How much cast iron to take on the road?

[TMG51]

I think the only thing that will be difficult for me to adjust to in van life, is downsizing my cooking. I like to cook and all of my pans are cast iron which my dad passed on to me.

Surely I have no practical application to tote around a dozen heavy cast iron pots and pans inside the van. I'm thinking of bringing only one 12" skillet and a 2qt pot with lid. I think I could get a wide variety done with those two items (I'll have only two burners at any rate).

I have some deep 14" skillets too, and one very large cast iron pot with lid (8 qts I think) that I'm considering bringing to try as a dutch oven, but I don't know if it's worth the space and weight.

I have others, too, such as an enameled Le Creuset, small pans, griddle, etc.

Which would you make your priority?

 

[ZoNiE]

Deep 14 Skillet and the Dutch Oven. Then sell the rest to folks here.

 

[TMG51]

Of the things that can't come with me in the van, the cast iron pans are among the very few items I would not sell, since my dad cooked with them before he died and because they will still be around for the next generation to cook with.

I'm just getting ideas for what to bring and what to store.
Without better sense I would be tempted to pack them all in with me.

 

[anewbiewannabe]

I had to part with my cast iron years ago because my wrists aren't sturdy enough. It was all passed down in the family so I know how hard it can be to part with. Even though there are other pans around here I have 5 that I use---a 12" stainless skillet with glass lid, a 10" nonstick skillet, a 2 qt saucepan, a 4 qt stock pot, and a small ceramic casserole with lid for the microwave (will hang on to in case of microwave in future maybe.) Oops, forgot I have a small roasting pan too that I'll probably hang on to for if I get a sun oven (if a regular one works in those since I haven't studied up)---it could work as a dishpan in the meantime. I've got a real nice electric griddle/grill too, but since I don't cook for more than one often anymore I'll part with it for the traveling life.

A dutch oven can be great---I love them and almost got one. That really depends on whether you are going to be places where you can have the coals or use the insulated thingamabobs to keep it hot long enough to cook stuff. I decided it was too much effort for me.

It really comes down to how you cook. The only reason I have other stuff is that I haven't found new homes for it since it's no longer used. Do you have family you could pass the cast iron down to?

 

[Belinda2]

I agree with ZoNIE.

 

[anewbiewannabe]

I really need to see if there are new replies before I post mine.

Too late to edit. So, now I'll agree with ZoNiE too. :blush:

 

[TMG51]

Do you have family you could pass the cast iron down to?

Not yet, but I'm 27, and keeping my options open.

Interesting that everyone is saying go for the biggest stuff! For impromptu baking? I'm thinking most meals would be rice / beans / stir fry dishes.

 

[anewbiewannabe]

Ahhhh. HaHa! Siblings or other relatives you could store it with?

I do my rice and beans or pasta in my saucepan but use my stainless skillet for almost every other use from stir fry to frying up meats or making sausage gravy. So, what pans do you actually use most of the time? Can you use them for things you usually use other pans for just because you have them?

 

[GotSmart]

I had to build a custom wall for a customer because of her "collection"  None of these were allowed to be used...

 

[TMG51]

Ahhhh. HaHa!  Siblings or other relatives you could store it with?

I do my rice and beans or pasta in my saucepan but use my stainless skillet for almost every other use from stir fry to frying up meats or making sausage gravy.  So, what pans do you actually use most of the time?  Can you use them for things you usually use other pans for just because you have them?

The 12" skillet and 2qt pot are the ones I use most! But yes anything I don't bring will get stored with family. I'm not going to impose much in that regard: Cast iron, guns, computer equipment. Everything else gets sold or given away.

I had to build a custom wall for a customer because of her "collection"  None of these were allowed to be used...

Not to be used? Heretic! The best thing about cast iron is that it can be used forever.

Incidentally that wall is similar to my plan to store my pans in the van. Each has a hole at one end of the pan and another hole in the handle. I plan to put up cleats, hang the pan on a hook through the hole, and position the handle hole over a post with a wing nut to keep it secured during travel. I don't want heavy cast iron banging around into cupboard doors. Then backing off the wing nut makes easy hand removal.

 

[compassrose]

I kept my Griswold skillet (I bought it used in 1979) and two of the tiny 5" skillets. I use the tiny skillets the most (single serving fried egg, 1-2 serving stovetop cornbread, saute onions). My Griswold is seasoned to perfection and will never be gotten rid of. The kids can (and will) fight over it after I'm gone (they do now). Otherwise my cookware consists of a 5L pressure sauce pan (need another one plus a pressure frying pan) and 1/6 & 1/3 SS steam table pans... with lids (I have far too many but I can't part with them now... David cooked in them almost daily). I also kept a SS dutch oven because it has a steamer insert and I use it for shrimp boils and to steam crab legs. My two daughters got a 5" skillet each (we used to live near Lodge Mfg in S. Pittsburg, TN) and I had too many 5"commemorative skillets that I got free. They fought over my Griswold which they couldn't have. I gave the rest of my cookware to my house attached (where did I go wrong) daughter who loves to cook.

