# Cast Iron Cooking.



## link (Feb 3, 2015)

I know this is not smoking but I thought it would fit in General Discussion.

I recently started cooking with Cast Iron pans and now my normal everyday use pans are getting quite lonely. I have two 12" and one 8" pan (for now) and have been playing a bit.

Old Fashioned Sugar Cake (came out great)













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Collard Greens with onion cooked with a bit of bacon grease.













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Skinless/Boneless Garlic Chicken thighs (went with a side of rice)













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Anyone else using CI?


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## atomicsmoke (Feb 3, 2015)

Love cast iron cookware.

FYI
Most cast iron cooking and caring for threads I saw were in the Dutch oven forums. Check them out: delicious and creative stuff there.


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## bluewhisper (Feb 3, 2015)

Oh heck yes I run cast iron. Try the 10-inch version of that skillet, I call mine the Sportster. Lots of enameled iron here, too.













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## bama bbq (Feb 3, 2015)

Love some cast iron.


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## themule69 (Feb 3, 2015)

I have a bunch of cast iron and love it.

Happy smoken.

David


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## tropics (Feb 3, 2015)

I have a few myself for seasoning them check this out.

Later Teflon hello Cast Iron "Frying an egg in a Cast Iron pan"


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## thomas phillips (Feb 3, 2015)

I love Cast Iron, the more you use it, the tastier the food you cook with it gets. So far I just use cast iron pans and such. Smoking and grilling I'm good at too. Now to just master that tricky Dutch Oven cooking using coals!!!


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## tropics (Feb 3, 2015)

Almost forgot Chilli in the DO













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## dirtsailor2003 (Feb 3, 2015)

Its the only thing that that I cook in anymore. A good Flaxseed oil seasoning and you'll have a better non-stick surface than any pan around!


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## link (Feb 3, 2015)

Guess I need to pick up some Flax Seed Oil.

Thanks all.


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## bmaddox (Feb 3, 2015)

I would say that CI and enameled cast iron pans get almost 90% of the cook time in our house. We have an electric cook top so the heat retention of the cast iron helps a ton.


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## dirtsailor2003 (Feb 3, 2015)

link said:


> Guess I need to pick up some Flax Seed Oil.
> 
> Thanks all.


Go on down to the Dutch oven cooking forum. There are several good tutorials on removing an re-seasoning. FYI a small bottle of flax seed oil goes a long ways.


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## tropics (Feb 3, 2015)

link said:


> Guess I need to pick up some Flax Seed Oil.
> 
> Thanks all.


Link you can do the seasoning outside on the grill, that is how I did mine no smoking the house up.


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## link (Feb 3, 2015)

tropics said:


> Link you can do the seasoning outside on the grill, that is how I did mine no smoking the house up.


Nice Tip thanks. Now all I need to do is wait for the temps to get out of the negative and single digits and the 14 inches of snow to get off of my grill and I will be all set. 
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






Luckily all three of my pans are seasoned pretty well but I will keep that in mind for my next purchase when I find it.


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## stickyfingers (Feb 3, 2015)

The only way to make corn bread IMO! Also, I sear chicken on both sides with a little olive oil, then put it in the oven at 350 for about 30min....it's perfect! Using cast iron will add iron to your diet.


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## gary s (Feb 3, 2015)

We have several probably over 40 years old we use on a regular basis, Can't make real corn bread without an Iron Skillet 

Gary


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## sopchoppy (Feb 3, 2015)

We received a 3 piece set as a wedding gift 43 years ago. You can see yourself in the biggest one. Over the years I have aquired enough to sink a boat.  12 qt. chili pot,  15" pizza pan I use to fry bacon,  cornbread pan and several pots of varing sizes. Wife has some fancy stainless steel stuff but I stay away from that.


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## appwsmsmkr1 (Feb 3, 2015)

I grew up on cast iron therefore I cook with cast iron (stove top) I just recently got into baking and grilling with cast iron.


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## appwsmsmkr1 (Feb 3, 2015)

link said:


> Nice Tip thanks. Now all I need to do is wait for the temps to get out of the negative and single digits and the 14 inches of snow to get off of my grill and I will be all set. :biggrin:
> 
> Luckily all three of my pans are seasoned pretty well but I will keep that in mind for my next purchase when I find it.



