Cast Iron Cookware

[craigt3365]

We use olive oil. And that's what we had in a spray can back home. Not sure if it was Pam though!

I just try to avoid palm oil. Which seems to be the #1 oil that's used here.

[SundayAfternoon]

I use my two on my induction and they work great! Seasoning them is a bit of a pain, but I love them for their non stick cooking! Have never seen them for sale in Thailand. I bought my in from Australia - used up my luggage allowance quite quickly! Lol

If you find a supplier please let us know I'd love to get some more!

[craigt3365]

I use my two on my induction and they work great! Seasoning them is a bit of a pain, but I love them for their non stick cooking! Have never seen them for sale in Thailand. I bought my in from Australia - used up my luggage allowance quite quickly! Lol

If you find a supplier please let us know I'd love to get some more!

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/653249-cast-iron-cookware/?p=6605199#entry6605199

[OldChinaHam]

In a previous post I made above I stated: "Just make sure you get a heavy pan with the non-stick because this will be better to cook with."

Sorry, for the typo: I meant to say get the heavy pan WITHOUT the non-stick surface.

Dang! How dumb can I be?????

BTWay, please use peanut oil, or soybean oil for all types of frying with this Cast Iron Skillet. But Not Olive Oil.

I like to drink my extra virgin olive oil out of the bottle and then take a couple bites of bread and cheese. I like the bite at the back of the throat which tells me the olive oil is good.

Olive oil is wasted in frying or wok braising or anything with a high heat, unless you have plenty of money to throw around. For that, please use soybean oil, or peanut oil.

You may feel free to add olive oil to soups and things. But why waste it in high heat frying situations? Usually, high heat wok frying, stir frying, and a bit lower heat skillet is the only way I travel. If you visit a professional kitchen, you will notice that the burners sound like a JET ENGINE on take-off. There is a reason for this: The food tastes better when cooked on a very high heat 50,000 BTU burner, and they don't have a whole lot of time to sit around and simmer while the clientele in their restaurant get antsy.

So remember, Great Olive Oil from the first cold pressing is for DRINKing so you can taste the beauty of the olive, and for pouring on bread, over salads, and even on the skin for beautifying. Don't waste it on high heat frying in your skillet. Instead, please use soybean oil, it is cheap, and it is very good, and forget about healthy, it is as healthy as any.

Please do NOT use Pam! What a waste of money. Think of the packaging, the money to compress the gas that shoots out the contents of the can! Only Americans would do something this dumb.

Just use a bottle of oil and POUR the oil onto the pan. Then, if you are afraid of getting too much oil on the pan, you can wipe up as much as you want with a paper towel. Although, why anyone would want to do this is beyond me.

I cook with plenty of oil, not too much but plenty for the task at hand. It won't kill you. If you are afraid of too many calories, then stop, please, with the cakes.

Wishing everyone happy cooking and frying with the skillet, and soybean or peanut oil.

Edited July 15, 2013 by OldChinaHam

[raro]

We use olive oil. And that's what we had in a spray can back home. Not sure if it was Pam though!

I just try to avoid palm oil. Which seems to be the #1 oil that's used here.

Important is that you never ever use soap. Water only in emergencies. For normal use, wipe the pan with a paper towel while still hot and again when heating up upon next usage.

Keep it greasy

[craigt3365]

We use olive oil. And that's what we had in a spray can back home. Not sure if it was Pam though!

I just try to avoid palm oil. Which seems to be the #1 oil that's used here.

Important is that you never ever use soap. Water only in emergencies. For normal use, wipe the pan with a paper towel while still hot and again when heating up upon next usage.

Keep it greasy

I had a great cast iron skillet back home. Was perfect for making pancakes!!! When moving across country I saw the pan, dirty from 10+ years of use. And decided to give it a bit of a wash with a plastic brush. I was packing, was in a hurry and not thinking clearly! I oiled it up afterwards, but it was never the same and started rusting in no time. Had to toss it.

Won't make that mistake again.

[OldChinaHam]

We use olive oil. And that's what we had in a spray can back home. Not sure if it was Pam though!

I just try to avoid palm oil. Which seems to be the #1 oil that's used here.

Important is that you never ever use soap. Water only in emergencies. For normal use, wipe the pan with a paper towel while still hot and again when heating up upon next usage.

