My husband worked in the Logging Woods here in Deep East Texas all his life. About 30 years ago, one of the old saw hands came to my husband carrying a LARGE cast iron skillet. ....Toby told my husband he found the handle sticking out of the dirt. He asked my husband to restore it and give it to me....in exchange for a pan of biscuits for him on occasion. It's a 16" cast iron skillet! ...have to have 2 hands to use this one! I still think of Toby every time I use it. 🤗
@breathedreams73442 жыл бұрын
Sweet!
@joanhoffman37022 жыл бұрын
Wonderful!
@AmeeraG2422 жыл бұрын
Thats such. Sweet story
@tranoble73212 жыл бұрын
Glad you are still using it
@azurephoenix95462 жыл бұрын
That's awesome! As a kid who grew up in the south, there's basically a cult around cast iron. There's a great big one that's almost 2 feet wide and almost looks like a shallow wok. I have no idea what was cooked in that one, but someone, somewhere in time, really needed a bloody great cast iron basin. It's always stumped me what it's for.
@cs_fl50482 жыл бұрын
A couple of stories about culture shock: When my wife-to-be first visited my home in W. KY, she wondered what was in the coffee can hear the stove. Of course it was bacon grease. I had to show her our canister set, which had one labelled "grease" to convince her that people DO actually cook with it. The other thing she discovered in the garage was something hanging there in a greasy paper bag with cardboard on the floor. She described it to me, and exclaimed, "Dad got a ham! She was aghast when I told her how long it had likely hung there. I should mention that my father was a very successful surgeon, and I and my son are also physicians, and my brother a dentist and his daughter a physician. We were not poor farmers. I think my poor wife must have thought she had fallen into a time warp. Fortunately, she is still with me almost 47 years later.
@dennishurley1753 Жыл бұрын
Sometimes I laugh with people buying way expensive survival gear. Our greatest resource is our granparents and great grandparents and so on
@maxpowers91292 жыл бұрын
I love this type of information. The common items people used in daily life are so often overlooked when learning about history.
@JayHendricksWorld2 жыл бұрын
Yeah, far too often the focus ends up being on big events and politics and war and what not but these are things that are as important in our daily lives as they were for people 300 years ago.
@ashleighlecount2 жыл бұрын
I always love seeing some of Michael's collection, when he demonstrates at living history events.
@wayneantoniazzi27062 жыл бұрын
As a young woman growing up in VERY rural Italy, Parma to be exact, at the turn of the 20th Century my grandmother learned to cook using implements just like those, and on an open hearth as well. Needless to say when she came to America and discovered the wonders of gas stoves she NEVER looked back!
@russellrlf2 жыл бұрын
That sounds amazing.
@wayneantoniazzi27062 жыл бұрын
@@russellrlf Amazing all right, but in the old country Grandma didn't think anything of it, it's just how things were. I'll tell you a story and I'll try to make it a brief as possible. I've got a very interesting book at home called "Down Jersey," published in 1940 and about some of the lore of southern New Jersey. Anyway the author of the book Cornelius Weigand knew an Italian immigrant who ran a shoe-shine stand in one of Philadelphia's train stations. Anyway, the Italian gent visited a Colonial historic site in the Philly area, saw the kitchen fireplace with its utensils and recognized everything in it. Just like the house he grew up in in Calabria! "In the old days, for all people everywhere it was just the same!" he said. He was right!
@teekotrain68452 жыл бұрын
Gas stoves are amazing. I'm going back to the old ways homesteading though lol. I'm sure she's able to cook Gordon Ramsay under the table with modern equipment after doing things the old way for so long!
@wayneantoniazzi27062 жыл бұрын
@@teekotrain6845 Sadly, Grandma's no longer with us, she passed away in 1982. But let me tell you, she WOULD have cooked Gordon Ramsey under the table! And if he mouthed off to her like he's mouthed off to some of the people on his shows he'd have gotten a frying pan to the side of the head!
@joanhoffman37022 жыл бұрын
I don’t blame her! It made cooking easier. And if the gas went out, she knew how to cook with fire.
@elenavaccaro3392 жыл бұрын
One of my ancestors built a house on the Shenandoah River in 1700. He had a puddling Forge, maybe to do something like these... The house is still these, the fireplace is enormous and I can see all of these in that fireplace... Wonderful.