I take them and grease them up after washing. I'll put in the oven. Next time I have to bake something I preheat the oven for about a half hour then I'll take the pan out. I'm killing two birds with one stone. Lol


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## bonzbbq (Feb 4, 2015)

Its the go to cookware in this house, I agree its the ONLY way to make cornbread. Bonz


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## dannylang (Feb 6, 2015)

cast iron is the only way to go.

dannylang


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## link (Feb 6, 2015)

I made my first Dutch Baby last night. Came out really well. 













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I know the paper plate is not really pretty but I did not want to dirty a plate. 













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## gary s (Feb 6, 2015)

Nice !!!   Where is my Piece ?

Gary


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## bonzbbq (Feb 6, 2015)

Hey link, that looks good, what the heck is a dutch baby 
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






  Bonz


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## link (Feb 6, 2015)

bonzbbq said:


> Hey link, that looks good, what the heck is a dutch baby
> 
> 
> 
> ...


it is basically a Pancake/Crepe 

This is the recipe I made: 

Ingredients:

3 large eggs
2/3 cup whole milk
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup flour
1 tablespoon butter
optional garnishes: powdered sugar, butter, lemon wedges, fresh berries, maple syrup
Instructions:

Place a 10″ cast-iron skillet on the middle rack of the oven, and preheat to 450 degrees.
In a large bowl, whisk eggs together vigorously until light and frothy, about 2 minutes. Add milk, sugar, salt and vanilla, and whisk until combined. Sift in flour, and whisk just until smooth. Let rest for 5 – 10 minutes.
Carefully remove the skillet from the oven, add the butter and let melt completely, swirling the pan to allow the butter to coat the entire bottom. Pour batter into hot pan, and place back in the oven, shutting door quickly so oven loses as little heat as possible.
Bake for 15 minutes, until the sides have puffed up a lot, and the entire top of the pancake is golden brown. Remove from oven and use a spatula to loosen the edges of the pancake. Transfer to a serving platter, dust with powdered sugar and cut into large wedges. Serve immediately.


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## frosty (Feb 6, 2015)

Mighty nice looking!!!  Great job!!!


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## frosty (Feb 6, 2015)

Always in the oven or on stove top except for the dutch oven.  Ready for duty!  Mine is treasured and used almost daily. 

My best skillet belonged to my mom and dad originally, that is at least 50 years old and still a treasured tool at our home. Wooden utensils are best. My dutch oven is at least 40 years old, and will be used this weekend at a chili cook off.  One of my sister's is from our grandmother's kitchen and we remember it being used at family gatherings in the early 1960's.

Use it often, and treat it right and it will last a life time and then for future generations.  

Basic steps for care and use are easy.

Season it with oil when first used, clean it after each and every use, (hand wash NO soap, bristle brush or salt as abrasive), re-season it with a dab of oil after cleaning, never let it stay wet for more than 2 minutes and make sure it is bone dry when storing

I hand wash with NO soap ever, use a little water to boil off any residue, or deglaze and then rinse with clear water, heat on low to dry. Re-season with a dab of oil and then cool before placing in storage.

Can't beat it for cornbread, cobbler, beans, chicken, gumbo, jambalaya, and the list goes on and on.

Best of luck!


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## woodcutter (Feb 6, 2015)

Thanks for the recipe Link! I want to try one.


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## timberjet (Feb 6, 2015)

This is my personal best in cast iron. Chicago deep dish.













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I made a pastry type crust for this.


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## link (Feb 6, 2015)

timberjet said:


> This is my personal best in cast iron. Chicago deep dish.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


This looks really good.


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## bluewhisper (Feb 6, 2015)

A kiss of soap when washing won't hurt them, but sitting and soaking will.


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## bear55 (Feb 6, 2015)

I have two cast iron skillets that are 38 years old.  Received both of them as wedding gifts.  They are simply great.

Richard


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## bluewhisper (Feb 6, 2015)

My parents switched to nonstick in the early 1980s. They threw away the cast iron skillets I grew up with, and told me about it later.

I've been rebuilding ever since.


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## timberjet (Feb 6, 2015)

I was just recently gifted these.













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I have them all seasoned up now except for the big DO. I can't wait to get it all cleaned up and cooking. All of these are old. Some French, some pre imperial Japanese. I lucked out.


