Cast-Iron Skillet

D

DCLonghorn

1,000+ Posts
Bought a new Char Broil grill yesterday from Home Depot and today I'm looking to buy a couple of pieces of cast-iron. Is "Lodge" the brand to buy? Thinking about buying a 12" skillet, dutch oven and grill pan, is there anything else that I need? How difficult is it to season them or should I buy already seasoned? Also, how do you take care of them? Can I cook with cast iron on the grill, i.e. use pan to sear steak and then place steak on grill for a few minutes? Comments and suggestions welcome.
 
Glad you posted this. I got one (CI skillet) as an early fathers day gift from my mom, and I had the same questions as to what was the best way to season it.
 
Rub your CI w/ a lite coating of oil. Place in a 275 oven or about 2 hours. Turn off and let cool. Remove and wipe w/ paper towels. Repeat.

Yes, I use my CI on my gas Weber a ton. Just about anything I can do on a stove top and/or oven, I can do in CI on a gas grill.
 
I've got a couple of lodge pieces that have been pretty good so I recommend them. One I had to season and one came pre-seasoned, and the pre-seasoned one was easier (though it's not difficult to season it; I'm just lazy). The pre-seasoned is a little bit more expensive, but not much. I know that Amazon often has pretty good deals on lodge stuff.

No problems using them on the grill; I use both my skillet (steaks and blackened fish) and the dutch oven in my Big Green Egg. If you don't intend to use the dutch oven camping or in a fire pit, you're probably better off getting the flat bottom dutch oven instead of the camp version that has the little legs. I can use the little legs on the grill, but it's a bit tricky.

Why are you getting a grill pan if you're looking to use them in the grill?
 
Never use cooking spray on cast iron as it leaves a residue.

Season it yourself. You'll appreciate it more.

The best, (read: "cheapest"), place to buy Lodge cast iron is Academy.
 
A friend who writes Dutch oven cookbooks, and who just moved to Texas from Idaho, says use Crisco and not oil. It blackens better due to longer molecules or something like that. I reconditioned a 14" spider Dutch oven and a griddle recently and I found it to be true. Used oil on the griddle the first time, and it did not darken near as much as the Crisco'd Dutch and lid.

Good luck with it.
 
My reference to Crisco relates solely to seasoning the cast iron. I cannot remember the last time I used Crisco for cooking.

You should not use butter for seasoning cast iron.

By seasoning, we mean smearing a little on the pot and then heating it for a long time in the oven so it turns black and food is less likely to stick.
 
Most of the Lodge products are pre-seasoned. After cooking a few times, it will become even more non-stick. You can saute in a cast iron skillet, but I mainly use mine for deep frying, searing, and pan roasting. I usually saute in a stainless steel pan because they are easier to clean. Also, there was another thread on here about cleaning cast iron. The conventional wisdom is to not use soap to clean it -- just water and some salt or baking soda. Make sure to properly dry it after washing it.
 
My wife decided that my cast iron skillet was dirty, so she gave it a good scrubbing with some steel wool.
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Fortunately I caught her before she started scrubbing the inside of the skillet. I promptly educated her on the rules associated with the ol'Lodge. What should her punishment be?
 
When watching the food network, why is it that no chef's use CI? Its suppose to be a good conductor of heat. Is it not flashy enough.
 
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