Keep it greasy

Sorry, but beg to slightly differ if I may,

Water us fine.

In most pro kitchens I have seen, the big stoves with all those high heat burners have a drain in back.

This makes it possible to just pour in some water into the hot pan while still on the stove, swirl it around with a bamboo whisk or something that looks life a "whisk broom", and then pour the hot water from the scrubbed pan out onto the stove top where it drains out the back and down to the drain in the floor. This is how it is done in Asian kitchens, as far as I know.

But if you have no drain in your stove, obviously, and you are getting ready to finish cooking for the day, just take the heated pan and run water into it in the sink while sponging out the food particles, then replace on the stove over high flame, wait for the water to bubble and dry, then hang up the pan.

Same for a wok.

Yes, keep the coating on the skillet or wok, otherwise it won't cook right and it will rust.

(But if you do not have any water, then don't use it.)

[OldChinaHam]

Sorry, just to mention what is of course obvious to all,

The reason you put the cast iron skillet back on the fire after washing it with water and a soft sponge or a whisk

Is because you just want to heat it up enough to dry it quickly and thereby keep it from rusting

Which it will do if you leave it sitting around with a small puddle of water inside, in high humidity.

[BillyBobThai]

For those that still looking for cast iron pans, I saw 2 - 16" pans with maybe a 1 inch lip. Not really a skillet.

Seems like they were 560 baht.

Across from airport central plaza at the red light, going towards Chiang Mai, there is a shop that sells cooking equipment. They were in the back of the store on the bottom shelf.

Good luck

[OldChinaHam]

BEFORE you buy

You might like to know what they cost the importer so you can bargain.

Normally when I am sourcing products for business, I often try Alibaba first.

Here is a link to cast iron skillets from China and various suppliers, quoted here at FOB pricing.

If you know this, then maybe add on 20 percent or less for import and transportation fees and tax.

I also do this when I want to buy retail but have no idea what the store is paying to buy from the importer.

Less of a chance to get gouged that way, maybe.

http://www.alibaba.com/trade/search?fsb=y&IndexArea=product_en&CatId=&SearchText=cast+iron+skillet

For Example:

12" Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Skillet

Min. Order: 100 Pieces

FOB Price: US $4.5-6.5 / Piece

Type: Pans ; Place of Origin: CN;HEB ; Brand Name: EASTSUN ; Feature: Eco-Friendly ; Certification: FDA ; Pans Type: Frying Pans & Skillets

Contact SupplierOffline

Hebei Machinery Import & Export Co., Ltd.Contact DetailsChina (Mainland)

Edited July 19, 2013 by OldChinaHam

[Issangeorge]

OldChinaHam, how would you use coconut oil?

Sent from my i-mobile IQ 6 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[OldChinaHam]

OldChinaHam, how would you use coconut oil?

Sent from my i-mobile IQ 6 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Since I only use soybean oil, peanut oil, and olive oil, and pork fat, I have not much experience with palm oil or coconut oil.

Coconut oil, or coconut butter, the babes on the beach used to tan with, but I never did.

If you trust the Huffington Post, I found an interesting submission you might like which speaks to the very subject you mention. It even discusses a bit of the chemistry involved in hydrogenated and non-hydrogenated oils for you budding chemists.

Some of these oils are very useful for baking and good shelf life I have heard, just do not quote me.

Here is the link, with a fairly good comment section too. We might learn something about coconut oil if we were to read this article written by some doctor, so he says. Interesting Question! PLEASE TAKE THIS with more than a few grains of salt. Stick with Soybean, Peanut oil, Pork fat and you can't go wrong, GREAT for the SKILLET:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mercola/coconut-oil-benefits_b_821453.html

(Soybean oil is already quite low cost, but maybe palm oil is cheaper. Still, I would never use palm oil, at any cost, when Soybean Oil is so available.)

Edited July 19, 2013 by OldChinaHam

[BillyBobThai]

I have been using rice oil, as what I read shows it to be one of the better oils and cheaper than olive oil.

As for ordering pans from alibaba, minimum order is 100 units. All I want to do is cook some cornbread.

Edited July 19, 2013 by BillyBobThai

[OldChinaHam]

I have been using rice oil, as what I read shows it to be one of the better oils and cheaper than olive oil.

