Better not binge watch the past Doctor Who seasons, because they seem to threaten the end of the universe about once a season. Or they do end it, then reverse time.
1 Like
Costco contracts with local companies. We got carpets and quartz countertops installed through Costco. Both were well priced and the installers did a good job. Plus, the cashback was substantial. I would get three or so quotes for the job from your local installers in addition to Costco.
2 Likes
I find it depends on the brand of the polish. I found Perfect Match gave me the longest wear, up to five weeks. Recently, my nail place switched to a different company, and it only lasted a week and a half.
My daughter complained that her gel only lasted a week, but when I took her to my place, it lasted more than three weeks. This, of course, was before they switched to the inferior brand.
I have gotten a few gel/shellac manicures, and they lastws 2 weeks or more. I usually pick a lighter color so it does not look as stark where new unpolished nail is showing.
1 Like
Someone, anyone….do I want a cast iron skillet? Are they as good & versatile as I’m reading online or am I just being “influenced”?
Do they work well on an induction stove?
Would I be sorry if I got a less expensive one vs more expensive? (Does price matter?)
Is “pre-seasoned” really pre-seasoned?
Are they a pain-in-the-behind to clean?
What else should I know?
My go-to is currently an ordinary non-stick skillet…
Just a warning about cast iron in that you will get more iron in your food from using them. For many people, that’s a plus. For me, it’s a huge negative as the extra iron (from any source) gives me chest pains.
Otherwise, everyone else in my family uses cast iron because they don’t like non-stick for health reasons. From what I’ve seen, they are a pain to clean and you have to get pretty talented with cooking to fry eggs in them without breaking an over-easy egg. No other issues though.
I’ve no idea about cost, but ours were from one of the name factories made here in the USA. If I were home now, I could go to the kitchen to get you the name, but I’m up at medical lad’s place right now.
No idea about pre-seasoned actually being pre-seasoned, but I’m pretty sure way back when we seasoned our own.
If you need extra iron, it would be worth trying one out IMO.
I absolutely love my cast iron skillet and it’s my go-to pan for nearly everything (except acidic foods like tomatoes).
I have a Lodge brand, made in the USA, pan that I paid under $20 for and I’ve had it for over a decade now.
I have a gas range but I have heard that any thick metal pan will work on an induction stove so cast iron would fit that bill.
I “season” my own pan as needed. Just a light coating of oil is all you need.
Easiest pan I have to clean.
Creekland brings up a good point about the pan adding iron to your food. It’s a big positive for me and my H but D’s iron level was above normal at her last physical. We stopped using the pan when she was home and it went back to normal levels.
1 Like
I still use a small nonstick skillet for eggs because I don’t use butter, but use cast iron for just about everything else. Nothing else I have can sear meat the way cast iron can. A few Christmases ago, DS gave me a Butter Pat cast iron pan and taught me how to season it. I now own all 4 sizes of Butter Pats. They are amazing. They come preseasoned, but I always run them thru the process a few more times before using. Now they are incredibly easy to care for. I rinse them out after using, then put them back on the burner to get them really dry and rub with a super light coating of oil or crisco. The seasoning will continue to build up with use.
Butter Pats are hand cast in the USA and have a much smoother surface than Lodge and also weigh less. I like really good cookware so I appreciate the difference, but Lodge will still give good results. What’s the Difference Between a $20 and $215 Cast-Iron Skillet?
This is a good article about using cast iron.
1 Like
DS loved his cast iron pans, but this year he asked for a SS that can go in the dishwasher. He wants an Al clad D3 pan. I looked into the cast iron and decided they were too heavy for me to handle and ended up with a Le Crueset toughened pan that is a dream to cook with and clean up.
We use cast iron lodge skillets in small and large sizes on a gas stove and they work very well on induction. If you order one- get the lid, too and a lodge iron brush. I use this brush for a lot of pans and pots at home.
2 Likes
In the south it’s heresy to find anything preferable to cast iron. I’m a heretic. We gave up all of our cast iron partly because of its weight. Arthritis and carpal tunnel syndrome don’t go well with heavy pans. H puts everything into the dishwasher, which also created problems. Finally, my labs showed that I needed to avoid consuming too much iron so the last thing I needed was for anything to absorb iron from my pans. About the only thing I miss cooking in cast iron is cornbread.