@samsmith26357 ай бұрын
Puddling forge is for making Puddled Wrought Iron, highest quality Iron on the market for its time if its Thrice Puddled. You couldn't cast with a puddling furnace only forge weld.
@danieltokar10002 жыл бұрын
Hi: Gentleman knows how to cook , but not a Blacksmith. The round hole tramel is made from bloom iron , that is why it has all the delaminations. The waffle iron is a very well forged pro made one , not some home made crude job. Same with the basket handled stove lifter, a simpler to make item , but well done. I like the segment overall , but feel the need to point these things out. I have made my living for 42 years as a Blacksmith and know how to make all these items and can well judge the skill needed , Daniel Tokar The Willow Forge
@mysticmeg1112 жыл бұрын
Do you have a web page and can we order from it???
@danieltokar10002 жыл бұрын
@@mysticmeg111 Hi: Yes, webpage and youtube channel. You will have to google willowforge , they don't let you post addresses and links. KZbin search Daniel Tokar. I make things to order, send me an email and I can give you a price and an idea of how long it will be. Thanks Daniel Tokar The Willow Forge
@lordbarron33522 жыл бұрын
Hey Daniel tokar from the willow forge, I want to get into blacksmithing but it seems like an expensive hobby (power hammer, kiln, all that stuff is very expensive) is there some way to get into it as a hobby without spending a ton?
@danieltokar10002 жыл бұрын
@@lordbarron3352The complete Modern Blacksmith by Weygers , is the best overall book on improvised blacksmith shops and tools. If you have the time , you can make everything from scrap for very little money. He was a Merchant Sailor 60 years ago and had to fix parts in remote locations around the world and he watched local craftsmen make stuff in those places. Great book to start. Daniel
@drthmik2 жыл бұрын
@@danieltokar1000 they can just click your name and that takes them to your KZbin page
@markhgillett2 жыл бұрын
A rounded bottom is used when making sauces. This prevents food gettin caught when trying to incorporate in to a sauce Like a French saucier
@emccoy2 жыл бұрын
Thats why woks have a round bottom!
@pineappleparty16242 жыл бұрын
@@emccoy No woks have a round bottom so you can lean in over and only heat some of it while the other half of food is almost done. Making fried rice for instance. You lean it over as you incorporate the ingredients. Don't want your eggs burning.
@choux8372 Жыл бұрын
Oh wow, that's great advice for modern use
@ianfinrir872410 ай бұрын
"Saucier" is fun to say.
@jake97052 жыл бұрын
I'm emailed Townsends awhile back begging for this exact topic to be covered! Today is a happy day 😊
@Whiteboykun2 жыл бұрын
Shoulda joined his Patreon for faster response
@corvusrabenklang86082 жыл бұрын
In German we have a saying. When you have to move faster we say "Leg einen Zahn mehr zu" which translates to "Put one more tooth on!". It came from using the saw tooth. If you need a hotter pot you would have put it on a lower tooth so it boils faster.
@poketcg15922 жыл бұрын
Thank you for sharing that! Pretty unique! :D
@A_A8282 жыл бұрын
In Dutch we have the same but the other way around 'Zet het een tandje lager' ('Put it a tooth lower'), but it means you should slow something down, interestingly enough. You could say you should 'put it a tooth higher' as well but then it means you should speed up. I don't think it has to do with boiling pots though, but some other mechanism now lost to time.
@corvusrabenklang86082 жыл бұрын
@@A_A828 That's very interesting. I didn't know that. 😊
@karaamundson39642 жыл бұрын
As a kid of German grandparents, I'm into it.
@Attirbful4 ай бұрын
I learned the meaning of this German idiom at Marksburg near my home on the Rhine river. Wanted to share this when I saw you already posted the German idiom!
@hellsop2 жыл бұрын
I'd imagine the rounded bottom would actually help the castings work better and produce more usable pots, as a primary thing. From what I remember from casting classes (decades ago) the primary factor across ALL casting design is *speed*, getting your molten metal where it needs to be as fast as possible to minimize heat loss and differentials across the piece, and the round bottom would keep the metal moving much better by letting gravity help pull the metal into place instead of having to be pushed by the inflow through the gate. The rounded bottom might also make it a more even-heating pot by spreading the heat for cooking more quickly and allowing hot air to spread up the sides so as to bring heat to the food from more directions at once.
