Tips and tricks for cast iron cooking?
September 23, 2017 8:41 PM Subscribe
What the rules of thumb when cooking and baking on cast irons skillets/pans?
Hi there. I've just started cooking on two new to me cast iron skillets that I've stripped and reseasoned. There are a ton of guides out there to restore and clean cast iron but I haven't found anything with the basics of cooking in cast irons. I'm looking up recipes, some say to preheat skillet others start with it cold and then use it to just bake. Is there a guide to tell me what cooking/heating techniques/rules of thumb I should keep in mind when I cook certain types of dishes (meats, stir-frys, frittatas, veggies..etc)? I cook better making it up as I go when I know the rules/limitations rather than following a recipes. Any and all tips are appreciate. I know hot pan, cold grease and needing to preheat the skillet before using and avoid acidic foods until the seasoning is well established but that's about all the basics I know.
Thanks!
Hi there. I've just started cooking on two new to me cast iron skillets that I've stripped and reseasoned. There are a ton of guides out there to restore and clean cast iron but I haven't found anything with the basics of cooking in cast irons. I'm looking up recipes, some say to preheat skillet others start with it cold and then use it to just bake. Is there a guide to tell me what cooking/heating techniques/rules of thumb I should keep in mind when I cook certain types of dishes (meats, stir-frys, frittatas, veggies..etc)? I cook better making it up as I go when I know the rules/limitations rather than following a recipes. Any and all tips are appreciate. I know hot pan, cold grease and needing to preheat the skillet before using and avoid acidic foods until the seasoning is well established but that's about all the basics I know.
Thanks!
You can use soap. Seasoning with too much oil gets sticky. Flaxseed oil is best— you actually want a low smoke point oil. Always dry it immediately, ideally by heating it up. More here.
posted by supercres at 9:17 PM on September 23, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by supercres at 9:17 PM on September 23, 2017 [3 favorites]
People get insane about cast iron, if you seasoned it with flaxseed oil you're fine. Just cook on it. Eventually the finish gets banged up and you need to re-do it but it's not that big a deal and now you know how to. Even with a less than perfect finish it's nbd. I've needed to re do my big pan for about 5 years because big chunks of the finish are gone and haven't got around to it and have no major issues. Sometimes eggs stick I guess. If I heat it properly that rarely even happens.
The main thing is to clean it. People are fucking gross about not cleaning cast iron. Clean that shit! Stuck on food does more damage to the finish than anything and it's gross. This is how my big pan got messed up- ~someone~ read some article about cast iron and decided cleaning it was bad and destroyed the finish with caked on meat grossness. Deglaze, then clean it when it's still warm. The chain mail looking cleaning tools are the best imho, but I use whatever I have. And I've been cooking exclusively on (the same. Cheap.) cast iron since college.
Baking with cast iron is different. If someone messes up m finish on my baking pans I'd not be happy. But skillets? eh. They still work fine.
posted by fshgrl at 9:32 PM on September 23, 2017 [8 favorites]
The main thing is to clean it. People are fucking gross about not cleaning cast iron. Clean that shit! Stuck on food does more damage to the finish than anything and it's gross. This is how my big pan got messed up- ~someone~ read some article about cast iron and decided cleaning it was bad and destroyed the finish with caked on meat grossness. Deglaze, then clean it when it's still warm. The chain mail looking cleaning tools are the best imho, but I use whatever I have. And I've been cooking exclusively on (the same. Cheap.) cast iron since college.
Baking with cast iron is different. If someone messes up m finish on my baking pans I'd not be happy. But skillets? eh. They still work fine.
posted by fshgrl at 9:32 PM on September 23, 2017 [8 favorites]
It's iron, you can cook whatever you can fit into it. If you want, you can season it to "sliding fried egg" status, but you don't have to. I use a bamboo wok brush and sometimes a chain mail scrubber, wiping dry with a paper towel. It's not shiny.
posted by rhizome at 9:56 PM on September 23, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by rhizome at 9:56 PM on September 23, 2017 [2 favorites]
Scrub with coarse salt, rinse with water. No soap. You may never need to reseason.
