Sacrificial Food

W

W. Hilditch

Active member
Ok, you bought the piece of cast iron for a couple of bucks or a couple hundred bucks. For whatever reason you decided to strip it and start with new seasoning, or it was ready to start cooking. You baked it at least once and it is time to start cooking. It really is acceptable to sacrifice some food that you have no intension of eating to get the seasoning going and cover that iron flavor. Your local critters will think the bacon, eggs, popcorn, potatoes in butter, sausage or whatever is great. It will cost you a few bucks but is that really significant in the scheme of life? Then when you cook for you you will be chewing with a bigger smile.

A lb. of bacon, 3 strips at a time between hot water washings provides fantastic results and if you have a dog, it will think it is in heaven.

Hilditch
 
Can't say that I've ever done any sacrificial food, but my experience pretty much mirrors the concept. After seasoning a "new to me" piece of cast iron in the oven, I find that it takes about 8 to 10 uses of actually cooking in it to get to the point that I really enjoy using it and it really starts to become non stick.
 
W. Hilditch said:
Ok, you bought the piece of cast iron for a couple of bucks or a couple hundred bucks. For whatever reason you decided to strip it and start with new seasoning, or it was ready to start cooking. You baked it at least once and it is time to start cooking. It really is acceptable to sacrifice some food that you have no intension of eating to get the seasoning going and cover that iron flavor. Your local critters will think the bacon, eggs, popcorn, potatoes in butter, sausage or whatever is great. It will cost you a few bucks but is that really significant in the scheme of life? Then when you cook for you you will be chewing with a bigger smile.

A lb. of bacon, 3 strips at a time between hot water washings provides fantastic results and if you have a dog, it will think it is in heaven.

Hilditch
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We as a society live in a through away world as it is. Why waste good food, feed someone. Critters around here lead to the black bear, not welcome thank you.
I get most of my pork and beef from an organic farm here in town, if you think for one minute that I will feed it to the critters.
I think the best approach would be pre season your piece with multiple layers of your choice of oil, then with as Kevin E stated actually cooking in it to get to the point that I really enjoy using it and it really starts to become non stick.
 
If I'm frying bacon, I'm eating bacon. I don't eat it that much for the health reasons but I do love it :biggrin: .
 
Jeffrey R. said:
We as a society live in a through away world as it is. Why waste good food, feed someone. Critters around here lead to the black bear, not welcome thank you.
I get most of my pork and beef from an organic farm here in town, if you think for one minute that I will feed it to the critters.
I think the best approach would be pre season your piece with multiple layers of your choice of oil, then with as Kevin E stated actually cooking in it to get to the point that I really enjoy using it and it really starts to become non stick.
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Feeding critters around here cause an increase in coyotes. My dogs do liked when I cook bulk or as mentioned seasoning cast iron with meat scraps.

many different ideas for the best seasoning. I tend to go with the basic seasoning start which is on this site. I then think about how that old pan might have been seasoned way back when. If I can come close, it's a good day.
 
Folks let’s look at the concept here which is based on the belief that cooking in your CI is better than another round of oil in the oven to build seasoning. Your new to you #14 skillet may not be a daily user. Or the same with any size new one. What I’m proposing is an attitude to allow you to give your CI more cooking time in a shorter period to get it the way you want it.

If you don’t want to share your high end bacon with the bears, that’s fine. Also, if you need the calories and want to eat it, that’s fine too. I don’t care what you do with it as the idea is to get to cook in the new 14 multiple times in a couple of hours rather than over months without worrying about a few dollars worth of food. You don’t have to throw the food in the garbage, but that’s OK too. I personally choose to feed the wild critters anywhere in the food chain over using the garbage. I don’t feed the black bears for their sake, but they appreciate a savory coon or ‘possum now and then. And the white tailed deer like popcorn.

Share or don’t as you wish, but don’t let a few bucks worth of food keep you from getting your CI seasoned right.

Hilditch
 
First I need to fix what my eyes, fingers and brain did not get right.
We as a society live in a throw away world.

Your concept is about "sacrifice some food" Yes? I am not speaking for anyone else, but waisting some food and a few Dollars (my word) is not in everyones food budget.
I do not have a problem with the fact my seasoning will get better with use, but waisting food is not one of them. Lets look at what KevinE wrote; "I find that it takes about 8 to 10 uses of actually cooking in it to get to the point that I really enjoy using it and it really starts to become non stick." Now that is a lot of waste of food and dollars not to mention his heat source cost if he was to follow your concept.

I think the attitude we need as a society is to Conserve, Recycle. Everyone here is into restoring old cast iron, that is Recycling.

