Who Still uses cast iron while traveling?

Fugly

Adventurer
My Camp Oven ( Dutch Oven ) is always in the truck.....
Even use it on the stove at home ....

Cheers Fugly
 

Kerensky97

Xterra101
It takes a little bit longer to get the skillet upto temp but I love that the heat spreads better than steel or aluminum. At 10,000ft with a Coleman it seems like you only endup with a 5" circle hotspot in the middle of a pan, fine reheating water or something stirrable but when frying it'xs a PITA to keeps shifting things in the pan.

Cast Iron fixes all that. Just last weekend cooked a steak perfectly even, then the next day did a couple pieces of french toast and bacon, no problem.
 

rover rob

New member
all I use is cast iron 100% of the time. I also collect it. at last count between me and my girlfriend we had well over 250 pcs. ( pots,pans,dutch ovens, waffle irons even bundt pans ) all 70 to over 100 yrs old.
 

BPA

New member
I've got two Lodge cast iron skillets and love that they cook evenly. Looking to pick up a dutch oven also.
 

Vettepilot427

New member
Like everything else, it depends.

If you're moving often and all you need breakfast and dinner for is to fuel the machine, any of the lightweight options are better and more efficient on a single burner camp stove. This is mostly for the folks who are carrying large amounts of supplies needed for extended trips away from resupply and are using a lot of prepackaged or pre-prepared meals (freeze dried meals, canned goods, etc). These folks don't have the time or the energy for a camp fire.

However, if you enjoy cooking, especially on open fires, cast iron is a must. It's suitable for any heat source (open fire, camp stove) and properly maintained (which doesn't take a lot of work) it's easy to use. I have a few pieces, a 12" fry pan, 12" Dutch oven, and a grill/griddle. I also have a large non-stick aluminum stock pot. If I'm planning a meal with the Dutch oven, I bring it, but not always. The fry pan and griddle ALWAYS come along. The griddle is the work horse. I can use both burners on my camp stove and have a hotter side and a cooler side, so the eggs and bacon can be done at the same time and in larger batches. Also great for sandwiches since I can toast the bread. Fajitas or tacos can be served right off the griddle still sizzling.

Cast iron does weigh more, but I only carry about 3 pieces of cookware total, so it's not a big deal. It can rust, just like the steel cookware mentioned in this article, but it's never been a problem for me, even here in the humid South. Maintenance is easy, after cooking, heat some water to boiling and rinse out or wipe down, use a scrub brush if you need. Heat back up to just above too hot to touch and wipe a little olive oil all over. Don't use lard or bacon grease for maintenance as they can turn rancid in hot, enclosed conditions. Use the same griddle and fry pan at home and you'll never have to worry about rust and seasoning.

Lodge stuff is good. If you want it perfect, take a sanding disk in your electric drill and smooth out the bottom and do the sides by hand with sandpaper. It doesn't take much. After that, season using any of the preferred methods you can find on YouTube. Personally, I wipe the inside and outside down with a good coat of olive oil and put in the oven on a baking sheet upside down to 450 degrees for an hour. When it comes out, give it another good wipe with olive oil and let it cool in the oven. After that, just the wipe down after use and life is good.

Sorry for the long repsonse, but cast iron is worth it!
 
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perterra

Adventurer
Like everything else, it depends.

If you're moving often and all you need breakfast and dinner for is to fuel the machine, any of the lightweight options are better and more efficient on a single burner camp stove. This is mostly for the folks who are carrying large amounts of supplies needed for extended trips away from resupply and are using a lot of prepackaged or pre-prepared meals (freeze dried meals, canned goods, etc). These folks don't have the time or the energy for a camp fire.

However, if you enjoy cooking, especially on open fires, cast iron is a must. It's suitable for any heat source (open fire, camp stove) and properly maintained (which doesn't take a lot of work) it's easy to use. I have a few pieces, a 12" fry pan, 12" Dutch oven, and a grill/griddle. I also have a large non-stick aluminum stock pot. If I'm planning a meal with the Dutch oven, I bring it, but not always. The fry pan and griddle ALWAYS come along. The griddle is the work horse. I can use both burners on my camp stove and have a hotter side and a cooler side, so the eggs and bacon can be done at the same time and in larger batches. Also great for sandwiches since I can toast the bread. Fajitas or tacos can be served right off the griddle still sizzling.