Cook at whatever temperature is appropriate for the thing you’re cooking. Iron doesn’t really care. For seating steak get it red hot. For frying eggs maybe medium hot.
posted by zippy at 10:49 PM on September 23, 2017 [2 favorites]
Cook at whatever temperature is appropriate for the thing you’re cooking. Iron doesn’t really care. For seating steak get it red hot. For frying eggs maybe medium hot.
posted by zippy at 10:49 PM on September 23, 2017 [2 favorites]
I use soap on mine when it feels like it needs it, and if it looks a little dull wipe it with oil while it’s heating to dry (after washing I put it on the stovetop to get it super dry). When they were newly re-finished I put oil on them more often. After a year or so it’s not necessary every time. I like the Japanese scrubber (the Tawashi one). But I know people feel differently about soap so if I’m cleaning someone else’s pan (hello, it me) I wouldn’t use soap unless they said it was ok.
I can’t think of any specific rules about cooking with them, but all of my skillets are cast iron so I just cook with them all the time. The occasional tomato thing but I’m not usually bubbling tomato sauce in them for hours or anything. Don’t grab the handle, it’s hot. Seems obvious, and yet I’ve definitely forgotten that from time to time.
posted by jeweled accumulation at 11:34 PM on September 23, 2017 [1 favorite]
I can’t think of any specific rules about cooking with them, but all of my skillets are cast iron so I just cook with them all the time. The occasional tomato thing but I’m not usually bubbling tomato sauce in them for hours or anything. Don’t grab the handle, it’s hot. Seems obvious, and yet I’ve definitely forgotten that from time to time.
posted by jeweled accumulation at 11:34 PM on September 23, 2017 [1 favorite]
One thing about cast iron is that it heats up unevenly. Because it's so thick, and a bad conductor, your pan is going to have hot spots and not as hot spots. You can rotate the pan while it's heating up and while you're cooking things and that will definitely help.
Preheating the pan is very, very important because if food really sticks to the bottom of it and you have to scrape it off you can damage the seasoning (although I personally don't think it's that big of a deal). Scraping bits of potato off of a cast-iron is a lot more work than off of just about anything else I have, and I think the best tool for it is a metal fish spatula.
It's great for baking, I'd really recommend making cornbread in it, and pizza, if you're so inclined. Also, if you haven't already, fry up the best egg ever.
posted by Neronomius at 11:38 PM on September 23, 2017 [2 favorites]
Preheating the pan is very, very important because if food really sticks to the bottom of it and you have to scrape it off you can damage the seasoning (although I personally don't think it's that big of a deal). Scraping bits of potato off of a cast-iron is a lot more work than off of just about anything else I have, and I think the best tool for it is a metal fish spatula.
It's great for baking, I'd really recommend making cornbread in it, and pizza, if you're so inclined. Also, if you haven't already, fry up the best egg ever.
posted by Neronomius at 11:38 PM on September 23, 2017 [2 favorites]
Don't cook it too hot. Cast iron retains and projects much much more heat than the aluminium or even steel most people are used to. Also, be aware, it's not good at spreading that heat evenly compared to the latter metals; there's no point putting on a stove top it's too big for if you're frying etc, only the middle will get hot.
posted by smoke at 11:39 PM on September 23, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by smoke at 11:39 PM on September 23, 2017 [1 favorite]
Eventually the finish gets banged up and you need to re-do it but it's not that big a deal and now you know how to. Even with a less than perfect finish it's nbd.
This. If you use flaxseed oil, the worst way the finish is ever going to fail is flake a bit. You fix that by not trying to fix it, just rub the whole thing over again - with less oil, this time - and give it a quick bake.
With flaxseed you don't even need to get it super hot or smoky. Just bake it until you start to smell overheating oil, then turn the oven off and leave it in there overnight. If it's still sticky in the morning, you're still using too thick a coat.
My favourite method is to rub a tiny amount of flaxseed into my hands, then use the pan that wants seasoning as if it were a towel: just keep finding the least oily spot on the pan (still warm from the hot water I cleaned it with, but dried with a tea towel) and rub my hands on it, until my skin doesn't feel oily any more. This is kind to both the iron and my skin.
posted by flabdablet at 1:51 AM on September 24, 2017
This. If you use flaxseed oil, the worst way the finish is ever going to fail is flake a bit. You fix that by not trying to fix it, just rub the whole thing over again - with less oil, this time - and give it a quick bake.
With flaxseed you don't even need to get it super hot or smoky. Just bake it until you start to smell overheating oil, then turn the oven off and leave it in there overnight. If it's still sticky in the morning, you're still using too thick a coat.
