OK, I have the itch to start cooking outdoors, with real wood and real fire, and cast iron, just like my ancestors had to do when they started out west. (They got stuck in KY and fell in love). I have seen Campfire Cafe on RFD-TV and I checked out his site www.campfirecafe.com for prices on his cooksets but I think they are too expensive. Does anyone know where I can find a reasonably priced campfire cookset? Thanks, Susie
I buy all my cast iron cook ware at yard sales and thrift stores. Can't beat the prices, and you can sometimes get real antique equipment. Don't worry about rust and stuff. An S.O.S. pad will clean them up then a little oil and season in the oven, good as new. Happy hunting. Jagger
Susie, I've bought several things from this company in the past, http://www.lodgemfg.com/ Also you can find deals on ebay sometimes HTH, Bill
I have actually been talking to friends, relatives and such and had them ask me to take the castiron off their hands. Since most ranges are electric and that can cause issues with some cast iron, most people dont use the stuff anymore. Garage sales and flea markets are good places to find ... Estate sales are good too.... since the likelihood is that that the person who passed away was of the generation that actually USED cast iron!
I don't know where you are but Lodge cookware has outlet stores and sells seconds at their plant. they also sell their cast iron thru discount stores like Wal-Mart. A cast iron dutch oven is the first thing you need. As far as skillets go if you buy a new one only buy one that is polished on the cooking surface. The rough ones must be made for show as they're impossible to clean and everything sticks to them.
Thank you all for your replies. I checked out this site and it is good. I really liked how the campfire cafe sells the set up that has two post and a crossbar with little hooks hanging down. has anyone seen this kind anywhere? I had forgotten that I had seen the dutch ovens at Wal mart. Thanks for the reminder Thanks everyone, Susie
All, A warning: Be careful of buying used cookware, especially if it's from a flea market or antique shop. Many people in the "antique" or re-sale business clean up the cast iron by using Bri-Wax on it to polish and protect the metal. Bri-Wax is poisonous, you don't want to eat it! My family used to run an antique business when I was in my teens. We used Bri-Wax ourselves on many items, particularly those made of metal. Using it, and other hazardous chemicals, is part of the business. http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cach...n.com/Tips/wax.html+is+BriWax+dangerous&hl=en
You've already gotten a lot of good advice regarding cast iron cookware. The only thing that I can add is to always cook over campfire coals, never flames. Cooking over a flaming fire will always burn whatever it is that you;re cooking. After use, I clean my cast iron by adding water to the pot or pan and let it simmer over the coals for a while. This will loosen any baked on crud and make it much easier to wash. I never use dish soap or abrasive brillo pads when cleaning my cast iron. If you buy an aluminum campware set, one trick is to "soap" the outside of the pot or pan prior to placing it on the campfire. Just use liquid dish soap and smear it all over the outside of the pot/pan. When it comes time for clean-up, the soot on the outside of the pot/pan will wash off much easier.
I dont know if this is of any interest or not, but might be another choice from the open flames of a campfire? My husband and I bought a little Coleman stove for camping about 25 years ago and still have it. Has also come in handy with power failures too.
Our local Sam's Club sells a cast iron set that is in a wooden box, I think there are 2 or 3 skillets w/ lids and a dutch oven and all of it goes for around $35-$40. You might want to check it out if you have one close by. BTW, we love the Campfire Cafe.
Cabelas has a lot of outdoor cooking equip listed. much of it can be made at home if you have any metal working skills or a friend that does.
I bought my first cast iron cookware from a local hardware store. They are no longer in business. Yard sales, estate sales, thrift shops and auctions are good places to look. Do you have acess to a Rural King or TSC? Have you looked at Lehman's website? Also a lot of sporting goods/hunting type stores will carry a small line. Walmart carries a version of Granite Ware but I'm not sure of thier quality. It can be quite pricey tho. Buying used would be much cheaper, IMHO, even with the extra work involved. I love making cassaroles and such in my big chicken skillet and putting the whole thing in the oven. If you went to those big stores or Lehmans site that would give you a good idea of what is out there. Good luck!!!
Using charcoal briquettes can helpout when you are baking with cast iron over coals, cuase they create an even heat for a given period of time.....once you get the hang of it then using wood coals the right size will be habit and routine. get dutch ovens that have 3 legs for standing over coals, and can stack one on top the other for cookin several recipes at oncet. If you gonna use a backyard pit, i suggest setting a iron pipe in cement, and placing a hinged hangin iron on the top for placing over the heat where you need, and then it would be strong enough to support a big [small] african pot. A local welding shop probably can set you up with the whole works if you trell them what you need, and even start a sideline business for all your neighbors when it catches on! My favorite desert is upsidedown cake with pinapple rings, apricots and marichino cherries ..... when done in a dutch oven out on the trail makes a big hit..... but to get it right it needs alot of practice at home... guess thats why i like it..... practice. Get a brass/bronze brush for cleaning, when you buy new ware, mix heavy salt water and fill the cast iron as full as possible and boil the salt water dry a couple times, this will take out the oils used in manufacture that are not conducive to a healthy system, the wire brush is used to get it all clean and is not as abrasive to the finish as is a steel brush or steel wool. Generally if you clean immeadiately after use with just plain ole hot water the cast iron will come clean. If you get things that stick, you are cooking with a less than perfect seasoned pan, to low of heat [tryed to fry to quick before the pan was ready]. I try not to clean my pans to often with water, cause it takes a couple dayz to season them up agian..... when they get to looking really bad, they get thrown on a hot fire for a minute or so and then scrubbed with the wire brush, and oiled up again.... sometimes they get pretty big before they get washed..... When you use cast iron your iron levels do not need to be supplemented as much either as a little iron gets cooked into your food every time. Just my thoughts William
I love my Lodge castiron. I use it inside and outside. It is much better than the cheap cast iron made in China or whereever.
I bought a campfire cafe cook set about a year ago. It was an expensive investment, but I think it will be well worth it. I haven't used it yet because we are still living in town. I don't want to set it up here because I'm afraid someone will come along and steal it. After we make our move to the country I plan on using it a lot as we love to cook and eat outside. I haven't seen another place that sells this type of outfit, but if you know someone who can weld or whatever you could make a similar one. RoseKYTN
I never bake directly in my dutch ovens. What I do is put several small stones in the bottom of the dutch oven. Then on top of the stones, I will place a round cake pan that contains my biscuits, cake, pie or bread. By baking with this method, the heat in the Dutch oven is allowed to circulate around the item that you are baking...AND, you never have to clean the Dutch oven!
Castiron... nothing like it.. i have two castiron skillets that were wedding gifts to my grandmother when she married so many years ago... i inherited them from her i have a couple of nice dutch ovens i have picked up over the years... Lodgepole will give you the instructions on how to season your pans, make sure you do. Lynn in Texas
Hi, we use alot of the camp stuff In our fur trade re-enactments (mountain men) you might check and see if there is a rendevous going on in your neck of the woods.. quite often there will be blacksmiths there who have the fire irons you were asking about... the three poles usually are about 30 dollars a set.. but then there are other things that go with it... I have seen them online but cant currently find a site to list here... Here is the Url to the "to the international dutch oven society, they have lots of good recipes and info http://www.idos.com/ I use the dutch ovens mostly but have a few grills and fry pans... just be warned.. especially with dutch ovens... they multiply very quickly... you start out with one and pretty soon you have 3 or 4 and just need that one more:> Happy cooking Cabin Fever, I bake the same way... and usually when baking a pie put a piece of foil in the bottome to make sure I dont have a mess if it runs over:>
