Cast Iron

[Guest]

<span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: 'Segoe UI', Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 17px;">What have your experiences been with cast iron vs other forms of pots and pans? Have you had better luck with something else for certain things you cook and save the cast iron for special foods? I would imagine it would be great, but I don't have any experience in this area.Please enlighten me!</span>

 

[Skooky]

I normally use cast iron and aluminum foil over a camp cooking wood fire. be it a dutch oven, fry pan or other. I make alot of the "hobo" meals, with some of this and that whatever I happen to have. Dutch Ovens are awesome and versatile especially pit cooking over coals. When I really want to go simple with camp fire cooking it's usually one small pot, aluminum foil and a squirrel fork. cast Iron is awesome if you don't mind the wieght. The more you use it the better it gets. It needs to be "seasoned" Occasionally mine gets a good scrubbing then beeswaxed.<br /><br />Over a propane stove I use small sized enamelware pots and pans.&nbsp; I'm sure there are better pans out there to use but it was cheap at a yard sale many many years ago and has held up extremely well. Since I have down sized my camp pack, I have sold most of my cast iron pots and pans. Mostly because of the weight of all of it. <br /><br />for backpacking and hiking trips I have an aluminum mess kit that works well enough for quick and easy warm meals.<br /><br />Basically in my opinion it comes down to personal preference versatility and multi use function. I've cooked food in aluminum cans , in old cookie tins before, using a lid as a fry pan and the tin as a soup pan. Use what you have and usually less is more . again, my personal preference depending on what I'm doing and how I am doing it and my mode of travel. walking, biking or in a vehicle.<br /><br /><br />I rambled. aha

 

[sl1966]

Skooky is right in that it comes down to your personal preference. I've cooked with both but will not be taking my stainless with me on the road. I've replaced them with titanium lightweight cookware, but am not giving up my cast iron.&nbsp;<br /><br />The only good thing my mom likes about my doing this is that she will temporarily inherit my allclad SS cookware.<br /><br /><br />

 

[mockturtle]

Cast iron is <em>de rigueur</em>, IMHO, for baking cornbread, giving it a nice crust.&nbsp; Any time I cook meat of any sort on the stovetop I use cast iron.&nbsp; It's heavy, though.

 

[sl1966]

<p>katie is having a few technical difficulties so I'm posting this on her behalf while I make a few corrections to return things back they way they were.&nbsp;<br /><br /></p><p>

I am so conflicted about this. I love my cast iron, but hate the weight. Some days my wrists are sore (carpal tunnel surgery way too late) and I can't bear to lift them.&nbsp;<br /><br />I have a set of "fry-bake" pans. Lightweight and rugged and great for baking too, but certain foods Tough to clean up especially in low water situations.&nbsp;<br /><br />I have a copper canoe pot. Goes with&nbsp;<em>everywhere.</em>&nbsp;Period correct ridges make it harder to clean, but this one works in any century. It is tin lined.&nbsp;<br /><br />I have a folding GSI outdoors non-stick fry pan. Love the absolute ease of just wiping out andrinsing with a little boiling water. After several years of almost daily use, the non-stick is getting worn. I'm too old to worry about the toxicity of the finish I've consumed. Have considered replacing with the somewhat larger REI folder with slightly deeper sides. Only downside is it isnt useful for campfire cooking.&nbsp;<br /><br />Hows that for not answering you question?

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[VanFan]

My vote is for a smallish cast iron skillet, hands down, in spite of weak hands.&nbsp; My 10" and an 8" Revere copper bottom stainless steel skillet are the only ones I own.&nbsp; Both of these were purchased second hand eons ago and will no doubt out live me.&nbsp; Can't tell you how many inferior skillets I trashed before figuring out I don't need anything else!&nbsp; I also own but rarely use a 2 qt. cast iron dutch oven with legs.&nbsp; Most of the time, I don't carry charcoal, so I leave it behind.<br /><br />Vickie<br /><br />

 

[Guest]

Do you guys like to use them on a dual burner Coleman stove? I was thinking it would take more fuel to cook with cast iron in my van, though I am sure it would be nice in the winter.<br /><br />I am on the fence with it at this point. I really like the ceramic-titanium stuff; easy to clean and light weight. But cast iron is so timeless. I will be selling anything I (edit: don't take with me in the van)... so something has to go, I just have to much crap!