My favourite method is to rub a tiny amount of flaxseed into my hands, then use the pan that wants seasoning as if it were a towel: just keep finding the least oily spot on the pan (still warm from the hot water I cleaned it with, but dried with a tea towel) and rub my hands on it, until my skin doesn't feel oily any more. This is kind to both the iron and my skin.
posted by flabdablet at 1:51 AM on September 24, 2017
I use cast-iron or carbon steel for most of my cooking, but I keep a couple of coated pans for eggs and slow cooked acidic stuff like tomato sauces. That way I don't need to get religious about the seasoning of the other pans. The stews go in enameled cast-iron pots. I don't use soap, except for sometimes on the griddle, and I don't have anything stuck on my pans, least of all caked on old food. I've only had to reseason one pan, my wok, because someone stripped it down completely while "helping" in the kitchen. Otherwise they are kept up by frequent use.
The thing that really won me over was being able to go from stovetop to oven, like in this recipe for the simplest roast chicken by Bittmann. This method is also useful when you are cooking a lot of food at the same time, just do the initial sear on the pan and then pop it in the oven at low to medium heat to finish and free space on the stovetop. I'm realizing that I am reversing to the way I originally learnt to cook, from my grandmother, who obviously grew up with cast-iron and carbon steel. She always ruined the coated pans I gave her because she wouldn't let go of her metal spatulas and high heat. She was right.
There's nothing much to think about, really. There's a lot of interest in cast-iron and that might make it seem a bit mysterious, but it's actually not. Serious Eats is a good online ressource for both maintenance and recipes.
posted by mumimor at 1:55 AM on September 24, 2017 [2 favorites]
The thing that really won me over was being able to go from stovetop to oven, like in this recipe for the simplest roast chicken by Bittmann. This method is also useful when you are cooking a lot of food at the same time, just do the initial sear on the pan and then pop it in the oven at low to medium heat to finish and free space on the stovetop. I'm realizing that I am reversing to the way I originally learnt to cook, from my grandmother, who obviously grew up with cast-iron and carbon steel. She always ruined the coated pans I gave her because she wouldn't let go of her metal spatulas and high heat. She was right.
There's nothing much to think about, really. There's a lot of interest in cast-iron and that might make it seem a bit mysterious, but it's actually not. Serious Eats is a good online ressource for both maintenance and recipes.
posted by mumimor at 1:55 AM on September 24, 2017 [2 favorites]
I clean my cast iron by pouring a little water into it and bringing that water to a roiling boil on the stove burner while scraping it with a flat edged spatula. This loosens anything burnt on or stuck very nicely, and is a lot easier than trying to handle a really heavy pan in the sink. After the water is drained it will generally clean easily with a dish cloth and possibly salt or steel wool scouring. The idea is to use the hottest water possible and drain the pan. I wipe it with a well wrung out dishcloth before putting it back on the burner where I had brought it to a boil a couple of minutes earlier and the residual heat of the burner takes away any moisture and dries it bone dry.
I am unusual in that I scour with steel wool. Most cast iron people won't do this as it takes off too much oil and destroys the seasoning. But I like my cast iron to be satin smooth. You may get a bit of black residue on the bottom of things you cook if you do this, most visible on fried egg white. I have not noticed that this has a flavour, and I believe it is just an iron supplement (possibly not dietarily accessible?) If you get this and object to it, it means you pan is not sufficiently seasoned to your liking, and it needs to be oiled and baked at a low temperature in your oven, and you should scour it less, and only with salt.
To scour with salt, pour some salt into a moist or dry pan and then using a wadded up paper towel or something similar to protect your fingers and get a grip on the salt, rub it around and around inside to remove any particles.
This weekend I was offered a big cast iron pot with cast iron lid and turned it down. The inner finish was nowhere near satin smooth. From this I conclude that the pot was actually cast to be sold to people who want a good looking decorative accessory for their rustic setting, that it was like one of those 1970's spinning wheels that didn't spin. To make it usable I would have had to refinish the bottom of the pot with a grinder of some sort, or emery cloth - it would have been a big project for me, even if possible. There seems to be a lot of cast iron out there now that is only made for decoration and not for cooking and will have a rough interior finish.
