Who Still uses cast iron while traveling?
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Kerensky97
Xterra101
It takes a little bit longer to get the skillet upto temp but I love that the heat spreads better than steel or aluminum. At 10,000ft with a Coleman it seems like you only endup with a 5" circle hotspot in the middle of a pan, fine reheating water or something stirrable but when frying it'xs a PITA to keeps shifting things in the pan.
Cast Iron fixes all that. Just last weekend cooked a steak perfectly even, then the next day did a couple pieces of french toast and bacon, no problem.
Cast Iron fixes all that. Just last weekend cooked a steak perfectly even, then the next day did a couple pieces of french toast and bacon, no problem.
Vettepilot427
New member
Like everything else, it depends.
If you're moving often and all you need breakfast and dinner for is to fuel the machine, any of the lightweight options are better and more efficient on a single burner camp stove. This is mostly for the folks who are carrying large amounts of supplies needed for extended trips away from resupply and are using a lot of prepackaged or pre-prepared meals (freeze dried meals, canned goods, etc). These folks don't have the time or the energy for a camp fire.
However, if you enjoy cooking, especially on open fires, cast iron is a must. It's suitable for any heat source (open fire, camp stove) and properly maintained (which doesn't take a lot of work) it's easy to use. I have a few pieces, a 12" fry pan, 12" Dutch oven, and a grill/griddle. I also have a large non-stick aluminum stock pot. If I'm planning a meal with the Dutch oven, I bring it, but not always. The fry pan and griddle ALWAYS come along. The griddle is the work horse. I can use both burners on my camp stove and have a hotter side and a cooler side, so the eggs and bacon can be done at the same time and in larger batches. Also great for sandwiches since I can toast the bread. Fajitas or tacos can be served right off the griddle still sizzling.
Cast iron does weigh more, but I only carry about 3 pieces of cookware total, so it's not a big deal. It can rust, just like the steel cookware mentioned in this article, but it's never been a problem for me, even here in the humid South. Maintenance is easy, after cooking, heat some water to boiling and rinse out or wipe down, use a scrub brush if you need. Heat back up to just above too hot to touch and wipe a little olive oil all over. Don't use lard or bacon grease for maintenance as they can turn rancid in hot, enclosed conditions. Use the same griddle and fry pan at home and you'll never have to worry about rust and seasoning.
Lodge stuff is good. If you want it perfect, take a sanding disk in your electric drill and smooth out the bottom and do the sides by hand with sandpaper. It doesn't take much. After that, season using any of the preferred methods you can find on YouTube. Personally, I wipe the inside and outside down with a good coat of olive oil and put in the oven on a baking sheet upside down to 450 degrees for an hour. When it comes out, give it another good wipe with olive oil and let it cool in the oven. After that, just the wipe down after use and life is good.
Sorry for the long repsonse, but cast iron is worth it!
If you're moving often and all you need breakfast and dinner for is to fuel the machine, any of the lightweight options are better and more efficient on a single burner camp stove. This is mostly for the folks who are carrying large amounts of supplies needed for extended trips away from resupply and are using a lot of prepackaged or pre-prepared meals (freeze dried meals, canned goods, etc). These folks don't have the time or the energy for a camp fire.
However, if you enjoy cooking, especially on open fires, cast iron is a must. It's suitable for any heat source (open fire, camp stove) and properly maintained (which doesn't take a lot of work) it's easy to use. I have a few pieces, a 12" fry pan, 12" Dutch oven, and a grill/griddle. I also have a large non-stick aluminum stock pot. If I'm planning a meal with the Dutch oven, I bring it, but not always. The fry pan and griddle ALWAYS come along. The griddle is the work horse. I can use both burners on my camp stove and have a hotter side and a cooler side, so the eggs and bacon can be done at the same time and in larger batches. Also great for sandwiches since I can toast the bread. Fajitas or tacos can be served right off the griddle still sizzling.
Cast iron does weigh more, but I only carry about 3 pieces of cookware total, so it's not a big deal. It can rust, just like the steel cookware mentioned in this article, but it's never been a problem for me, even here in the humid South. Maintenance is easy, after cooking, heat some water to boiling and rinse out or wipe down, use a scrub brush if you need. Heat back up to just above too hot to touch and wipe a little olive oil all over. Don't use lard or bacon grease for maintenance as they can turn rancid in hot, enclosed conditions. Use the same griddle and fry pan at home and you'll never have to worry about rust and seasoning.
