinse with water only and re-oil treat..my cast irons came from my grand ma to my ma to me, you wont do that with enamel..
chile--soup--fried chicken..stews...deserts...love the iron.
 
I got a 12" cast iron skillet for Christmas. I made french fries two nights in a row on the grill as part of a seasoning exercise and just absolutely fell in love with the thing. Did salmon filets inside on the stove the next night and decided I needed more cast iron in my life. Went to buy a dutch oven and couldn't decide between the 12" and 14", so I bought two, a 10" and a 14". Already made chili in the big one by using it on the firebox and inside my smoker.

I'm REALLY looking forward to learning more cooks to do on the iron. The plan is to, one day, get the smoker, both Weber kettles, and the Master Forge grills going, plus all of the cast iron and cook an incredible spread of food.
 
bvbull200 said:
I got a 12" cast iron skillet for Christmas. I made french fries two nights in a row on the grill as part of a seasoning exercise and just absolutely fell in love with the thing. Did salmon filets inside on the stove the next night and decided I needed more cast iron in my life. Went to buy a dutch oven and couldn't decide between the 12" and 14", so I bought two, a 10" and a 14". Already made chili in the big one by using it on the firebox and inside my smoker.

I'm REALLY looking forward to learning more cooks to do on the iron. The plan is to, one day, get the smoker, both Weber kettles, and the Master Forge grills going, plus all of the cast iron and cook an incredible spread of food.
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Great aspiration for 2014!
 
57borntorun said:
So which is it, am I full of it or not?
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no you are not you just need to get to know cast iron. ci is the best for cooking . and there is no fear to it . enamil is good indoors but plain is also good . It is hard to explain you just have to get tro know it . I have over 100 pieces of it . and also cook with it . some of it goes back to the 1800's . start with the enamil and then get plain after you cook with it you will trash the rest .
 
Cast iron has been with us a long time. We have learned how best to use it. It has an incredible ability to distribute heat evenly and retain it. It is more difficult to maintain as some foods/liquids will take off the seasoning. But if you are cooking a fatty dish, go to your cast iron. CI loves fat.... I have never tried enameled. So here is my Jambalaya from 2 days ago in a CI Dutch Oven.
 
Don't use cast iron or aluminum containers to cook acidic dishes (e.g. vinegar or other acids). It will discolor the dish and discolor the pans. The acids reacts with the metal. Use stainless or porcelain for acidic dishes.
If it is not acidic, then cast iron is the best way to cook things that you need a pan for on the grill or smoker (e.g. baked beans, etc.).

Cast iron pans should be hand washed with mild detergent after use (don't leave them sitting around). Then dried in a warm oven. When dry, take a touch of oil and a paper towel and "re-season" the inside of the pan, and put beck into the warm oven for a few minutes.
Drying the pan and oiling it will keep it from rusting.
As far as the bacteria thing discussed, I cannot argue....
But for those of us old enough to remember, our mothers used to not scrub the cast iron really hard, because they wanted to leave the natural "seasoning" in the pan from the cooking process. The cast iron was clean, but certainly not spotless.
Just saying, I never had food poisoning....
 
BobBrisket said:
^^^I'm looking at CD's post and noticed he's using the enameled type in the Kettle with charcoal. How does the coating/color etc hold up on those with that type of use?

I've seen those at Sam's too. Just may need to bite the bullet and do it. Especially in the winter months, nothing like just tossing something into the DO and let the CI and the oven do its thing. Plus........you heat the house up at the same time!:heh:
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Bob,

Ours has held up very well, no fading of color or any changes to the coating. We actually have two of them, both came from Sams club. We use ours quite a bit on the kettle and/or WSM. Great clean up and makes some mean carnitas!
 
57borntorun said:
Cast iron houses bacteria and potential off flavors when liquids are introduced and porcelain not.
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I think a better point to this would be to say that CI requires some periodic maintenance and porcelain does not. I don't get any off tastes from my CI because I use it regularly and keep it seasoned. If you don't, you will get off/rusty tastes. Porcelain requires no maintenance, but its limited in durability when compared to CI. Both have their strong and weak points, but the housing bacteria point is moot because it gets cooked off anyway. Besides we prolly eat more bacteria just from kitchen surfaces alone than you'd find in a CI pan.
 
ShencoSmoke said:
If your looking check costco (Kirkland). Got one for Xmas, havnt used it yet but it is heavy and was affordable.
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I bought the Costco one a few years ago, and its great. Performs just like my mother in law's La Creuset and is a fraction of the price.
 
I do know that if you cook okra in a plain cast iron pan the okra turns a greyish color . Having a enamel coated pan eliminates that reaction and I think would be advantageous when cooking higher acid dishes.
 
ShencoSmoke said:
If your looking check costco (Kirkland). Got one for Xmas, havnt used it yet but it is heavy and was affordable.
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FYI, I've been told by several people that, even though Lodge regular CI is made in USA, the enameled stuff is "outsourced."

I believe the Kirkland enameled CI is American made.

If that matters to you, you may want to dig deeper.

CD
 
BobBrisket said:
^^^I'm looking at CD's post and noticed he's using the enameled type in the Kettle with charcoal. How does the coating/color etc hold up on those with that type of use?
Click to expand...

Any soot that accumulates just wipes right off. I just do my usual soap and water wash.

On that particular cook, I sautéed the veggies in that DO over direct heat, and moved to indirect heat to cook at 350 for over an hour. No problems.

CD
 
Tricky said:
I bought the Costco one a few years ago, and its great. Performs just like my mother in law's La Creuset and is a fraction of the price.
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I've seen the Kirkland CI, and have heard great things about it. I already had three sizes of Le Crueset, or I would have bought the Kirkland.

I have a Le Crueset outlet store close by. All my pieces are factory seconds. Don't ask me what the flaws are, because I couldn't find any flaws.

BigBellyBBQ said:
Enamel can not and will not heat evenly, nor can you get a sear like cast iron.
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If this is referring to enameled CI, mine heats as evenly as bare CI, and I have no problem getting a good sear. I don't notice any cooking difference between my Le Crueset and my Griswold -- and bare CI doesn't get much better than Griswold.

CD
 
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