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## bonzbbq (Feb 7, 2015)

Thanks link, gonna have these tommorow


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## hitechredneck (Feb 7, 2015)

Love my CI.  I have mostly Lodge, some older, some new.  The oldest one I have came from the wife's great grandmother's house when we got married.  It's a deep skillet that's perfect for frying chicken.  

Also have a dutch oven that I cannot age or get the name of because the pot and lid do not have any markings on them whatsoever.  I know it to be at least 20 years old, because that's how long I've had it :)  It was at my grandmother's house in the garage with the camping stuff.  No telling how long it sat there before I dug it out.  

I use my cast iron daily.  I have a couple pieces that only get used on campouts because they're too big for the stovetop / oven, but otherwise, pretty much all of it gets used regularly.

Dutch Baby's are GREAT!  I do Alton Brown's recipe from the food network.  It's a good one and easy to do.  A little lemon curd and some powdered sugar and that my friends is a breakfast you won't soon forget.


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## appwsmsmkr1 (Feb 12, 2015)

To the OP, care to share your recipe for the old fashioned sugar cake?


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## link (Feb 12, 2015)

I got this from a Pinterest post and have made this twice now and everyone loves it.

Old Fashioned Sugar Cake







Ingredients

1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1 cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
4 large egg whites
confectioner's sugar for dusting
Instructions

Cream together shortening and milk for about 3 minutes, (it will look like small curd cottage cheese.) Add in vanilla.
in a separate bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add flour, one third at a time to the milk mixture, blending well after each addition.
Lastly, add in egg whites, beating just until all combined.
Pour batter into a greased and floured (do not use a spray) 10 inch cast iron skillet.
Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 40-45 minutes, using a toothpick inserted in the center to test for doneness.
Let cool on wire rack for at least 45 minutes before serving, lightly dust with powdered sugar if desired.


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## appwsmsmkr1 (Feb 12, 2015)

It looks deliscious! I might make this tonight to kill my sweet tooth. Thank you very much!


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## appwsmsmkr1 (Feb 12, 2015)

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Taa dahhhh!! Cooling off now


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## gary s (Feb 12, 2015)

You swiped my cornbread,  looks like mine !!

Gary


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## link (Feb 13, 2015)

appwsmsmkr1 said:


> image.jpg
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## rowdyrabbit (Feb 27, 2015)

Hey Link, do you pre heat the skillet as well, or just the oven? I've always been taught with cornbread to pour the batter into a hot skillet to prevent sticking. 

Thanks


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## bombdawgity (Feb 27, 2015)

Work gave me a 9 piece set last year that I'm still breaking in, but I have about 6 other pieces that are family hand-me-downs that I use everyday. My city wife was very resistant to using cast iron cause she'd never seen it before, well needless to say she is now a believer! Our regular pans have dust on them and can be found in the dark corner of the cabinet. It's especially great cooking breakfast sausage in them that I made.












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Rowdy, I always heat my skilet with oil while preheating oven, gives it that beautiful color on the bottom! 

Makes me smile seeing all this old cast iron still being used. 
Kyle


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## bluewhisper (Feb 28, 2015)

Aw, you made me do it. I've had this Lodge DO combo sitting on a shelf in the basement, unused for maybe six years. It hadn't rusted, but it was dry and dusty and looking like a barn find.

What to do ... a quick light wash and a heated dry, then a pour of oil and some sliced potatoes. Meanwhile the lid serves as a plate for the draining paper.













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Then afterward, pour off the excess oil and give everything a nice rubdown with that oily/salty drain towel.

Good to go!













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I looked around online but I haven't found one exactly like it. There's a version where the top and bottom have helper handles like you'd see on a skillet, but mine just has that little tang that latches into the bottom.


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## gary s (Feb 28, 2015)

We use our cast iron all the time, got it when we first got married and I think my mom or wife's mom gave it to us so its pretty old, We couldn't get by without it.

One of my wife's best friends who is single and lives by herself noticed we had a small iron skillet, and said "that's what I need " be just right for me to make my cornbread and cobbler in. So I looked around and and found one and the wife gave it to her last Christmas, She uses it 3 - 4 times a week

Gary


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## inkjunkie (Feb 28, 2015)

Have never been able to "figure" out cast iron....