One of the lovely things about cast iron is the way that it goes in the oven as a baking pan as well as on the stove. Cast iron frying pans are ideal for making corn bread. You melt the butter or lard in the pan, pour it into the batter and then pour the finished batter into the preheated greasy iron pan before putting it into the oven.
Cast iron can shatter. Don't drop it.
Cast iron should not be used on a flat glassed top stove. This is the advice that the fire department gave to my eldest daughter after the outside of the pan caught fire. Her two little siblings were outside holding onto the trunk of our evacuation muster location tree and having a fine time, but my eldest daughter was not enjoying her day even though the flames actually burned out, I think, before the fire fighters came clumping into our house.
posted by Jane the Brown at 4:12 AM on September 24, 2017 [2 favorites]
I am unusual in that I scour with steel wool. Most cast iron people won't do this as it takes off too much oil and destroys the seasoning. But I like my cast iron to be satin smooth. You may get a bit of black residue on the bottom of things you cook if you do this, most visible on fried egg white. I have not noticed that this has a flavour, and I believe it is just an iron supplement (possibly not dietarily accessible?) If you get this and object to it, it means you pan is not sufficiently seasoned to your liking, and it needs to be oiled and baked at a low temperature in your oven, and you should scour it less, and only with salt.
To scour with salt, pour some salt into a moist or dry pan and then using a wadded up paper towel or something similar to protect your fingers and get a grip on the salt, rub it around and around inside to remove any particles.
This weekend I was offered a big cast iron pot with cast iron lid and turned it down. The inner finish was nowhere near satin smooth. From this I conclude that the pot was actually cast to be sold to people who want a good looking decorative accessory for their rustic setting, that it was like one of those 1970's spinning wheels that didn't spin. To make it usable I would have had to refinish the bottom of the pot with a grinder of some sort, or emery cloth - it would have been a big project for me, even if possible. There seems to be a lot of cast iron out there now that is only made for decoration and not for cooking and will have a rough interior finish.
One of the lovely things about cast iron is the way that it goes in the oven as a baking pan as well as on the stove. Cast iron frying pans are ideal for making corn bread. You melt the butter or lard in the pan, pour it into the batter and then pour the finished batter into the preheated greasy iron pan before putting it into the oven.
Cast iron can shatter. Don't drop it.
Cast iron should not be used on a flat glassed top stove. This is the advice that the fire department gave to my eldest daughter after the outside of the pan caught fire. Her two little siblings were outside holding onto the trunk of our evacuation muster location tree and having a fine time, but my eldest daughter was not enjoying her day even though the flames actually burned out, I think, before the fire fighters came clumping into our house.
posted by Jane the Brown at 4:12 AM on September 24, 2017 [2 favorites]
Don't cook it too hot. Cast iron retains and projects much much more heat than the aluminium or even steel most people are used to. Also, be aware, it's not good at spreading that heat evenly compared to the latter metals; there's no point putting on a stove top it's too big for if you're frying etc, only the middle will get hot.
posted by smoke at 11:39 PM on September 23 [+] [!]
Dissenting voice: I do this on purpose so that I have a cooler part of the pan that is not directly on the burner, and a hotter part of the pan to cook with. When a chunk of liver is sufficiently fried it goes onto the cooler part of the pan, and the still semi-raw liver goes on the hot location. In other words I use it like a wok. I like having a hot section and a not so hot section and my cast iron pan gets moved around on the burner to change the amount of hot cooking surface available.
Additional suggestion: Be careful to set your cast iron on the burner gently. Wham it down hard and and electrical element can easily break. If the cast iron is too hot or to heavy for you it is easy to lose control of it and put it down much more heavily than you intended.
posted by Jane the Brown at 4:17 AM on September 24, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by smoke at 11:39 PM on September 23 [+] [!]
Dissenting voice: I do this on purpose so that I have a cooler part of the pan that is not directly on the burner, and a hotter part of the pan to cook with. When a chunk of liver is sufficiently fried it goes onto the cooler part of the pan, and the still semi-raw liver goes on the hot location. In other words I use it like a wok. I like having a hot section and a not so hot section and my cast iron pan gets moved around on the burner to change the amount of hot cooking surface available.
Additional suggestion: Be careful to set your cast iron on the burner gently. Wham it down hard and and electrical element can easily break. If the cast iron is too hot or to heavy for you it is easy to lose control of it and put it down much more heavily than you intended.
posted by Jane the Brown at 4:17 AM on September 24, 2017 [1 favorite]
People get insane about cast iron, if you seasoned it with flaxseed oil you're fine. Just cook on it. Eventually the finish gets banged up and you need to re-do it but it's not that big a deal and now you know how to.
