Cast Iron
October 7, 2015 11:48 AM Subscribe
Looking for recipes to make in my cast iron pan.
1. Own a 9" and 6" cast iron pan. No interest in buying another. No lids.
2. Single lady, so food should be tasty as leftovers as well
3. Being made in a cast iron pan should really bring the dish to a whole different level
4. No dietary restrictions, any type of meal or dish is acceptable
1. Own a 9" and 6" cast iron pan. No interest in buying another. No lids.
2. Single lady, so food should be tasty as leftovers as well
3. Being made in a cast iron pan should really bring the dish to a whole different level
4. No dietary restrictions, any type of meal or dish is acceptable
Corn Bread
Scalloped potatoes Ignore the Traeger part and just use your regular oven
Are my two Favourites
Also Cauliflower
Mushrooms
Candied Onions
Steak
posted by mrgroweler at 11:56 AM on October 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
Scalloped potatoes Ignore the Traeger part and just use your regular oven
Are my two Favourites
Also Cauliflower
Mushrooms
Candied Onions
Steak
posted by mrgroweler at 11:56 AM on October 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
Fried chicken is best when cooked in cast iron. Alton Brown's method is similar to my own and results in an amazingly tasty product. Disclaimer: I am a New Englander who learned to make fried chicken from my Irish immigrant mother so I may not be the best judge of what good fried chicken really is, but I think my fried chicken is pretty damn good.
And of course nothing is better than leftover fried chicken, preferably eaten in front of an open refrigerator at 1:00 AM.
posted by bondcliff at 11:58 AM on October 7, 2015 [7 favorites]
And of course nothing is better than leftover fried chicken, preferably eaten in front of an open refrigerator at 1:00 AM.
posted by bondcliff at 11:58 AM on October 7, 2015 [7 favorites]
Best answer: Pizza made in a preheated cast iron pan is amazing. Preheat oven to 500-550F and make sure you put your pan in for at least a half hour before baking. I tend to prepare all my toppings and then set them to the side and let the crust bake in the pan for a couple minutes before opening up the oven and doing a quick topping job (my toppings are uncomplicated, it just takes about 30 seconds), then finish baking.
Oven fries also work great in a preheated cast iron pan in the oven. Combine sliced raw potatoes with some oil, preheat your oven to 500F and preheat the pan right along with it, dump the potatoes in and bake.
posted by soren_lorensen at 12:00 PM on October 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
Oven fries also work great in a preheated cast iron pan in the oven. Combine sliced raw potatoes with some oil, preheat your oven to 500F and preheat the pan right along with it, dump the potatoes in and bake.
posted by soren_lorensen at 12:00 PM on October 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Socca/farinata for an appetizer, or socca pizza for an entree.
posted by divined by radio at 12:02 PM on October 7, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by divined by radio at 12:02 PM on October 7, 2015 [3 favorites]
A cast iron skillet (that's what we're talking about here, right?) doubles quite nicely as a pizza stone in a pinch. (Insert here all the caveats about "real pizza", pizza stones, the maximum temperature of your oven, the water in New York City, &c. &c.)
Steak, as mentioned above, can be seared on a hot cast iron pan and then placed directly under the broiler to finish. You can also sous-vide the steak and sear it on the skillet right before service to quite nice effect (if you sous-vide).
posted by gauche at 12:02 PM on October 7, 2015
Steak, as mentioned above, can be seared on a hot cast iron pan and then placed directly under the broiler to finish. You can also sous-vide the steak and sear it on the skillet right before service to quite nice effect (if you sous-vide).
posted by gauche at 12:02 PM on October 7, 2015
Bar Pizza. I love making those.
Anything that requires a nice crust on a potato, like a hash or a Spanish fritatta, is tops. We had a kale and sweet potato hash last night with fried eggs (those I generally do in a nonstick pan, or I prefer poached actually) on top.
posted by Lyn Never at 12:07 PM on October 7, 2015
Anything that requires a nice crust on a potato, like a hash or a Spanish fritatta, is tops. We had a kale and sweet potato hash last night with fried eggs (those I generally do in a nonstick pan, or I prefer poached actually) on top.
posted by Lyn Never at 12:07 PM on October 7, 2015
Amanda's Delicious Breakfast Jumble:
- some potatoes, enough for however many people you plan to serve
- some onion, usually 1/4 onion per person
- 1 clove garlic per person
- Other veg if you have them -- make sure you've got at least 3/4 potatoes, though
- spices as you like -- I use chili flakes and cumin
- some butter + whatever cooking oil you have on hand
- 1 or 2 eggs per person depending on how hungry you are
- salt and pepper
Get your pan going on the stovetop over medium heat so it gets good and hot. Chop your onions and garlic, and then use a box grater to grate up your potatoes. You can peel them, I suppose; I never do. Preheat your oven to 350.