Choosing which pans to keep and what to add is a personal thing. What I would keep and what others would keep is often very different. Don't get in a rush and take your time supplying and discarding cookware. I got rid of a slow-cooker yet most folks say to keep those. I have put cast iron in storage (for years) by wrapping in a plastic bag with a lidded container of desiccant crystals. You can get it at a hobby shop for drying flowers. Lidded because I would punch several good sized holes in the lid so the desiccant could absorb moisture with risking any damage to the skillet. This method has worked well for me in storage units in SC & NC (very high humidity).

Unlike most folks, I advocate investing in a storage unit in an area you will be passing near fairly often if you are traveling. I have known many folks who did this. Several used storage units to hold seasonal clothing and specialty tools. They would simply pull into a campground and swap out or do repair/maintenance work on their vehicles. Over time, you can downsize as desired. It also gives you a place to store things that you can't part with without carrying it with you. Or over time, you will figure out a place to store the stuff you can't part with. Or you find that you can part with it.

If you use the wing nut on your pans, place a thick (or double stacked) rubber washer on each side of the handle to alleviate some of the stress. Cast iron can crack. Personally,I would make a "bin" for the bulk of the pan to sit in rather than hanging them by the handle.

 

[rvpopeye]

I've been lugging my cast iron as long as I can remember.
A fry pan and a dutch oven , the same size if possible so only 1 lid.
I'm trying out one of those "nothing sticks" fry pans but guess what ?
Even after seasoning it like the cast iron, stuff still sticks ! Even a toasted cheese sandwich......
Putting that in the sell pile !

 

[anewbiewannabe]

I'm trying out one of those "nothing sticks" fry pans but guess what ?
Even after seasoning it like the cast iron, stuff still sticks ! Even a toasted cheese sandwich......

Maybe a little off course, but are you talking about the "teflon" coated nonstick or the porcelain/ceramic style? I used to have a great soup pot with the enamel coating but after 30 years over 20 years ago.... Anyhow, I have a skillet like that on my dream list because then I'd only need one----if it doesn't stick. Not in a position to throw money at something that doesn't work.

 

[rvpopeye]

New kind , teflon bad ju ju

 

[TMG51]

I like some non-stick pans for light stuff, like frying eggs or pancakes. I still float them in butter as I would in cast iron. TJ Maxx is a good place to buy reasonably priced non-stick cookware.

But I'll always consider them secondary to my cast iron.

 

[LeeRevell]

I have my late father's old cast iron stuff. So far the only ones I use are his lead melting pot and a corn fritter pot for casting ingots. I prefer stainless steel for cooking. Just got an induction cooker, so steel is a must. No 'aluminium' as the Brits say.

 

[WheelEstate USA]

Margie and I like our eggs cooked differently so the 8" skillet gets used most. Dandy size for the 1 burner stove too.

 

[rvpopeye]

Lee
How does the cast iron work on that induction ??????
I'm thinking I'll be back to only iron soon. But the induction cookers are interesting.

 

[eDJ_]

I have a 12" Griswold with cast iron lid, a 8" cast iron stove top Dutch Oven, and a 12" Lodge Camp Dutch Oven.
Between these items I can do about anything I need on the propane stove in the Van or on a campfire. I also carry
a Tripod grill that sets up much like tent poles and has an 18" grill that can be adjusted up or down over the camp fire.
With that I carry an Aluminum Foil Turkey Roasting Pan for a cover to the grill. Mounted to it's bottom is a wooden
thread spool to use like a knob to lift it with when hot. My coffee pot is an old aluminum percolator that brews 8 cups
of coffee or heats water for dish washing. It's all the "kit" I need.

I've learned to prep some of the more involved Foods at home to take along as I'm not wanting to spend all my time when Camping preparing food.

When I'm smoking meat it's a long time process that I can do at home and not have to contend with varmints
that are attracted by the scent of the food.

If anyone that's interested in smoking & grilling wants to look at this website of mine it's:

Grill Master eDJ

http://edjsaan1.tripod.com/grillmasteredj/index.html

 

[LeeRevell]

Lee
How does the cast iron work on that induction ??????
I'm thinking I'll be back to only iron soon. But the induction cookers are interesting.

Haven't tried cast iron with it.  Theoretically should work, I guess.  But I very seldom cook with cast iron.
Mom once committed the unpardonable sin......   she WASHED Dad's favorite cast iron fry pan!  Big mistake.  He hit the roof.  He had to go through the whole seasoning process again.  He was mighty picky about his cast iron pots and pans!