This. Once you have the initial seasoning done, all you need to do is cook with it. As long as you are routinely frying with oil/grease (frying eggs, cooking bacon or hamburger, etc), and you aren't doing something weird with the cleaning, the seasoning will take care of itself. If you do something like make spaghetti sauce and happen to take off the seasoning, you just restart, no big deal.
I use soap (in small amounts, a little goes a long way) on my pans sometimes, along with adding water after cooking to help lift off crud. I tried one of those chain mail things, but found that it was wearing away the seasoning so stopped using it. Cast iron is tough and hard to hurt, and usually it is cheap, so not the end of the world if you screw up.
posted by Dip Flash at 6:18 AM on September 24, 2017 [1 favorite]
This. Once you have the initial seasoning done, all you need to do is cook with it. As long as you are routinely frying with oil/grease (frying eggs, cooking bacon or hamburger, etc), and you aren't doing something weird with the cleaning, the seasoning will take care of itself. If you do something like make spaghetti sauce and happen to take off the seasoning, you just restart, no big deal.
I use soap (in small amounts, a little goes a long way) on my pans sometimes, along with adding water after cooking to help lift off crud. I tried one of those chain mail things, but found that it was wearing away the seasoning so stopped using it. Cast iron is tough and hard to hurt, and usually it is cheap, so not the end of the world if you screw up.
posted by Dip Flash at 6:18 AM on September 24, 2017 [1 favorite]
Seconding Serious Eats site. Enter search term "cast iron" and it returns recipes and maintenance/usage tips.
posted by Jazz Hands at 7:18 AM on September 24, 2017
posted by Jazz Hands at 7:18 AM on September 24, 2017
Flaxseed oil is not necessary (and can be prone to flaking off, iirc). I used this Serious Eats method with plain vegetable oil. I wash with soap if needed and dry the pan over a burner for a few minutes to make sure all the water is gone. No fuss, no muss, and yes, eggs slide off the pan.
posted by lovecrafty at 8:17 AM on September 24, 2017
posted by lovecrafty at 8:17 AM on September 24, 2017
Cast iron should not be used on a flat glassed top stove.
Anecdotal point: I use cast iron on my glass top stove all the time; my research said to just be careful that cast iron can scratch the glass if you drop/drag it too hard. I haven't had any problem with fire.
posted by AzraelBrown at 8:21 AM on September 24, 2017 [6 favorites]
Anecdotal point: I use cast iron on my glass top stove all the time; my research said to just be careful that cast iron can scratch the glass if you drop/drag it too hard. I haven't had any problem with fire.
posted by AzraelBrown at 8:21 AM on September 24, 2017 [6 favorites]
A ton of good tips here, particularly WRT heating. You should heat the pan before adding oil with anything stovetop, but especially cast iron.
Now that it's seasoned, if you heat at the right temperature for what you're cooking and use the right amount of oil/butter what-have-you you'll never really need to clean it with soap, just pour a little water in while the pan's still hot and scrub it out with a brush.
posted by aspersioncast at 8:46 AM on September 24, 2017 [1 favorite]
Now that it's seasoned, if you heat at the right temperature for what you're cooking and use the right amount of oil/butter what-have-you you'll never really need to clean it with soap, just pour a little water in while the pan's still hot and scrub it out with a brush.
posted by aspersioncast at 8:46 AM on September 24, 2017 [1 favorite]
Most newer pots have a rough finish, it smooths down fine with use + seasoning. I don’t like it either but I have some that started that way and they’re smooth now.
posted by jeweled accumulation at 10:58 AM on September 24, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by jeweled accumulation at 10:58 AM on September 24, 2017 [1 favorite]
It retains heat. Caramelize a batch of onions on the lowest the burner will go, stir every time you think about it. Having caramelized onions in the fridge means you can make great hamburgers really fast & easy. and many other foods. That's if you didn't stand at the stove and eat all the golden brown onions.
Make a nice chicken or beef stew on the stove top, cover with puff pastry (freezer section, life's short) and finish in the oven for chicken/beef pot pie*.
It's theoretically not the greatest for stir fry*, but I make stir fry a lot, on high, and it works well.
