"every April 1, get out there and dig up those tomatoes"

[Uncle Doss]

Originally Posted by Worth1

Can we please not talk about cast iron I have too may already and have my eye on a cast iron chicken fryer.
This has started the itch again.
Worth

I should show you my collection.
Several years ago when moving into a new house, I sold about 40 iron skillets and almost 100 of the small ashtray sized skillets.
Still have almost 100 of those ashtray/salesman sample skillets and about 20 pieces of antique iron that we use and somewhere close to 40 or 50 pieces that are packed in boxes and/or hanging on the wall

sorry, don't have any pictures

[Father'sDaughter]

My "suburb" was a rural farming community until about the early '80's. While the farms are almost gone now (the fields have all been replaced with residential neighborhoods), there has recently been a major increase in local gardening.

Last year the town established it's first community garden with somewhere around 80 lots available. Going into their second year, they've leased all and have a waiting list. There is talk of possibly expanding the size of the garden in the future.

A former local CSA farmer launched a new venture last year -- for a set fee she installs and sets up complete raised garden beds (lumber, compost, seeds/seedlings, full instructions and ongoing support) for residents who have no gardening experience. From what I hear, business is booming.

All good signs if you ask me!

[gorbelly]

Originally Posted by UFXEFU

Haha... City girls don't have any cast iorn pots.

Bb

If only this were true, those excellent, vintage cast iron pieces wouldn't cost as much as they do now. Although the guys just might be slightly more to blame; you can't get a decent date in NYC if you're a man who can't handle himself like a champ in the kitchen, and I can't think of a single male friend of mine in any big, progressive city who doesn't fight to be in the kitchen as much as his partner (who, granted, could be a man or a woman). I don't know anyone--not a single household--among all my "city friends" that does not have an excellent cast iron skillet at the very least. Many of them own vintage or family heirloom cast iron.

Hey, here's a thought--how about we rethink these 30 year old stereotypes about "folks that don't live like we do"? You don't see me yukking it up over "those country rubes"--and for good reason: I know that that stereotype doesn't hold up.

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by gorbelly

If only this were true, those excellent, vintage cast iron pieces wouldn't cost as much as they do now. Although the guys just might be slightly more to blame; you can't get a decent date in NYC if you're a man who can't handle himself like a champ in the kitchen, and I can't think of a single male friend of mine in any big, progressive city who doesn't fight to be in the kitchen as much as his partner (who, granted, could be a man or a woman). I don't know anyone--not a single household--among all my "city friends" that does not have an excellent cast iron skillet at the very least. Many of them own vintage or family heirloom cast iron.

Hey, here's a thought--how about we rethink these 30 year old stereotypes about "folks that don't live like we do"? You don't see me yukking it up over "those country rubes"--and for good reason: I know that that stereotype doesn't hold up.

I dont collect cast iron I use it.
It just so happens I use it a lot.
Maybe I should move to the big city and show off my cooking prowess to get a gal.
Here is my take on demographics cast iron cook tops and cooking.
I have a glass top stove I use cast iron on it.
People say it will scratch the stove top well maybe a little but.
It is a darn stove top not the body of a 100,000 show car for crying out loud.
Since when did a stove become a play pretty and not a tool to cook on.
I have a friend that loves his cast iron and has a glass stove top.
He said he would love to use the cast iron but doesn't want to scratch his top.
Really dude I said that is like going out and buying a hammer and not using it because you might scratch the thing.

By the way the best way to clean a glass top stove top is with a razor blade.
When it stop's getting stuff off and going under the stuff flip it over and it will work again.
You can buy a 20 year supply of these things for the price of the worthless kit they sell that does nothing.
Or am I the only person that has stuff boil over on the stove.
I remember the great marmalade eruption of 2015.
Worth

[Worth1]

Dreaded double post.

[gorbelly]

Originally Posted by Worth1

I dont collect cast iron I use it.
It just so happens I use it a lot.

Nobody in a city apartment has space to collect useless things. In 20 years living in NYC, my cast iron skillet was the most-used piece of cookware in my kitchen. I cooked everything in it except for tomato sauce. Those friends who were lucky enough to have roof or back yard space would also use theirs on the grill. What did you assume--that we were framing our pans and hanging them on the wall or planting cute cactuses in them?

Some of you guys have some funny ideas about how city folks live.

