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Looking to get my first cast iron pan. Glasstop stove?

PostPosted: Sun Apr 29, 2018 5:23 pm
by dancam
So my parents had one when i was growing up. I wanted to get my own when i moved out but the stove i bought was a glass top and the manual said not to use cast iron on it, so i never did get one.
We are going on a 3.5 month road trip and i want a cast iron fry pan for our propane camp stove. I was gonna buy a $15 one from a local store but was puzzled about why the bottom was so rough. Bought one for $25 from another store but when i opened the box at home the handle was broken off, so i had to return it. I went to a garage sale yesterday and saw 2 cast iron frypans for $15 each but they were pretty dirty so i figured new would be better for the same price. However after reading here i have decided the old ones would be better as long as they arent warped. Is that correct?

My second question would be about the glasstop cookstove. I think i saw 3 people here mention they use cast iron on a glasstop. Im wondering is there anything specific about the pans you use or the way you heat the stove or anything to watch for? Or you just do it and its fine?

Any tips for using cast iron frypans on a camp stove?

It looks like i will give them the beeswax treatment when i get one.

Thanks!

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Re: Looking to get my first cast iron pan. Glasstop stove?

PostPosted: Sun Apr 29, 2018 8:18 pm
by John61CT
Reconditioning them is a well documented rabbit hole, I use flax oil for re-seasoning, olive or canola for cooking.

Reason to avoid for glass-top is simple, heavy easy to crack the glass, just be careful is all. Takes longer to heat too of course.

Re: Looking to get my first cast iron pan. Glasstop stove?

PostPosted: Sun Apr 29, 2018 10:55 pm
by dancam
John61CT wrote:Reconditioning them is a well documented rabbit hole, I use flax oil for re-seasoning, olive or canola for cooking.

Reason to avoid for glass-top is simple, heavy easy to crack the glass, just be careful is all. Takes longer to heat too of course.
Oh, so the only concern is slamming it hard enough down to crack the glass? I thought it had to do with the heat cracking the glass?

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Re: Looking to get my first cast iron pan. Glasstop stove?

PostPosted: Mon Apr 30, 2018 7:21 am
by swoody126
dancam, cast iron cooking vessels are ANVIL SIMPLE once they have been seasoned which has been alluded to above

our daughter uses the ones i bought(used @ garage sales & flea mkts) for her on her glass top taking great care not to bang them onto the cooking surface which i suspect is why your instruction sheet says not to use them

as for using them on a camp stove or on a fire grate that'z where they out shine their modern counterparts

you called the ones you found at the garage sale DIRTY

many younger/germ-o-phobes would identify most well seasoned cast iron in that way

iffin it aint slick n shiny it'z DIRTY...

cast iron comes into it'z own as it acquires a coating on the cooking surface as it gets used

some folk's cast iron will even have crusty residue on the outside(your food is cooked inside the vessel)

there are 2 camps when cast iron is mentioned

the one where all the members swear BY it

and the camp where all members swear AT it

most members of both camps can usually end up feeding their broods

take some time and jump down the above mentioned RABBIT HOLE OF CAST IRON seasoning & cooking and do some serious reading about it

btw, it would require a 1-ton pick up to haul all my personal cast iron(8" > 20" dia, flat > 6" deep) and one of the pieces(knot mine) that i regularly cook in weighs 78# EMPTY ;-O

sw

sw

Re: Looking to get my first cast iron pan. Glasstop stove?

PostPosted: Mon Apr 30, 2018 8:47 am
by John61CT
Just the weight issue.

I've melted aluminum in my time, doubt these modern stoves would even let that happen.

Re: Looking to get my first cast iron pan. Glasstop stove?

PostPosted: Tue May 01, 2018 10:58 pm
by dancam
Thanks guys! When i said they were dirty it was because theres food stuck to the inside and the outside is super crusty. I went back tonight with a straightedge to buy it but the smaller one is warped (centre is low inside the pan) and the bigger one was flat but i think its too big for our camp stove.
I will be sure to try the cast iron on the glasstop stove though when i get one! Wish i had known this a month and a half ago when i spent $120 on 2 new frypans... :/
With the flax oil can you offer any comparison between the results from using it and beeswax? The cost and time is a fair bit more to use flax, just wondering what the end result difference is.
Thanks!

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Re: Looking to get my first cast iron pan. Glasstop stove?

PostPosted: Wed May 02, 2018 7:58 am
by Bill n Robi
So two things:
I have a new stove on order and it took a lot of reading to get the one that would work for me. The only 'warnings' were not to drop anything, lift - don't slide pans (there goes my jiffy pop addiction) and use flat bottom pans. I reached out and finally got to a service rep that understood my question. Flat bottom CI works well but for uneven pans you should use a heat defuser. Further questions got me the answer - it is the stove ring on the older pans that cause uneven heating.

A 8oz bottle of Flax oil at the health food store for $11 and I have stripped and reseasoned 6 pans with 1/3 left. I don't take it camping with us as I don't see the need to refresh them that often plus it needs to be kept cold. At home, depending on usage, I usually will heat a pan up once a week, put in 2 drops and wipe it around, wipe it dry and return to the stove top for 5 minutes.

Do I think flax seed oil is better? I smoke/cook tomatoes and tomatillos in my CI for my salsa. A lot of people would have a heart attack if they did that.
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Re: Looking to get my first cast iron pan. Glasstop stove?

PostPosted: Wed May 02, 2018 8:07 am
by John61CT
Why?

Re: Looking to get my first cast iron pan. Glasstop stove?

PostPosted: Mon May 14, 2018 11:15 pm
by dancam
Thanks for your answer, i appreciate it. I hope to pick up a cast iron pan this week :)

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Re: Looking to get my first cast iron pan. Glasstop stove?

PostPosted: Fri Jun 29, 2018 10:58 am
by KCStudly
... because the acid in tomatoes and tomatillos (and other foods, like lemon, etc.) can strip the cast iron and turn your food gray. However, a well seasoned CI pan will resist this.

Re: Looking to get my first cast iron pan. Glasstop stove?

PostPosted: Fri Jun 29, 2018 11:22 am
by Sparksalot
I used cast iron extensively on a glass top stove for 15 years until I sold the house. I made sure not to drag it across the top, otherwise it worked well.

Re: Looking to get my first cast iron pan. Glasstop stove?

PostPosted: Fri Jun 29, 2018 4:16 pm
by John61CT
KCStudly wrote:... because the acid in tomatoes and tomatillos (and other foods, like lemon, etc.) can strip the cast iron and turn your food gray. However, a well seasoned CI pan will resist this.
Yes, never came across that problem, make all kinds of red sauces. I do keep mine well seasoned though.