As for ordering pans from alibaba, minimum order is 100 units. All I want to do is cook some cornbread.

Cornbread is good.

Also, please notice that I stated the reason I listed sources and FOB prices on Alibaba's supplier page, is that this will help us to know the cost of the pans to the CM retailer. If you have this information, then you can bargain, and you can look for a good pan at a fair price to you.

Of course I do not expect anyone here to be buying 1000 pans, send back and forth samples, talk price and shipping, and then wait for a container.

That is, unless they are planning to be cooking a heck of a lot of cornbread for Sherman's Army.

[Benjie]

BEFORE you buy

You might like to know what they cost the importer so you can bargain.

Normally when I am sourcing products for business, I often try Alibaba first.

Here is a link to cast iron skillets from China and various suppliers, quoted here at FOB pricing.

If you know this, then maybe add on 20 percent or less for import and transportation fees and tax.

I also do this when I want to buy retail but have no idea what the store is paying to buy from the importer.

Less of a chance to get gouged that way, maybe.

http://www.alibaba.com/trade/search?fsb=y&IndexArea=product_en&CatId=&SearchText=cast+iron+skillet

For Example:

12" Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Skillet

Min. Order: 100 Pieces

FOB Price: US $4.5-6.5 / Piece

Type: Pans ; Place of Origin: CN;HEB ; Brand Name: EASTSUN ; Feature: Eco-Friendly ; Certification: FDA ; Pans Type: Frying Pans & Skillets

Contact SupplierOffline

Hebei Machinery Import & Export Co., Ltd.Contact DetailsChina (Mainland)

20%, lol - I'm going to take a guess that you don't import much.

Remember you pay duty on the price + shipping costs (you aren't going to ship iron pans into thailand for 50 cents each), the duty will be anywhere from 10-150% depending on what you are importing and then you pay an additional 7% VAT on the total.

[OldChinaHam]

"20%, lol - I'm going to take a guess that you don't import much.

Remember you pay duty on the price + shipping costs (you aren't going to ship iron pans into thailand for 50 cents each), the duty will be anywhere from 10-150% depending on what you are importing and then you pay an additional 7% VAT on the total."

Right you are, mostly just ship to U.S. west coast. And have never imported to Thailand.

On castings and forgings, the import duty is very low, from China, I forget, but I think about 7 percent for rough castings.

I have not priced it but I think that on a USD5.00 pan, shipped from China to LA it would not be more than USD1.00 per pan, total cost to get it to customer warehouse.

I would think, but could be wrong, that if you had a 20 ft container of cast iron pans of different sizes and shapes, and you sent them from ShangHai or HK terminal to Bangkok, then to Chiang Mai, you might be able to do it for USD1.00 per pan + the FOB price of the pan.

I am not sure it is worth contacting the factory and the freight forwarder to get a quote in our case, but we could if you want.

If only we new there were 10000 (10,000?) members on TV that all wanted to buy cast iron skillets, then we would !

So, do you have a good estimate of the total cost to land a pan in Chiang Mai? The 12" one in question?

Interesting to know the true price, even if just for this thread.

Tks!

(And, please keep in mind that to lower the import duty to a better rate is every importer's goal)

Edited July 20, 2013 by OldChinaHam

[llp]

Soybean Oil is horrible for your health when compared to healthier oils/fats: coconut oil, olive oil, grass fed lard, butter, tallow.

Soybean oil is often hydrogenated, high in omega 6, bleached, rancid, and estrogenic.

[OldChinaHam]

OK, then.

Another oil is fine with me

I just need an oil that is:

Fairly low cost, no more than the cost of soybean oil, for sure.

Has a high Smoke Point

Readily available in all retail food markets

Will not contribute any of the oil's flavor to the food being fried or stir fried

And will not smoke unduly when on very high heat

That's about it.

It is not as if I am going to drink gallons of the stuff myself. So I do not care about its health qualities if it is at least as good as good quality soybean oil.

Any suggestions?

Edited July 20, 2013 by OldChinaHam

[Benjie]

OK, then.

Another oil is fine with me

I just need an oil that is:

Fairly low cost, no more than the cost of soybean oil, for sure.

Has a high Smoke Point

Readily available in all retail food markets

Will not contribute any of the oil's flavor to the food being fried or stir fried

And will not smoke unduly when on very high heat

That's about it.

