How to Buy Cast Iron Cookware
You can buy cast iron cookware almost anywhere cookware is sold, but there's a big difference in quality, so the cast iron you find may or may not be as good as grandma's. Take the time to find good cast iron and you'll be happy with it.
Cast iron is just that: A combination of steel and iron that has been cast in a form and allowed to cool. The result is a dull gray, rough textured pan that doesn't look like you could ever cook anything in it - and you can't, until it has been seasoned.
To be sure you will have a good pan when it has been seasoned, start with good quality. While any unseasoned cast iron pan will be rough, a good one won't be uneven or bumpy. Touch the pan; turn it over, look at it with a critical eye.
The roughness will be uniform and the "pores" small and fine.
The finer the surface, the easier it will take seasoning and the better it will cook. If the grain is very large, it won't take seasoning; don't buy it. Also, if the surface is rougher in one area than another it will not heat and cook evenly.
Steer away from pans or pots with ridges, pits, fine cracks, chips, scratches, seams and jagged edges. If the pan has even one jagged edge, it means that quality control was not what it should be and the pan is not worth your money. Never buy cast iron that has seams, as it needs to be cast in one piece to withstand the heat of cooking.
Besides the texture of the surface, pay attention to the color. A good quality cast iron pan will be uniformly gray with no pale or dark blotches, speckles or shadows. The color should be the same inside and outside of the pan. Turn it over and look at it from different angles. If the color varies, it means that the metal wasn't heated evenly and could break or warp.
Don't buy a cast iron pan or pot with wooden handles. They won't last through the oven, campfire and stovetop, and you'll wind up with a useless pan no matter how good the cast iron quality.
The bottom of a frying pan or kettle should be smooth and without ridges to conduct the heat evenly. This is especially important if you're going to use it on a smooth cooking suface such as an electric range or wood cookstove.
Now what should you look for if you want to buy used cast iron cookware?
You can buy cast iron cookware almost anywhere cookware is sold, but there's a big difference in quality, so the cast iron you find may or may not be as good as grandma's. Take the time to find good cast iron and you'll be happy with it.
Cast iron is just that: A combination of steel and iron that has been cast in a form and allowed to cool. The result is a dull gray, rough textured pan that doesn't look like you could ever cook anything in it - and you can't, until it has been seasoned.
To be sure you will have a good pan when it has been seasoned, start with good quality. While any unseasoned cast iron pan will be rough, a good one won't be uneven or bumpy. Touch the pan; turn it over, look at it with a critical eye.
The roughness will be uniform and the "pores" small and fine.
The finer the surface, the easier it will take seasoning and the better it will cook. If the grain is very large, it won't take seasoning; don't buy it. Also, if the surface is rougher in one area than another it will not heat and cook evenly.
Steer away from pans or pots with ridges, pits, fine cracks, chips, scratches, seams and jagged edges. If the pan has even one jagged edge, it means that quality control was not what it should be and the pan is not worth your money. Never buy cast iron that has seams, as it needs to be cast in one piece to withstand the heat of cooking.
Besides the texture of the surface, pay attention to the color. A good quality cast iron pan will be uniformly gray with no pale or dark blotches, speckles or shadows. The color should be the same inside and outside of the pan. Turn it over and look at it from different angles. If the color varies, it means that the metal wasn't heated evenly and could break or warp.
Don't buy a cast iron pan or pot with wooden handles. They won't last through the oven, campfire and stovetop, and you'll wind up with a useless pan no matter how good the cast iron quality.
The bottom of a frying pan or kettle should be smooth and without ridges to conduct the heat evenly. This is especially important if you're going to use it on a smooth cooking suface such as an electric range or wood cookstove.
Now what should you look for if you want to buy used cast iron cookware?
Cast iron cookware information Posted by: Blueshoots.com
posted by www.blueshoots.com | 2:03 AM
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