Cookin' With Coal

Sunny Boy · Post by **Sunny Boy** » Sat. Mar. 26, 2016 3:26 pm

For those with an interest in cooking with cast iron, on cast iron,... I saw this link about a company starting to make modern cast iron pans and some of what is involved with that.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/2-brothers-reinvented-cast-iron-143000380.html?nhp=1

Paul

Sunny Boy · Post by **Sunny Boy** » Mon. Mar. 28, 2016 9:07 am

Dana,

While we're on the subject of cooking/baking heat control, you might want to look for one of these "simmering plates" (pix below) . They occasionally show up on eBay.

These are great for turning your range top and a pot into a crockpot slow cooker. If the range is running hot, say while baking at high temps, you can put one of these under a pot and it reduces the surface temperature about 1/3.

And being 8-1/2 inches in diameter they fit the top of many oak and base heater stoves, like your Hickory, so you can cook on there and not burn food.

I occasionally use the simmering plate when making stew out of cheap, tough cuts of beef.

My father told me of when he was growing up, it was common to have a cast iron pot always on the back right burner with stew in it. It was left there and every day various food that was not the freshest was added to it so as not to wasted.

I not only let it cook during the day, I leave it on the back right burner over night. The stew stays at about 140-150 F there when the range is dampered down for the night. The toughest beef gets fork tender and the stews get nice and thick as the veggies cook down. All at not extra cost of electricity or taking up counter space with a slow cooker.

Just like with a slow cooker pot you can dump everything in, put it on the right back burner and when you come home hours later it's ready. Using the simmering plate on the right front burner gives about the same lower temp as that right rear, so then you can have two pots going, if need be. Or, use the simmering plate to also cook on the hotter top of a parlor stove.

And the Glenwood lid lifter handles that come with the ranges, oaks, and base heaters, fit the slots in the simmering plate so that you can use that handle to move a hot simmering plate around, or off, the stove.

Paul

coalfan · Post by **coalfan** » Mon. Mar. 28, 2016 9:23 am

cast iron is cast iron period !!!!!!! these two brothers may be on to something , fine but cast iron is cast iron I have some from my granparents and use the every day .its castiron and yes heavy they come up with god knows what to cheapen it ,make it lighter etc . no no no no on my end to many bullshit wannabes out there now iron is iron !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

D.lapan · Post by **D.lapan** » Mon. Mar. 28, 2016 9:27 am

Ill have to keep a eye out for one of those, this weekend I let the coal go out so I could Finnish up the short wood I have left over, only have 1 bag of coal left anyways so I will probably save it for fall. I'm still using it every day tho.
I was going to use the 20th century oak in my cabin but I'm now considering selling it and using the hickory in the cabin or keep it the 20 th and using it on the other end of my house when I get around to installing the other flue but that stove will not burn ant coal for more than 5 hours it just snuffs itself out.

Dana

Sunny Boy · Post by **Sunny Boy** » Mon. Mar. 28, 2016 9:57 am

coalfan wrote:cast iron is cast iron period !!!!!!! these two brothers may be on to something , fine but cast iron is cast iron I have some from my granparents and use the every day .its castiron and yes heavy they come up with god knows what to cheapen it ,make it lighter etc . no no no no on my end to many bullshit wannabes out there now iron is iron !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A lot of what they were saying, that was the difference between old and new cast iron pans, is about the amount of hand work that goes into the surface finish. I've found the same to be true. I have a modern pan with the textured finish and it was not easy to season, or clean it. After see someone else post about their results, I stripped it again and ground and sanded the inner surface smooth, then re-seasoned it. It made a very big difference in the non-stick ability of the pan.

And not all cast iron is the same. Ask any metallurgist.

To start with, for some of the antiques, there's mined iron ore that was used, and then there's "bog iron" used by other manufactures. Bog iron was said to have unique qualities that make it better for casting stoves. The Taunton area became an early area for foundries because of local swamps with bog iron deposits.

The antique cast iron pots and pans I have are not like the cast iron grates in my stoves, or the cast iron cylinders of the air-cooled engines I rebuild. The engine cylinders are "high nickel" gray cast iron" for wear resistance. The stove grates are a high temp tolerant form of cast iron, that the identification number has been mentioned in past posts. The pots/pans are another mix. If you ever do any cutting or grinding on various antique cast iron items, it will show there are differences.

