Thanks all for the suggestions. By the way, if anyone is looking for bacon https://bakersbacon.com/ this stuff is great. Shipping from CA to Midwest is more than price of the bacon 🥓 itself, unfortunately- but it’s really good 🤤
Some comfort food for the night. Fried potatoes seasoned with bacon, salt, pepper, garlic powder, smoked paprika, onions, bell pepper, and celery. Have a nice locally produced ring baloney, and of course a couple beers!
First time trying sanding down a cast iron griddle pan. Seasoned with refined avocado oil since it has a smoke temp over 500deg to give me more wiggle room on cooking temp. I used an angle grinder with flap wheel, dremel with drum sanding bit, and an oscillating tool with sanding head. A round pan would be much easier to just use an orbital sander to get more flat, But I wanted something better suited for bacon. This'll get the job done. Probably christen it with a pack of thick cut.
The cast iron of centuries old was sanded down flat (that is where alot of the fairy tails about it come from), but the stuff you get nowadays is straight out of rough cast and seasoned. It "works", but the more flat stuff has better non stick properties. So a bit of elbow grease can get you a nicer pan to cook with. And from what I've found: cast iron is so thick it is hard to screw up... Just sand a bit more. The other pans I have will probably get the same treatment.
@6thplanet said:
I would have thought it the opposite, for better non stick. There would be less contact from a textured finish, oils can get into the texture.
It probably comes down to scale/granularity of the surface finish as far as what happens on the microscopic level.
The seasoning fills in micro grooves in the iron. However if the iron surface is too flat (polished too much) the seasoning will try to build up a coating on top of everything, which will just flake off. Similar to if you try to get too thick of a season coat.
I imagine the polymerized seasoning has less surface energy than the iron. Also when flatter the oil you add when cooking will tend to float the food like an oil bearing.
Comments
That looks great. Thanks Steve!
I can't speak to their mail order, but have enjoyed it the times I have been here: https://kramarczuks.com/
^ Bookmarked - that #1 Krakowska looks like what I grew up with - Thanks silverDude!
Thanks all for the suggestions. By the way, if anyone is looking for bacon https://bakersbacon.com/ this stuff is great. Shipping from CA to Midwest is more than price of the bacon 🥓 itself, unfortunately- but it’s really good 🤤
Prime sirloin, seasoned beans, seafood Mac and cheese. Malbec.
Pre Christmas charcuterie at la casa de Richards.
Pistachios, dried fruit, garlic summer sausage, aged cheddar, smoked salmon, smoked cheddar, red bell pepper, and some nifty chili flavored crackers.
We also do a charcuterie board for Christmas, but on Christmas day. Yours looks fantastic!
I'm always looking for decent crackers can you share the brand?
From Aldi. Their "specially selected" label, found in their charcuterie end cap.
Braised chuck with a very nice (pat myself on my back) demi, mashed, and some carrots.
Merry Christmas, every one.
Some comfort food for the night. Fried potatoes seasoned with bacon, salt, pepper, garlic powder, smoked paprika, onions, bell pepper, and celery. Have a nice locally produced ring baloney, and of course a couple beers!
Toss-in some cabbage for good measure - green stuff is good for you.
Cabbage tastes like literal shit. I get my greens elsewhere.
Prime NY strips.
Off to the bath. Several hours worth.
Also some Demiglaze I had sitting around.
Pan with some fucking hot avocado oil.
All done.
Steak frite with asparagus. Demiglaze for the win.
Dungeness crab 🦀
DIY butter chicken and naan.
First time trying sanding down a cast iron griddle pan. Seasoned with refined avocado oil since it has a smoke temp over 500deg to give me more wiggle room on cooking temp. I used an angle grinder with flap wheel, dremel with drum sanding bit, and an oscillating tool with sanding head. A round pan would be much easier to just use an orbital sander to get more flat, But I wanted something better suited for bacon. This'll get the job done. Probably christen it with a pack of thick cut.
An amazon cheapy since wasn't sure if I'd ruin it.
https://amazon.com/dp/B0D4RKSVY6?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1
The cast iron of centuries old was sanded down flat (that is where alot of the fairy tails about it come from), but the stuff you get nowadays is straight out of rough cast and seasoned. It "works", but the more flat stuff has better non stick properties. So a bit of elbow grease can get you a nicer pan to cook with. And from what I've found: cast iron is so thick it is hard to screw up... Just sand a bit more. The other pans I have will probably get the same treatment.
Random Orbit Sander can help speed that up, too. (oops - you mentioned that already . . .)
I would have thought it the opposite, for better non stick. There would be less contact from a textured finish, oils can get into the texture.
It probably comes down to scale/granularity of the surface finish as far as what happens on the microscopic level.
The seasoning fills in micro grooves in the iron. However if the iron surface is too flat (polished too much) the seasoning will try to build up a coating on top of everything, which will just flake off. Similar to if you try to get too thick of a season coat.
I imagine the polymerized seasoning has less surface energy than the iron. Also when flatter the oil you add when cooking will tend to float the food like an oil bearing.
Steak
Vegan Brisket (mushroom steak) with grilled onions, spicy garlic pickles and jalapeños on a toasted whole wheat brioche bun.