Cast iron does weigh more, but I only carry about 3 pieces of cookware total, so it's not a big deal. It can rust, just like the steel cookware mentioned in this article, but it's never been a problem for me, even here in the humid South. Maintenance is easy, after cooking, heat some water to boiling and rinse out or wipe down, use a scrub brush if you need. Heat back up to just above too hot to touch and wipe a little olive oil all over. Don't use lard or bacon grease for maintenance as they can turn rancid in hot, enclosed conditions. Use the same griddle and fry pan at home and you'll never have to worry about rust and seasoning.

Lodge stuff is good. If you want it perfect, take a sanding disk in your electric drill and smooth out the bottom and do the sides by hand with sandpaper. It doesn't take much. After that, season using any of the preferred methods you can find on YouTube. Personally, I wipe the inside and outside down with a good coat of olive oil and put in the oven on a baking sheet upside down to 450 degrees for an hour. When it comes out, give it another good wipe with olive oil and let it cool in the oven. After that, just the wipe down after use and life is good.

Sorry for the long repsonse, but cast iron is worth it!

Agree with you you other than I havent found the rough surface to be an issue as long as it is oiled
 

Vettepilot427

New member
Agree with you you other than I havent found the rough surface to be an issue as long as it is oiled


I've never found the rough surface to be an issue either, but you hear so many complaints about it, that I decided to smooth it out thinking that I was missing out on something. I did just what I posted and had a nice, smooth pan that didn't work any better than when it was rough and I had to go to all the trouble of re-seasoning.

You hear a lot about the old stuff, and they are good, but most of the time you have to put a lot of work into them to get them back in shape. Lodge stuff is good, and in my opinion just as good as the old antiques, if you put the same amount of work in them to get them seasoned up properly.

Regardless of who makes it, I always check to make sure that the pot/pan is cast evenly (the lip of the pan/side of the pot) and the same thickness all the way around (avoids hot spots) and the lid of the Dutch oven fits well and seals properly and doesn't wobble.

I've seen old antiques that the pan wouldn't sit flat and you could tell that the casting was porous.
 

dwh

Tail-End Charlie
I go the oppsite way with woks. I've restored a few high carbon steel garage sale woks.

First I take a hammer and hammer in a dimpled surface from the top edge down about halfway to the center.

That way when you move food up around the side to drain, it doesn't slide back down.

Then I sandblast it to clean off any rust or old seasoning coat and then give it a good wash.

Then season and maintain just the same as cast iron. The slightly rough surface from the sandblasting takes on a nice thick seasoning coat.

Sandblasting and reseasoning is also a great way to restore old cast iron.
 

DCH109

Adventurer
10" Lodge Skillet for me had it a few years and works fine, always seasoned and stored with my camp kitchen gear. No special way in storing it.
Only other thing I carry is a small coated steel pot for cooking.
 

Inyo_man

Don't piss down my back and tell me it's raining.
Cast iron skillet, and a deep dutch oven go on every adventure.

Cheers
 

TwinStick

Explorer
We just picked up the Lodge 17" 2 handle skillet. Loving it so far. I was actually surprised that it was so smooth. Only one handle has a sharp edge on the inside of it. I have sanded smooth all our other Lodge cast iron and it needed it. Great now though. 20230122_172407.jpg
 

TwinStick

Explorer
I just picked up the Lodge 9" mini wok and lid. Perfect for meals for 1 or 2. Looking forward to using it when camping.

EDIT: JSYK, the cast iron lid for the 2 qt dutch oven (without legs and without bail handle) DOES NOT fit the wok. 2 qt Dutch oven lid is 8.5" in diameter & the 9" wok lid is 9 1/4" in diameter & has a lip to seal in heat & steam.

20230204_113222.jpg20230204_113216.jpg20230204_113222.jpg20230204_113216.jpg20230204_113205.jpg

We also picked up the 17" 2 handle skillet. I made my own lid by taking an 18" round aluminum serving tray and putting my own handle, from HD on it. $12+$6, vs $37
For an actual pan lid. Lid is in garage and it is extremely cold today, so no pic of it yet. Lol





20230122_172407.jpg
 
Last edited:

craig333

Expedition Leader
I finally stopped carry my cast iron frying pan. Never used it. Most of my cooking is on the Barbecue. Of course no one refers to me as a gourmet.
 
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