Comment by sterwill | Hacker News Reader

Comment by sterwill | Hacker News Reader

A very timely write-up! Just last night I ordered a large (19"x16"), flat cast iron griddle[1] for oven baking after another disappointing result cooking pizza on my stone.

I used to own a pizza stone that seemed to transfer a lot of heat to my bread, even though it was relatively thin and didn't feel very dense. Bread and pizza would brown nicely on it, even though it was too small for baguettes. One day it cracked and I bought a different kind (Ceramic Chef brand). It's a little thicker and feels more porous, and I just can't get crisp bread on it even after pre-heating it in a 500F oven for 30 minutes. The new one is definitely a different type of stone. Maybe it's engineered for people who want to cook on rocks but don't like crust?

I'm excited about baking on a large slab of cast iron. I've had a 12" cast iron skillet for ~15 years and use it all the time.

[1] http://www.katom.com/067-1016905.html (store link; the manufacturer only describes it in detail in a PDF)

According to the very knowledgeable folks on the pizzamaking.com forums, the best surface to bake pizza and/or bread is between 0.5 and 1" of cordierite, which is the kind of ceramic you find in pottery kilns. That's what I use with excellent results.

Previously the only hankering I got from reading HN was to acquire some technical book. Now I'm nearly shopping for cookware after reading these posts on best cookware.

I also just bought a cast iron frying pan and it should be delivered today. I'm mainly curious about how good it can cook without having the nonstick layer, which feels dubious considering I am terrible at ensuring I don't use too much heat which would melt the Teflon and presumably poison me. Cast iron with oil/butter may be a bit greasier but hopefully more forgiving given my blunt culinary abilities.

If you season it appropriately (see the original article) you should be able to slide an egg on it.

That will just never happen on new cast iron. Old stuff was machined smooth from the factory, new stuff has a texture on par with sandpaper. Unless you intend to take a dremel tool or whatever to your new cast iron before you begin using it, you're just not going to get a surface comparable to a Teflon pan without years of use to build up a layer of seasoning that smooths out the castings peaks and valleys.

I've got a newish, rough Lodge and a vintage smooth Wagner that I both stripped and reseasoned (with just Canola oil. This flaxseed method is overkill IMO). The Wagner can cook eggs like teflon; the Lodge, even after two years of heavy use is still pretty rough for eggs, its nonstick enough for most other foods.

Cast iron is nice and I prefer it for its properties besides the nonstick abiluty, but for the casual home cook making eggs, Teflon is pretty foolproof.

This article is targeting people who want to do a really serious job of creating that non-stick layer - and good for them. But I would forgive you if you were too lazy to follow their instructions (I probably am).

But a rudimentary seasoning is really easy:

Wipe some oil over the pan. Use as [high temp oil] as possible, but whatever you have will work. Wipe off any access with a paper towel. Put it in your oven at 230(C)/450(F) for at least 30 minutes. (careful it will smoke a bit).

I couldn't recommend using it at all without some base layer of seasoning. It's really easy to do and lasts quite a while, even if you don't follow the articles really thorough methodology.

source: me - frying with cast-irons twice a day for 10 years

[high temp oil] aka those with the highest "smoke point" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooking_oil#Types_of_oils_and_t...

Much of the point of the article is that smoke point is a less useful guide than the composition of the oil.

If you don't want to use flax seed oil, just use canola oil.

Is the cast iron going to wick away the moisture like a stone? That's the point of a pizza stone, and what gives breads and pizza crusts that crispiness.

Here is an article that breaks down a baking steel vs a baking stone. The steel comes out on top, mostly due to the thermal properties of steel: http://slice.seriouseats.com/archives/2012/09/the-pizza-lab-...

Is that actually how a pizza stone works?

Doesn't it just provide a very hot surface that boils off any local moisture? That's would happen with a cast iron skillet.

It would explain why cast iron pans or glazed earthenware is used for baking no-knead bread.

No, it's absolutely not how baking stones work. A 450 degree chunk of stone isn't wicking anything with a boiling point of 212. If it were possible the stone would explode as the wicked water flash boiled inside the stone.

Steels are the trendy thing to bake pizzas on right now.

I use a cast iron griddle for baking pizza on and I love it. I hope yours works out for you too!

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