I have had my Mom's big cast iron frying pan for close to 40 years. It's a workhorse and my favorite kitchen tool. It can be treated like a grill - get it hot, add a little oil, grill some fish without worrying about the fish crumbling in the grate. It's got the smooth finish, so I can fry eggs. I use it for pretty much everything.
Ok, we will all tell you how to treat it. My only rules are - minimal dish soap, it never sits in the sink with water, and I don't add cold water to it when it's quite hot. It's thin and could crack. Cast iron is slightly porous; if you make curry today, tomorrow's egg may have a turmeric tinge. This doesn't faze me. If it loses its seasoning, I restore it by making bacon. You could fry something else wit lots of fat, but then you wouldn't have tasty, tasty bacon. Just use it.
*chicken pot pie - leftover meat from a rotisserie chicken, stock from the carcass, carrots, potatoes, onions and other veg. cooked in the stock, a little white wine, some thyme or preferred herbs. Don't thicken it, but do cook it down so the broth covers everything but not a lot more. bake 350 until the pastry is cooked.
*stir fry - chop way more veg [any kind of cabbage, brocolli, cauliflower, onions, peppers, peas, pea pods, green beans, yellow summer squash is awesome, mushrooms] than you can imagine will fit in your larget pan. chop more. Thinly slice some chicken, beef, pork.
Sauce - soy sauce, splash of vinegar(rice wine vinegar is nice), splash of sherry,
In a hot pan, with your preferred, garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes, 2 tsp corn starch, some toasted sesame oil.
Hot pan, oil, saute meat until browned, remove, saute veg, removing cooked veg. as pan gets crowded. When it's all cooked, add back to hot pan, add sauce, toss, done. Top with bean sprouts, scallions, cilantro, whatever you like.
posted by theora55 at 11:09 AM on September 24, 2017 [3 favorites]
Make a nice chicken or beef stew on the stove top, cover with puff pastry (freezer section, life's short) and finish in the oven for chicken/beef pot pie*.
It's theoretically not the greatest for stir fry*, but I make stir fry a lot, on high, and it works well.
I have had my Mom's big cast iron frying pan for close to 40 years. It's a workhorse and my favorite kitchen tool. It can be treated like a grill - get it hot, add a little oil, grill some fish without worrying about the fish crumbling in the grate. It's got the smooth finish, so I can fry eggs. I use it for pretty much everything.
Ok, we will all tell you how to treat it. My only rules are - minimal dish soap, it never sits in the sink with water, and I don't add cold water to it when it's quite hot. It's thin and could crack. Cast iron is slightly porous; if you make curry today, tomorrow's egg may have a turmeric tinge. This doesn't faze me. If it loses its seasoning, I restore it by making bacon. You could fry something else wit lots of fat, but then you wouldn't have tasty, tasty bacon. Just use it.
*chicken pot pie - leftover meat from a rotisserie chicken, stock from the carcass, carrots, potatoes, onions and other veg. cooked in the stock, a little white wine, some thyme or preferred herbs. Don't thicken it, but do cook it down so the broth covers everything but not a lot more. bake 350 until the pastry is cooked.
*stir fry - chop way more veg [any kind of cabbage, brocolli, cauliflower, onions, peppers, peas, pea pods, green beans, yellow summer squash is awesome, mushrooms] than you can imagine will fit in your larget pan. chop more. Thinly slice some chicken, beef, pork.
Sauce - soy sauce, splash of vinegar(rice wine vinegar is nice), splash of sherry,
In a hot pan, with your preferred, garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes, 2 tsp corn starch, some toasted sesame oil.
Hot pan, oil, saute meat until browned, remove, saute veg, removing cooked veg. as pan gets crowded. When it's all cooked, add back to hot pan, add sauce, toss, done. Top with bean sprouts, scallions, cilantro, whatever you like.
posted by theora55 at 11:09 AM on September 24, 2017 [3 favorites]
I've never put a favorite on a thread before. I'll be going back to this one from time to time.
I started cooking this year with my 8-inch Lodge skillets (two are nice for two T-bone steaks and two people) and my 2-quart serving pot (lid works on the skillets, too). So far, no nonstick surface. That's fine, I just add canola oil and fry up those delicious eggs. It'll happen with time, no hurry.
I wipe out the grease and oil after things cool down, and give it a re-wipe before cooking again. The cast iron lives on my stove top. Some other pieces are in the broiler section (which I don't use).
