response 27 of 59:

Dec 11 11:38 UTC 2002

Re: #19
I ignore most of the "treat it like thousand-year-old lace" rules on cast
iron.  I wash 'em with dish detergent & a nylon scrub brush and use metal
utensils fairly often in cooking.  If the coating looks a bit thin, almost
no time is needed to stick a thumb in some oil & rub it around (don't try
for more than just wetting the surface).  Just-one-slip-and-the-damage-is-
permanent (to a far more expensive pan) Teflon sounds worse to me.

I don't have a dishwasher (where cast iron shouldn't go), but a few quick
swirls with a soapy brush, rinse, & dry with a hot burner or oven doesn't
take enough time that it matters.

response 29 of 59:

Dec 11 22:38 UTC 2002

re#29 Hahaha. Maybe someday I will try that. 

yeah, I dont find it too difficult to take care of the cast iron. I 
wash it with soap sometimes if it needs it. I just make sure it is 
rinsed well and then I make sure it is dry before I put it away. I 
never soak it. 

response 31 of 59:

Dec 15 06:44 UTC 2002

I've one cast-iron skillet; it may have belonged to my grandmother before my
mother gave it to me.  (I'm fairly certain several of her skillets, which now
belong to my brother, belonged to her mother (our grandmother).)  We also have
one set of Revereware, purchased when we moved here in '87.  (Now I wonder
what happened to the stuff we had before?  Maybe it's boxed up somewhere.)
We also have a set of enamel pots and some Corningware casseroles.

I used to use the skillet _only_ for corn bread, but lately I've been cooking
eggs in it, which works better than cooking them in the stainless steel
skillet.

response 33 of 59:

Apr 29 20:39 UTC 2003

This item is pretty old, but I am now in the market to replace my cast iron
skillets, which I love, because the extra iron is supposed to be very bad for
men.

I don';t want to bother with the "cheap stuff" -- I want to slowly collect
a set that can be passed on to my grandkids after yoemens duty in my kitchen.

I have one large, flimsy stainless steel pan that burns anythign and
everything to replacde and one small omelet pan that has a stainless outside
and a heavy core of some sort.  It was outrageously expensive...$50 for the
omelket pan, lots more for the larger sized pan, but it works beautifully.
I'll atick with that brand if I can't find anything as good at a lower price.

But I wonderd which skillets you have that have lasted for years, don't burn
and stick, and you would replace them witht he same thing if you ahd to do
it over again...

response 35 of 59:

Apr 29 23:11 UTC 2003

For omelets I'd most certainly get a non-stick surface, that didn't cost a
whole lot, that I'd simply plan to replace ever two years.  I don't do
high maintenance, hand wash only pans.  Non-stick, no matter how much you
pay for it, has to be treated to gentle soap and hand washing if you want
it to last.  For that reason I'd never go All-Clad non-stick. 

When you don't need non-stick or even want to brown items, All-Clad can't
be beat.  Your grandchildren will love it for those very rare times they
take a sentimental journey and prepare a homemade meal. 

Have I mentioned lately how much I enjoy my 3 quart saucier? ;-)

But what's the deal with iron residue and men's health?  

response 37 of 59:

Apr 30 01:30 UTC 2003

You can replace the missing piece - they sell replacements in the same kit
as the rubber gasket.  Might be as much as $8 and if your local hardware store
does not have any, try the company's website (also a bit cheaper).

Men who eat animals can accumulate too much iron.  Plant iron is not absorbed
if not needed.  I doubt that frying in cast iron will add much iron.  Boiling
acidic liquids might.  Women after menopause who eat animals will have the
same problem if they eat too much animal.

response 39 of 59:

Apr 30 02:03 UTC 2003

Ditto what Mary said - get a $12 teflon pan from the grocery store.  Those
things are pretty good these days, and I've been using the same cheapy for
probably 8 years now.

response 41 of 59:

Jan 7 22:47 UTC 2004

I'm sorry I never got back to answer this.  We decided to go with all-Clad,
and then more research suggested that the iron from cast iron was so poorly
absorbed that it wasn't likely to be a problem.  (It seems the rumour may have
been started by the aluminum industryt, so I unpacked my beloevd cast iron.

response 43 of 59:

Feb 15 12:54 UTC 2004

Meg!  Cool to see you back.  Are you at WS at Briarwood?
If so, I'll be stopping in there later today for something.
Maybe see you then.

response 45 of 59:

Aug 1 00:35 UTC 2004

My roommate used my electric hand mixer in my stainless steel pot 
as a frickin' mixing bowl to make brownies. Now it has a billion
circular scratches on the bottom. I know it's not teflon or ultra
expensive cladware and is mostly cosmetic, but this pisses me the 
!@#$!@ off!  Am I being unreasonable here?

response 47 of 59:

Aug 1 12:00 UTC 2004

Stainless steel pans are supposed to see signs of use.  Unlike non-stick,
it's a sign they are used by a real cook (who would mostly avoid non-stick
to begin with).  Maybe it's just a "car" thing, that the first ding is
the worst.  Over the next 20 years that pan will take on a patina.  My
advice, don't worry about it, instead, feel easier about taking it out
for some real cooking.

response 49 of 59:

Aug 1 22:33 UTC 2004

I advocated proper respect for other people's property, not Fascist control
of ephemera, like your friend!

response 51 of 59:

Aug 4 20:18 UTC 2004

resp:50 - Ok. *His* cast-iron frying pan ended up in better shape but I 
just re-seasoned mine occasionally and it was just fine. Guess what is 
one of the nice things about cast iron frying pans? Even a bozo like me 
cant ruin them! I eventually gave that pan away though because my 
grandmother gave me a whole set of them that used to belong to her son 
who died before I was born. It makes her happy to know that someone is 
using them. And guess what. Even those these pans are like 75 years 
old, I still cant ruin them.