Melt the butter and a splash of oil in the pan. Add the onion and potatoes, stir so that they're all coated in fat. Add the garlic and other spices, stir for a minute or two until the onion and potatoes are just getting soft. Now form the whole jumble into a rough patty shape. Let it cook until it's just a little browned underneath. Carefully flip it over.
Make a little dent in the patty and crack the egg into it, trying to keep the yolk from breaking and the white from flowing over the potatoes. Add salt and pepper.
Carefully stick the whole mess into the oven. Remove when the egg/s look fully cooked. Slide onto a plate, top with cheddar cheese and green onions, if you have them.
The cast iron makes for a nice crispy crust on the potatoes AND it means you can easily go from stovetop to oven. I can't think of any other pan you could make this delicious mess in.
posted by AmandaA at 12:08 PM on October 7, 2015
- some potatoes, enough for however many people you plan to serve
- some onion, usually 1/4 onion per person
- 1 clove garlic per person
- Other veg if you have them -- make sure you've got at least 3/4 potatoes, though
- spices as you like -- I use chili flakes and cumin
- some butter + whatever cooking oil you have on hand
- 1 or 2 eggs per person depending on how hungry you are
- salt and pepper
Get your pan going on the stovetop over medium heat so it gets good and hot. Chop your onions and garlic, and then use a box grater to grate up your potatoes. You can peel them, I suppose; I never do. Preheat your oven to 350.
Melt the butter and a splash of oil in the pan. Add the onion and potatoes, stir so that they're all coated in fat. Add the garlic and other spices, stir for a minute or two until the onion and potatoes are just getting soft. Now form the whole jumble into a rough patty shape. Let it cook until it's just a little browned underneath. Carefully flip it over.
Make a little dent in the patty and crack the egg into it, trying to keep the yolk from breaking and the white from flowing over the potatoes. Add salt and pepper.
Carefully stick the whole mess into the oven. Remove when the egg/s look fully cooked. Slide onto a plate, top with cheddar cheese and green onions, if you have them.
The cast iron makes for a nice crispy crust on the potatoes AND it means you can easily go from stovetop to oven. I can't think of any other pan you could make this delicious mess in.
posted by AmandaA at 12:08 PM on October 7, 2015
Oh, and all this talk of pizza reminds me: this is the best homemade pizza you'll ever make, and there's literally no way to replicate it with another type of cooking vessel.
posted by AmandaA at 12:10 PM on October 7, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by AmandaA at 12:10 PM on October 7, 2015 [2 favorites]
Also meant to add...
Some favorites:
Cornbread, favorite recipe is Sean Brock's
Pineapple upside down cake by Emeril
The Pizza Lab: Foolproof Pan Pizza (highlighted in previously thread)
Salmon, Bittman style, in How to Cook Everything
Although really, I think nearly everything is made better cooking in cast iron. We have an 8", a 10", and griddle that live on our stovetop.
posted by slipthought at 12:13 PM on October 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
Some favorites:
Cornbread, favorite recipe is Sean Brock's
Pineapple upside down cake by Emeril
The Pizza Lab: Foolproof Pan Pizza (highlighted in previously thread)
Salmon, Bittman style, in How to Cook Everything
Although really, I think nearly everything is made better cooking in cast iron. We have an 8", a 10", and griddle that live on our stovetop.
posted by slipthought at 12:13 PM on October 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
Best answer: PIE. Just make an extra-big bottom crust and fold it up and over (like for a galette) to hold everything in.
posted by the_blizz at 12:20 PM on October 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by the_blizz at 12:20 PM on October 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
This recipe (technique, really) is amazing:
http://nomnompaleo.com/post/74180911762/cracklin-chicken
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 12:22 PM on October 7, 2015
http://nomnompaleo.com/post/74180911762/cracklin-chicken
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 12:22 PM on October 7, 2015
My father's favourite: Cream gravy.
Cut some bacon into little pieces and fry it in the pan. Add some onions; saute them with the bacon. Add fresh cream. Simmer it all for a while.
Pour over potatoes fried in your other pan. They can be fried in your excess bacon fat if desired.
Yes, my father did have a heart attack or two before he died...
posted by clawsoon at 12:23 PM on October 7, 2015 [2 favorites]
Cut some bacon into little pieces and fry it in the pan. Add some onions; saute them with the bacon. Add fresh cream. Simmer it all for a while.
