Crazy Crow non iron "Iron" cookware?

So I just recieved from Crazy Crow a 9" folding pan, spatula, and roasting fork.
All are advised as "Iron".
But the little sticker on them say "Made in India..Steel"?

Okay, well the are heavily coated with some kind of blackish oil...I have worked with Iron and steel, I know it comes oil, often a fish oil; just wash it off and go....
So; spatula first. This stuff is So Sticky, did not want to wash off? I soaked and tried again - the sponge Sticks to it even under hot soapy water and turned the sponge black and sticky, then...the 'coating' began to come off revealing Bare Steel...Not "Iron".

Now my question is: is this Food Safe? Over a fire with oil will it turn my eggs and bacon black too?

I have not touched the pan and roasting forke yet - I called Crazy Crow:
Nice lady said she had not heard of this, insisted it is "food safe" and quickly said "You can Not return it if you Altered it!"

Is washing something "altering".
Is "Iron" supposed to be 'Painted Steel'?

My next question is: has anyone hear experienced this and how to you 'treat' it for cooking and food consumption?
I know how to Season 'cast iron' but 'Painted Steel'??

One last question: any recommended sources for good 'Iron' camp ware (preferably made in the US)

Question re-cap:
#1: Anyone purchased Crazy Crow's advertised "Iron Waers" only to find the are "steel" and not iron?

#2: Any use and can recommend how to 'handle/treat' this 'Fake Iron' cookware?

#3: Any recommendations where to purchase 'real' iron' cooking wares?

blackstone grills are steel and you season the the same as cast iron. maybe try burning the coating off. ????

2 shots said:

blackstone grills are steel and you season the the same as cast iron. maybe try burning the coating off. ????

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That is kinda my question #1.
I know how to season iron and steel but 'painted/coated' steel?
I wonder if this is just a thing and others here have dealt with?
Burning it off has come to mind...if it 'burns' off...or would that just make a mess.
Or maybe use some kind of stripper and remove it.
Or just clean, heat, and use as is??

Anyone here have first hand experience with kind of product?

return the items you have not washed

I'd not trust that stuff. "Lodge" manufactures cast iron cookware right here in the U.S.A. They even have a factory store where we buy seconds and rfactory over-runs. If scouts and my family can't ruin stuff, it's pretty well proven to be suitable. Painted cookware ? Nah.

sheriff john said:

I'd not trust that stuff. "Lodge" manufactures cast iron cookware right here in the U.S.A. They even have a factory store where we buy seconds and rfactory over-runs. If scouts and my family can't ruin stuff, it's pretty well proven to be suitable. Painted cookware ? Nah.

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Lodge looks like good stuff but I am not shopping for the kitchen, I need for reenactment.
Looking for a Folding Fry Pan, Spatula, and a Roasting Fork.

@R Ellis ; yup, I will be returning the two and they will get Spatula back too, let the dispose of it.
They are all sold as "Iron" and no where does is say 'looks like iron' or even mention "steel"....

I picked up a little cast iron fry pan in a fancy cookware store in a mall. For once I actually went in a store with my wife, and sure enough there was a neat little black fry pan just perfect for my camp. Maybe check out some cookware places.

Omahkapi'si said:

I picked up a little cast iron fry pan in a fancy cookware store in a mall. For once I actually went in a store with my wife, and sure enough there was a neat little black fry pan just perfect for my camp. Maybe check out some cookware places.

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I am looking for the folding type, I know where to get modern stuff.
I just don't think the Snowman waffle maker I got my grand daughter last Christmas would fit in at an 1830s Rendezvous encampment.

If you want it foldable, I assume you want it lightweight. If you want it lightweight, I don't think you are going to want cast iron, if you could even find foldable cast iron. I think you should clean it with solvent well, then wash it with soap and water, then oil it with olive oil or food-grade mineral oil. You seem bothered by the fact that it is steel, but steel is just iron with some carbon or other metals added to make it an alloy. I'm not a metallurgist, but I'm not sure you could even find something made out of pure sheet iron. I'm also not sure that anything is made of pure iron these days. This is not the 1700s.

Jaeger said:

If you want it foldable, I assume you want it lightweight. If you want it lightweight, I don't think you are going to want cast iron, if you could even find foldable cast iron. I think you should clean it with solvent well, then wash it with soap and water, then oil it with olive oil or food-grade mineral oil. You seem bothered by the fact that it is steel, but steel is just iron with some carbon or other metals added to make it an alloy. I'm not a metallurgist, but I'm not sure you could even find something made out of pure sheet iron. I'm also not sure that anything is made of pure iron these days. This is not the 1700s.

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What I am bothered about is the steel Painted black and paint coming off just by washing.
It blackened to sponge and as the photo above shows, there is still more on it.

Like I said; I have not worked with this kind of 'cook wear' before but my thought is that when oil/lard/butter is put in and heated over the fire that when the eggs and bacon go in I end up with Black eggs and bacon.
Plus, coming from India, I have no idea what kind of Paint I would be eating...?

Jas Townsend offers a folder, they say it comes "pre seasoned" but recommend adding a couple more treatments for good use (I think they say they use flax oil).
However theirs is $130 for a 6".

Just posting to see if anyone here has:
#1: Dealt with this painted I Dia steel, and how?
#2: Have any suggestions of other sellers?

