# Cast Iron pan in Aquarium for IRON trace fertilizer for plants?



## SpaceLord (Feb 29, 2016)

Can a Cast Iron pan in Aquarium for IRON trace elements fertilizers for plants?

Lets say you have an old cast iron pan that is rusted beyond repair, this could be placed in the oven during a cleaning cycle and any oils or impurities would probably be incinerated leaving you with Iron. 

I guess one of the question is if this iron is in a form which can be used by plants and if such a thing may be feasible? 

Thanks.


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## Nordic (Nov 11, 2003)

Rust is not a bioavailable form of iron. I would be more worried about rust stains, at some point it is going to kill your fish and cloud your water, regardless how much the plants like it.
Natural iron levels in parts were say many tetras come form is maybe .5 to 1ppm.


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## s_s (Feb 15, 2012)

It wouldn't work for the same reason that you don't exhale diamonds.


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## AWolf (Jun 13, 2014)

SpaceLord said:


> Can a Cast Iron pan in Aquarium for IRON trace elements fertilizers for plants?
> 
> Lets say you have an old cast iron pan that is rusted beyond repair, this could be placed in the oven during a cleaning cycle and any oils or impurities would probably be incinerated leaving you with Iron.
> 
> Thanks.


I love your questions. I've read where rusty nails, etc., have been used for terrestrial plantings. I believe the iron would have to be touching the roots for it to be used. If you planted that pan with soil, and stuck it in the tank, I think it would work. I researched leaves for the nutrient purposes. But you'd need a load of leaves to break down in your tank to be of any value. It would be more like compost soup. And to the other poster here, ...I have diamonds on the soles of my feet...does that count?:wink2:


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## Artemesia (Dec 17, 2015)

If you really wanted to try this, something like the Lucky Iron Fish would be neater and a bit more fitting. Plus it's a good cause.


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

Ordinary iron oxide, rust, is not a form that dissolves in water, leaving iron ions available for plants to use. Bacteria can convert rust to a bioavailable form, as I recall, but trying to dose iron in the form of rusty iron isn't a good way to do it. One of the chemists here could explain this so we all could understand it.


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## dukydaf (Dec 27, 2004)

Title thread made me laugh out loud...things people will try )

Chelated, bioavailable iron is really not that expensive, easy to dose and convenient to use... It is not worth it to wait for iron oxide to be transformed back into bioavailable form. Maybe if you had a really large pond and wanted to see the results years after... it will also likely require anaerobic conditions.


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## AWolf (Jun 13, 2014)

Artemesia said:


> If you really wanted to try this, something like the Lucky Iron Fish would be neater and a bit more fitting. Plus it's a good cause.


This is so great!


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## Turningdizzy (Apr 5, 2014)

Just make sure all the livestock are current on Tetanus shots.


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

I find it hard to believe that the "iron fish" will put any significant amount of iron in human diets. And, for the same reasons that cast iron in an aquarium isn't a great idea.


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## stingrayness (Feb 14, 2016)

Turningdizzy said:


> Just make sure all the livestock are current on Tetanus shots.


I'm sorry, but this was just really funny lol


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## SpaceLord (Feb 29, 2016)

Hoppy said:


> I find it hard to believe that the "iron fish" will put any significant amount of iron in human diets. And, for the same reasons that cast iron in an aquarium isn't a great idea.


Well, that Leafzone from API is really expensive and its probably 99% water. I was looking at a large quantity of another iron product in bulk and it was like $50 for container of Iron solution. If I can have a slow release of iron into the water from something I might normally throw in the garbage, then why not? 

So you need a particular type of bacterial that can convert this type of iron into something "bioavailability ", well my question would be does this bacterial exist in an aquarium/underwater setting or only in ground dirt? Does it really take years until you get any iron bioavailability for plants or are you saying for the entire cast iron to dissolve. 

Thanks.


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## Mathman (Apr 5, 2009)

Dude...wash the pan with soap, get your metal scrub and apply some force or use a drill and buy one of those metal brushes and buffer the crap out of the cast iron. Wash it again with soap.

