Are these good for anything other than pan searing mediocre steak?

>>8826534
Yeah, you can pan-sear awesome steak.
They're great for baking biscuits, cornbread, rolls..
Oven roasted vegetables
Making a passable stir-fry if all you have is a shitty electric range
..or anything you'd use a normal frying pan for---bacon, eggs, sausages, hash browns, tomatoes, fish, chops, chicken...

>>8826543
Don't they use up more energy than less thicc pans though?

>>8826551
If you're that concerned over energy use, you've got bigger issues.

You're talking about pennies on the dollar.

>>8826553
More like a fraction of a penny

It's nice to have something that you know will outlive you and be handed down to your grandchildren.

>>8826534
You can stick it in the oven immediately after using it on the stove. Super convenient for lots of recipes.

>>8826543
>Tomatoes
REEEEE

File: image.jpg (75KB, 499x562px) Image search: [Google]

75KB, 499x562px

>>8826543
>tomatoes in cast iron

>>8826551
Yeah, but they also retain heat better, so depending on what you're doing it can be the best choice

>>8826688
>>8826690

Sounds like you guys can't season your CI for shit.

File: patty.jpg (62KB, 625x469px) Image search: [Google]

62KB, 625x469px

On low heat, it basically becomes a griddle. You can cook anything on it that you'd find at Waffle House or any other place that utilizes one of those things.

My grocery store sells 73/27 ground beef. I form it into a loose ball, and then squeeze it flat between two pieces of parchment paper using the bottom of a heavy pot. Then I pre-heat a cast iron skillet on the lowest flame for about 10 minutes. Just as it starts to smoke, I put the burger in. Despite what some may tell you, you don't need a scorching hot skillet on the highest flame. That works for some things, but for a burger, do you really think your local burger place is doing that? As soon as the juices rise, flip it, and start getting your bun ready. It's just a few minutes out.

Making a burger always seemed like a lot of mess and trouble, but since I've been doing this method, I don't want to buy one at a restaurant ever again.

I've got one it's versatile as fuck and I can stick it in the oven

>>8826734
>Then I pre-heat a cast iron skillet on the lowest flame for about 10 minutes.

Why would you choose to waste time like that? Why not pre-heat the skillet on the highest flame, then lower the heat to your desired setpoint once the pan heats up?

>>you don't need a scorching hot skillet on the highest flame.
If you want to get a good sear then yeah, that helps.

>>That works for some things, but for a burger, do you really think your local burger place is doing that?
No, they have either a commercial griddle or an actual grill. Both of which are substantially more powerful than a home stove.

>>Making a burger always seemed like a lot of mess and trouble, but since I've been doing this method,

"this method"? Lol, it's just basic burger cooking, anon. Nothing special about it. You're doing what you're supposed to do (except for the pre-heat-on-low-setting....that's just head-scratchingly weird)

>>8826654
This^
I have my great aunts cast iron pan

>>8826745
>Why would you choose to waste time like that?

It's not a waste of time if I'm doing other things. It allows me to preheated the skillet unattended.

>Why not pre-heat the skillet on the highest flame, then lower the heat to your desired setpoint once the pan heats up?

Lack of control. This heats it up much more evenly. Once the patty hits the skillet, it starts to sizzle and form that brown crust, but there's not so much stored heat that it starts spraying grease everywhere and smoking the place out.

>No, they have either a commercial griddle or an actual grill. Both of which are substantially more powerful than a home stove.

Completely missed the point.

>"this method"? Lol, it's just basic burger cooking, anon. Nothing special about it. You're doing what you're supposed to do (except for the pre-heat-on-low-setting....that's just head-scratchingly weird)

There's a lot more to my method than just cooking a hamburger patty. Flattening the patty between parchment paper gets you that perfect circle and thickness. Shit looks pro.

Stay jelly.

>>8826534

I mostly use it for potatoes, cornbread, onions and other veggies.

>>8826758
>It's not a waste of time if I'm doing other things.
Fair enough
>It allows me to preheated the skillet unattended.
Pants-on-head retarded.

>>Lack of control. This heats it up much more evenly
A large flame that covers the entire base of the skillet is much more even than a small one that only touches the center of the skillet.

>>but there's not so much stored heat that it starts spraying grease everywhere and smoking the place out.
That's a function of what temperature you heat the pan to, not how slowly you get the pan to that temperature. Whatever temperature you like to sear at works exactly the same whether you got there via 10 min at a low setting or via 1 min at a high setting.

>>Completely missed the point.
What was your point?

>>There's a lot more to my method than just cooking a hamburger patty
Sure. But it's nothing special. Parchment paper is the standard, bro. There's nothing unusual about that.

Want to up your burger game? Ditch the generic ground beef and start choosing your cuts. I'd suggest short rib as the #1 choice. Brisket is good too as it has a rather sweet taste to it.

At least you're not doing retarded shit like mixing things into your patty.

>>8826774
>At least you're not doing retarded shit like mixing things into your patty.

;-)

>>8826774
not that poster but you clearly haven't worked with cast iron... a small flame will still evenly heat the pan, that's the beauty of the thing

Pizza, bread, stirfry, meats, chilis. Basically anything I can cook that isn't too acidic in other cookware I can cook in cast iron. If it IS too acidic I'll use my Le Crueset or Calphalon.