It is not as if I am going to drink gallons of the stuff myself. So I do not care about its health qualities if it is at least as good as good quality soybean oil.

Any suggestions?

Rice Bran oil

[OldChinaHam]

OK, then.

Another oil is fine with me

I just need an oil that is:

Fairly low cost, no more than the cost of soybean oil, for sure.

Has a high Smoke Point

Readily available in all retail food markets

Will not contribute any of the oil's flavor to the food being fried or stir fried

And will not smoke unduly when on very high heat

That's about it.

It is not as if I am going to drink gallons of the stuff myself. So I do not care about its health qualities if it is at least as good as good quality soybean oil.

Any suggestions?

Rice Bran oil

This may be OK for others.

But about 32 years ago, a factory in Asia was making some real cheap rice-bran oil

And almost killed a bunch of kids in an orphanage.

I was there in Taiwan in 1979, it was huge news, and I will never forget.

So I do not use the cheap oils, because I want to make sure the factories have good QC.

I suggest everyone else might also.

I'll never forget the word for rice-bran oil which is MiKangYou in Chinese.

"The accidental leakage of a PCB-containing industrial fluid into rice oil resulted in the exposure of several thousand individuals in two separate incidents in Japan (1968, Yusho poisoning) and Taiwan (1979, Yu Cheng poisoning). "

Some things you never forget. Factory negligence.

[Chicog]

I suggest Beef Dripping.

Yay, a mucky fat sandwich, can't get those in Thailand can you?

[JLCrab]

I remember watching the PBS "Great Chefs" series in the USA 1990's before coming to Thailand and I can't remember that any of those chef's in their restaurant kitchen used a cast iron skillet.

(Rick Bayless of Frontera Grill, Chicago)

[OldChinaHam]

I remember watching the PBS "Great Chefs" series in the USA 1990's before coming to Thailand and I can't remember that any of those chef's in their restaurant kitchen used a cast iron skillet.

(Rick Bayless of Frontera Grill, Chicago)

Either these great chefs were not great enough,

The actually great chefs having been killed off by http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNL2yGReKsQ,

Or the cast iron skillet was too great and weighty for the PBS great chefs to handle.

And maybe they think that the old ugly cast iron skillet is just not photogenic enough for Public TV.

Edited July 22, 2013 by OldChinaHam

[craigt3365]

Unfortunately, the cookware these chefs use are outrageously expensive. And they have helpers who do all the cleanup! 55555

[JLCrab]

Right -- not great enough?. How many Guide Michelin Stars do you have?

Many of the USA chefs in the series have restaurants 2012 with 3 G-M Stars including Ripert, Keller, Boulod, Achatz, etc.

I used to have several cast iron skillets in USA which I often used for baking, roasts, casseroles etc. and found that the whole thing about not washing with water and never using soap is a bunch of hoo-ey.

BTW From the website of Lodge Manufacturing which has been making cast iron cookware for over 100 years:

If no soap is too scary, wash with mild soapy water and dry and oil immediately -- Dishwashers, strong detergents and metal scouring pads are not recommended, as they remove seasoning.

Edited July 22, 2013 by JLCrab

[JepSoDii]

Yes, there are problems with the non-stick coating material, but it only becomes active when the pan surpasses 500 degrees. That temp. is hard to hit, especially here. I love the iron skillet, you just need to use a lot of butter or grease to use them effectively. Probably can find them at the market in Naklua among the stalls. I think I saw them there.

Wanna point out if you are trying to hit 500, last thing you wanna grease it with is butter, else you'll taking it in burnt (yuck + carcinogens). It burns around 325-350F. Best thing to do is seek rice bran oil.

[OldChinaHam]

Yes, there are problems with the non-stick coating material, but it only becomes active when the pan surpasses 500 degrees. That temp. is hard to hit, especially here. I love the iron skillet, you just need to use a lot of butter or grease to use them effectively. Probably can find them at the market in Naklua among the stalls. I think I saw them there.

Wanna point out if you are trying to hit 500, last thing you wanna grease it with is butter, else you'll taking it in burnt (yuck + carcinogens). It burns around 325-350F. Best thing to do is seek rice bran oil.

That temp is not "hard to hit" unless you are cooking with a candle, or if you mean Centigrade/Celsius, and if you are cooking at 932F, then you probably should stay out of the kitchen.