Pour over potatoes fried in your other pan. They can be fried in your excess bacon fat if desired.
Yes, my father did have a heart attack or two before he died...
posted by clawsoon at 12:23 PM on October 7, 2015 [2 favorites]
I like roasting chickens using this Thomas Keller method in my cast-iron skillet.
posted by zombieflanders at 12:24 PM on October 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by zombieflanders at 12:24 PM on October 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
I make Tortilla Española in my 6 inch pan nearly every week - start it on the stove, and then bake it to set the egg. Leftovers are great cold.
posted by 26.2 at 12:28 PM on October 7, 2015
posted by 26.2 at 12:28 PM on October 7, 2015
I use my cast iron skillet for everything, and I mean everything. I don't have any specific recipes for you because everything tastes better in a cast iron skillet IMHO. Brownies? Baking bread? cast iron. Cake? cast iron. Chicken, pork, beef? you can roasted it, broil it, braise it, and fry it in a cast iron skillet. Cast irons are great for casseroles, and other one-pan dishes.
So long as it fits, it goes in the cast iron skillet. Just be careful about acidic foods like tomatoes. I still cook 'em in the cast iron, but don't let 'em sit there for too long. Seriously, you don't need a special recipe for your cast iron pot (though I recommend hitting the thrift stores and finding a lid), just cook everything in it. It's one of the most versatile pans I've ever owned -- I have about three different sizes and a dutch oven. The dutch oven is... wow. I'll never give it up.
posted by patheral at 12:36 PM on October 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
So long as it fits, it goes in the cast iron skillet. Just be careful about acidic foods like tomatoes. I still cook 'em in the cast iron, but don't let 'em sit there for too long. Seriously, you don't need a special recipe for your cast iron pot (though I recommend hitting the thrift stores and finding a lid), just cook everything in it. It's one of the most versatile pans I've ever owned -- I have about three different sizes and a dutch oven. The dutch oven is... wow. I'll never give it up.
posted by patheral at 12:36 PM on October 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
Homemade gnocchi cooked in boiling water as usual then fried with salt, pepper and a lot of garlic in a generous amount of olive oil in your cast iron pan. Super simple and very, very good.
Consume with Chianti.
posted by deadwax at 1:06 PM on October 7, 2015
Consume with Chianti.
posted by deadwax at 1:06 PM on October 7, 2015
Pioneer woman's apple cake (just google it)! So much butter, so much tasty.
posted by Otis the Lion at 2:23 PM on October 7, 2015
posted by Otis the Lion at 2:23 PM on October 7, 2015
Best answer: Pizza has been mentioned, but a cast iron skillet is particularly appropriate for making something like Chicago style deep dish pizza, which is well-known* to be the best class of pizza.
Here's another baking application. Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen fame has a deep dish apple pie recipe intended for a springform pan that can be found variously across the internet, for instance here. I tried scaling it down to a cast iron skillet--the only real modification was to make about 50-60% as much filling as the normal recipe calls for--and it was excellent, convincing me that I should be making pies in cast iron all the time.
*New Yorkers: just kidding, not trying to start a pizza fight in here
posted by egregious theorem at 2:23 PM on October 7, 2015
Here's another baking application. Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen fame has a deep dish apple pie recipe intended for a springform pan that can be found variously across the internet, for instance here. I tried scaling it down to a cast iron skillet--the only real modification was to make about 50-60% as much filling as the normal recipe calls for--and it was excellent, convincing me that I should be making pies in cast iron all the time.
*New Yorkers: just kidding, not trying to start a pizza fight in here
posted by egregious theorem at 2:23 PM on October 7, 2015
If you happen to get your hands on a *thick* steak - like two inches thick - try this if you have a gas range or cooktop:
1. Trim the fat off the steak. Keep the fat.
2. Let the steak warm up to room temperature.
3. Heat your oven to 350F.
4. Heat your cast iron pan over high heat until water dropped onto it skitters around.
5. Put salt on the pan until you are quite sure it will not allow the steak to come in direct contact with the pan.
6. Flop the steak into the pan. Cook it for one minute with the fire on high.
7. Turn the fire down to medium. Flip the steak. Cook it for three minutes.
8. Put the reserved fat on the steak.
9. Put the pan with the steak into the oven. Cook it there for about eight minutes. You will have to check doneness several times. You can do it with a thermometer or with careful knife slices, remembering that carry-over cooking will be greater with such a thick steak. If it looks rare it might come out medium-rare with this method and a thick piece of meat. If the cooking looks as though it has penetrated to within half an inch of the center, that's long enough for medium-rare.