Put it on the oven, remove it, apply some flaxseed oil or crisco...repeat the process and bring that baby back to life!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Nordic (Nov 11, 2003)

You must have seen milky rusty water from having iron rust in it... The stuff looks and smells vile.
I wouldn't put that into my drain, much less an aquarium.


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## SpaceLord (Feb 29, 2016)

Mathman said:


> Dude...wash the pan with soap, get your metal scrub and apply some force or use a drill and buy one of those metal brushes and buffer the crap out of the cast iron. Wash it again with soap.
> 
> Put it on the oven, remove it, apply some flaxseed oil or crisco...repeat the process and bring that baby back to life!
> 
> ...


Dude, its 2016 not 1776 . I have high tech nonstick ceramic infused with copper and Titanium made in Gotham steel industry Wayne industries that can melt cheese in the pan without sticking and withstand a artillery shell while having a car run over it. Why do I need to use the same type of frying pan that George Washington used while crossing the Delaware river??

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOnKXjjRZkE


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## SpaceLord (Feb 29, 2016)

Nordic said:


> You must have seen milky rusty water from having iron rust in it... The stuff looks and smells vile.
> I wouldn't put that into my drain, much less an aquarium.


It can be cleaned with vinegar, steel brushes and placed in the oven on the clean cycle which gets hot enough to burn any oil or jump off the pan so you are left with only iron.


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## Nordic (Nov 11, 2003)

Oh yeah, the pan looks saveable... That is the wonder of cast iron.
Still sour as my one cast iron pot broke its leg off right out of the pot, and now it has a hole... 

PS we are just a few tiny cataclysms away from living like Washington again.


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

SpaceLord said:


> Dude, its 2016 not 1776 . I have high tech nonstick ceramic infused with copper and Titanium made in Gotham steel industry Wayne industries that can melt cheese in the pan without sticking and withstand a artillery shell while having a car run over it. Why do I need to use the same type of frying pan that George Washington used while crossing the Delaware river??


You need to keep using that cast iron pan because it is wasteful to discard it. For the same reason you need to save all of your used aluminum foil, until you have enough to justify melting it down and making DIY aluminum foil. Incidentally, I think George Washington used only teflon coated pans.


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## Nordic (Nov 11, 2003)

Hoppy said:


> I think George Washington used only teflon coated pan_t_s.



there I fixed it for you; >


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## stingrayness (Feb 14, 2016)

I like where this thread was taken lol


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

> Now, this relationship between oxygen and iron isn’t a full time thing. In reality iron is flitting between ferrous and ferric states, but the dominant state in high pH and oxidized environments is ferric- and this means that your plants cannot take it up.
> These details important because they dictate how we examine the solutions.
> Many practitioners throw rusty iron items into their systems falsely assuming that this will supplement system iron.
> 
> ...


Understanding Iron in Aquaponics


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## ibebian (Jan 11, 2016)

jeffkrol said:


> Understanding Iron in Aquaponics


Thanks for sharing this. I'm finding that the planted aquarium hobby is leading me to become more and more interested in the general biology and chemistry of our agricultural food systems. Granted I'm fairly uninformed in aquaponics but it seems to be a great solution from a sustainability and efficiency perspective (uses as much as 90% less water, plants can be placed closer together, etc.).

Aren't aquaponics systems essentially huge-scale planted aquariums that we all know and love, except trimmed plant matter goes into a cooking pan and not the garbage?


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## SpaceLord (Feb 29, 2016)

jeffkrol said:


> Understanding Iron in Aquaponics


So the only way to get iron into the system is to buy special products like leafzone ? There is no way to have a slow release plentiful source of Iron from something you find at a hardware store or junk yard? 

What about that IRON fish thing? Same as cast iron or is this a better type of iron ? 
Lucky Iron Fish

Thanks


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## SpaceLord (Feb 29, 2016)

Artemesia said:


> If you really wanted to try this, something like the Lucky Iron Fish would be neater and a bit more fitting. Plus it's a good cause.


Has anyone tried this Iron fish idea? 

I was looking at the website and it claims that 
1. Its bioavailable iron for humans(would I be safe to assume bioavailable for plants also?)
2. Its claims its made from " natural ferrous iron" 

When I did ebay search for natural ferrous iron, it come up as supplements pills for human consumption. 