I have a couple of Oneida metal spatulas that get rotated. I don't use the cooking spoons as much. I do keep oven mitts on hand. I have metal trivets, but usually just move things around to cooler areas on the stove top.
Once things are frying well, I turn down the heat. Sometimes I turn the heat off and let things finish cooking on their own. Seems to work just fine.
Going from the stove top to the oven is a game changer. Bake the veggies -- or fry them up. Sear the meat, then give it a slow bake in the oven. Nice.
I have nonstick or stainless steel pots for boiling eggs or pasta or other liquid-based cooking.
I haven't seen it yet, but -- the way to kill cast iron is by putting a hot item in cold water, or a cold item in or on a hot surface, which cracks the metal. So I've been told. Otherwise, it's a heritage item for the next generation.
posted by TrishaU at 4:16 PM on September 24, 2017
I started cooking this year with my 8-inch Lodge skillets (two are nice for two T-bone steaks and two people) and my 2-quart serving pot (lid works on the skillets, too). So far, no nonstick surface. That's fine, I just add canola oil and fry up those delicious eggs. It'll happen with time, no hurry.
I wipe out the grease and oil after things cool down, and give it a re-wipe before cooking again. The cast iron lives on my stove top. Some other pieces are in the broiler section (which I don't use).
I have a couple of Oneida metal spatulas that get rotated. I don't use the cooking spoons as much. I do keep oven mitts on hand. I have metal trivets, but usually just move things around to cooler areas on the stove top.
Once things are frying well, I turn down the heat. Sometimes I turn the heat off and let things finish cooking on their own. Seems to work just fine.
Going from the stove top to the oven is a game changer. Bake the veggies -- or fry them up. Sear the meat, then give it a slow bake in the oven. Nice.
I have nonstick or stainless steel pots for boiling eggs or pasta or other liquid-based cooking.
I haven't seen it yet, but -- the way to kill cast iron is by putting a hot item in cold water, or a cold item in or on a hot surface, which cracks the metal. So I've been told. Otherwise, it's a heritage item for the next generation.
posted by TrishaU at 4:16 PM on September 24, 2017
One more thing -- a piece of foil is fine to hold in the splatters, but I splurged and got a splatter screen. Much better, and I can hold it between me and the hot grease when adding / turning items and still see what I am doing.
posted by TrishaU at 4:57 PM on September 24, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by TrishaU at 4:57 PM on September 24, 2017 [1 favorite]
With cast iron especially, food keeps cooking after you remove the heat. Account for that in cooking times.
Quiche and deep dish pizza are amazing in cast iron.
posted by ramenopres at 9:39 PM on September 24, 2017 [1 favorite]
Quiche and deep dish pizza are amazing in cast iron.
posted by ramenopres at 9:39 PM on September 24, 2017 [1 favorite]
After decades of cooking in cast iron, my mother and I learned a trick that is entirely logical, but we'd never thought of it. When baking cornbread in your cast iron skillet (the only way to make cornbread), put the skillet on a hot eye first, add a bit of oil to the pan and let the oil/bacon fat completely melt. Then pour your cornbread mix into the pan, it should sizzle as it hits the oil and bake it as normal. This gives you an amazing crunchy crust to the cornbread.
Also, this cookbook is amazing. The recipes are really good and it takes advantage of the cast iron quite well. Plus it's made by the people who make good cast iron.
And if you want to experience the amazement of cast iron, get one of these and make biscuits on it. It's the most amazing and wonderful thing I've ever owned. It's also a boss for roasted potatoes, Brussel sprouts, nachos, or anything you can think of that you need.
posted by teleri025 at 8:36 AM on September 25, 2017
Also, this cookbook is amazing. The recipes are really good and it takes advantage of the cast iron quite well. Plus it's made by the people who make good cast iron.
And if you want to experience the amazement of cast iron, get one of these and make biscuits on it. It's the most amazing and wonderful thing I've ever owned. It's also a boss for roasted potatoes, Brussel sprouts, nachos, or anything you can think of that you need.
posted by teleri025 at 8:36 AM on September 25, 2017
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Cast iron holds its heat really well and can handle an oven, so searing meat on the stovetop and then putting in a lower-heat oven directly from there works well.
posted by curious nu at 8:51 PM on September 23, 2017 [4 favorites]