Let's Talk Cast Iron

[DBAR]

I absolutely love cooking with cast iron but I don't normally take it with me camping. I think I am partially afraid of the care and upkeep. Even though I know that a well-seasoned piece of cast iron is just as good if not better than a non-stick pan. Something about having my precious cast iron out and exposed to the elements freaks me out. Really I wanted to ask:

Who here uses cast iron while camping or on the trail? How is maintenance? Would you recommend using cast iron over a steel or other type of pan?

I also know that there are a tone of interesting pieces of cast iron cookware so what is your favorite to use? Mine is the dutch oven!

 

[Correus]

Cast iron is PERFECT for camping!!! Clean and care just like you do at home. Only down side is weight - that's why aluminum is used so much. If hiking I don't take it, but when using my rig it goes with me. I will typically take a small Dutch oven/cauldron, couple frying pans, couple of pots and griddle. They all nestle in a box when taken. They are the same ones I use at home. One last thing, CI can handle the abuse better than a lot of the nonstick products out there as well as those cooking sets made for camping.

Forgot to mention... my favorite piece is my small cauldron. I really want to get a small or medium South African Potjie though.

 

[DBAR]

i don't cook at all, my wife does, and that's all she takes with us camping is the cast iron pan. she uses it on the camper stove, the coleman or the campfire, depending on what she's doing.
and their tuff as nails, i actually did use it once, put a dent in the cartopper boat, laid the pan over the dent and whacked it with a rock. presto, no more dent and wife was using the pan a few hrs later...

It's great knowing that something so simple can be so versatile as well.

 

[grubworm]

Try looking up carbon steel pans. I bought a pan from Brandani which is Italian made and really good. It is carbon steel which is pretty much like the cast iron except it is thinner and a lot lighter, but cooks the same and is very durable for camping. I have it and a Lodge cast iron and the cast iron rusts a lot in my slide out galley in the camper, but the carbon steel one doesn't. Definitely worth looking at. The lable on it says cast iron, but look and see the handle is riveted to the pan, cast iron is cast in one piece, so this is a carbon steel pan.

 

[chuckoverland]

I cant use cast iron at home because of a dumb glass cooktop, but use it exclusively when camping. To clean it just pour in some clean water, turn on the burner and bring to a light boil. Use a brush to clean once the boiling water has softened up all the crud, dump the water, wipe out really good with a towel then season with olive oil. Ready for storage and no rust.

 

[Correus]

I cant use cast iron at home because of a dumb glass cooktop, but use it exclusively when camping. To clean it just pour in some clean water, turn on the burner and bring to a light boil. Use a brush to clean once the boiling water has softened up all the crud, dump the water, wipe out really good with a towel then season with olive oil. Ready for storage and no rust.

If you can get a chainmail scrubber they work wonders with cast iron; they should, they were designed for that use! We have one, with a handle even, that's from the mid to late 1800s.

 

[Road]

.

I have a 10" Lodge cast iron skillet I keep with me in the van, though to be honest, reach for my Vollrath sauté pans for general cooking purposes more than anything else. Cast iron, though, if seasoned and cared for properly, should be easy to use and clean. For storage, I keep my cast iron skillet in a sleeve made just for its size.

I have an 8, 10, and 12" Vollrath aluminum with handled lids.They are chef quality and when seasoned and properly cared for, are super easy to use and clean. I keep my 8 and 10 nestled in the top of my kitchen box as seen below (on the orange TV tray now), always ready to go. They see the most use of any cooking gear I own, in a house or on the road.



These two pans, especially the 10" on the right, get used more than anything else I own.
..


The orange TV tray and its entire contents, to the right on the trailer tire above, fit on top of my Partner stove and under the closed top of my kitchen box, tray and all. The tray holds two sauté pans, their lids, two plates, and a variety of small metal serving/storage containers.

I pull into camp, open my kitchen box and my most used cooking gear is right there on the tray under the lid, ready to be set on the trailer-tire table, out of the way and ready to use.
It is one of the things I show off most when folks stop by to talk about my outdoor kitchen setup.
..


