[Sca-cooks] Re: pots and pans

[Phlip]

Ene bichizh ogsen baina shuu...

> What is the latest version of the truth regarding cast iron? I've
> allways been told it is late, but I've never researched the question
> myself.

It is late. While the Chinese started using it around 1000 BS, and were
making suspension bridges with it about 600 CE, Europeans weren't doing much
with it until, I believe, the 1600s. Up to that point, Europeans were
working with wrought iron, and very limited amounts of syeel. The reason is
that the processes are kinda backwards for making the two materials- cast
iron actually has more carbon in it than steel does, but the effect is to
make it very brittle, thus unsuitable for armor and weapons.

> Personally I'm looking at having the spare money to get one of the local
> armourers to make me a set of pots from plain iron plate, just like the
> ones found in viking age Scandinavian finds. Rumor has that you can
> still get iron pots in Hungary that look very close to 15th century
> pictures, but I've never seen them myself so I don't know for a fact.

If you want it to be period, don't use plain iron plate. Find real wrought
iron- the stuff with the silica inclusions. There's a lot of difference
between real wrought iron, pure iron, and mild steel, in terms of their
characteristics. If you want to look at some cooking gear from roughly 1000
CE, take a look at the Mastermyr find. Not only is the book on the find
available, but a friend of mine has it webbed (with permission) at:

http://www.netlabs.net/~osan/Mastermyr/ImageLib.html

> > cauldrons are wonderful utensils, everybody should have one,
> > especially me.  kettles that hang on chains from tripods are great for
> > adjusting heat when the pyromaniacs have been at the fire..and well
> > designed tripods can double as spits..
>
> Any pyromaniac that "adjusts" my cooking fire is expected to "de-adjust"
> it using their bare hands or loose the same[1]. Actually the group I
> camp with are well trained, and would never interfere with things they
> have no business messing with.
>
> UlfR

I agree. Anybody playing with any of my fires when I;m using them might well
discover them self in far more inyimate xontact with them than they would
prefer >;-)

Saint Phlip,
CoD

"When in doubt, heat it up and hit it with a hammer."
 Blacksmith's credo.

 If it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it is probably not a
cat.

Never a horse that cain't be rode,
And never a rider who cain't be throwed....



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