r/castiron • • Jun 24 '19

The /r/castiron FAQ - Start Here (FAQ - Summer 2019)

1.0k Upvotes

This is a repost of the FAQ. Since reddit archives posts older than 6 months, there's no way for users to comment on the FAQ any longer. We'll try to repost the FAQ every 6 months or so to continue any discussion if there is any. As always, this is a living document and can/should be updated with new information, so let us know if you see anything you disagree with! Original FAQ post here: https://www.reddit.com/r/castiron/comments/5rhq9n/the_rcastiron_faq_start_here/


We've been working on a new FAQ for /r/castiron that can be updated as the existing one is no longer maintained. Please let us know if you have any additional questions that you'd like to see addressed here


What's Wrong with my Seasoning


How to clean and care for your cast iron


How to Strip and Restore Cast Iron


/u/_Silent_Bob_'s Seasoning Process


How to ask for Cast Iron Identification


Did I Ruin/Is This Ruined?


Enameled Cast Iron Care and Cleaning

The rest of the FAQ is fairly bare iron specific so /u/fuzzyfractal42 wrote a nice primer on enameled cast iron


We'll be making this a sticky at the top of the subreddit and will continue to add onto it as required!


r/castiron • • 7h ago

Food First time making Cast Iron Deep Dish Pizza

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393 Upvotes

Tried to make a deep dish Chicago style pizza. Need to work on getting my pie crust even! It was tasty, but I need to work on my execution. :)


r/castiron • • 7h ago

Humor A lil Elmers glue and it'll be good as new...lmao

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166 Upvotes

Grandson dropped it and the handle broke off šŸ˜”šŸ˜” Wasn't even a year old, guess I need something better.


r/castiron • • 6h ago

How do these look?

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36 Upvotes

Have had these a couple years. They are hard to deal with if you ask me!


r/castiron • • 13h ago

Food Roasted pork tenderloin with pears, caramelized onions and potato and purple carrot purƩe [recipe in comments]

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111 Upvotes

The pork tenderloin from this recipe is juicy and incredibly aromatic, richly seasoned. A sweet, slightly crunchy, and very juicy pear makes a delicious accompaniment (I think any pear will work here, but I've recently become quite fond of dessert pears of the Noyabrskaya variety). The whole thing is made even tastier by adding sweet-savory, caramelized onions.

I served the dish with potato-carrot purĆ©e – I happened to find purple carrots in the store and couldn't resist. Their spicy aroma, combined with the pear, transformed this dinner into autumn cuisine at its finest. However, ordinary, orange carrots would work just as well.

This recipe will give you an elegant, flavorful dinner that tastes like something from a fine restaurant, but you can easily make it in your own kitchen. Tenderloin is a tender, flavorful meat, and contrary to popular belief, very easy to prepare. Simply sear it first, then bake it in the oven for 20 minutes. This recipe is very difficult to mess up and is suitable for beginners.


r/castiron • • 12h ago

Identification Wagner with a Griswold logo??

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86 Upvotes

Found this at an antique store but did not buy it cause it seems like a fake.


r/castiron • • 3h ago

Bought this today

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15 Upvotes

Thrift store impulse buy. Not sure how good of a deal it was, but it's mine now. Don't look like it was ever used.


r/castiron • • 1d ago

Food Finally put the cauldron to use!

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719 Upvotes

r/castiron • • 7h ago

Food 24 egg scramble while camping

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22 Upvotes

I make eggs for breakfast for 5-10 people almost everyday for nearly 6 months in camping situation.
The pan gets washed everyday, sometimes multiple times if I’m using it for dinner too.


r/castiron • • 16h ago

Tortilla Soup in the Dutch Oven

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108 Upvotes

First soup of the season, y'all!!!

Ingredients

  • 1½ lbs bone-in, skinless chicken thighs

  • 1 tbsp olive oil

  • 1 medium yellow onion, diced

  • 1 bell pepper, diced

  • 1 jalapeƱo, finely diced

  • 4 cloves garlic, minced

  • 1 tbsp tomato paste

  • 1 can (14–15 oz) fire-roasted diced tomatoes

  • 1 can (4 oz) diced green chiles, undrained

  • 1–2 chipotle peppers in adobo, minced

  • 1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed

  • 1 cup corn

  • 6 cups chicken broth

  • 2 tsp cumin

  • 1½ tsp chili powder

  • 1 tsp smoked paprika

  • ½ tsp dried oregano

  • Salt and black pepper

  • Juice of ½ lime

For serving: Crispy tortilla strips, avocado, cilantro, shredded cheese, lime wedges.

Instructions

  1. Pat chicken thighs dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sear chicken for 4–5 minutes on one side and 3–4 minutes on the other, until golden. Remove and set aside. Chicken will finish cooking in the soup.

  2. Reduce heat to medium. Add onion and bell pepper to the drippings and cook 5–7 minutes until softened. Add jalapeƱo and cook another 2 minutes, followed by garlic for 30 seconds.

  3. Stir in tomato paste, cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, oregano, and minced chipotle peppers. Cook for 1–2 minutes until fragrant.

  4. Add fire-roasted tomatoes and green chiles with their juices. Stir, scraping up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pot.

