Believe it or not, about a month ago I bought my first ever cast iron skillet! I don’t really know what I was waiting for…except that I just didn’t know all the great reasons to own one!
The thing that finally motivated me to actually purchase one was my sisters’ Blueberry Pancakes! The last two times I have visited her in Wyoming, she made the most delicious Blueberry Pancakes for breakfast, and although I realize meals always taste better when someone ELSE makes them, I happen to believe the main reason they tasted SO good was the fact they were cooked in a cast iron skillet!
So the first thing I did when I got home was run out and buy one and make myself (OK, I shared with my family too) a Blueberry Pancakes breakfast! Mmmm…mmmm…mmmm! These are definitely my new favorite breakfast for weekends and special occasions.
The “recipe” couldn’t be easier! Take your favorite “just add water” pancake mix (you could easily substitute a gluten-free mix), replace 1/2 the recommended water in the directions with buttermilk, mix, pour into cast iron skillet, add fresh (or frozen) blueberries, when bubbles begin to form and break and the edges of the pancake start to dry out a little, flip the pancakes and cook until desired doneness.
Serve with real maple syrup. Trust me on this one….it’s worth the extra cost!
Since I had become so smitten with my cast iron skillet after preparing just ONE dish in it…I decided to do some research on what else would be good to cook in my new favorite pan. In the process I learned a LOT about the benefits of this amazing piece of cookware that I wanted to share with you:
1. Replacing a non-stick skillet with a cast iron one allows you to avoid the toxic fumes that accompany most non-stick cookware.
2. You can use a cast iron skillet in the oven, at any temperature. It can take the heat! Most cookware comes with heat warnings. Even most stainless steel cookware isn’t supposed to go over 450/500 degrees in an oven. Cast iron? comes in handy for making corn bread, frittatas, and flat bread.
3. It is nonstick. Surprisingly, a preheated cast iron skillet rivals the qualities of non-stick cookware, as long as it is properly seasoned and cared for. Learn more about seasoning cast iron HERE.
EXCELLENT article on Reconditioning & Re-Seasoning Cast Iron Cookware here.
4. Cast iron is easy to clean up. Not only does food easily lift off from cast iron cookware, soap is not needed or recommended, since it erodes the seasoning. The soap will break up the tiny oil molecules that are embedded on the pan that help make it nonstick. If you need to scrub your cast iron pan, use salt!
5. You can actually boost your iron intake from eating food cooked in cast iron cookware. This vital mineral is crucial for maintaining energy levels, and it helps strengthen immune systems.
6. It is inexpensive. Cooks looking to replace non-stick cookware often investigate stainless steel. However, a high-end, 12-inch stainless skillet runs well over $100. I got my pre-seasoned Lodge skillet at Walmart for $15.00! Or here’s a good option on Amazon.com for a 15 inch skillet.
7. Food browns beautifully. Using a cast iron skillet you can create restaurant-quality, homemade fish sticks, potato pancakes and French toast, complete with golden brown, crispy exteriors. Contrast this with non-stick cookware, which makes browning nearly impossible. Its’ mass lets it hold a steady temperature so well that it is perfect for deep- or shallow-frying.
8. Heat Distribution. People spends thousands on pots that evenly distribute heat. A cook’s nightmare is a pan with a really bad hot spot on it so half of your food is burned and the other half raw. Cast iron does such an amazing job of evenly distributing heat that you’ll never have this problem.
9. It can be used as a grill. For city folk, having a yard isn’t always an option. But because you can get a cast iron skillet really hot, it can effectively be used as a grill. I tried THIS recipe for cooking steak and it was perfection!
10. In an emergency, cast iron cookware can be used over any heat source. As such, many disaster planning lists include cast iron as the survival cookware of choice.
11. It’s Versatile. You can make hundreds of delicious things in one pan. You can make biscuits and gravy, or french toast. You can brown chicken in it for a salad. You can even fry donuts in it.
12. It has been used for thousands of years. Cast iron was invented in China in the 6th century BC.
13. And last but not least….in a pinch, it can even be used as a weapon. :-)
Although there are many benefits to cast iron cooking, there are also some drawbacks that you should consider before you purchase. Cast iron pans are very heavy; they require maintenance in order to keep them rust-free and non-stick; and care is needed if you have a glass-top stove. But that seems a small price to pay for these wonderful pans! Once you get one and start using it, you will wonder, like I did, why it took you so long to start!
I own 5 cast iron skillets as well as a dutch oven that I use for camping. Couldn’t cook without them :)
This is a great list for why cast-iron skillets are amazing. I just bought mine a week ago and like you, was wondering why I didn’t get one sooner!
I’ve used a cast iron skillet since the beginning of time and wouldn’t use anything else for cornbread or meatloaf (the crusty edge is the BEST part!), but a couple of years ago purchased a Lodge Logic cast iron reversible griddle from Amazon. Best part? More than one pancake at a time! And you get great “grill marks” on steaks & burgers on the reverse side.