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## gary s (Feb 28, 2015)

Don't know what your missing.

Gary


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## timberjet (Feb 28, 2015)

inkjunkie said:


> Have never been able to "figure" out cast iron....


Time to learn. Once you go iron you won't go back. The trick is in the seasoning and washing of the pans. Once you know not to use soap, never soak a pan in the sink, clean it right away, keep it dry and oiled. It becomes easy.


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## bluewhisper (Feb 28, 2015)

I'll use some soap and it won't hurt anything, but soaking is a death wish on iron.


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## timberjet (Feb 28, 2015)

BlueWhisper said:


> I'll use some soap and it won't hurt anything, but soaking is a death wish on iron.


No soap here no not ever. If you come over for dinner I will do the dishes. Hahahaha....


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## hog heaven (Feb 28, 2015)

Try a pineapple upside down cake in one of them skillets . Its the only way i'll eat them any more .


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## hog heaven (Mar 1, 2015)

Talked the wife into making me one 













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## hog heaven (Mar 1, 2015)

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## gary s (Mar 1, 2015)

Looks Great, One of my very favorites

Gary


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## bmaddox (Mar 2, 2015)

BlueWhisper said:


> I'll use some soap and it won't hurt anything, but soaking is a death wish on iron.


Yep. I use a small amount of a mild soap then wipe it out with oil once it is dry. Keeps it nice and clean and I never have issues with things sticking.


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## gary s (Mar 2, 2015)

The more you use it the better it gets.

Gary


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## bluewhisper (Mar 2, 2015)

Yes, Cast iron hates disuse. OTOH that also means that there are bargains to be found from people who can't/won't maintain it, and they give it up for cheap.

But the versatility of cast iron can't be beat.


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## bluewhisper (Mar 8, 2015)

This square skillet is another piece that sat unused. It got mad at me and rusted, and I had to scour it with steel wool.

How to apologize to it? Re-season it with bacon grease, and bake some cheese bread in it!













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## hog heaven (Mar 8, 2015)

That looks good . I may have to have the wife bake me up something. Maybe a pizza in ours .


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## gary s (Mar 8, 2015)

Hey come to think of it we have a square cast iron somewhere, hadn't seen it in a long time ?

Gary


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## link (Mar 8, 2015)

Well find that pan and start cooking.

My normal pans are getting very little use now, and the CI pans just stay right on the stove top. No sense in putting it away, just going to use it again.

However I now need to get a few more as I only have two 10" and one 8" and would like to have a couple smaller ones.


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## bluewhisper (Mar 8, 2015)

The square design isn't very good on an electric burner because the corners are cooler than the center. It's better over a gas burner, but that skillet loves to be over a fire. Then it heats evenly.


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## link (Mar 12, 2015)

Saw this on a Cast Iron Cooking site. Made me laugh, thought I would share.













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## tropics (Mar 12, 2015)

link said:


> Saw this on a Cast Iron Cooking site. Made me laugh, thought I would share.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## bluewhisper (Mar 12, 2015)

That's a flawed and incomplete version of the recipe. It omits seasoning the kettle with whole warthogs (rinsed) and adding baobab trunk for balance.


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## smoking4fun (Dec 11, 2016)

Anyone willing to post their favorite cornbread recipe for CI?  I'm just starting using CI - when I'm making cornbread, should I heat up the CI before I put the batter into it and put it in the oven - or should the batter be put into a cold skillet?


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## dirtsailor2003 (Dec 11, 2016)

smoking4fun said:


> Anyone willing to post their favorite cornbread recipe for CI?  I'm just starting using CI - when I'm making cornbread, should I heat up the CI before I put the batter into it and put it in the oven - or should the batter be put into a cold skillet?



Here you go. You can add things like corn, jalapeños etc if you want to this base recipe. 

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/151427/two-batches-of-cast-iron-corn-bread


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## bluewhisper (Dec 11, 2016)

Yes, grease the pan and heat it first, though you don't need to have it up to full temp before adding the batter. You can warm it on a burner.

You can make many variations. This is my basic cornbread recipe. It's tailored to a 6-muffin cup pan, so you'll probably want to double it.

