 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Getting Started
|
Preseason cast iron This queston came from Mary, in North Carolina who was attempting to cook Cabbage rolls in cast iron. We have been exchanging emails and we were discussing outdoor cooking skills. I love to cook outdoors using a cast iron dutch oven. I will be preparring a section of this site devoted to low carb camp cooking. I need to collect these recipes before camping season begins and since I now cook without sugar, flour, potatoes or rice. I need a set of recipes I can cook at the campsite that won't kill my diet. Mary Wrote: "North Carolina has some beautiful campgrounds that you would love, either in the mountains or on the Outer Banks. Winston-Salem has a historic area sort of like Williamsburg called Old Salem which was a Moravian settlement. I like to car camp in a tent with all of my stuff. I fill the whole car up just for a weekend. .... Maybe I can try some of that yummy food that you cook in those Dutch ovens. Speaking of which, I have a big cast iron skillet from my grandmother, about four inches deep with a lid. I was wondering if I could use it for the cabbage rolls or if the iron would interact with the tomato sauce?" Dear Mary, Your question about using a cast iron pan for the cabbage rolls is conditional. Generally, I would not usually combine a strong acidic food like sour kraut and tomato sauce in such a pan because acid will remove the shiny black coating. If the coating is really thick, then occasional use of acidic foods may not harm the finish. But it's always a chance you take. I have a skillet right now that I need to re-season to put the black finish back on. I used it with some acidic foods and the black coating flaked off in places. Cooking with Cast Iron
Cooking With Cast Iron begins with a well seasoned cast iron pot. A brand new, unseasoned cast iron pot needs to be seasoned. You may already know this but I will hazard an explanation anyway. Seasoning anything cast iron means baking animal fats, grease, Crisco or oil onto the surface. I am guessing grandma's skillet was used for many years and has a shiny black finish called a patina formed on the surface. I consulted my favorite dutch oven cookbook for seasoning instructions.
I was checking the barn over the weekend and noticed a bad smell coming from one of my ovens. I put too much oil on the surface and it has gone rancid during the winter. I will need to boil the pot with vinegar to remove the rancid oil, scrub the dutch oven bottom and lid, then re-season it before we take it camping.
For repeated cooking of acidic foods in cast iron, I purchased an enameled coated cast iron 5 quart pot from JC Penny's to use at home. It was on sale for $80.00, but normally sells for $140.00. For the cabbage roll dish, I would also suggest using some sort of deep baking dish such as Correlle or Pyrex. and baking the cabbage rolls in the oven. I only wanted to cook the dish on the top of the stove as an experiment. I might try to make this meal at the campsite. Then I would only use extreemly well seasoned cast iron. Cathy |
Cooking Outdoors |
|
||||
|
||||||||