Has anyone tried this idea? I like the idea of automating something especially when I am away and if this could slowly release iron for my plants and last years, that might be something worth getting. 

What does everyone thing of this idea?

Thanks.


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## GrampsGrunge (Jun 18, 2012)

Fred Meyers here in Oregon used to carry a terrestrial plant, chelated Fe-Mg-Zn-Cu supplement mix that worked for aquatic plants. About $10.00 for an 8 ounce bottle of the stuff. It was pretty concentrated, I used to thin it 4:1 with distilled water.

Frankly, if you're having growth issues, I'd be looking at my Potassium levels first, as there's a relationship between iron's availability and potassium. You can't overdose with Potassium, while you can with Iron.


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## GreenGills (Mar 20, 2016)

SpaceLord said:


> Dude, its 2016 not 1776 . I have high tech nonstick ceramic infused with copper and Titanium made in Gotham steel industry Wayne industries that can melt cheese in the pan without sticking and withstand a artillery shell while having a car run over it. Why do I need to use the same type of frying pan that George Washington used while crossing the Delaware river??
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOnKXjjRZkE


LMFAO!! Most of my cookware is castiron, but I cook over a wood fire and I have cable. I'm a settler!


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## SpaceLord (Feb 29, 2016)

I did not realize everyone on this forum was either Amish, mountain men, settlers, and dooms day survivalist, living off the grid in a log cabin they built by hand and using cookware technology that dates back to the Han Dynasty around 206 BC cooking over a camp fire. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3XFBrLthLk


You know they have this new metal called Steel as well as nonstick Teflon coating and nonstick ceramic sometimes infused with copper and/or titanium. 

I did know that cast iron was so popular in this day and age of high technology. I thought it was kind of a novelty, when when you pull out an old Atari 2600 game like pacman instead of playing a 4K virtual reality video game. 

Well, I like sports cars with a stick shift manual transmission ( not electric, no hybrids, no self driving cars, no automatic transmission or PDK). 

So I get upset when the car companies are killing off manual transmission, trying to make everything electric/hybrid and saying they want to outlaw self driving cars in 2020. 

Anyway, I think cast iron cookware is cool too but did not realize other people liked them as well. Its definitely old school. You will be in good shape when the zombie Apocalypse comes.


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## AWolf (Jun 13, 2014)

I love cooking in cast iron. The trick is rarely wash, always deglaze to clean. Eggs over easy never stick. Flavor can't be beat. Oh sorry, wrong forum. :laugh2:
...pan seared tuna...


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## GrampsGrunge (Jun 18, 2012)

There's deep _irony_ that the OP is admonishing us for our cast-iron pans while trying to fertilize with real iron. Punnily enough. :laugh2:


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## Nordic (Nov 11, 2003)

I have a deep seated fear of Teflon pans, where does it go when it starts flaking off.
My stainless pots and pans still look like they did when new. Make a goopy mess in them, just let it get hot and pour in some water then stir.


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## roadmaster (Nov 5, 2009)

The first two wedding gift's a man should hide carefully.. Cast iron skillet's, and the knife set's.


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

Should we trade our favorite recipe's now?


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## SpaceLord (Feb 29, 2016)

Hoppy said:


> Should we trade our favorite recipe's now?


Sure, let me have some recipes for cast iron:laugh2:


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## mistergreen (Dec 9, 2006)

Cast iron is great for frying chicken and baking biscuits & cakes in.


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## Mathman (Apr 5, 2009)

Seriously,

Revive and update us on that cast iron pan! 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Jaye (Mar 11, 2015)

Well seasoned cast iron is better than every other non-stick surface I've ever used. You just can't beat the stuff.


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## SpaceLord (Feb 29, 2016)

Hoppy said:


> Should we trade our favorite recipe's now?


Here you go!

Bump:


mistergreen said:


> Cast iron is great for frying chicken and baking biscuits & cakes in.


Breakfast BAM!

Bump:


Mathman said:


> Seriously,
> 
> Revive and update us on that cast iron pan!
> 
> ...


MAC and cheese attack!