Lodge stuff is good. If you want it perfect, take a sanding disk in your electric drill and smooth out the bottom and do the sides by hand with sandpaper. It doesn't take much. After that, season using any of the preferred methods you can find on YouTube. Personally, I wipe the inside and outside down with a good coat of olive oil and put in the oven on a baking sheet upside down to 450 degrees for an hour. When it comes out, give it another good wipe with olive oil and let it cool in the oven. After that, just the wipe down after use and life is good.
Sorry for the long repsonse, but cast iron is worth it!
perterra
Adventurer
Agree with you you other than I havent found the rough surface to be an issue as long as it is oiled
Vettepilot427
New member
I've never found the rough surface to be an issue either, but you hear so many complaints about it, that I decided to smooth it out thinking that I was missing out on something. I did just what I posted and had a nice, smooth pan that didn't work any better than when it was rough and I had to go to all the trouble of re-seasoning.
You hear a lot about the old stuff, and they are good, but most of the time you have to put a lot of work into them to get them back in shape. Lodge stuff is good, and in my opinion just as good as the old antiques, if you put the same amount of work in them to get them seasoned up properly.
Regardless of who makes it, I always check to make sure that the pot/pan is cast evenly (the lip of the pan/side of the pot) and the same thickness all the way around (avoids hot spots) and the lid of the Dutch oven fits well and seals properly and doesn't wobble.
I've seen old antiques that the pan wouldn't sit flat and you could tell that the casting was porous.
dwh
Tail-End Charlie
I go the oppsite way with woks. I've restored a few high carbon steel garage sale woks.
First I take a hammer and hammer in a dimpled surface from the top edge down about halfway to the center.
That way when you move food up around the side to drain, it doesn't slide back down.
Then I sandblast it to clean off any rust or old seasoning coat and then give it a good wash.
Then season and maintain just the same as cast iron. The slightly rough surface from the sandblasting takes on a nice thick seasoning coat.
Sandblasting and reseasoning is also a great way to restore old cast iron.
First I take a hammer and hammer in a dimpled surface from the top edge down about halfway to the center.
That way when you move food up around the side to drain, it doesn't slide back down.
Then I sandblast it to clean off any rust or old seasoning coat and then give it a good wash.
Then season and maintain just the same as cast iron. The slightly rough surface from the sandblasting takes on a nice thick seasoning coat.
Sandblasting and reseasoning is also a great way to restore old cast iron.
Kerensky97
Xterra101
If you season it right the bumpy texture is unnoticeable, you can fry up an egg and break it loose with a good shake. The trick is to use flaxseed oil instead of vegetable oil and start off with a good 6 layer seasoning.
https://www.cooksillustrated.com/how_tos/5820-the-ultimate-way-to-season-cast-iron
https://www.cooksillustrated.com/how_tos/5820-the-ultimate-way-to-season-cast-iron
I just picked up the Lodge 9" mini wok and lid. Perfect for meals for 1 or 2. Looking forward to using it when camping.
EDIT: JSYK, the cast iron lid for the 2 qt dutch oven (without legs and without bail handle) DOES NOT fit the wok. 2 qt Dutch oven lid is 8.5" in diameter & the 9" wok lid is 9 1/4" in diameter & has a lip to seal in heat & steam.
We also picked up the 17" 2 handle skillet. I made my own lid by taking an 18" round aluminum serving tray and putting my own handle, from HD on it. $12+$6, vs $37
For an actual pan lid. Lid is in garage and it is extremely cold today, so no pic of it yet. Lol
EDIT: JSYK, the cast iron lid for the 2 qt dutch oven (without legs and without bail handle) DOES NOT fit the wok. 2 qt Dutch oven lid is 8.5" in diameter & the 9" wok lid is 9 1/4" in diameter & has a lip to seal in heat & steam.
We also picked up the 17" 2 handle skillet. I made my own lid by taking an 18" round aluminum serving tray and putting my own handle, from HD on it. $12+$6, vs $37
For an actual pan lid. Lid is in garage and it is extremely cold today, so no pic of it yet. Lol
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