Especially here where I am, I never cook at 932F, or 500Kelvin.

There is a nice little "blurb" over on Wikipedia which lists the SMOKE POINTS for various oils.

Very useful, I think, if you are interested in this, from a more factual point of view:

Fat Quality Smoke Point Almond oil 420°F 216°C Avocado oil Refined 520°F 271°C^[5]Avocado oil Un-Refined, Virgin 375-400°F 190-204°C Butter 250–300°F 121–149°C Canola oil Expeller Press 375-450°F^[6] 190-232°C Canola oil High Oleic 475°F 246°C Canola oil Refined 400°F 204°C^[1]Castor oil Refined 392°F 200°C^[7]Coconut oil Extra Virgin (Unrefined) 350°F^[8] 177°C Coconut oil Refined 450°F 232°C Corn oil Unrefined 352°F 178°C^[7] Corn oil Refined 450°F 232°C^[1]Cottonseed oil 420°F 216°C^[1]Flax seed oil Unrefined 225°F 107°C Ghee (Indian Clarified Butter) 485°F 252°C Grapeseed oil 420°F 216°C Hazelnut oil 430°F 221°C Hemp oil 330°F 165°C Lard 370°F 188°C Macadamia oil 413°F 210°C Mustard oil 489°F 254°C Olive oil Extra virgin 375°F 191°C Olive oil Virgin 391°F 199°C^[7] Olive oil Pomace 460°F 238°C^[1] Olive oil Extra light 468°F 242°C^[1] Olive oil, high quality (low acidity) Extra virgin 405°F 207°C Palm oil Difractionated 455°F 235°C^[9]Peanut oil Unrefined 320°F 160°C Peanut oil Refined 450°F 232°C^[1]Rice bran oil 490°F 254°C Safflower oil Unrefined 225°F 107°C Safflower oil Semirefined 320°F 160°C Safflower oil Refined 510°F 266°C^[1]Sesame oil Unrefined 350°F 177°C Sesame oil Semirefined 450°F 232°C Soybean oil Unrefined 320°F 160°C Soybean oil Semirefined 350°F 177°C Soybean oil Refined 460°F 238°C^[1]Sunflower oil Unrefined 225°F 107°C Sunflower oil Semirefined 450°F 232°C Sunflower oil, high oleic Unrefined 320°F 160°C Sunflower oil Refined 440°F 227°C^[1]Tea seed oil 485°F 252°C Vegetable shortening 360°F 182°C Walnut oil Unrefined 320°F 160°C Walnut oil Semirefined 400°F 204°C

Taken from this website page:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoke_point

For proper attribution

Edited July 23, 2013 by OldChinaHam

[JepSoDii]

good stuff on the smoke points, thanks

[OldChinaHam]

good stuff on the smoke points, thanks

Yes, if really accurate, then I thought this was very useful for those who buy cooking oil to use in their skillet.

Also, for the past 40 years, I have been using Peanut Oil, refined, when I can buy it cheaply, (and not so-far in Thailand) and I always used to use a wok, or cast iron skillet, and I would wait with ingredients poised, because I was usually cooking Chinese food, or Asian food,

After pouring in the peanut oil, I would wait until the first wisps of smoke rose from the pan, so I knew it was at the correct cooking temp,

Then toss in the chili, garlic, or ginger if I was using it, then the meat or the vegetables, and cook it as fast as I could with really high heat, and the old gas burner going like a jet engine on afterburner.

This way, if you cook it fast, the vegetables keep their flavor and vitamins do not break down, do not get soggy, and the green vegetables keep their color, because that is important, and they just look beautiful. With green vegetables, it is important to let them steam for a minute or so after stir frying, with the cover mostly closed over the pan but letting the steam escape easily after you have added a few spoonfuls of water to steam them.

With chicken or pork or beef, it is also good to use very high heat so that they get seared on the outside and the morsels of meat will stay tender because you do not overcook them, but just let them reach the temp needed to cook them enough so that you don't get sick from eating meat which is not thoroughly "done"

The skillet is great for very slowly browning things too,

Well, everyone knows all this anyway,

But I guess I just got carried away with my love for the cast iron skillet.

Edited July 23, 2013 by OldChinaHam

[JLCrab]

My one word response to the preceding several posts: GHEE