10. Remove the pan and steak from the oven.
11. Put the steak on a platter and put a piece of aluminum foil over it.
12. WAIT. Five minutes. The steak will not be piping hot when it is served, that is OK. It will still be warm enough and it will taste yummy.
13. EAT.
posted by jet_silver at 7:58 PM on October 7, 2015
1. Trim the fat off the steak. Keep the fat.
2. Let the steak warm up to room temperature.
3. Heat your oven to 350F.
4. Heat your cast iron pan over high heat until water dropped onto it skitters around.
5. Put salt on the pan until you are quite sure it will not allow the steak to come in direct contact with the pan.
6. Flop the steak into the pan. Cook it for one minute with the fire on high.
7. Turn the fire down to medium. Flip the steak. Cook it for three minutes.
8. Put the reserved fat on the steak.
9. Put the pan with the steak into the oven. Cook it there for about eight minutes. You will have to check doneness several times. You can do it with a thermometer or with careful knife slices, remembering that carry-over cooking will be greater with such a thick steak. If it looks rare it might come out medium-rare with this method and a thick piece of meat. If the cooking looks as though it has penetrated to within half an inch of the center, that's long enough for medium-rare.
10. Remove the pan and steak from the oven.
11. Put the steak on a platter and put a piece of aluminum foil over it.
12. WAIT. Five minutes. The steak will not be piping hot when it is served, that is OK. It will still be warm enough and it will taste yummy.
13. EAT.
posted by jet_silver at 7:58 PM on October 7, 2015
I love making both steak and pizza in my pan! I also have these potatoes that make me eat until I'm sick.
Potatoes
Saute mushrooms in butter while microwaving red potatoes. When potatoes are done, scoop them out of their skin and dump in with mushrooms, adding an obscene amount of butter and some salt. Give it a stir, pat it down, and wander off. After a bit, flip it with a spatula. Let the other side brown.
Steak
Preheat a bit of butter and olive oil until popping hot, while preheating your oven to 450 or whatever. Sear both sides of your steak. Stick it in the oven to finish cooking. Add more butter and let it rest for a few minutes before cutting or, take it out of the oven rare and sear individual slices in the butter.
Salad Pizza
Saute mushrooms in butter. Near the end, throw in a couple of roma or cherry tomatoes to blister the skin. Pour cooked shrooms into a bowl and toss your dough (I use Pioneer Mix) into the pan, right on the remaining mushroom butter. Pour the contents of your bowl right on top of the crust, adding fresh spinach, the blistered tomatoes, and whole milk mozzarella cheese. Bake in the oven until the cheese is bubbly.
posted by myselfasme at 9:20 PM on October 7, 2015
Potatoes
Saute mushrooms in butter while microwaving red potatoes. When potatoes are done, scoop them out of their skin and dump in with mushrooms, adding an obscene amount of butter and some salt. Give it a stir, pat it down, and wander off. After a bit, flip it with a spatula. Let the other side brown.
Steak
Preheat a bit of butter and olive oil until popping hot, while preheating your oven to 450 or whatever. Sear both sides of your steak. Stick it in the oven to finish cooking. Add more butter and let it rest for a few minutes before cutting or, take it out of the oven rare and sear individual slices in the butter.
Salad Pizza
Saute mushrooms in butter. Near the end, throw in a couple of roma or cherry tomatoes to blister the skin. Pour cooked shrooms into a bowl and toss your dough (I use Pioneer Mix) into the pan, right on the remaining mushroom butter. Pour the contents of your bowl right on top of the crust, adding fresh spinach, the blistered tomatoes, and whole milk mozzarella cheese. Bake in the oven until the cheese is bubbly.
posted by myselfasme at 9:20 PM on October 7, 2015
Potato hash!!!
I usually wing it depending on what I have on hand, but the tips in the link above are all key. I recently threw one together using potatoes, shallots, leftover pulled pork, cheddar cheese, a whole mess of herbs & spices, and baked runny eggs and it was soooooooooooo good.
posted by darkchocolatepyramid at 9:47 PM on October 7, 2015
I usually wing it depending on what I have on hand, but the tips in the link above are all key. I recently threw one together using potatoes, shallots, leftover pulled pork, cheddar cheese, a whole mess of herbs & spices, and baked runny eggs and it was soooooooooooo good.
posted by darkchocolatepyramid at 9:47 PM on October 7, 2015
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posted by Aranquis at 11:50 AM on October 7, 2015 [2 favorites]