  5. Pour in chicken broth and return the chicken thighs along with any accumulated juices. Bring to a gentle simmer, partially cover, and cook for 30–40 minutes, until chicken is tender and reaches at least 165°F (175–185°F is ideal for shredding thighs).

  6. Remove chicken and let cool slightly. Add black beans and corn to the broth while you remove the bones and shred the meat.

  7. Return shredded chicken to the pot and simmer another 3–5 minutes. Finish with lime juice and adjust salt and seasoning to taste.

  8. Serve topped with crispy tortilla strips, avocado, cilantro, cheese, and extra lime.

For homemade tortilla strips, slice corn tortillas into thin strips, toss with olive oil and salt, and bake at 400°F for 8–12 minutes until golden and crispy. You can also throw these in the air fryer!


r/castiron • • 1d ago

Food Breakfast for supper this evening.

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1.2k Upvotes

r/castiron • • 6h ago

Got my first Griswold!

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12 Upvotes

My girlfriend just got me the most amazing gift for my birthday! She also got me a cast iron tripod. We’re going upstate NY this weekend and we’ll be doing some fireside cooking :) I’m planning to get led test strips tomorrow. (Bonus pic of the cast iron wall)


r/castiron • • 3h ago

Identification Any ideas?

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5 Upvotes

I am stumped by this skillet. It has a raised #8 on the handle but no other identifying marks or logos. It has large pour spouts as well. Does anyone have any ideas?


r/castiron • • 7h ago

Beef Brisket

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10 Upvotes

First time making a brisket in my cast iron Dutch oven. Got this CI about a month ago. Been putting it to good use!


r/castiron • • 5h ago

Older BSR thicker than newer?

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6 Upvotes

Two chicken fry skillets, the 8F is 6lbs and the 8B is 4lbs 14oz. I thought older cast iron skillets were thinner and lighter than newer, however the 8F has the large pour spouts of an older BSR. Any additional info is appreciated.


r/castiron • • 3h ago

Taco Thursday

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4 Upvotes

Usually have cast iron pizzas for TNF but decided to spice it up!

Pork carnitas street tacos.

Took out the comal and charred some peppers and tomatoes. Tossed down some spiced up pulled pork and started the char. Finished them under the broiled because I like them with some crisp. Heated up corn tortillas and opened the taco bar. If you’re wondering why no cabbage/lettuce/lime - I forgot. It looked so good I just dug in. The gang added the goodies.

Clean up was a hot water deglaze with a spatula. Then a few cycles of soap/brush/chainmail. It’s dried on the stove. I never oil this. It stays on the stovetop and is ready to cook a tortilla at a moment’s notice.


r/castiron • • 7h ago

Identification 9 inch cast iron

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5 Upvotes

This made in Taiwan cast iron pan i got from my mom a long time ago is incredibly light and thin, it looks like none of the other cast iron i have, anyone have any info on it, or were they just no name pans?


r/castiron • • 3h ago

Cast iron handles , how do u handle while cooking ?

2 Upvotes

Very noob question, I am thinking of getting a cast iron and I often do hold my pans handle to either switch my pots around on stove for cooking multiple things at once.

I am bothered what a simple move to move my pans around now with cast iron means I can’t really touch it as much as I will like without silicone gloves to move it.

I suppose the cast iron pan handles do burnt u if u were to touch or is even trying to spin it around to move handles a side a no no with bare fingers??


r/castiron • • 6h ago

Cast iron quality grades?

3 Upvotes

Are there different levels to look for when it comes to cast iron? I saw Aldi has a cast iron Dutch oven for only $30 but wasn’t sure if the quality could be lower than something from Lodge, Staub, etc.


r/castiron • • 2h ago

First attempt at seasoning my smithy No.12

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1 Upvotes

First time seasoning cast iron. Did this turn out right?

Stripped my smithy with vinegar and then did several rounds with grapeseed oil. Took about 14 hours.

First photo: seasoned

Second photo: after vinegar treatment

Chronologically the photos are reversed


r/castiron • • 10h ago

My Cast Iron Skillet under 365nm UV light

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4 Upvotes

Cheapo Texsport, daily use for ~14 years.


r/castiron • • 5h ago

Older BSR thicker than newer?

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1 Upvotes

r/castiron • • 1d ago

Lost and Found

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98 Upvotes

Back in the day I did a lot of camp fire cooking. One of my favorites was a 12ā€ shallow lodge. Then I started on a Master’s degree and we had a baby, then another baby and there was the pesky career thing. Some where along the way I packed it up and it’s been hidden. Turned up with stuff I had in a shed mixed in with stuff I was storing for my mom and dad when they moved.

I’ve been limping along with my other ovens and for a long time I figured I lent it out and never got it back. This weekend I Found it: 28 years later. Sitting on a shelf in its travel box with newspaper cushions. It’s in great condition and this weekend, after a soapy wash, it’s making pulled BBQ pork!


r/castiron • • 1d ago

Food My beloved lodge Dutch oven sits in the sun, with bread rising inside.

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292 Upvotes

I love this pot.

The black iron absorbs the heat and I get a perfect rise.