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William[_5_]

On Fri, 28 Oct 2016 00:16:39 -0400, wrote:

>All my life I have heard that with cast iron frying pans, you never
>wash them with soap, you just wipe them with a paper towel, and put them
>away until they are needed. I personally find that absolutely repulsive.
>In fact thats worse than a bachelor I once met who never washed his
>dinner plate, he just wiped off any solids, and stuck it in the fridge
>till his next meal.
>
>The oils, animal fats, and who knows what else is on that cast iron pan
>is a breeding ground for bacteria, and God only knows what else. On top
>of that, the greasyness attracts mice, insects, and dust from the air
>will stick to it. Absolutely repulsive!!!!
>
>Hey, I listened to the so called "experts" on this subject. I gave it a
>try some 40+ years ago, and I will admit that food did not stick to it
>(most of the time), but I always felt like I was eating food
>contaminated with filth. Even if I heated the pan prior to placing food
>in it, and heating to a temperature which will kill any bacteria, the
>thought of eating dead bacteria, minute bits and pieces of old meals
>from weeks ago, possible insect and rodent droppings, and if nothing
>else, rancid oil, was enough to ruin every meal I cooked on it.
>
>I began washing these pans with soap, water, and brillo pads. That's
>when I found the food sticking terribly, and sometimes even some rust. I
>finally gave them to a friend who goes camping regularly and said they
>work best on a campfire. Then I bought myself some teflon coated pans,
>which have since been replaced by enamel coated cookware like those
>often advertised on tv.
>
>While cast iron is probably the most durable cookware made, it requires
>far too much work to keep it seasoned, but even putting aside the work,
>it's disgusting and repulsive. It may have worked well for cooks in the
>19th century, we have since learned a lot about health, disease, and
>bacteria, and cast iron is not a healty type of cookware.
>
>

If I were this concerned about the bacteria in my cooking vessel, I
would not attempt to cook. There is bacteria everywhere.

This reminds me of a story my son told me. He really enjoyed eating at
Chinese Restaurants. In the course of his daily work activities he
wound up in the kitchen of his favorite Chinese buffet restaurant. He
happened to see some foods in the preparatory stages in the sink. It
grossed him out so bad he won't go back there to eat.

I got past this at the young age of five when my Dad took me with him
Squirrel hunting. We went into the woods, shot a Squirrel, field
stripped the Squirrel in the woods, went straight home and butchered
the Squirrel for pan frying then fried it and ate it for lunch.

There ain't no tellin how much bacteria we encountered that day!

William