Friday, July 27, 2012

Cast Iron vs Clay Pots


I cut my teeth in cooking while living in a vegetarian hippy dippy housing cooperative during college. (GREAT time!)

There we had many, many cast iron pots and pans. Veggie stews were cooked in a cast iron pot with a lid. Pancakes were cooked off on a cast iron skillet. Our rice (brown, of course) was cooked in a smaller pot.


I learned to clean these pans, not with dish detergent, but with salt (to scrub) and sometimes some vinegar (there was very little [but some] oil in this style of cooking). The idea was that if you used dish detergent it would bond with the seasoned pot and appear again in your next dish - yuck.

Also, we NEVER put soap in our coffee pots. Just ice water, scrubbing, and a vinegar bath followed by a good rinse. Same reason.

Now I am cooking, here in Brazil, with seasoned clay and stone pots. It seems logical to me to carry forward the same thinking. Avoid the detergent.


But tell that to a Brazilian. At least in our area, people would not THINK of cleaning a pot without copious amounts of detergent.

I always cringe at the idea of putting dish detergent in a seasoned pot, but, you can't push the river. It will be, here, what it is. Jim does not have a say. (But I do protect my coffee pot!)

Furthermore - most of the things we cook in these pots are either rice or seafood - not that much oil to clean up after. No matter.

Oh well. Maybe I am just getting used to the slight soapy after taste...

All things considered - I prefer clay and stone pots.

11 comments:

The Reader said...

Jim, I would LOVE your tips for cooking in clay. I keep wanting to buy some, but have NO IDEA how to cook in them. Maybe a future blog post...?

(I wouldn't use dish detergent either....eek. But, "you can't push the river" -- so true.)

GingerV said...

I wouldn't use detergent in the USA - but it is not likely to hurt here - removing the seasoning oils from the cast iron with the dishwasher detergent you get here - it doesn't have the same consitancy (somewhat oily and thick) as the liquid detergent of the USA. I make my coffee with an enamaled pot for boiling the water and a glass lined thermos to serve the coffee and if it isn't cleaned routinely it gets a stale coffee taste. and I am with the reader - some cooking with clay online classes would be great.

GingerV said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Laural Out Loud said...

I don't have any cast iron (I was supposed to get my great-grandmother's skillet when she died, but it got sent to Goodwill instead, I haven't really gotten over it!), but I do have some clay pieces. My husband is NOT allowed to touch them because his Brazilian brain can't comprehend cleaning without soap, lol. I thought it was just him, but now I know it's beyond him!

Rachel said...

My brother has pots like this and he says that you should occasionally cover them in oil and bake them in a low temperature. Dont know why :)

Jim said...

Rachel - that is exactly correct when first seasoning your pots. Over the years this is not necessary. You want to have a baked in layer of oil to soften your cooking.

Reader - I plan to make a muqueca soon, in a clay pot. I will be sure to give a play by play.

The Reader said...

Jim, that would be awesome! Thanks!

(and thanks for welcoming me back earlier; I'm ashamed I stayed away so long...life has been...interesting)

Anonymous said...

You cаn miх in &fraс12 of a cup of salt аnd &fгac12 of
a cup οf baking soda аnd pouг them in the dгaіn.

A persоn of its finest vaгiаtions іs the Bosch Pгo Vitality Cylinԁer Vacuum Ϲlеaneг, which has
regular, substantiаl finіsh pагts to ԁefinitely give you a еxceptional cleаr.

[Graphic A: Illustration of a toaster with the a variety of elements called out].


my webρаgе; Toasters Across The UK
Feel free to surf my weblog : http://freemail9.net/small-appliances/tag/srde103

Anonymous said...

Dip remaining four tortillas into saucе and set up
gгeater than next laуer. These гesources are usually fοund in аll styles
of residences, еven all those that arе nοt intendeԁ to be 'green'.
The wall panеls cаn be brought in hallways, doοrωays, and shining straight as a dаnce flоorіng.
Also visit my web-site : humsurfer.com

Anonymous said...

Wow thаt ωaѕ odd. I just ωrote an extrеmelу long comment but аfter I clicked submit my commеnt didn't show up. Grrrr... well I'm
not writing аll that oveг agаin. Anywayѕ, just ωanted to sаy suрerb blog!
Also visit my blog post Chemietoilette

Anonymous said...

Turn on a flourеd surface and knеad for 10 minutеѕ,
aԁding more flour as needeԁ. They сan have 1
touch preѕet functions аnd even an interior light.
I tгied dozens of ԁіffeгent recірes for pizza
сrust, anԁ none of them were satisfactory.

my web рage: http://www.humsurfer.com/pizza-stones-an-overview