Bump:


roadmaster said:


> The first two wedding gift's a man should hide carefully.. Cast iron skillet's, and the knife set's.


Chicken Piccata !!!


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## AWolf (Jun 13, 2014)

:bounce:LOL!


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## dukydaf (Dec 27, 2004)

Now this is how a cast iron pan adds macro nutrients.


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## GraphicGr8s (Apr 4, 2011)

SpaceLord said:


> Dude, its 2016 not 1776 . I have high tech nonstick ceramic infused with copper and Titanium made in Gotham steel industry Wayne industries that can melt cheese in the pan without sticking and withstand a artillery shell while having a car run over it. Why do I need to use the same type of frying pan that George Washington used while crossing the Delaware river??
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOnKXjjRZkE


Dude. It's 2016. And if a non stick pan gets too hot it will release toxins. 

Properly seasoned cast iron cookware is in fact the original non stick cooking vessel.
It's great for searing any meat. And if that meat is steak and you like it overcooked to like medium rare toss the whole pan and steak right into the oven. 
Cleaning? Burn the stuff off. While teflon shouldn't be allowed to get too hot cast iron doesn't know the difference. It won't break down and release toxic fumes.

Add to that you can keep temps more consistent with cast iron. Last one I want to get is a Dutch oven.

Just because it's new doesn't mean it's better. True cooks love their CI.


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## Nordic (Nov 11, 2003)

Polymer fume fever.... that's what you get from high temp Teflon exposure... better get some avocado oil.


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## jr125 (Mar 5, 2015)

If I were a fish I think I'd be a little uncomfortable so near a frying pan.


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## roadmaster (Nov 5, 2009)

Deep fried snapping turtle in cast iron skillet with cornbread and mushroom's.
If that ain't country, I'll kiss your #$$
Prolly got three Teflon coated skillet's that didn't last more than a couple year's before coating wore off.
Got four cast iron skillet's that my mother's mother used, and now me.


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## mistergreen (Dec 9, 2006)

If you want a *real* workout, put a cast iron pan in your backpack and walk a few miles.


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## roadmaster (Nov 5, 2009)

Hold's one end of a trot line fairly well ,and or makes a fair boat anchor in a pinch.


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

All of those informative posts above have finally convinced me, I need a cast iron skillet to keep my fish and plants healthy. A planted tank just has to need one. I also need to design an aquascape where it will look natural.

So, now that we are back on subject....


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## Nordic (Nov 11, 2003)

I found my geyser's drip tray rusted to bits yesterday.. I can ship you jars of lovely goopy rust for just $50. I could print a label too, maybe something with a boat and an anchor


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## Betta132 (Nov 29, 2012)

Damned heavy, but it's great for flatbread. Could probably use it as an improvised weapon, too. Modern frying pans are all lightweight, you'd just annoy the guy, but a cast-iron pan to the skull would put anyone down.


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## Convict with convicts (Feb 26, 2016)

I'm sorry, but this may be the greatest thread of all time guys... The settlers commercial, priceless lmao... And since we're trading recipes, I do like me some pan fried chicken in cast iron


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## SpaceLord (Feb 29, 2016)

GraphicGr8s said:


> Dude. It's 2016. And if a non stick pan gets too hot it will release toxins.
> 
> Properly seasoned cast iron cookware is in fact the original non stick cooking vessel.
> It's great for searing any meat. And if that meat is steak and you like it overcooked to like medium rare toss the whole pan and steak right into the oven.
> ...


You are right about the Teflon however some of the new ceramic stuff has nonstick without any toxic chemicals. I wonder if its possible to have cast iron covered in Ceramic?That might be an interesting combination.


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## AWolf (Jun 13, 2014)

SpaceLord said:


> You are right about the Teflon however some of the new ceramic stuff has nonstick without any toxic chemicals. I wonder if its possible to have cast iron covered in Ceramic?That might be an interesting combination.


Yep, I have one. 150 dollars a pop. Behaves the same as CI. Still needs seasoning, but won't rust up from washing or getting wet.


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## GraphicGr8s (Apr 4, 2011)

AWolf said:


> Yep, I have one. 150 dollars a pop. Behaves the same as CI. Still needs seasoning, but won't rust up from washing or getting wet.