@imchris50002 жыл бұрын
I cook with a cast iron skillet that has been passed down my family for 160 years all the time. you cant beat well seasoned cast iron
@darknyght39622 жыл бұрын
As an industrial Wood Pattern Maker who has made patterns for cast iron cookware I really appreciate this episode! Great stuff here.
@angiejones37142 жыл бұрын
Michael is a great guest. I always enjoy the videos with him.
@supergeek14182 жыл бұрын
My mother had an antique Swedish tea kettle, made from copper, tinned on the inside, with three forged iron legs, which had been riveted to the top of the kettle, and a wooden handle which stuck out from a sleeve which had been brazed to the side of the kettle, 90 degrees from the spout. One leg had been repaired by riveting another length of forged iron to it to extend it where the old leg had been broken off, short. She would use it in the fireplace at Christmas time to make spiced tea, and mulled wine. Still working after over 200 years!
@mcgrawnelson47222 жыл бұрын
tea is probably fine, but mulling wine in it might be dangerous. Alot of those old materials such as copper, tin, and pewter would leach out when exposed to acid especially if you cook it for a long time like tomato sauce or canning. Wine is only mildly acidic and not cooked for very long but its not a good thing for your health if it does leach out.
@supergeek14182 жыл бұрын
@@mcgrawnelson4722 Actually, the tin coatings inside copper pots and pans is to protect against copper leaching - especially when cooking acidic foods.
@ifyouloveChristyouwillobeyhim7 ай бұрын
Doesn't tin contain led?
@supergeek14187 ай бұрын
@@ifyouloveChristyouwillobeyhim No. Tin is an element, and doesn't leach into food. Some tin *compounds* can be quite toxic, put pure elemental tin is quite safe. That's why they coat the insides of copper cookware with it. The copper can leach into food, and build up in the body to unsafe levels. The tin coatings prevent that. I'll bet that you're thinking of solder, which is an alloy of tin and lead. Solder lined cookware would (indeed) be quite dangerous.
@Diniecita2 жыл бұрын
I love cast iron. I grew up in Charleston and remember watching wrought iron being made into fencing. Fascinating!! Thank you for having this amazing guest on the show!
@lilykatmoon4508 Жыл бұрын
This was awesome! When Michael was talking about being a steward for that simple lifter thing ( I forget what it was called, lol), it was such a beautiful sentiment. Antiques like that, still in use, still having life, what a connection that must be to the people of the past.
@kimfleury2 жыл бұрын
I've always been enamored of cast iron cookware. I didn't inherit any pieces or buy any antiques, just purchased the modern ones. I had one for a long time, and it was well seasoned. Sadly, one time I set it on the stove burner to dry off, and forgot about it. My routine was to finish up the kitchen cleanup, then take the iron skillet off the burner. Well, I forgot and left the kitchen. Some time later I smelled something burning, then heard a small explosion. It was the skillet cracking in two, split down the middle crosswise (perpendicular to the handle). There was nothing for it but to turn off the burner and let it cool down. Ever since then I stand right at the stove when the skillets are on the burner drying.
@EphemeralTao2 жыл бұрын
Sounds like it had an innate casting flaw, probably a bit of the casting sand or an air bubble in the metal, or mishandling at the factory causing a difficult to see hairline crack. A cleanly cast and undamaged piece should be able to easily withstand heating to red-hot, well beyond the temperature range possible with any common house stove, without any damage (aside from burning off the seasoning).
@nrgltwrkr22252 жыл бұрын
@@EphemeralTao I was thinking that exact same thing.
@shannonstubbs70362 жыл бұрын
I agree with luchog, a bad casting. Be glad for the time that you had it.
@tinad85612 жыл бұрын
I had that happen…put an enameled iron skillet on the stove eye, preheated it, turned to put the steak in-and bang, a piece of iron shot past my face and the skillet cracked in half. A flaw in the iron, apparently. Certainly an eye-opening moment.
@lauriemumm34072 жыл бұрын
I set a timer when I put my cast iron on the burner to dry just so I don't forget it by accident.
@josephstevens98882 жыл бұрын
I like how Jon lets his quest have the show when demonstrating their specialty.