[oakley]

Somehow i ended up on a 'bad food' blog/tweet?, (haha tweet). where a stoner cooked some food on his glass cooktop...his pans were dirty so he just cooked right on the glass

My favorite old Griswold is lovely and smooth on the bottom...i have way too much cast iron but hard to pass up at a tag sale.

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by gorbelly

Nobody in a city apartment has space to collect useless things. In 20 years living in NYC, my cast iron skillet was the most-used piece of cookware in my kitchen. I cooked everything in it except for tomato sauce. Those friends who were lucky enough to have roof or back yard space would also use theirs on the grill. What did you assume--that we were framing our pans and hanging them on the wall or planting cute cactuses in them?

Some of you guys have some funny ideas about how city folks live.

Some how you took what I said out of context and assumed I said you collected cast iron.
All I said was I dont collect cast iron I was simply telling you this not accusing you of it.
One of my best friends is a Sicilian American from Brooklyn and I know all about sitting out on the (((stoop))) in the evening and having a beer.
As for the crazy ideas I lived the better part of my life in little cheap 600 square foot houses with little or no room.
I know all about not having space to collect things.
I was raised in the country and have lived smack dab in the middle of Austin Texas.
I have lived for months on end without electricity or running water we had an outhouse and took baths in a big wash tub outside.
The refrigerator ran off of propane and we use kerosene lamps for light at night.
I have lived in ghettos with drug dealers in the street and on nice farms.
No I don't have any crazy ideas how anyone lives because I have lived in just about every environment you can think of.
There isn't one thing or place anyone can toss at me that I cant survive through it.
And many of the people here have been through the same as me.

Worth

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by oakley

Somehow i ended up on a 'bad food' blog/tweet?, (haha tweet). where a stoner cooked some food on his glass cooktop...his pans were dirty so he just cooked right on the glass

My favorite old Griswold is lovely and smooth on the bottom...i have way too much cast iron but hard to pass up at a tag sale.

I tried that to make toast one time.
Didn't work worth a hoot.
Worth

[tash11]

Originally Posted by Worth1

.....
I have a glass top stove I use cast iron on it.
...
Worth

I have trouble getting it hot enough on my glass top. Even for canning (not cast iron) I have to leave the lid on just to get it to boil at all. I want more cast iron, but I can't justify it when I can't get it hot enough.

Originally Posted by Worth1

.....
People say it will scratch the stove top well maybe a little but.
It is a darn stove top not the body of a 100,000 show car for crying out loud.
Since when did a stove become a play pretty and not a tool to cook on.
I have a friend that loves his cast iron and has a glass stove top.
He said he would love to use the cast iron but doesn't want to scratch his top.
Really dude I said that is like going out and buying a hammer and not using it because you might scratch the thing.
...
Worth

Can you tell my husband that? Even the non cast iron I have has scratched it a bit.
ITA about the razor. I keep one in the cabinet above the stove, one that has a nice handle on it, works great.

Originally Posted by Worth1

...
And many of the people here have been through the same as me.

Worth

When you say 'here' do you mean tomatoville? or Austin?



I live in the country, grew up outside a farm town (my highschool had cows across the street). Lived all over the US in all kinds of situations. I can't imagine buying a house in the city, or worse the suburbs. For me the city is a nice place to visit, but I don't want to live there. The suburbs aren't as nice to visit, unless you know someone there. And even most of them I just meet in the city half the time.

IMHO the suburbs (sub divisions) are the worst of the city and country. Have to drive everywhere like you do in the country, lots of traffic like the city. (I really don't like driving).

The city here is interesting because there are lots of large lots in what I consider the city. I know people who grow tons of food on their lots, one person who even has a well in the city. (one of my house hunting things was I preferred a well).

I sometimes go to a food swap in the city. It's held at a place that is basically a boutique feed store. It's cute, but feels strange to me, like how clean and fancy everything is. I asked if they bought seedlings from people. They said no, not really. (They sell lots of expensive cast iron too)
(I might try again next year on the seedlings, bring in some nice examples and talk to the owner, I think the dwarfs would go over really well in the city)

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by tash11

I have trouble getting it hot enough on my glass top. Even for canning (not cast iron) I have to leave the lid on just to get it to boil at all. I want more cast iron, but I can't justify it when I can't get it hot enough.



Can you tell my husband that? Even the non cast iron I have has scratched it a bit.
ITA about the razor. I keep one in the cabinet above the stove, one that has a nice handle on it, works great.





