Gravy's Cooking Thread

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BrutulTM

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There's really no maintenance for a cast iron pan if you just don't totally abuse it. I haven't reseasoned one in years.
 
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Lanx

Lanx

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Deathwing said:
An enameled dutch oven is a good way to start with cast iron if you're weary about the upkeep of a regular cast iron pan. I haven't actually felt the need to buy one yet, the dutch oven does everything I would want out of a cast iron pan.
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my newly bought dutch oven is acting like a really heavy wok for me now lol.

I don't have gas atm, so it's electric, and my woks are all round bottom, so i haven't used one for a bit, but the way this dutch oven retains heat and has such high walls, it's like a ghetto wok.

my pizza stone is looking haggard, gonna see if the home improvement store has the quarry tiles for stone (pretty sure i just need to find unglazed)
 
Soygen

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Yeah, my pizza stone is kind of gross. Can you not clean them?
 
Soygen

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Deathwing said:
It's the "no soap" part that makes me weary.
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You can wash them with soap. Well seasoned cast iron have polymerized the oil onto the metal. A wash every now and then won't remove the seasoning. Just wipe it down with oil after you wash it and bake it a few.
 
Deathwing

Deathwing

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Soygen said:
You can wash them with soap. Well seasoned cast iron have polymerized the oil onto the metal. A wash every now and then won't remove the seasoning. Just wipe it down with oil after you wash it and bake it a few.
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That's the other part I don't like. I've left out food(like leftovers that need to cool before going in the fridge) for hours because after I've washed the dishes, I'm done with the kitchen for the night.

I'm sure it's not that annoying, I just haven't felt like I need a regular cast iron pan.
 
Khane

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It's likely the same exact amount of maintenance as your enameled dutch oven. But way less clumsy to use for things like searing a steak.
 
BrutulTM

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Yeah, a little soap won't hurt it, but it's really not necessary. Even if stuff is cooked onto it, I just put it on the burner for a couple minutes until the fat melts and then put it under running water and everything just slides off of it. Also, it's not like you need to worry about bacteria on your frying pan. You only need 160 degrees to kill bacteria and any pan is going to be way hotter than that before you put food in it. I'm not saying you can't live without it, but the maintenance/rules for it are overblown. It's really nothing.
 
Khane

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I remember having all the same reservations about cast iron. Then an ex-gf bought me one for Christmas one year and now I rarely use any other pan I own, for anything.
 
Soygen

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And they're cheap as fuck. If you end up hating it, just get rid of it.
 
Adebisi

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I keep my cast iron pan dirty as fuck. I only rinse it out just before using it again. Keeps it greazy
 
chaos

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Mine has this patina on the bottom from cooked/burned foods that has just become part of the pan. I searched around and it seems like that's more of a feature than a bug, still bothers me sometimes.
 
Khane

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Seems like that would be caused more by leaving it wet than burning foods... You sure that oxidization is considered a "feature"?
 
chaos

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idk, maybe, the only thing wet that ever touches it is oil though. Or water when cleaning it.
 
Funkor

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The only soap you shouldn't use on cast iron pans is soap with legit lye in it that you need to wear rubber gloves to wash with. Soap most people use now (Dawn, Pam, bar soap) is more of a detergent so it won't wreck your hands (or pans!).

If you inherited pans from grandma and she told you not to use soap on them it's probably because back in the day the soap she used was a lot harsher.
 
Lanx

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Soygen said:
Yeah, my pizza stone is kind of gross. Can you not clean them?
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yea like @ mkopec mkopec it's porous so shit just seeps in.

my main home improv store didn't have unglazed tile, everything was glazed, i had other stuff to do, so i couldn't check out lowes

I might try, no joke powerwashing it, just to see, since it's about time to powerwash the driveway soon anyway.
 
Aldarion

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Deathwing said:
It's the "no soap" part that makes me weary.
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I'm sorry that the lack of soap makes you so physically tired. Is it the weight of the pan?

I am sorry. Its a grammatical error my wife makes a lot so I am preconditioned to be triggered when I encounter it. Carry on.

OT, caring for cast iron pans is easy. Rinse after use, drip dry. I am sure you could use soap if you wanted to but why bother?
 
Lanx

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bake sale,

noob at baking, found some tips from a recipe, tell me if legit

Baking is all about ratios and you have to find that perfect balance. Here are some of the most important things I have learned about baking cakes:

  • Cake flour does make a difference in the tender crumb of the cake but you can substitute all-purpose flour.
  • High-quality cocoa powder can change the depth of chocolate flavor. I use Callebaut Cocoa (which I find in the bulk section at Winco).
  • Using both baking soda and baking powder gives it the best rise.
  • Buttermilk is a must because it gives it the melt-in-your-mouth texture.
  • Even though I am the biggest butter fan in the world, oil just works best in chocolate cakes (in my humble opinion). I have used both canola and coconut oils and both turn out beautifully. When I use melted coconut oil, there is surprisingly no coconut oil taste in the cake.
recipe i plan to use
INGREDIENTS
  • Chocolate Cake:
  • 1¾ cup Flour
  • 1¾ cup Sugar
  • ¾ cup Cocoa (high quality)
  • 2 teaspoons Baking Soda
  • 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
  • 1 teaspoon Salt
  • ½ cup Oil (canola or coconut oil)
  • 2 Eggs
  • 1 cup Buttermilk
  • 1½ teaspoons Vanilla
  • 1 cup Hot Water
  • Chocolate Buttercream Frosting:
  • 1½ cups Butter, softened
  • 1 cup Cocoa
  • 5 cups Powdered Sugar
  • ⅓ cup Cream, Half n Half or Milk

INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. If you have a flour sifter, sift all dry ingredients.
  3. In mixing bowl, beat oil, eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla for 1 minute. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir until combined. Pour in hot water and mix together. The batter will be liquidy but that's a good thing -- it will create a moist cake.
  4. Spray two 8 or 9-inch cake pans with non-stick cooking spray. You can also use three 8 inch cake pans for this recipe. Pour batter evenly into each pan. Bake at 22-27 minutes. Place toothpick or cake tester in the center of the cake to check if it comes out clean.
  5. Let cool before frosting.
  6. To make Chocolate Buttercream Frosting:
  7. In mixing bowl, cream together Butter, Cocoa, Powdered Sugar, and Cream until light and fluffy. You may want to add more cream or milk depending on consistency. Once the cake has cooled and has been removed from pans, frost each layer with frosting.
  8. Top with chocolate shavings, chocolate chips, sprinkles, M & M's or whatever your heart desires.
  9. This is one baked good that gets even better the next day if covered.
  10. *If you would like to make a triple layer cake, 1½ times the recipe and use three 8 or 9-inch cake pans.
i don't even have a cake pan, or at least a good one, order one of these easy release Fat Daddio's Anodized Aluminum Round Cheesecake Pan with Removable Bottom, 7 Inch x 3 Inch i got the 7in cuz for some reason ppl go crazy buying that size and putting it in an instapot (i'll get one eventually, maybe).
 
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