 

[Guest]

Hi,<br />I love cast iron and cook a lot of my food on it at home....I have a stack on the stove of two cast iron skillets and a flat round skillet for tortillas and pancakes, etc.<br /><br />On the road I carry three pans. Two nesting stainless steel pots with lids, a one quart and a two quart. And I carry a no-stick skillet. I buy a ten inch, good quality fry pan, remove the handle and use a pot lifter to handle all the pans...<br /><br />http://duluthpack.com/outdoor-gear/...en-accessories/msr-panhandler-pot-lifter.html<br /><br />I find I want a pan that will cook quickly and clean really, really easily when I am on the road.<br /><br />I am currently going through my van and cutting way back on what I was carrying....I mean REALLY cutting back.<br /><br /> My trips are only under a month or two any more and I can really do it with very little gear. Especially after this motorcycle trip, I realized that maybe 75 % of what I carry is still never used. if it is used it is seldom and many times not really needed. I am loving the space in the rig now...yahoo, maybe will take up square-dancing again since I know I can fit at least one square in the Chinookie....well maybe not that much room, but it feels good.<br /><br />

 

[Rollin]

Maybe it boils down to what type of van-dwelling you plan on doing. If you are going to be&nbsp;boon-docking in the boonies, where you can build a fire to cook over. Where weight is not an issue then cast iron is&nbsp;probably&nbsp;the way to go.<br /><br />If you plan on city dwelling,&nbsp;cooking over a propane stove and easy clean up is&nbsp;essential then a non-stick might be better.&nbsp;<br /><br />I love the idea of cast iron for its&nbsp;ruggedness even heat&nbsp;distribution but...I have found mine to be a&nbsp;hassle when cleaning up. Another thing is that the handle gets so hot &nbsp;you need a heavy towel or oven glove to move the pan around . And&nbsp;lastly the pan stays hot forever it seems after you are done cooking with it.<br /><br />Still not sure if I want to get ride of mine....Might just keep it for&nbsp;boon-docking&nbsp;and get a non-stick for&nbsp;stealth&nbsp;mode.&nbsp;<img src="images/boards/smilies/biggrin.gif" alt="" align="absmiddle" border="0" />

 

[Guest]

Yeah Rollin, that's exactly my thinking. <img src="../images/boards/smilies/cool.gif" alt="" align="absmiddle" border="0" />&nbsp;It gets right at the heart of my whole plan. I will be City Dwelling 90+% of the time. I want fast, easy clean up and most of all easy of use. Light weight it is... which kind of sucks because my ScanPan is 12" and all my other stuff is SS all clad with 3 cast iron skillets... this is just not going to cut it I think. I will prolly end up selling the whole lot and getting an 8" ScanPan. I have a GSI MicroDualist set already for a pot. This will get me by I think. I MIGHT pick up a little 1.5Q dutch oven later on, time will tell.&nbsp;<img src="../images/boards/smilies/biggrin.gif" alt="" align="absmiddle" border="0" /><br /><br />Thanks for the input Guys and Gals! It really helped me a lot.<img src="../images/boards/smilies/thumb.gif" alt="" align="absmiddle" border="0" />&nbsp;Please continue the conversation though, I&nbsp;absolutely hate reinventing the wheel if you know what I mean.&nbsp;

 

[Guest]

I totally agree with you all. It depends on what is the most important to you. If you are fulltiming, you really need to pack along the things that make you happy. If it is cast iron, maybe cut back on something else not so important.<br /><br />It seems that much of this entire vandwelling lifestyle is dependent on who you are and what you think is important.<br /><br />When I lived in my bus, weight was totally not important, I did use some cast iron, I had an apartment size gas stove with an oven as well as a wood fired heat stove and being in remote Alaska most of the time, I cooked a lot. <br /><br />In the van, I am only in it for short periods of time, and am much older and really don't like to cook all that much...when traveling I like to eat one meal in a restaurant every day (especially when traveling in a new area and I find a "three calendar cafe")and light meals the rest of the time...that is just me and I like the idea of not carrying anything more that I need and use...<br />Just me and just the time of life for me....<br /><br />All very personal. If I still back-packed or canoe-camped I would probably own titanium. As it is the super light weight is not worth the high price to me at this stage. I like that there are newer alternatives to things like teflon though and if I were younger and looking at buying the only utensils I would be using for my lifestyle, I would be willing to pay the price for the newer ceramic coated gear....<br /><br />Funny how life works....<br />Bri

 

[Guest]

This is an amazing perspective. It takes a special way of detaching yourself from an issue. There are many that get(sorry for the expression, but it seems to be the best fit at this moment) butthurt when people don't do what they advise. <br /><br />To me I want to know why each person does what they do. If I am asking about something, I 9/10 do not want you to tell me what you think I should do... I want to know why you do what you do. By hearing why others do what they do you can learn from their experience. You learn why they do what they do rather than just what they do. I hope this make&nbsp;sense.

 

[Rollin]

Seems as though I&nbsp;wasn't quite seasoning and taking care of my pan like I thought I was. Hear's a good&nbsp;article&nbsp;on the proper way to maintain you cast iron.&nbsp;<br /><br />http://whatscookingamerica.net/Information/CastIronPans.htm

 

[lampliter]

I use 2 sets, one heavy, one lite.<br />Heavy is iron dutch oven and frying pan, big pot is for cooking "strange birds".<br />Lite is Snowpeak aluminum cookset, MSR Pocket Rocket stove.<br />Both are stackable.

 

[lampliter]

The big pot is for groups---everyone puts in 1 item---makes for a "strange brew" sometimes.<br /><br />Stacked image

 

[Skooky]

Lucky me Aha ! I found a small 6" cast iron skillet at Goodwill over the weekend for a couple dollars. Perfect size for single serving cooking and light enough to carry around.