When you say 'here' do you mean tomatoville? or Austin?



I live in the country, grew up outside a farm town (my highschool had cows across the street). Lived all over the US in all kinds of situations. I can't imagine buying a house in the city, or worse the suburbs. For me the city is a nice place to visit, but I don't want to live there. The suburbs aren't as nice to visit, unless you know someone there. And even most of them I just meet in the city half the time.

IMHO the suburbs (sub divisions) are the worst of the city and country. Have to drive everywhere like you do in the country, lots of traffic like the city. (I really don't like driving).

The city here is interesting because there are lots of large lots in what I consider the city. I know people who grow tons of food on their lots, one person who even has a well in the city. (one of my house hunting things was I preferred a well).

I sometimes go to a food swap in the city. It's held at a place that is basically a boutique feed store. It's cute, but feels strange to me, like how clean and fancy everything is. I asked if they bought seedlings from people. They said no, not really. (They sell lots of expensive cast iron too)
(I might try again next year on the seedlings, bring in some nice examples and talk to the owner, I think the dwarfs would go over really well in the city)

You wont have trouble keeping cast iron hot on a glass top stove I can promise you that.
As for cooking cast iron could be called the (Green) equipment because it holds heat so well.
Thusly using less energy to keep it hot.
Think of cast iron as a lake holding water and aluminum as a water fall.
It is absolutely the best thing you can use on a glass top stove for cooking.
I have set a cast iron dutch oven on the stove on low and went to bed just like you would a crock pot.

As for when I say here I mean tomatoville.

Worth

[tash11]

Originally Posted by Worth1

You wont have trouble keeping cast iron hot on a glass top stove I can promise you that.
As for cooking cast iron could be called the (Green) equipment because it holds heat so well.
Thusly using less energy to keep it hot.
Think of cast iron as a lake holding water and aluminum as a water fall.
It is absolutely the best thing you can use on a glass top stove for cooking.
I have set a cast iron dutch oven on the stove on low and went to bed just like you would a crock pot.

As for when I say here I mean tomatoville.

Worth

But how long does it take to pre heat it up to a good cooking temp? I know I will never be able to use my one piece because it has a textured bottom and needs flame (good for the grill though) but regular pans? I have three kids, I can't have it sitting there hot for an hour before I even start cooking. (they use the stove like a counter and have melted various plastic things on it just after I used it and turned it off, razor blades are good for cool plastic too btw )

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by tash11

But how long does it take to pre heat it up to a good cooking temp? I know I will never be able to use my one piece because it has a textured bottom and needs flame (good for the grill though) but regular pans? I have three kids, I can't have it sitting there hot for an hour before I even start cooking. (they use the stove like a counter and have melted various plastic things on it just after I used it and turned it off, razor blades are good for cool plastic too btw )

All of my stuff is lodge or wagoner.
The old stuff has a ring on the bottom and I still use it.
I set the pan on the stove and turn it on about 30 minutes or less before I use it.
This would be on about medium low.
When the pan is too hot to grab the hand it is ready.
At this time if I am frying something I put the oil in and wait for it to start shimmering on top.
To fry chicken I set mine on medium low or about the 8:00 position and put the chicken in.
I set the timer for about 20 to 25 minutes and walk away.
When the timer goes off I check and turn over walk away and cook for about the same time.
No standing over the stove flipping chicken and constantly adjusting heat fooling around and burning stuff.
I also use my pressure canner on it and know just exactly were the thing needs to be set to maintain temps so I dont have to keep fiddling with it too much.
This whole thing I read and hear on line about how you cant can on one because it pulses is just hog wash it simply isn't true.
You need to cook like you are flying an airplane steady small adjustments on the controls or you will crash.
The same goes for riding a motorcycle.
When I say you I dont mean you in person I mean folks in general.

Worth

[joseph]

I might have been amused by the video, if I didn't sell vegetables at the farmer's market. The ignorance of people about where there food comes from is astounding to me.

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by joseph

I might have been amused by the video, if I didn't sell vegetables at the farmer's market. The ignorance of people about where there food comes from is astounding to me.

Joseph someone asked me where some sort of vegetable or something came from and I cant remember what it was.
But it was so stupid another guy and I looked at each other and thought it was some sort of joke.
The guy was dead serious.
It was like an adult asking where babies came from.
I have been trying to remember what it was since this thread started.

Worth