@nolansykinsley37342 жыл бұрын
It's kinda funny, the name salamander has still stuck in the restaurant industry. They have this little specialty high temperature finishing broiler called a salamander broiler that is very popular among high end restaurants.
@marshmallowman66632 жыл бұрын
In German there's the saying "Leg mal einen Zahn zu!" (Roughly: "Put on another tooth") when you want someone to hurry up. It's derrived from the sawtooth they used back then, meaning "Put your dish closer to the fire so it cooks faster". Funny how things go
@boodashaka28412 жыл бұрын
Honestly the blow torch kinda sucks unless you are trained haha. I always screw up my creme brulee
@theBaron05302 жыл бұрын
It goes back to the Romans. They believed a salamander was created in fire, and breathed fire. The name of tools like that is an allusion to it. If you've ever seen the logo for the Italian petroleum company Agip, it's a salamander. When French director Francois Truffaut filmed his version of "Fahrenheit 451", he used the salamander as the symbol of the firemen, too.
@theBaron05302 жыл бұрын
@@MrCarlbrooks You can still buy the irons and use them. Though I guess it's definitely a choice, a fashion, to use one, rather than necessity.
@richardcontinijr96612 жыл бұрын
Every Chinese restaurant has one they use it to cook the BBQ ribs
@HomesteadForALiving2 жыл бұрын
As a prepper and homesteader, I find these explorations into the intricate details of early American cooking, building, and society to be incredibly important and valuable. Keep up the great work!
@92bagder2 жыл бұрын
They are just so useful and if taken care of last for ever
@ericball11379 ай бұрын
Thanks for sharing your marvelous collection, Michael. Really enjoyed seeing the variety.
@WalcomS72 жыл бұрын
Seeing how these things are built and what purpose they serve is always fascinating.
@jamshedalam89072 жыл бұрын
Kya
@jamshedalam89072 жыл бұрын
Ar to
@ramencurry66722 жыл бұрын
They’re great tools. No plastics to produce waste to the land fills.
@lilyfhonazhel26752 ай бұрын
@@ramencurry6672 Who in their right mind would cook food with plastic utensils?
@loganl37462 жыл бұрын
I can actually see why you'd want a round bottom for saucepans. I find that using a wood spoon or a whisk is so much easier in a round bottomed bowl vs my modern saucepan. Getting the flour out of the inner corners while making a gravy is sooo annoying! I wish we could bring those back!
@bunnyslippers1912 жыл бұрын
I have a metal trivet with a ceramic tile on it that I use to put under various hot pans and dishes when i want to put them on the countertop or the table so the surface doesn't get burned. Last night I put it under the air fryer pan so the counter top didn't get damaged. It's basically very old tech holding up something very new tech.
@olddawgdreaming57152 жыл бұрын
Awesome job Jon and Michael, your collection of Colonial Cookware is fantastic. Really enjoyed this video and will be sharing this alot. Thank you so much for keeping OUR HISTORY ALIVE. Fred.
@MrOffTrail2 жыл бұрын
I know this is probably just vocabulary in the heat of the moment, but I’ll throw this in because there’s a lot of misinformation out there about how to care for cast iron cookware, and I had to learn the hard way. When seasoning cast iron, you are trying to *polymerize* the fat (fat chains cross-linking at high heat, forming a hard plastic-like layer), not carbonize it (burning food to soot). Carbonizing usually happens when someone is scared to thoroughly clean their pan and leaves a thin layer of food residue. When they cook again, the food residue burns to carbon, and a layer of seasoning build on top of that layer of carbonized food. Repeat a few times, you’ll get a “gunk/seasoning lasagne” which will easily chip and flake off (which probably reinforces the false myth that you shouldn’t use soap with cast iron). Proper seasoning involves clean layers of seasoning built up over time, each layer polymerized or cross-linked to each other to make a very strong and smooth surface. Any carbonized food present will prevent those layers from attaching to each other. Our great grandmothers used lye soap to clean their cast iron, so we shouldn’t be afraid of using some milder dish soap with each use. I used to believe that false myth that you should never use soap on cast iron, and only used a scouring pad, and my seasoning flaked and chipped all the time. Then I read an article by a modern cast iron skillet maker, who debunked that, showing that not only is proper seasoning very strong, but also it is chemically unaffected by soaps or detergents (you know this if you’ve ever tried to clean hardened grease off a fryer or range hood!) I started scrubbing my cast iron with dish soap after reading that years ago, and I haven’t had any flaking. I haven’t needed to re-season a pan since.