I use matfer carbon steel skillets in the kitchen, they are very high quality, I prefer them over cast iron. They season easy and are maintained the same as cast iron. The skillet in their site looks like a steel skillet. Cast iron has a little advantage when camp cooking because it's thicker and distributes heat a bit better, but the steel is a close 2nd because it transfers heat faster and also helps prevent hot spots.
The spatula in your pic also looks like steel. As far as the black coating, I think it's likely that a food oil was cooked onto it to "pre season" and prevent rust. Could be a wax too. Sticky makes me think it was done as a thick coat of oil, which makes for a poor seasoning. Paint wouldn't be sticky. I'd spray it down with oven cleaner and throw it in the grill on high for an hour, or throw it in the oven for a self cleaning cycle.

Mad L said:

What I am bothered about is the steel Painted black and paint coming off just by washing.
It blackened to sponge and as the photo above shows, there is still more on it.

Like I said; I have not worked with this kind of 'cook wear' before but my thought is that when oil/lard/butter is put in and heated over the fire that when the eggs and bacon go in I end up with Black eggs and bacon.
Plus, coming from India, I have no idea what kind of Paint I would be eating...?

Jas Townsend offers a folder, they say it comes "pre seasoned" but recommend adding a couple more treatments for good use (I think they say they use flax oil).
However theirs is $130 for a 6".

Just posting to see if anyone here has:
#1: Dealt with this painted I Dia steel, and how?
#2: Have any suggestions of other sellers?

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I'll bet the "paint" would burn off in a hot fire, then you could solvent clean and the soap/water clean and then season with oil. I can't imagine that anything would poison you after all that.

Burn the coating off in the oven. You will probably need to hit it at least 450 degrees. Let it cook at that temp for at least 30 minutes. All the paint/coating will be gone. Then season with Flaxseed oil. Rub on a thin coat and heat on the stove top until it smokes. Repeat.

The coating (paint, oil, wax) was thick, wet, and sticky when the plastic was removed. Touch it and your fingers turned black.
Even wasging it off my fingers would not come of with just soap and water, I ended up using rubbing alcohol to clean my hands.

I first tried washing the Spatula with just soap and water but even wet it just Stuck. Could not drag the sponge across it as it 'grabbed' the sponge! I added more soap and let it soak a while, no change and that's when I turned the sponge over to the scrubbing side (just a 'soft scrubber', no wire) and gave it some muscle - that's when the water began turning black, and my hands got sticky again.

Now; I don't know - maybe I was supposed to heat it, maybe that was some kind of vegetable seasoning just going rancid?
That is why I called Crazy Crow and asked but got no answer.
That is why I turned to the forum to see if anyone here might have some experience (I know there are several Crazy Crow customers on here).

Jason Townsend tells you theirs is pre seasoned, but Crazy Crow does not and says it is "Iron" but the label says "Steel".

Actually I don't mind steel, just don't want stainless steel.

Now the Folding PA I have (from Crazy Crow) appears to be the same as the Spatula; sold as "iron" but says "steel", covered in the same thick, sticky, blackish coating.
I don't want to wash it and have everything come off. I don't want to do to it what I did to the Spatula if there is another, proper, way to move forward?

Crazy Crow 9" Iron pan: $25
Jas Town 9" Iron pan: $130

...they do say "You get what you pay for"

Are there any fellow Reenactors on the forum that can chime in please?

Don't think I would trust cookware from India.

I love cast iron, but don't always want to deal with the weight. Their is good carbon steel cookware made in the USA. Just as with iron, you need to know how to maintain and use it.

If all else fails, hop in the car and drive to the diner. Likely, they make a better breakfast than you do.

I don't see the issue here the difference between iron and steel is just a bit more carbon,
As long as the coating isn't a petroleum product I'd just burn it off a go-to cooking.
Maybe the tag is a misrepresentation but the product will still serve the purpose.

They are dipped in food grade flax (linseed) oil. Same thing as is used to season cast iron. Take it outside, build a fire, burn it off and start seasoning from scratch.

pilot said:

Burn the coating off in the oven. You will probably need to hit it at least 450 degrees. Let it cook at that temp for at least 30 minutes. All the paint/coating will be gone. Then season with Flaxseed oil. Rub on a thin coat and heat on the stove top until it smokes. Repeat.

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I second this motion…. And third it, too.

I’d recommend starting by putting it in your oven set as high as it will go. The current coatings should turn to dust and you can then easily wash them off. Then immediately proceed to seasoning with flaxseed oil, or you’ll get rust starting.

Flaxseed oil seasoning can actually be washed with mild soap and it won’t come off.

I’ve burnt off the factory seasoning for all my cast iron and re-seasoned with flaxseed oil. It takes a little more effort and time, but it’s a much more durable seasoning. Molecular level bonding… that sort of thing.

BTW, that original coating you describe sounds a lot like cosmoline grease. Just to be safe, you might wanna start by killing it in a campfire first.

andy52 said:

I don't see the issue here the difference between iron and steel is just a bit more carbon,
As long as the coating isn't a petroleum product I'd just burn it off a go-to cooking.
Maybe the tag is a misrepresentation but the product will still serve the purpose.

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Drop a steak in a hot iron pan and you get sear, which you want, and you are not dropping the pan's temperature. A typical steel pan does not have the thermal mass of an iron skillet. They are alright for eggs and suchlike, but not beef.
If I am baking a potato to go with a steak I put the iron pan in the oven with it.

Fire cleans and purifies. Burn the tool and if it gets cleaned off your problem is solved. If burning ruins the tool your problem is solved in a different way. Just get a different tool.