rachels.haven's Journal

[farmerjan]

They make nickel free stainless...Amazon carries 2 brands; and if you go to Goodwill, you can often find the copper clad Revere Ware stainless that is well used... I scour the stores for it. It is not nickel free but after at least 10 uses of most regular stainless steel, the amount that might leach out is miniscule compared to new pots. I got some as a "bride" in 1971 and look for any I can find for a price of pennies on the dollar. Revere Ware went stopped making their iconic cookware in 2018 or something like that... I do not use any that have aluminum core... the copper bottoms will distribute the burner temps evenly.

Plus the studies done on the leaching was with tomato sauce that is very acidic...and I think that they were done after a long cooking time... I would have to look that up.

Even Walmart has Lodge cast iron pans... often sold in sets. They are easy to season.

I like the 2 pans, but I will bet they were slightly surfaced ground inside, to improve the smoothness and re-seasoned... the dutch oven obviously was not surfaced... was it re-seasoned?
I have no problem with using any cast iron once washed and re-seasoned myself... use a high temp oil to season. And yes, you can use a mild dish soap, wash and dry. Do not soak in water... Then a very light wipe down with an oil or a smidgeon of Crisco makes it perfectly usable again. There are special scrubbers for cast iron, but they often are stainless types.
I like avocado oil for using an oil and for it's high smoke point and very mild "flavor"... there are a couple others, I think sesame seed , or grape seed oil is a close second in mild flavor and smoke point.
If you use a solid... which is easier to use... good old fashioned Crisco is very good. It is not as low in saturated fat but it is a much better choice than some other things.
Once seasoned, using bacon grease is still a good alternative and will impart a little flavor.

I have 2 saucepots that are cast iron but I do not like them much. Using the old revere ware for things like heating vegetables in water or even making spaghetti, is faster and easier. You can always go to a glass/ceramic type pot. I think the old "visions cookware" was glass cooking pots. I used a glass coffee perculator for my ex many many years ago.... and that was boiling water temps.

 

[fuzzi]

I still have my copper-bottom Revere Ware that I purchased as a set around 1978.

I use a cast iron skillet for hamburgers, a glass Visions pot for microwave heating, and I use a ceramic coated "nonstick" skillet for eggs.

 

[farmerjan]

Sorry about the house being sold at a loss... hopefully not too badly; but very glad that the mortgage payment is no longer taxing your budget. Plus not having to deal with the vagrants that kept trying to move in and take over. Peace of mind that it is no longer your problem or responsibility.

 

[Ridgetop]

My mother had Revere Ware but after a while the black composition handles seemed to break. I have a bail handle Revere Ware kettle that was hers and love it.

Would the cast iron pots and pans be too heavy for your glass top stove? I read somewhere that the weight of a fully loaded canning kettle might be too heavy for a glass top stove.

 

[Baymule]

Wagner ware is always smooth. Lodge ware needs a sanding to get it smooth.
If you cook in iron ware, you will never be anemic.

There is a super high quality iron ware company in Fredericksburg Texas. I saw some of this in a specialty shop, pricey. The quality is beyond outstanding. It’s a work of art.

Fredericksburg Cast Iron Co.

Fredericksburg Cast Iron Co.

www.fbgcastiron.com

 

[rachels.haven]

Hey, they grind the inside of their griddles smooth! I did that to my maxi lodge skillet last yearish and probably got enough iron dust up the nose despite measures to meet my iron needs for a good month or two. It was really satisfying though the seasoning is still working on sticking. I think we've finally got it now. Those are very beautiful pans on that website. I bet they cook nicely.

I think each of the new pans have had at least two coats of seasoning. I will lay on a few more coats over the next few days. The oven is still blowing past the temperature I set it at but it's doing an okay, if not exceptional job re-seasoning my other pans after I use them. Maybe a little smokey, but it's definitely getting the pans hot enough to actually get the avocado oil to stick (lesson for me to learn). Every time I use my cast iron I wash (with soap) rub on a little oil, then rub off as much as I can, then into the oven for like half an hour after hitting temp to dry it out. I used to do it on the stove but it's hard to get the whole dish hot enough on the sides or lid but yet not too hot on the bottom and probably impossible here until we get a new range. (also, I've learned over the years that even heating is not a cast iron strength, but heat retention IS, so preheating a pan in the oven then switching to the range has happened in the past)

Nickel free stainless is fascinating. I have a brother who is sensitive enough to nickel that he has to take shots every week because there's no avoiding it in life. His wife will likely not cook on cast iron. She would not like the way it looks. I may need to drop him a message especially since nickel free pans and cookware appear to look normal...or maybe a late Christmas gift. He can't even use silverware. (I'm glad my issue is just copper.)

I would be delighted to crack this stove, lol. But I've never had a problem with my heavy lodge dutch oven or even the oversized maxi skillet on a cooktop or a 4 gallon pot loaded with milk. I would not drop them on it or slide them on it though.

 

[Ridgetop]

My grandmother had cast iron skillets until her arthritis got bad and they were too heavy for her. She used to dry them in the oven.

 

[rachels.haven]

The pans are fun to cook on too. Last night I made grilled cheese. They headed up fast and didn't seem to struggle with hotspots.

Sunday night we have 2.2" of snow coming to us in the DC Metro. Everything shuts down when it snows here. And then Monday the temp is plunging to a low of 3. Around 17 degrees most road salt stops working and it will be below that for most of the day and I don't think they use the more hard core cold weather salt and it seems to stop working even earlier. They also don't appear to sand here and I doubt drivers here know how to drive on it (tailgating, speeding, not minding stopping distance at all) This is going to be an interesting Monday if traffic attempts to pick up for political occasions. DC is already a horrid place to drive. It's not made for the traffic. I'm staying off the roads.

 

[murphysranch]

three? 3? Holey Cow!!

 

[farmerjan]

Our lows are forecast at 1 Mon night and maybe 0 Tues night.

Nope, I wouldn't be anywhere near DC for Monday.