So let me get this right.
You paid about $120 more for a pot that behaves like cast iron. And the only advantage is it won't rust when wet?


I'll give you a hint. If CI is properly seasoned, when it gets wet, it don't rust.

$120 would have bought a few more tanks.


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## mistergreen (Dec 9, 2006)

GraphicGr8s said:


> So let me get this right.
> You paid about $120 more for a pot that behaves like cast iron. And the only advantage is it won't rust when wet?
> 
> 
> ...


It's lighter than a CI pan. It's thinner.


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## GraphicGr8s (Apr 4, 2011)

mistergreen said:


> It's lighter than a CI pan. It's thinner.


Don't get me wrong. I use non stick, stainless and of course cast. Each has its use. The beauty of that CI is that it is in fact heavy. It keeps a more consistent temperature.


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## AWolf (Jun 13, 2014)

GraphicGr8s said:


> Don't get me wrong. I use non stick, stainless and of course cast. Each has its use. The beauty of that CI is that it is in fact heavy. It keeps a more consistent temperature.


I'll give you a hint....I'll buy anything I want.

Bump:


GraphicGr8s said:


> So let me get this right.
> You paid about $120 more for a pot that behaves like cast iron. And the only advantage is it won't rust when wet?
> 
> 
> ...


No, I'll give you a hint...I'll buy anything I want.


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## GraphicGr8s (Apr 4, 2011)

AWolf said:


> I'll give you a hint....I'll buy anything I want.
> 
> Bump:
> 
> No, I'll give you a hint...I'll buy anything I want.


If you're married you can buy anything your wife let's you.:frown2:

I did manage to buy a planer at the woodshow last weekend for $100. She doesn't know about that yet. All that easier to ask forgiveness...

Of course I've been going to the show every March for the last 20+ years. Her brother goes for the first time Saturday. Goes back Sunday and wins a $1500 bandsaw setup.


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## jerrytheplater (Apr 11, 2007)

By now I forget who the OP is, but he wanted cheap iron. You can buy chelated iron from online sellers. Not sure if any are sponsors here. It is easily available. Dry is cheaper than solutions. Plenty of online calculators to tell you how much to add to your tank to get X ppm iron.

Here in NJ our local rocks have plenty of iron in them. I do use them in my tanks with African Cichlids. Generally don't notice the stains over time. I tested the water with a Hach iron test kit and got 0 ppm. Tank is not planted at all. Just rocks for the fish.

I love cast iron too. I have a nice Griswold #7 with a heat ring. Minimum of 105 years old according to the mold markings. I have a Wagner round griddle, 12" 6 Qt Camp Dutch Oven, plus a few other frying pans. Pineapple Upside Down Cake and Corn Bread in CI frying pan. Yum. DO is used mainly on campouts, but I have used it in the oven-but you have to set it so the legs fit between the wires of the oven rack.


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## Nordic (Nov 11, 2003)

If I could afford it, I will also pay more for something that can go into the dishwasher (my family are late adopters, our warrantee hasn't even run out on our first dishwasher yet). I swear a dishwasher can add ten years to the life of a marriage.


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## jr125 (Mar 5, 2015)

I had a friend years ago that had a fishing/hunting lodge on his property near a lake. Very primitive but all the basics. If this guy even thought you were going to get close to a sink full of dishwater with his CI pan he would threaten bodily injury. That would be followed by a 5-10 minute story of how the pan had acquired a flavor enhancing patina over the years that could never be duplicated. Heat some oil in it, scrape it if necessary, and wipe it clean. Some of the best advice I ever got from him. Been doing that to my pan for a very long time and I get uncomfortable when it gets close to soapy water too.


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## GraphicGr8s (Apr 4, 2011)

Nordic said:


> If I could afford it, I will also pay more for something that can go into the dishwasher (my family are late adopters, our warrantee hasn't even run out on our first dishwasher yet). I swear a dishwasher can add ten years to the life of a marriage.


My dishwasher is in her 50s now. I think the warranty ran out on her a while ago.