It is best that some of the wild critters do not need to eat human food, as they come to expect it and do cause problems to humans, with some ending in death.

So our free gift of Farm to Table Vt Organic high end bacon will be enjoyed two strips at a time, as I do watch what I eat that is why it is Organic. It is not really about the dollars, it is about my attitude. I understand about the food chain, the white tailed deer eat from my garden and I eat them, the coon comes around making problems he is eaten by the coyotes, we shoot the coyotes because they eat the deer. Now everyone just got fed.:chuckle:

W. Hilditch, you are always posting your recipes, why not post some quick fast food recipes that help with seasoning as we know some recipes are harder on the seasoning that others. Now I like that concept. :icon_thumbsup:
 
I'd never deliberately waste food like that. I just cook carefully the first few times after initial seasoning and let the seasoning mature in it's own good time.

Also, providing food for wildlife can screw up their movement patterns, prevent them from properly preparing themselves for winter, bring lots of wild animals to the same spots repeatedly which allows them to spread diseases, it reduces their natural fear of humans and can make them more aggressive toward humans or their pets. Animals fed near roads tend to stay near roads and become roadkill. Attracting cute gentle critters like deer and rabbits means also attracting meaner critters like raccoons, foxes and coyotes which can put kids and pets in danger. You'll be inviting more mice to live near your house which inevitably leads to them trying real hard to move inside your house. It's not worth it for you or the wildlife.
 
Wow. I thought HD was just trying to provide a method/concept of getting your newly seasoned CI to the point where it really cooked well in a short amount of time. Do we really need to be discussing wildlife management? Should I take my bird feeders down? My cat enjoys them as much as I do. SMH
 
KevinE said:
Wow. I thought HD was just trying to provide a method/concept of getting your newly seasoned CI to the point where it really cooked well in a short amount of time. Do we really need to be discussing wildlife management? Should I take my bird feeders down? My cat enjoys them as much as I do. SMH
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HD mentioned it in his original post. Totally on topic.
 
W. Hilditch said:
Your local critters will think the bacon, eggs, popcorn, potatoes in butter, sausage or whatever is great. Hilditch
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Local critters =wildlife, This is where it all started First post.

W. Hilditch said:
You don’t have to throw the food in the garbage, but that’s OK too. I personally choose to feed the wild critters anywhere in the food chain over using the garbage. I don’t feed the black bears for their sake, but they appreciate a savory coon or ‘possum now and then. And the white tailed deer like popcorn.Hilditch
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I personally feed the wild critters anywhere =wildlife

Look most all states if not all ban the feeding of wildlife for there and your protection. Something for anyone who cares to read. Ty L. got it right in his post.

http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/resources/tips/feed_wildlife.html

KevinE said:
Wow. Do we really need to be discussing wildlife management? Should I take my bird feeders down? My cat enjoys them as much as I do. SMH
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KevinE, not sure where you live, but in some parts of the country come spring time you do need to take down the bird feeders. If not you will be putting your life or the bears life in harms way, as some bears have had to be killed you get the picture. Enjoy the birds as I do also.

Lets get the thread back on topic.
W. Hilditch, you are always posting your recipes, why not post some quick fast food recipes that help with seasoning as we know some recipes are harder on the seasoning than others. Now I like that concept.
 
Rather than cook food with the intention of wasting it, or feeding something to wild or domestic critters who ought not be eating it anyway, why not freeze that pound of cooked bacon and microwave it later for BLTs, bacon crumbles on a salad or baked potato, etc? Or just do like most people have always done with new seasoning: be patient, and cook food you are going to eat with a touch more fat than normal so it doesn't stick.
 
I always cook bacon and burgers for the first few cooks. And that stuff isnt making it out of my kitchen :) Its the only real reason I can justify eating real bacon in my head!
 
I'm of the mind that if something had to die so that I could have a meal, I'm not letting any of it go to waste. If I have to freeze it, refrigerate it for the next day's lunch, or give it to someone, it's going to get used.
 
Although it has nothing to do with this thread, kudos to those of you who never put human food in the garbage or share it with your pets on principle. Every week I find food that I would prefer not to eat wether it be the end of a loaf of bread or leftovers in the fridge. I share.

I feel bad for those who don’t understand wild critters. Thank goodness for our ancestors who did understand them or we wouldn’t have pets and domesticated farm animals today. I feel bad for the kid that doesn’t get to feed the ducks.

If you are interested in more of my take on critters you can check it out here, as this is not the site for this noise:

http://s866.photobucket.com/user/Hilditch/media/Critters/img319.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0

My problem with critters is only with man and domestic cats. Yes, man is a critter too. They are the only two that kill for sport. I’m fine with the rest.

Hilditch
 
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