@antilogism2 жыл бұрын
Other myths include that it has to smoke to polymerize and that moderate seasoning temperatures yield a soft deposit (certainly slower but not softer). One thing: lye soaps, like castile soap and Neutrogena(R), aren't necessarily harsh.
@dnmurphy482 жыл бұрын
I love this show and it's one of the best on youtube. Always cheers me up. pasta Grannies is my other big favourite, new episode each Friday and is always so sheering.
@marie_h11042 жыл бұрын
I am glad that someone is out there collecting these wonderful pieces; I love my cast iron and I'm thrilled to see that not much has changed with it.
@Emily-mv4cx2 жыл бұрын
This was fascinating. Working with iron tools over fires several times a day, I wonder how common it was to burn oneself
@MrGiXxEr2 жыл бұрын
Yessss. Been waiting for this one!
@frontierpatriot2 жыл бұрын
@townsends That is some nice heavy metal!
@brianwilliams3092 жыл бұрын
That is how I seasoned my cast iron. I have a cast iron skillet from 1880 and a Dutch oven from 1840. Both purchased at tag sales. Had a bear of a time restoring them, but love them.
@heidim77322 жыл бұрын
I would love to have an antique Dutch oven. I asked for one as a Christmas gift years ago, but never had the heart to tell my husband the the Lodge one he got me wasn't right (the lid is convex so there is no way to put coals on top to make it an oven). I have several vintage skillets and they are my favourite cookware.
@brianwilliams3092 жыл бұрын
@@heidim7732 mine are inherited from a family members. I do a lot of cooking outside so I use them a lot.
@scheralgreider54062 жыл бұрын
I absolutely love cooking over an open fire with cast iron pots and implements! I have bought a few pieces off of you Jon.
@WildwoodCastle2 жыл бұрын
Exactly the type of ironware that I want on the hearth in my planned log cabin restoration... I have a few already.. my favorite is the legged 12in. skillet my father had and used on fishing trips when I was a boy...
@carloshenriquezimmer75432 жыл бұрын
My uncle received from his granfather an old cast iron cauldron, so old that the bottom was worn to the point of breaking with a wooden spoon. It was a large and decorated piece, about 20 liters, with the feet shaped like lion paws and the brim with a patern of twisted vines. It became a very fancy plant vase.
@TheTrueNorth112 жыл бұрын
One of the best videos you’ve ever done. Bravo.
@nebojsanesic53262 жыл бұрын
This reminds so much of my grandma. It is the 1st time I'm coming across this channel and I don't doubt I'll watch every single episode you make.
@MLukacs2 жыл бұрын
Jon and Michael, I thoroughly enjoyed this episode. Michael, what a great collection you have! Thank you for explaining that you are simply the steward of these pieces while they are in your possession and that someone else will take on that role when you pass them on to another. Also, it’s great to see how people made due and put their skills to work. A piece may not have been the prettiest, but it was functional and got the job done. Thanks again for this very informative episode!
@ci67422 жыл бұрын
Thank you! I love seeing historical cookware and kitchens. I find them super interesting.
@BlueSpirit4222 жыл бұрын
I like how you can see Michael's nerdiness and joy when he talks about the details on this or that piece :)
@jameskolczak62682 жыл бұрын
Awesome episode guys.
@jedtattum99962 жыл бұрын
always a pleasure to listen to michael.
@Melissa07742 жыл бұрын
I'd love to see you do a video about how people took care of babies and toddlers in the 1700's. No one ever talks about that. I'd love to know about how they kept them safe, what kind of toys they played with, and what kind of activities people did with them back then.
@breathedreams73442 жыл бұрын
That would be super interesting
@vgil12782 жыл бұрын
Yes! When did play pens start evolving?
@Melissa07742 жыл бұрын
@@vgil1278 I'm sure many people made them back then.
@robinlillian94712 жыл бұрын
@@Melissa0774 Sorry. No. Playpens were invented in 1922 by Emma Read.
@Melissa07742 жыл бұрын
@@robinlillian9471 Maybe, but I'm sure there had to be unofficial versions of them that people made before that.