I used to keep the pans on a coghlan griddle under the lid, though it eventually warped and I replaced it with a larger Partner griddle (which doesn't fit under the lid).
The TV tray proved to be a perfect solution, and fits wonderfully on the little table I keep on the trailer-tire when in camp (right side of the image above).

At any rate, though I love cast iron and have a couple cast iron Dutch Ovens, for my style of cooking, gear storage, and camping I reach for my Vollrath sauté pans more than anything.

As @Correus mentioned above, the chain mail scrubbers are perfect for cleaning cast iron. I always keep one in my kitchen box.

If anyone is interested in the Vollrath pans, I get mine at webstaurantstore.com. They're amazingly INexpensive. They have a wide variety of cooking gear. If you want the specific product name/number of the sauté pans I use, let me know.

.

Roaddude - On the Road In North America - ROADDUDE

Roaddude - Traveling Photographer/Writer/Artist On the Road In North America. Gear, reviews, people, places, and culture.

roaddude.com

 

[grubworm]

.

I have a 10" Lodge cast iron skillet I keep with me in the van, though to be honest, reach for my Vollrath sauté pans for general cooking purposes more than anything else. Cast iron, though, if seasoned and cared for properly, should be easy to use and clean. For storage, I keep my cast iron skillet in a sleeve made just for its size.

I have an 8, 10, and 12" Vollrath aluminum with handled lids.They are chef quality and when seasoned and properly cared for, are super easy to use and clean. I keep my 8 and 10 nestled in the top of my kitchen box as seen below (on the orange TV tray now), always ready to go. They see the most use of any cooking gear I own, in a house or on the road.


View attachment 139056
These two pans, especially the 10" on the right, get used more than anything else I own.
..

View attachment 139063
The orange TV tray and its entire contents, to the right on the trailer tire above, fit on top of my Partner stove and under the closed top of my kitchen box, tray and all. The tray holds two sauté pans, their lids, two plates, and a variety of small metal serving/storage containers.

I pull into camp, open my kitchen box and my most used cooking gear is right there on the tray under the lid, ready to be set on the trailer-tire table, out of the way and ready to use.
It is one of the things I show off most when folks stop by to talk about my outdoor kitchen setup.
..

View attachment 139060
I used to keep the pans on a coghlan griddle under the lid, though it eventually warped and I replaced it with a larger Partner griddle (which doesn't fit under the lid).
The TV tray proved to be a perfect solution, and fits wonderfully on the little table I keep on the trailer-tire when in camp (right side of the image above).

At any rate, though I love cast iron and have a couple cast iron Dutch Ovens, for my style of cooking, gear storage, and camping I reach for my Vollrath sauté pans more than anything.

As @Correus mentioned above, the chain mail scrubbers are prefect for cleaning cast iron. I always keep one in my kitchen box.

If anyone is interested in the Vollrath pans, I get mine at webstaurantstore.com. They're amazingly INexpensive. They have a wide variety of cooking gear. If you want the specific product name/number of the sauté pans I use, let me know.

.

Roaddude - On the Road In North America - ROADDUDE

Roaddude - Traveling Photographer/Writer/Artist On the Road In North America. Gear, reviews, people, places, and culture.

roaddude.com

yeah, Vollrath is pretty good quality. i took cooking classes from chef John Folse back in the 90s and got into Vollrath cookware, really good stuff. They also have a line of carbon steel pans that are great for camping.

 

[Road]

yeah, Vollrath is pretty good quality. i took cooking classes from chef John Folse back in the 90s and got into Vollrath cookware, really good stuff. They also have a line of carbon steel pans that are great for camping.

.

I was sitting at a Carraba's Italian place one night with my mother, at the counter where you can have dinner while watching the chefs at work, and was admiring the sauté pans they were using. A stack of them would be brought out from the back and the chefs would use one each to cook a meal, then they'd go back to get cleaned and another tall stack would come out.

I said "those would be great in camp!"

My mom, being a mom, said "I'll ask the manager where he gets them!" and before I could say no, don't bother him, she had him over at our side. He told me he was ordering more the next day and would get me one. Said they were 15 bucks, so I said "Wow, get me two!"

Then went back again and got more as gifts, then found webstaurantstore.com and have ordered a mess of Vollrath over the years. Good industrial chef-grade and perfect for traveling and camping.

