Since I don't have a phone number for my cousin to find out about a gift registry, I thought I would buy her a cast iron grill pan, since she probably didn't register for something like that, but they are totally totally awesome (allows you to grill indoors- pretty much the most awesome pan I own). By the way if you don't own one of these things, you should totally get one. I also want to get just a plain cast iron pan for myself at some point so I can make non-grilled things in a cast iron pan.
Frum people- any problems kosher-wise with buying/using something like this? Some come "pre-seasoned" which is probably the kind I would get- would that be a problem? What about the whole "you can't wash cast iron pans in soap" thing (only water and then rub it with oil) - kasharut problems there? I just don't want to get her a useless gift...
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Don't get the preseasoned.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of not washing, that would not be a kashrus problem for me.
Why would pre-seasoned be a problem, tesyaa?
ReplyDeleteHave you done a google search for your Cousin's name and "registry"? You'd be surprised how many registry databases are publicly searchable. I found my friend's registry online months before she gave me any guidance on where to look.
ReplyDeleteSo I understand why pre-seasoned could be a problem for someone because there would be a possibility that the seasoning itself was treif (unlikely but so much of modern kashrut has little to do with probability).
ReplyDeleteBut can someone explain what the problem is with soap and cast iron pans? I've never heard of that before and have no idea what the issue is.
cast iron pans have to be 'seasoned' meaning you have to put a layer of oil (and salt I think but later you wipe the salt out?) in the pan and bake it in the oven for like half an hour. that makes the pan non-stick and you're not supposed to use it without that non-stick layer. Every time you use the pan you rub in a little more oil at the begining, so
ReplyDeletethe more you use it the better the seasoning is. Washing it with soap takes away that layer of oil, which means you have to go through the whole seasoning thing again which is a pain in the ass. Wiping it out with water will be enough to clean out all the food as long as it's been properly seasoned, but will leave the seasoning intact.
It's the same reason you're not supposed to wash a george foreman grill with soap- the grill part is cast iron I think.
gerrymander- good idea on the internets! I will consult them :)
oh and i just consulted the internets, and apparently if you wash out a cast iron pan the seasoning will eventually go away completely, at which point the pan will rust.
ReplyDeleteMy mom have four cast iron frying pans, a couple of cast iron pots and a cast iron tea kettle (as it's the only one she can't kill). You can totally wash cast iron with soap and water, the key is how you dry it. You can't just put it on a drying rack. As long as you have a gas stove, you're fine. After you've washed with soap and water, you dry it by putting in on the fire. Dries it out in no time and no rusting. My moms pots and pans are older then I am, and never rusted. I do think it's possible the seasoned one could have kosher issues.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.lodgemfg.com/use-care-help.asp#5
ReplyDeleteI personally would not want to own a pan I couldn't wash. Yes, I think that would present kashrut issues, though not insurmountable ones. Why don't you get her something she would like instead of something that you would like, since your lifestyles are so utterly different? I would go with a more conventional frum wedding gift or to be on the safe side, a gift card at BBaB or a check. Cash was my favorite wedding present.
ReplyDeletecan't see why a cast iron pan would present a kashrut problem, even if you dont wash it out - as long as you choose if it is dairy/parve/meat and then everything cooked in it would just be that.
ReplyDelete(mine are rusted and i need to reseason. considering just doing it for pesach, and then using for regular afterwards.)
chanie
i don't think a grill pan has anything to do with my 'lifestyle.' My mom has one and uses it it every friday to make grilled vegetables for shabbas dinner. And I know this particular cousin loves those grilled vegetables whenever my mom makes them for family bbqs.
ReplyDeleteI don't like giving cash as gifts. Also if I did I couldn't afford to give more than like $18 so that would be a lame gift.
The pre-seasoning on Lodge pans is supposed to be vegetable oil. If your cousin still has a problem with it, she can always kasher it and then re-season it herself.
ReplyDeleteSome people with small kitchens like to soap everything immediately after it is used to prevent problems (like accidental splashing of hot fleishig juice on a milchig pan soaking in the sink). Some other people deal with this by soaking everything in soapy water. My two cents...
ReplyDeleteAlso, as a fellow academic (finishing up PhD in the sciences), congratulations on the job!!
I think i'm going to get it and print out this helpful link for her and stick it in the box: http://www.lodgemfg.com/use-care-help.asp#5
ReplyDelete