@johndoty45212 жыл бұрын
It's absolutely fascinating learning about the kinds of utensils they used then. NOUN utensils (plural noun) an implement, container, or other article, especially for household use. "kitchen utensils"
@morpheusgreene27042 жыл бұрын
you mean spoons, forks, and knives?
@robertcole93912 жыл бұрын
By far one of your more inforative videos John. Thanks for bringing in the items Michael. This is a wonderful episode.
@PulseOfOpposites2 жыл бұрын
Every single time I see a new video from these guys, I'm reminded about how dope they are. Keep up the good work guys!
@aaronwilson16662 жыл бұрын
Just traced back one of our family lines to Jamestown in 1609 and read a huge last will and testament of that lines from 1786. What cool family lineage I came across! Several of the members fought in the militia against Lord Cornwallis at the Battle of Guillford courthouse in N. Carolina. Time to make some meals they may have eaten now! Love your videos! And what a fascinating period to learn about!
@marilynmitchell27122 жыл бұрын
I havs a few relatives who were born in the colonies in the 1600's.
@deborahddenmark2 жыл бұрын
wow, this was a wonderful video, thank you both, well thanks to the whole crew! I would so love to have such a nice collection. But some of these I have never seen before and now I know more what to watch for when I am out and about.
@X1092-d4t2 жыл бұрын
This episode is already one of my favorites. Thank you so much.
@j.j.savalle47142 жыл бұрын
Great collection. thanks Michael. I love cast iron. pretty much cook with a variety of them skillets, dutch ovens, flat irons, etc. most of the time. In the summer they get used over the outside fire pit as well.
@BiGGsCollectibles2 жыл бұрын
VERY TIGHT OPENING!!!! First 30 seconds were fabulous. Relationship to the cookware, relationship to the guest speaker/educator, all while drawing the audience in for relationship/experience. Townsend is on fire creatively, and in the moment...which always draws the audience to having that experience. Ok, now I'm gonna go finish watching this show!!! I'm an American wife and mother...who buys a lot of cast iron.
@velvetbees2 жыл бұрын
It's always a thrill to see your videos come up in the feed.
@cajunstix2 жыл бұрын
Another great video, thanks Townsend team!
@TheDistur2 жыл бұрын
Love this stuff. Thanks to your friend for bringing them.
@suzibikerbabe80732 жыл бұрын
That was fantastic, thank you both for so much information that was very entertainingly presented. 😀
@colvingenealogy Жыл бұрын
This is especially useful when you're looking through 18 century estate inventories (I as I recently needed to) and see certain terms. Thanks. :)
@jeffgrier84882 жыл бұрын
That is a wonderful collection of antique cookware, thanks for sharing it with us!
@RADIOACTIVEMASCULINITY2 жыл бұрын
This was fun to watch! As you guys were displaying the pieces I was thinking how great the seasoning looked. I’m glad you touched on the topic
@mrknoch2 жыл бұрын
Jon and Michael, proving you don't need a degree to be an expert in history. Great information, great video!
@teekotrain68452 жыл бұрын
Schools are indoctrination stations. I learned more in my first year out of school than my entire time in school.
@mrknoch2 жыл бұрын
@@teekotrain6845 Same here (and I'm a teacher!).
@vivianramsay25272 жыл бұрын
Loved loved this episode!! Cast iron cooking pans are the best! Appreciate the detailed info and historical uses of the different elements. I have a couple of skillets that have been passed down for three generations which isn't that long of a time but still holds great connections for me knowing that three other women in my family tree also fried chicken and flipped pancakes from this skillet ! Hopefully my grand children will take up the skillets when it is finally passed on! Or some other person who appreciates the utility and can enjoy them! Thank you again for the lovely video !
@eatbolt422 жыл бұрын
Best video in a while. Cooking-adjacent videos (without actually cooking a recipe) are valid and amazing! Loved it!
@Barbara-ty8dj2 жыл бұрын
Love love love Michael. He is so knowledgable but unpretentious. A warm snd wonderful man.