Cast iron can be used on induction. I’ve read that it’s a good idea to place a silicone mat under cast iron pans to avoid scratching the glass surface.
1 Like
I also have 2 sizes. I consider it a “must” pan. Stove to oven is great. Clean up is not hard! I have a scrubber that I only use on the cast iron. Water clean up. On a very rare occasion you can use a TAD of soap but it really isn’t needed. Must be dried completely. A favorite blogger has a video of how to clean and season (if needed - I don’t do anything on a regular basis besides very occasionally swipe lightly with oil. )
I guess you have to enter your email to get the video but I’ll post the link anyway.
Ok. I have used cast iron for all my life really.
There are soooooo many myths about cleaning and taking care of cast iron. It is not difficult. It is wayyyyyyyy easier to deal with than Teflon. You cannot really hurt a cast iron pan. It’s just virtually impossible. If it somehow gets left in soaking in a sink and you go out of town for two weeks it will develop rust, but it is easy to salvage. I have a cast iron pan that is probably 100 years old. Once that Teflon starts flaking off a Teflon pan there’s no salvaging it. I wash my cast iron with soap almost every time. You can use any kind of utensil on them, unlike Teflon coated pans. I do not put them in the dishwasher, but it wouldn’t kill 'em if I did.
We wash them with with soap and water almost every time and then dry them by putting them back on the stove to heat up and dry out. I have a small 8" or so cast iron pan (that’s the one that is really old), a Wagner 1891 that is about 10" that we got for a wedding present, a Lodge griddle pan, a Lodge grill pan, two loaf pans, two 6 piece muffin tins. I almost never use my stainless steel frying pans. It’s all cast iron all the time here.
I don’t really get the too heavy bit, but okay. A cast iron pan is not as heavy as a pasta pot full of water. I literally use mine every day. My kids use them and have been using them since they first started to cook when they were in elementary school. We cook eggs in them all the time and our favorite way to cook eggs is sunny side up. Super easy to do.
Happy to answer any questions about them. I really do use them almost every day. And I definitely do not baby them or take any special care of them except I don’t put them in the dishwasher.
Oh, and Lodge is fine. Wagner is nice, sometimes you can find one at the thrift store. I, personally, would not pay $200 for cast iron, but I’m sure there are very nice expensive cast iron pans out there.
4 Likes
I’m surprised there are already more folks than me who have to watch their iron so it’s not too high. I was under the impression that was rare - esp for females. It’s probably not the majority, but it doesn’t seem as rare as I thought it was.
1 Like
I have a friend (male) who has heredity hematomachrosis and has to go get blood drawn every so often to prevent iron building up. It’s pretty rare, but a good thing to be aware of. I get blood drawn every year as part of my check up so I know my iron levels are fine.
Mine’s not that. It’s just whenever getting excess iron from a lot of meat, fortified foods, or cast iron I get awful chest pains (and severe fatigue) that make me wonder if I need to go to the ER. It was all discovered after I was told to take a supplement due to my gender and age and one blood test result that was probably inaccurate - then after a bit of heart testing.
Who knew iron could do such a thing? I still don’t know the mechanics of it causing the pain TBH. I’m just glad I can avoid it, or know what is causing it if I choose to eat something I know will trigger it. All blood numbers since have been fine, so my body is getting enough from somewhere. There is some meat, beans, and spinach, etc, in my diet, but I try to avoid large amounts and check labels now for fortification.
H does not have the problem. I’ve warned my boys about the symptoms in case it’s genetic, but no problems with them yet - no idea when I first had the problems either.
It’s just another one of life’s weird things I suppose.
1 Like
These replies are so helpful!
Does anyone know if an “enamelized” cast iron pan would provide the same sear as normal cast iron?
Like this…
The doctor we saw before moving diagnosed hematomachrosis based on my labs. He wanted me to start blood draws; I was hesitant because I have tiny, shy veins that make blood draws (and starting IVs) a nightmare. I proposed that we do labs again in six months after I changed my diet and he agreed. That worked well enough so I just need to discuss it with my new doctor if there’s any change. H was surprised by the earlier results because I was anemic in my teens and 20s, probably as a result of excessive bleeding each month. That issue was ended in my 30s.
My friend said it is more common in folks with Celtic heritage from Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and also England & Scandinavia, etc.
The brother of my former best friend had this issue. (He’s now deceased.) He had that heritage.