Pluggers by Rick McKee for July 27, 2023

Everybody, I mean, EVERYBODY must do it my way or else!

“It is NOT dirty. It is seasoned!”

Love my Cast Iron Skillets :-)

Step away from the dish soap, and no one gets hurt.

That’s because he’s doing it wrong.

Yep, seasoned. 100% correct. Don’t mess with it.

No plugger will wash a cast iron pan with soap and water.

The only true way to clean one, is to throw it in a fire.

If you still have a cast-iron skillet?

Rule number one, don’t use soap! Clean with scratch pad then oil lightly with bacon grease.

I love my cast iron skillets! No one uses them except me. (I bought them when I was 17 and they are well used and well seasoned.)

Using soap once in a while won’t kill it.

Cook’s ‘Science of Good Cooking’ says using soap will not remove the seasoning on a cast iron pan. Just don’t use steel wool on it.

That works for cars as well. My 2000 Mustang still shines because I only wash it with oil.

I like cast iron for pancakes.

Do NOT use soap !! https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-clean-a-cast-iron-skillet-cleaning-lessons-from-the-kitchn-107747

Add hot water: Wash the skillet by hand using hot water and a sponge or stiff brush. (Use tongs or wear gloves if the water is extra hot!) Avoid using the dishwasher, soap, or steel wool, as these may strip the pan’s seasoning.Scrub off stuck-on bits: To remove stuck-on food, scrub the pan with a paste of coarse kosher salt and water. Then rinse or wipe with a paper towel. Stubborn food residue may also be loosened by boiling water in the pan.Dry the skillet: Thoroughly towel dry the skillet or dry it on the stove over low heat.Oil it: Using a cloth or paper towel, apply a light coat of vegetable oil or melted shortening to the inside of the skillet. Some people also like to oil the outside of the skillet. Buff to remove any excess.Put it away: Store the skillet in a dry place.

The BEST non-stick cookery EVER! One pan is over 100 years old.

We have three different sizes. Inherited them all from my grandmother.

https://youtu.be/B5tqE293T_8 great video about a cast iron skillet

Our extended family brings me their cast iron for tune ups.

I mean to be fair i sometimes use soap on my cast iron too… so i can completely ruin the season on it with a hard scrubbing with a steel brush, so i can give it a good fresh reseasonining. You know what i’m going to do that today.

Why do new cast iron skillets come with a textured surface? I had to grind it smooth before I could properly season it.

I’m the only one who gets to clean all the pots and pans! (widower)

My wife and I refuse to use pans that have to be baked before you can cook in them, and still just result in sticky ruined meals. Too much work, too much trouble, and terrible results anyway. Nope, nyet, nein. We cast out our cast iron and have never missed it.

And twice a year, fill your cast iron skillet with iron filings and set it in direct sunlight for 24 hours.

If you’re not willing to visit both poles every year, you don’t deserve cast iron.

(xkcd number 1905)

Best advice I ever got, “Neva, Eva sass a woman who has been cooking on cast iron for 20 yrs. That hangy down stuff under her arms is NOT fat. You sass her, she will pick up that skillet and slap you upside the head, and you will wake up in the next zip code.”

The older women (than us when first joined in our 40s) in our reenactment unit would do the cooking demonstrations (which became mid day dinner for the unit also).

We had an event that none of them were coming to. It was being done at a large event from the local township (which supports us financially and with a meeting location as we are – somehow, I don’t know how – the extension of the original unit of the township dating back to the 1600s). We were to set up our usual tentage, the men to fire muskets, those who do them do craft demos, etc. I normally did/do embroidery demonstrations. BUT – this time they needed someone to cook and do the demonstration of same and none of the usual cooks were coming. As the highest ranking woman on the board they all looked at me. I explained that I knew the theory of cooking over a fire, but had never done so.

After husband and I finally got the fire started I made a fine beef stew (one I had cooked many times at home – figured that would help). It must have been good, as I got stuck cooking until about 10 years later when a fellow joined who liked to cook. Now back to doing embroidery demonstrations – I smell much better afterwards and am much cleaner – plus I get to sit a lot more.