@mandolinman20062 жыл бұрын
My grandmother had a favorite way to season cast iron. She had 2 stoves, a 1943 Frigidaire electric and a wood stove. She didn't like getting either up to 500. So she'd get garbage fatty meat and fry it. She'd smear it around a bit. Once it was done, she'd clean the skillet and toss the meat. After the third time, she'd taste the meat to see if it was ready or if it had a metallic taste. Before you knock me, one traditional way to season a wok is similar.
@goatkidmom2 жыл бұрын
I do that with a slice of bacon.
@mandolinman20062 жыл бұрын
@@goatkidmom that was usually what she'd use. But it had to be the cheap mostly fat bacon. She wanted as much fat in the skillet as she could get.
@WintrBorn2 жыл бұрын
Similar to what I do, although I just grab a chunk of lard. Once it’s good enough, cornbread finishes it off.
@westonward7352 жыл бұрын
A awesome show, thanks guys for all the information on cast iron kitchen implements. I've learned something new today which is good. I always try to learn something every day and I can always rely on one of your videos to do it. 👍
@CelticArmory2 жыл бұрын
Thank you for displaying so many great cooking items and giving me so many ideas for my blacksmithing adventures.
@Traderjoe2 жыл бұрын
Michael is such a nice guy and anxious to give out his knowledge. John is very knowledgeable too and you two go well together as teachers. 👍🏻
@quinnlollis72112 жыл бұрын
One of the most interesting episodes yet! And “yes” it seems that everyone has their own opinion about seasoning their cast iron…I have mine but I know other methods work just as well and maybe even better.😉
@natekhumalo48742 жыл бұрын
Woowww. Every video of yours just fills my heart with satisfaction.
@danielmcclure13022 жыл бұрын
Great episode one again. Thanks Townsends.
@12stepsbeyondtheeventhorizon2 жыл бұрын
I love this channel so much. It's like going back in time.
@Pandorash82 жыл бұрын
What a great episode! And fabulous collection 😍 Personally, I cook with seamless one piece wrought iron (and nickel-free stainless steel) pots and pans. It’s new tech using old materials. It’s not as cool as using really old pans, but instead of imagining backwards, I like to imagine forwards and think of who will be using my cookware hundreds of years in the future…
@vondabarela89942 жыл бұрын
What a wonderful collection! We love our old cast iron. It’s all we use. Still looking for some with the legs on.
@amberamodei4842 жыл бұрын
What a wonderful, informative, vlog!! One of my all time favorites, so far.
@dwaynewladyka5772 жыл бұрын
This was a fantastic video. So interesting to see how people cooked their food, back then, and cooking implements that were used. Cheers!
@Master_Blackthorne7 ай бұрын
Very nice--especially the cauldrons!
@dr.froghopper67112 жыл бұрын
I’ve forged so many s hooks! I really want to build an outdoor kitchen right next to my garden. I’m familiar with the cooking style and I’m somewhat proficient but there’s always something new to learn! I’m slowly building my kitchen ware. We use cast iron for cooking full time already. I season mine much like Michael.
@gerriebell21282 жыл бұрын
What type of oil do you use?
@bjellison9052 жыл бұрын
Im planning on building an outdoor kitchen this summer
@tamarakosusnik20902 жыл бұрын
Very interesting conversation with Michael, I always enjoy when Michael comes and you do a video with him!
@sevenproxies4255 Жыл бұрын
On a personal note; I only purchase cast iron cookware myself. The results are just phenomenal, and cleaning them is easy and never involves dishwashing liquid. And I don't like the idea of having the food I cook in close proximity to chemicals invented by Dupont and 3M either.
@jenniferc25972 жыл бұрын
Having cooked in both, I think the Townsend's cast iron pots are much much better than the originals! He's outdone himself with those. :) also.. I had the bale cut off on mine and use an original hinged 18th c. pot lifter for it instead. I think it would make a very nice option if Mr. Townsend's smiths were able to reproduce the lifters.
@samsmith26357 ай бұрын
Round bottoms have more surface area to the coals and also easier to spoon for mixing. Lovely video- Longfellow's Blacksmith
@swanzeysearcher73312 жыл бұрын
i live in NH and metal detect as a hobby....this is amazing to ID many pieces ive dug. love it!
@patriciamorgan65452 жыл бұрын
I grew up in an old 1803 farm house. I recognized a few of these items that were hanging in the basement when I was a child. Good to finally know what they were for. I loved this episode!