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## roadmaster (Nov 5, 2009)

Ahh the day's of my youth, The county fair in July.
Mutton busting,chasing young pig's covered in axle grease to the delight of the crowd,pie and watermelon eating contest's,and skillet tossing.
And the mosquito's.


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## mistergreen (Dec 9, 2006)

Nordic said:


> If I could afford it, I will also pay more for something that can go into the dishwasher (my family are late adopters, our warrantee hasn't even run out on our first dishwasher yet). I swear a dishwasher can add ten years to the life of a marriage.


You don't wash a CI though. You just burn & brush off the crud 
No better sterilizer than 1000F of heat.


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## Nordic (Nov 11, 2003)

Yep, like a pizza stone, bought mine for $2 at the church fair.


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## SpaceLord (Feb 29, 2016)

AWolf said:


> I'll give you a hint....I'll buy anything I want.


Oh no he didn't !! :laugh2:


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## Mathman (Apr 5, 2009)

Any update on that cast iron?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## longgonedaddy (Dec 9, 2012)

Mathman said:


> Any update on that cast iron?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Yes, Spacelord realized that cast iron holds its heat, sears much better than anything else, and can cook anything! 

Oh, Spacelord also likely picked up a commercial iron fert. :laugh2:


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## BettaBettas (Aug 21, 2016)

this was a very interesting op









C'mon guys no one has mentioned the best, the one and only....
Donuts. . . . .

btw I spent about 20 likes on this thread. Its amazing tbh


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## PlantedRich (Jul 21, 2010)

But the bigger question may be ? 
Where is Darkblade? Isn't he the guy who insists that all posts are correct and not wasting any of the precious ones and zeros? 

Please use the edit function to keep posts cleaner!!! 


Possible the pan got too hot and he realized there was no hope? Or is it just that about 70% of the normal users from March 2016 have now stopped?

Oh, well. We all need to laugh a bit.


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## Nordic (Nov 11, 2003)

Got one of these for christmas, we call it a potjie, you make stew in them while drinking all day... and then you eat it the next day.


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## BettaBettas (Aug 21, 2016)

Well darn there goes one more like :l


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## longgonedaddy (Dec 9, 2012)

Nordic said:


> Got one of these for christmas, we call it a potjie, you make stew in them while drinking all day... and then you eat it the next day.


That's a wonderful way to cook!


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## Bananableps (Nov 6, 2013)

I love this thread



Nordic said:


> I have a deep seated fear of Teflon pans, where does it go when it starts flaking off.
> My stainless pots and pans still look like they did when new. Make a goopy mess in them, just let it get hot and pour in some water then stir.


^100%. I use to work as a paralegal in toxic tort.  PFOA is serious [censored]ing stuff.

I was not raised with cast iron, and I resisted it for a long time. I hardly cook on anything else now. It holds heat very well and just gives food this really nice, difficult to describe texture.

That pan can totally be restored. Come to NYC and I'll try you some ludwigia cuba and DHG for it.


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## fishman922 (Oct 26, 2016)

This has to be the strangest thread i have seen on this forum...
Personally I think that Teflon cookware is a bad idea for most people. If you break that coating you have to throw it away.... And most people scour their pans over the smallest amount of anything... My family uses ceramic pans at the moment and they work well, and are lighter than CI, which is a big deal for our primary cook... CI is not good on wrists.


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## Bananableps (Nov 6, 2013)

fishman922 said:


> CI is not good on wrists.


They're very good for wrists! They will give you the wrists of a heavy lifter!

While we're on the subject, here's a century-old cast iron aquarium someone posted about in the New York Planted Tank Facebook group.


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## MtAnimals (May 17, 2015)

Bananableps said:


> They're very good for wrists! They will give you the wrists of a heavy lifter!
> 
> While we're on the subject, here's a century-old cast iron aquarium someone posted about in the New York Planted Tank Facebook group.


does it come with the bunsen burner to put underneath for heat? heh,I bet that's a pretty penny.(don't use those in your tank either).

Back to the original subject,I've left a bucket outside with fence scraps,wire and fencing staples outside,filled with rainwater,and algae doesn't even grow in it.


