cast iron skillets

S

SE18

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perhaps I can slide and post this here even though not strickly machinist stuff but since most of you are metal experts, I thought it might do no harm to ask.

I've had bad luck over the years with those non-stick pans (for food cooking) having the stuff flake off so I've been replacing with stainless and cast iron. Wife likes stainless but I've fondness for cast iron.

Talking to my neighbor, he uses stainless only for cooking b/c he's afraid chinese made cast might have lead or other poisonous stuff mixed in it and didn't want to chance it

any comments appreciated

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(I do have a tiny cast iron crucible I use outside to mix/melt lead/solder, but of course that crucible is not for eating)
 
If you're really concerned, take the pan over to your friendly, local scrap metal dealer. They can do an x-ray acan on it and tell you if there is any lead or other heavy metals in the cast iron.
You might have to slip him a couple of bucks or a case of beer.
Good luck
Jim
 
SE18 said:
perhaps I can slide and post this here even though not strickly machinist stuff but since most of you are metal experts, I thought it might do no harm to ask.

I've had bad luck over the years with those non-stick pans (for food cooking) having the stuff flake off so I've been replacing with stainless and cast iron. Wife likes stainless but I've fondness for cast iron.

Talking to my neighbor, he uses stainless only for cooking b/c he's afraid chinese made cast might have lead or other poisonous stuff mixed in it and didn't want to chance it
Click to expand...

Point out to him that his (probably Chinese) stainless-steel contains chromium. Also point out that the price of scrap lead is about five times that of steel and that the Chinese don't waste stuff they can make money on.
 
Lead, I would be more concerned about radioactivity.
 
Eating food cooked in a cast iron frying pan provides some degree of iron to the diet
in the form of Ferrous Sulfate. I cook with a cast iron Griswold pan almost exclusively.
It saves on having to take iron pills. You can find them at second hand or curio shops
and they are made in Erie, Pa. As far as radiation is concerned, I would advise
anyone with a radiation detector to test their home and auto air filters. Here in
Minnesota, my background count is about 20 counts per minute testing a new
furnace filter and about 40 counts per minute after several months. That tells
me that there are small radioactive particles(called hot particles) floating around
in the air. I quit buying the cheap fiberglass filters and now use the pleated paper type
for what it's worth.
 
Eddyde said:
Lead, I would be more concerned about radioactivity.
Click to expand...


LEAD!!!!!RADIOACTIVITY!!!!-----that's nothing----the real DANGER!!!!! of cast iron pans and skillets is when the wife smacks you upside the

head with them---:roflmao:------Dave
 
One of the things I learned about cooking with cast iron skillets (have 5)... is to 'season' them.

Seasoning means to clean the inside (cooking surface) thoroughly, then liberally wipe with olive oil (the more pure, the better, read the label), then put in the oven and bake around 325D for about an hour.

I prefer to 're-season' my pans about twice a year... or when the shiny look goes dull and food starts to stick.

Google 'seasoning a cast iron ____'... lots of links.
 
I do season with olive oil after every time using and after washing and heating it. Neat thing is stuff doesn't stick to skillet and if it does, you can scrap it without scratching using any sort of utensil or metal cleaning pads

Impurities in stainless something haven't considered.

Re: iron in diet, I probably inhale enough of it when grinding steel, outdoors of course

Since most of my lathe is cast iron, I wonder if it is seasoned too or needs to be. I usually just wipe it down with an oily rag and that and plenty of usage keeps the rust off of it. It still has some original paint and no intention of ever painting it despite a lot of it coming off over the years and with patina
 
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