@natmorse-noland91332 жыл бұрын
I watched this video while cooking dinner in my antique cast iron pan. 😁 I appreciated your seasoning tips - I'm due to re-season my cast iron!
@lucypumkinjack29842 жыл бұрын
We season our cast iron by rubbing it in hog's lard and setting it in a hardwood fire. As it seasons we add additional layers of fat and said it back in the fire. when we finally remove the pot we give it one more coating of hog's lard and let them cool down. Love the video
@CarJul6662 жыл бұрын
I was just about to ask Jon to make a video of this. Thank you! Jon and Michael are great together.
@infoscholar52212 жыл бұрын
Thank you for taking me away from a very troubled war for thirty minutes, gentlemen. Immersive, educational, and fascinating.
@jessicacaraballo6452 жыл бұрын
I love his collection...you can really see the differences and its more fun to see how similar some of my kitchen gadgets from modern times are still the same
@chriscarpenter3372 жыл бұрын
Great video! I’m a retired reenactor, and It brings me back to those days in camp!
@rdbull58902 жыл бұрын
Always a joy when Michael comes to visit.
@ginojaco4 ай бұрын
The iron bakestone that is examined at 9m and is attributed to Scotland, is very like a Welsh 'bara planc', these are still available in most cooking shops in Wales - although they are usually about half the thickness of the one shown.
@FreeAmericaChannel2 жыл бұрын
Michael's passion make this video! What a great video. Thanks very much for sharing!
@WizardKagdan2 жыл бұрын
Beautiful video, Townsends! One comment from a blacksmith: You say that modern mild steel works "like butter" compared to the iron used in the past, however it is actually the other way around! If a modern blacksmith can get their hands on wrought iron, it's a real treat for them - there is no modern steel equivalent that is as soft and easy to forge as the nearly pure iron used in the past. Modern steel has other redeeming qualities in terms of consistency and strength, but it takes a lot more energy to shape. Edit to add: Ofcourse, cast iron is a whole other issue, but as most people reading this will know cast iron is NOT iron - it is actually a very high carbon steel, even way beyond the carbon contents of modern tool steels.
@carloshenriquezimmer75432 жыл бұрын
The problem back in the day were the tools the blacksmits had. They were made of softer metals than today, maybe something like 1020 to 1045 carbon steel (best case scenarios), instead of the "tool steel" alloys we have now. That is what they meant by "sanding wood with wood".
@wyattblackburn719315 сағат бұрын
17:20 the twist in the handle he's referring to is called a basket twist. Mostly decorative, but it gives the tool a nice shape to fit in the hand
@jdeno762 жыл бұрын
As a relative newcomer (5 or 6 years) to cast iron cooking/collecting, I found this video very informative. I love your collection! I have around 85 usable pieces I've restored but none as old as those. My pride and joy is a #9 Wagner waffle iron (pat 1896 I think, hard to read) that I use regularly to the delight of my family. Most of mine are 1900 on up, my newest being an Appalachian Cast Iron #8 Gem pan 2021. My largest is a 20 gallon kettle with legs and a drawn bale. Hoping to start its restoration this summer but boy is it heavy lol. Thanks for the great content!
@patriciarinaldi93902 жыл бұрын
I love beeswax and oil on my cast iron you heat both together it makes a suave. Works like a dream. If you dont make it you can buy it too. Love my cast iron
@CronesBones2 жыл бұрын
Excellent 👏👏👏 I enjoyed this video immensely ☺️ Thank you!
@jeffhoward91862 жыл бұрын
Great show and thank you for sharing some of your collection. It is great to see how we have evolved from one time period to the next and learning or should I say re-learning how we did things not so long ago.
@WarpFactor9992 жыл бұрын
Never use flax seed oil for seasoning. With use it tends to flake off and ruin the cooking surface, requiring extensive work to reseason.
@sherriestes-erwin1908 Жыл бұрын
What an awesome collection! Congratulations.
@thizizliz2 жыл бұрын
Canning, soap making, laundry, bathwater, dish washing water, cleaning - many uses for these things. There are quite a few KZbinrs who cook over campfires with similar things. Brilliant. I love my CI cookware. I have one OLD pan that's thin and smooth but someone put it on too high a flame to warm it and sure enough, it's a little warped. Still works great and rarely does anything stick!