Other cast iron pots
There are a lot of manufacturers of cast iron shops, and even if nothing surpasses our best choices above, they are worth considered if you do not like others for any reason.
12 inch cast iron cast iron cooklife for $ 150: Cooklife’s Cast Iron arrives at Mirror with a decent seasoning layer, but not great. He ended up with the most glued corn bread with the pan in all my corn bread tests. That said, it’s a very light and handy pan that is easy to cook. The shape is a little different, with more sloping side walls, and the performances are also different – I found that it looked more like cooking with carbon steel than cast iron, but it may be Just be me. The life of the kitchen praises the fact that you can put this in the dishwasher, which … I do not have a dishwasher and it takes like 30 seconds, high, to wash a pan, so I do not see many Points of sale there.
Flexible in vintage cast iron
Vintage cast iron sides by manufacturers like Griswold, Wagner and Birmingham Stove & Range were the cheapest way to acquire a smooth quality cast iron. I have several Griswolds and a Wagner; Everyone was about $ 20. Yes, it’s true, Ebay ruined the ancient market. Or record it, depending on whether you are a buyer or a seller. Anyway, the days you could get a good quality vintage cast iron pan for $ 20 left. Unless you are practical to remove the rust from the really mistreated pots (which is not so difficult but requires a little work), vintage melting is just as expensive as a new high quality pan. A graywold saucepan n ° 8 (10 inches) on eBay sells $ 60 to $ 300depending on the state / catering. For this price, even me, in love with old things, I prefer to buy a smityy.
That said, if you like the idea of a vintage pan, the melting hard, and there are many, many good pots available on eBay. If this is the route you want to follow, keep an eye on the cracks (these cannot be repaired) and, according to your stove, you can also make sure that there is no “oscillation ». As the age of cast iron pots, iron sometimes begins to sag in the middle. This will not affect you much unless you have a glass hob. If you do, be sure to avoid the deformed pans that will not remain flat.
It is also necessary to mention this as cool as old cast iron pots, you do not know the story. The cast iron pots are used to melt lead, the capture of oil and other not recommendable things. It could be worth testing your vintage pans if you have concerns.
How to season your cast iron
This is probably the most controversial thing in the world of melting. Everyone has their own way of seasoning, which makes the task difficult for beginners. This is why all the pots that we recommend above do not need a seasoning to start. They are all pre-annealed.
If you buy a vintage pan, or if you damage your pan by burning it (it happens), you will have to build a few layers of seasoning. Let’s start by saying that there is not a single good way. If you have a method that works, very well-place it in the comments below so that others can try it. This is what I have been doing for over 20 years, and it works for me:
- Wash your pan with soap and water. Dry carefully with a towel.
- Heat your oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit and put the pan for 15 minutes.
- Take out the pan (using hot stamps or an oven glove) and coat everywhere with Crisco. Coat the whole pan, even the bottom.
- Once you have covered it with Crisco, wipe it all with a towel. Try to get out as much as possible. You will not be able to get everything, no matter what you do, so there is a lot to season.
- Return the pan to the oven and throw it up to 450.
- After 15 minutes, pull the pan (with gloves again) and wipe it again.
- Put it back in the oven and cook for about an hour.
- Turn off the oven and let it cool completely.
- Repeat from step 3 if necessary.
For a new vintage pan, I would do it four to five times in a few days. If I’m just to reside one of my own pots, I do this process twice and I do it about once every two years.