I'll have to check for their carbon steel. Thanks for the heads-up.

.

 

[Sparksalot]

I have a skillet, griddle, and two dutch ovens that live in my trailer. For care, they are safer camping, away from my wife and her soapy water.

 

[grubworm]

away from my wife and her soapy water.

ha! yeah, i was dating a girl about 30 yrs ago and she came over to my house and after I cooked her a slamming meal, she decided to "help" by sticking my cast iron pans in a sink of soapy water. i didn't actually choke her, but the thought was sure there! over the years, i have had to educate numerous females on the care of cast iron. they need to teach that in school....

 

[Sparksalot]

ha! yeah, i was dating a girl about 30 yrs ago and she came over to my house and after I cooked her a slamming meal, she decided to "help" by sticking my cast iron pans in a sink of soapy water. i didn't actually choke her, but the thought was sure there! over the years, i have had to educate numerous females on the care of cast iron. they need to teach that in school....

She keeps insisting there are germs. I remind her each time, no there aren’t, they couldn’t survive the heat anyway.

 

[chuckoverland]

Cooking is becoming a lost art. Teach your kids to cook!!!

 

[472HemiGTX]

I love cooking with cast iron. I have some newer Lodge stuff but my favorites are a mid 60's 10" Lodge skillet and a 10" Lodge Dutch oven with the domed drip lid. Found the skillet at Goodwill for $5.00 and the Dutch oven at a flea market for $10.00. Both are perfect size for camping. I take a flapper wheel on my 4" grinder to the cooking service of my skillets. Not perfectly smooth but close. After seasoning with Crisco, it's like having a no stick pan, even with eggs.

 

[Road]

Cooking is becoming a lost art. Teach your kids to cook!!!

.

It's interesting really, my kid (now adult) has taught me far more about cooking than I ever taught her. Pro kitchen tricks on food prep, cooking techniques, etc.

I love getting creative in my outdoor kitchen and a lot of how much I enjoy it has to do with tips I've learned from her.

.

 

[Road]

Here's a great tips vid from Cowboy Kent Rollins (national treasure and great chuck wagon cook) on cooking with and care of cast iron:


.

 

[Correus]

I love cooking with cast iron. I have some newer Lodge stuff but my favorites are a mid 60's 10" Lodge skillet and a 10" Lodge Dutch oven with the domed drip lid. Found the skillet at Goodwill for $5.00 and the Dutch oven at a flea market for $10.00. Both are perfect size for camping. I take a flapper wheel on my 4" grinder to the cooking service of my skillets. Not perfectly smooth but close. After seasoning with Crisco, it's like having a no stick pan, even with eggs.

Eggs.... those are the one things I constantly have problems with!!

 

[Correus]

Cooking is becoming a lost art. Teach your kids to cook!!!

There is a family joke amongst our family and friends.

When I cook it's from scratch; when SWMBO cooks it's pre-made and comes from either a box, can or freezer.

Cooking really is becoming a lost art.

 

[Correus]

ha! yeah, i was dating a girl about 30 yrs ago and she came over to my house and after I cooked her a slamming meal, she decided to "help" by sticking my cast iron pans in a sink of soapy water. i didn't actually choke her, but the thought was sure there! over the years, i have had to educate numerous females on the care of cast iron. they need to teach that in school....

Been married just shy of 33 years and have as yet been able to get it through SWMBO's head that you DO NOT cook tomato based foods, such as tomato sauce, in cast iron!

 

[Charles M]

I heavily season all my cast iron with grape oil it will build up a good strong surface that will hold up to soapy water and even tomatoes too. When a pan is seasoned right it is building up a surface that is not that different from other non stick surfaces with the exception it is not toxic... lol

My cast iron for camping is a 10 inch dutch oven and or a 10 inch dual handle pan. I like the dual handle pan because it does not have a long handle that is harder to store. I took some 3/8 iron bar and shaped it as a removable handle that nests inside the pans.

Cooking with Cast iron first step put at least a table spoon of oil in the pan and heat it up evenly before you add anything. This is a must when cooking eggs. Get the pan hot first then after adding eggs lower the temperature to medium heat...