What to buy? Cast iron cookware....

[PunkinPeep]

Oh - the chicken fryer or dutchoven. I had one with a lid and I used it for so many things. But DH ruined it. Yes, you can ruin cast iron. He put it in a campfire and burned it and it's just awful. I tried every cleaning trick there is. He is not allowed to use any of my pans, he has ruined so many.

Ruh-roh - you have me nervous, Javamama...are you not supposed to use cast iron in a campfire?? I was all set to buy a cast iron dutch oven for emergency/outdoor cooking!!! :/

I am by no means the expert on this sort of thing, but i think you have to dedicate camp fire skillets and pots to the campfire because the bottom tends to get caked up with soot and other things that will make it impossible to use in the house.

Although, i have used my indoor cast iron over the camp fire without repercussions. Just not IN the campfire. It makes a difference.

 

[i_am2bz]

So....I could practice indoors, then when I get the hang of it......I can dedicate the dutch oven to campfires...I was thinking I'd use it over wood, but with a grill of some sort...a neighbor gave us an old oven rack, we were thinking of building a kind of brick fire pit with it. Cast iron dutch ovens aren't cheap, I'd hate to wreck the dang thing the first time I use it!!

 

[freemotion]

I took a forgework course years ago...ok, decades ago....and we used coal-fired forges. Yes, you can burn iron and it becomes pitted and brittle and no longer useful. That is why you use the campfire to make coals, and use the coals to cook. Or hang the pot above the fire. Or bury the pot in the ground with coals above and below it as an old-time slow cooker!

A horseshoe will sparkle when it burns! Very strange. And kinda cool. Until the teacher catches you.....

 

[~gd]

the wok. definitely!

I have the wok and it is useless on any kind of flameless stove. works best supported over a wood fire and is great if you have a wood stove where you can lift a lid and drop the bottom in the hole. It still takes forever to heat up and I can finish the whole stir fry in a steel wok while whike waiting. Heavy as sin!

 

[ORChick]

I like the idea of a cast iron wok, but question its practicality. One nice thing about a wok is being able to lift and tilt and toss - and I am just not strong enough to do that with cast iron. The fryer would be nice though.

 

[SKR8PN]

You know, y'all aren't much help! I still equally want the wok, the fryer, and two waffle irons!!! Can you imagine what the shipping would be on all that iron?

Enough to cover the UPS man's hernia surgery?

 

[Henrietta23]

I can't wait for this year's Cub Scout PowWow (Leader training etc.) I didn't get to take the outdoor cooking class last year but I will this year.
Personally out of your choices I'd go for the wok. But we're gluten and largely grain free here so that affects my choice.

 

[TanksHill]

I took a forgework course years ago...ok, decades ago....and we used coal-fired forges. Yes, you can burn iron and it becomes pitted and brittle and no longer useful. That is why you use the campfire to make coals, and use the coals to cook. Or hang the pot above the fire. Or bury the pot in the ground with coals above and below it as an old-time slow cooker.

This is why I think they recommend using charcoal with a chimney starter. You can be more exact with your temps. It is important to stay out of the wind for even cooking. I have seen YouTube video where the boy scouts use a special table. They stack and cook several ovens at once. Main dish, veggies, desert all at once. It's very cool. No bending over. I have cooked on the ground and in a fire pit. Both work well.

This guy has a good series.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2iG4aMKBCQ

g

 

[kitchwitch]

I'd imagine the wok to be very heavy and I'd invest in a stainless one instead. the fryer would have multiple uses and what you'd do in a wok you could probably do in a fryer.

I only have a few cast iron pans so I bookmarked that page to show hubby when he gets home. We're switching from teflon to cast iron and I was lucky enough to find a cast iron muffin pan and a cast iron molded cookie sheet at a yard sale this summer. I got them both for $8! weee!

 

[Kim_NC]

I have a dutch oven with legs that I originally bought for camping/scouting. I love it and still use it often.

I know you already mentioned having 2 griddles, Free, but I have this smaller round griddle and really like it:

http://www.lehmans.com/store/Kitchen___Cookware___Cast_Iron_Cookware___Lodge_Logic_Cast_Iron_Old_Style_Round_Griddle___L90G3?Args= - great when I don't need the large one

I also like the looks of the wok - but agree with the stainless steel wok idea. Stainless would be much lighter and easier to use.

I think I'd go with the Fryer or this Combo Cooker:

http://www.lehmans.com/store/Kitchen___Cookware___Cast_Iron_Cookware___Lodge_Logic_Cast_Iron_Combo_Cooker___LCC3?Args=