1 cup flour

1 cup cornmeal

scant 1/4 cup sugar (most people want more than that)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

Optional goodies like corn or diced pepper, onion, etc.

mix mix mix

In a separate container,

2 eggs (do these first in case you need to fish out shell fragments)

1/4 cup or a little more than that, oil or butter

1/2 cup milk, (measured after the oil so the milk helps to wash the oil out of the cup)

mix mix mix

At this point the dry and wet parts are still separate. Now you can grease the pan and pre-heat the oven. The clock doesn't start until wet and dry meet. Almost everyone warns not to over-mix the two, but I like my cornbread a little less crumbly. Bake at about 425F, most people go hotter. Time will vary according to the size of the batch and pan. This is in a 9X9 Lodge skillet.













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This is the 6-cup muffin pan, with a blueberry version:













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## lamar (Dec 11, 2016)

The old time cooks heated the grease in the pan hot enough that the batter sizzled when poured in.  Helps give a better crust on the bottom.  Need to leave enough grease to cover the bottom of the pan.

Good cornbread is hard to make up here.  None of the stores carry plain meal.  It's all cornbread mix with flour in it.  True cornbread has no flour in it.  I have it shipped in.


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## lamar (Dec 11, 2016)

The old time cooks heated the grease in the pan hot enough that the batter sizzled when poured in.  Helps give a better crust on the bottom.  Need to leave enough grease to cover the bottom of the pan.

Good cornbread is hard to make up here.  None of the stores carry plain meal.  It's all cornbread mix with flour in it.  True cornbread has no flour in it.  I have it shipped in.


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## bluewhisper (Dec 11, 2016)

I can get plain corn meal here in central Ohio. I avoid the mixes, not so much because of the flour but because of the large amounts of sugar they tend to contain. Some of them are more like a sweet sugar cake than cornbread.


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## johnmeyer (Dec 11, 2016)

Here is a recipe from "Cook's Illustrated." It uses fresh corn, cut directly from the cob. It produces the best corn bread I've ever had.
[h1]Fresh Corn Cornbread[/h1]
1⅓   cups (6⅔ ounces) stone-ground cornmeal

1     cup (5 ounces) all-purpose flour

2     tablespoons sugar

1½   teaspoons baking powder

¼     teaspoon baking soda

1¼   teaspoons salt

3     ears corn, kernels cut from cobs (2¼ cups - about 1½ cups puréed)

6     tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces

1     cup buttermilk

2     large eggs plus 1 large yolk

Heat oven to 400º. Whisk cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in large bowl.

Process corn kernels in blender until smooth, about 2 minutes. Transfer purée to saucepan. Cook purée over medium heat, stirring constantly, until very thick and deep yellow and it measures ¾ cup, 5-8 minutes.

Remove pan from heat. Add 5 tablespoons butter. Whisk until melted. Whisk in buttermilk, then eggs.. Fold into cornmeal mixture until just combined.

Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter in 10-inch cast-iron skillet (or 9x9 inch pan) over medium heat. Scrape batter into skillet and spread into even layer. Bake until top is golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 23 - 28 minutes. Cool on wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove cornbread from skillet/pan. Cool for 20 minutes before cutting into wedges and serving.


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## skorepeo (Dec 11, 2016)

link said:


> I know this is not smoking but I thought it would fit in General Discussion.
> 
> I recently started cooking with Cast Iron pans and now my normal everyday use pans are getting quite lonely. I have two 12" and one 8" pan (for now) and have been playing a bit.
> 
> ...


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## johnmeyer (Dec 11, 2016)

Skorepeo said:


> Yes and I recommend this book to help get you started.
> 
> http://americastestkitchen.buysub.com/homepage/just-released-cook-it-in-cast-iron.html


I hadn't seen that book. Looks interesting.

BTW, as much as I like my cast iron skillet and griddle, they are most definitely not the right thing to use for everything. Cast iron is _reactive_ which means it will interact with many foods and alter their flavor. So you most definitely do not want to cook anything acidic, especially tomato-based recipes.

I just did a quick Google search, and this is the first thing I turned up on the topic:

http://www.rodalesorganiclife.com/food/stuff-you-should-never-cook-in-a-cast-iron-pan/slide/3


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## smokin jay (Dec 11, 2016)

I have a couple Wagner ci my grandma past down to me and love em!


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