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## fishman922 (Oct 26, 2016)

Bananableps said:


> They're very good for wrists! They will give you the wrists of a heavy lifter!
> 
> While we're on the subject, here's a century-old cast iron aquarium someone posted about in the New York Planted Tank Facebook group.


Wow. What a tank... Amazing

As for the wrists it is a problem with carpal tunnel and has had surgery, PT, etc.. to keep it under control enough to not always hurt... no cast iron for that member of my family. (they can no longer use a mouse either, it hurts too much and could cause more permanent damage)
I would love a good set of CI, I am fine with the lifting! But then again I don't have time to cook..


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## jerrytheplater (Apr 11, 2007)

Nordic said:


> Got one of these for christmas, we call it a potjie, you make stew in them while drinking all day... and then you eat it the next day.


This is a great looking pot. It has much longer legs than our camp Dutch Ovens. Do you set this over open flames? or coals? I generally use charcoal briquets when cooking with a Dutch Oven. 

Here's a fairly long YouTube video of me cooking in a DO on a Boy Scout outing. I moved it from the fire to my cooking table depending on the need for heat. https://youtu.be/ND_CJ7kFRtM It is a very amateur video. I had trouble figuring out how to shut off the Flip camera.

How do you test for cracked cast iron? https://youtu.be/-u3tjhKRyWo


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## Nordic (Nov 11, 2003)

Yeah, you just stick it on a bunch of coals. Potjie tastes awesome, much better than putting the same ingredients on the stove.
It takes about 4 hours, though. Cooking and BBQ (braai) over open wood coals is very much part of our culture.
I'd kill for some lamb chops BBQed till the fat goes black and crispy over some black wattle coals.


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## Jmcdaniel0 (Feb 14, 2017)

Nordic said:


> Yeah, you just stick it on a bunch of coals. Potjie tastes awesome, much better than putting the same ingredients on the stove.
> It takes about 4 hours, though. Cooking and BBQ (braai) over open wood coals is very much part of our culture.
> I'd kill for some lamb chops BBQed till the fat goes black and crispy over some black wattle coals.



I do not know what that is exactly, but heck yea sounds good!


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## Nordic (Nov 11, 2003)

Top 7 potjie recipes | Food24










If you don't have these two items in your house, you can't really call yourself an Afrikaner. I even have a braai for indoor fire and cooking in my fish room.


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## roadmaster (Nov 5, 2009)

Country Bob's sauce or Sweet baby Ray's Bar-B-Q sauce here.
Threw away my A-1 sauce and KC Masterpiece which I swore by for year's after trying the afore mentioned.


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## Nordic (Nov 11, 2003)

https://www.amazon.com/Lodge-Cast-I...2[a|B00006JSUA[au|5727177402741770316[b|deals

Lodge's Essential Cast Iron Pan is On Sale For Just $13


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## GrampsGrunge (Jun 18, 2012)

Mo betta..

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06X8ZFGHP?psc=1


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## osmosis (Apr 19, 2017)

*bioavaliable*

One of my favorite chemistry labs in high school was analyzing Cheerios for total iron. You grind up the cherrios, suspend the powder in water, and toss in a magnetic stir bar. After 10 minutes or so, you remove the stirbar and it looks hairy with iron filings. You need concentrated acid to get it into solution. The iron content comes out very close to those listed on the box. Unfortunately your body doesn't absorb the filings well. Stick with spinach, where the iron is chelated and you actually absorb it.

Same problem with calcium pills. Most are calcium chloride which you dont absorb efficiently compared to calcium citrate. The citrate tablets are much more expensive, but for the amount you absorb, very reasonable. 

My brother just taught me that FD&C blue 1 is very toxic if it gets into your blood stream, but has essentially zero bioabsorption. Enjoy your energy drinks unless you are in advanced sepsis in which case stay the #### away.

Many DIY solutions are very cost effective, but you really need to be careful that they actually work as intended. It seems the placebo effect is quite strong in this hobby, just like in the nutritional supplement business.


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## JJ09 (Sep 11, 2014)

Love my cast iron pan. But dang that thing is HEAVY- even if it was useful to put in my tank I wouldn't because of the weight. I don't need another reason to worry about glass breaking.


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