DLJ is a metallurgist. Maybe he will drop in and explain the differences in cast irons further.

Paul

coalfan · Post by **coalfan** » Mon. Mar. 28, 2016 10:21 am

thanx paul !!

Sunny Boy · Post by **Sunny Boy** » Mon. Mar. 28, 2016 12:05 pm

coalfan wrote:thanx paul !!

Your very welcome, CF.

And I suspect that not long after these new pans hit the market, Randy might be giving one a test run. The poor guy can't seem to pass up buying more cast iron cookware. With all the stoves and cast iron cookware he has now, if he buys a few more pieces, all my compasses will be pointing northwards again,... instead of east toward Simon's place.

Paul

SWPaDon · Post by **SWPaDon** » Mon. Mar. 28, 2016 12:14 pm

Sunny Boy wrote:
coalfan wrote:thanx paul !!
Your very welcome, CF.

And I suspect that not long after these new pans hit the market, Randy might be giving one a test run. The poor guy can't seem to pass up buying more cast iron cookware. With all the stoves and cast iron cookware he has now, if he buys a few more pieces, all my compasses will be pointing northwards again,... instead of east toward Simon's place.

Paul

Now that's funny, I don't care who ya are

Photog200 · Post by **Photog200** » Mon. Mar. 28, 2016 12:27 pm

Already got my order in! LOL, not really, I have sworn off buying any more kitchen cookware unless something breaks and needs replacing. Even thinking of having a yard sale this summer and getting rid of some of the things I never use.

Having said all that, you are right that was funny! I almost spit my coffee on the keyboard!

Randy

Sunny Boy · Post by **Sunny Boy** » Mon. Mar. 28, 2016 12:31 pm

SWPaDon wrote:
Sunny Boy wrote:
Your very welcome, CF.

And I suspect that not long after these new pans hit the market, Randy might be giving one a test run. The poor guy can't seem to pass up buying more cast iron cookware. With all the stoves and cast iron cookware he has now, if he buys a few more pieces, all my compasses will be pointing northwards again,... instead of east toward Simon's place.

Paul
Now that's funny, I don't care who ya are

But the joke is more on me !

Randy is a very good cook and knows well how to use all that cast iron for what it's intended for. I seem to only know how to get it to ruin food !

Paul

Photog200 · Post by **Photog200** » Mon. Mar. 28, 2016 12:45 pm

Nice save Paul, nice save.

I am not any where near the cook I use to be. I seem to fall into the trap of cooking the same simple things over and over. Cooking just for myself I find to be quite boring...oh well, life goes on. Now what can I cook on that new skillet tonight?

I was at the hardware store Friday and was looking at Lodge's round skillet with the grilling ridges in it...I was good and tore myself away from that isle. LOL
Randy

Sunny Boy · Post by **Sunny Boy** » Mon. Mar. 28, 2016 2:18 pm

I have a large grilling pan with those parallel ridges. But it's heavy gauge aluminum with a thick Teflon coating. It was sold as a "fish grilling pan". Haven't ever used it for fish, but it does a very good job with bacon, steaks, burgers,..... and testing the smoke alarms !

Fixed the problem of surprise smoke alarm tests when I got the stainless steel half sheet cookie sheet and cooling racks to bake the bacon in the range oven. The Glenwood's oven vent system takes away all the smoke/fumes, and the hot oven walls prevent bacon fat vapors from condensing, so no need to ever clean the oven. The pan and rack fit right in the dish washer, so no need to clean that ridged pan, either. Life got a bit easier and the bacon is cooked much better, too.

Paul

Photog200 · Post by **Photog200** » Mon. Mar. 28, 2016 4:28 pm

I probably shouldn't say this after all those comments but I already have three cast iron pans with the ridges in them. One square one, one long reversable griddle and one enameled Le Cruset skillet. The griddle one works great for bacon in the oven, the ridges keep the bacon up out of the grease. I do love my cast iron for sure! Lets not get started on the copper ware

Randy

Sunny Boy · Post by **Sunny Boy** » Mon. Mar. 28, 2016 4:31 pm

How do I get in your will for the mineral rights to your house ?

Paul

Photog200 · Post by **Photog200** » Mon. Mar. 28, 2016 5:07 pm

Sunny Boy wrote:How do I get in your will for the mineral rights to your house ?

Paul

Lol, come to my yard sale!

Cookin' With Coal

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