I am going to have to look into this one to add to my cast iron cookware!
You forgot to mention the muscles you’ll build lifting the skillet from the cupboard to stove to sink!
so I know this is bad – but I use my cast iron skillets all the time for everything and when I’m done, I use a bit of dish soap, scrub them up, dry them and put them away. They still work as good as ever.
After washing just coat the pan with oil using a folded paper towel and you’re good to go!
My mom cleans her cast iron skillet by pour water in dirty skillet with a bit of dish detergent and heat it
on the top of the oven. After boils, she’ll use washing sponge and clean it up in sink. All the mess will comes off really easy. Then place the skillet back on fire and wipe with oiled paper towel to seal it…
I used to watch mom did that back in the days. Now I am doing the same way. I’ve heard if we take care of our cast iron skillets well, they’ll last looooong yearrrrs.
So glad you found the many uses of cast iron pans! They are the best, and American made! I especially like your Tip #13 this morning, as it gave me a good laugh to start the day!
I don’t use my skillets as much as I should, but the Dutch Oven!!! Makes an amazing pot roast, tenderizes the meat in nothing flat!!
You can usually find a nicely seasoned cast iron skillet for cheap in second hand stores.
Michelle,
I got all of my cast iron at the second hand stores or garage sales. I even got some for free that people were throwing away because they were “gross”. I just threw them in the fire to burn off all of the grossness and reseasoned them! Good as new!
I agree with this whole-heartedly!! I found my cast iron skillet in a second hand store for $4. I plan on getting a couple more to replace a few of my stainless steel ones. I love my skillet.
Yep, nothing tastes as good as food cooked in cast iron. There is one difficulty with it that I’ve chosen to ignore and live with. Cooking with cast iron over a gas flame causes carbon to build on the outside of the pan. It holds grease and it will also flake. If anyone knows how to prevent, cure or clean up a pan, let me know.
Priscilla,
I just replied to Michelle above about some of the pans that I have gotten. Throw it in a nice bon fire and all of the crusties will burn off leaving a nice looking pan. Just reseason and cook away!
Hi Priscilla!
I wanted to tell you that I knew a way to prevent a pan from rusting…
You take a paper towel, put some olive oil on it and rub it all around the inside of the pan.
Actually, you’re supposed to do this after each usage or it will rust even thought you’ve dried the pan after cleaning it.
Happy iron pan cooking!
-Rose
I have used Cast iron for years, got my first one as a wedding gift. learned recently if you plan to store them use extra virgin coconut oil, it will last for a couple years with out going rancid. I have never used anything but olive oil and salt to clean mine.
I use my cast iron on a gas stove. On any pan, if grease drips down the side and is not cleaned up, it will build up. On stainless or ceramic you can see it readily, on cast iron, not so well. If you need to, come join us on yahoo groups: castiron cookware, — ask a question and we will answer. Usually there are several ways to clean a pan of rust or grease, you get to choose your method. There is a web site Cooking in Cast Iron that is pretty good as are several others that are listed in our links section.
This method takes it down to bare metal. Then you have to re-season it, yes, I even season the outside of a pan at least twice as it keeps it from rusting. I take all normal precautions listed on the can, I use the cold/warm Lye-based spray oven cleaner. Only use the Lye-based one. Perfectly OK to use this. Put pan in garbage bag outside or in garage, carefully put pan in there, cardboard underneath for a bit of cushion, taking the precautions then spray pan with oven cleaner, close bag and leave all day or 24 hours. Using gloves, remove and rinse to see how much comes off, if needed dry off and repeat process. I then use a steel wool or heavy duty 3M green scrubby to clean off, wash well with dish soap, rinse well. Immediately dry, heating in the oven helps this next part, then Re-season the pan with light coats at least 3 times, cooling in between, heating in the oven at 400 -425 degrees for an hour each time. (I put the pan in upside down.) That high heat hardens the grease. Thin coats are necessary so it won’t flake off later. After this bit of time consuming afternoon of seasoning, normal use is fine, with a few seasons during the year. If you fry in grease a lot, it will build up from use anyway. I normally wash my cast iron with dish soap. After drying, then I lightly heat it a bit and grease the inside and heat it to medium heat on the stove top and let cool. If it is sticky, it is not done correctly. Once my pans are seasoned and no so ‘fresh’ I don’t have to oil it every time. Just wash, dry and heat a little on stove top, cool and put away. It is Not recommended to put oil on and leave it without heating it up as it goes rancid and is not good. Besides, where I live grease ants love that and I have previously found them in my pans having a banquet — before I knew what I know now. Any questions, come to the group and ask away. Delia
I have a whole set of cast iron cookware. I love it. I also have a cast iron griddle that I use for pancakes and tortillas. I couldn’t live without my cast iron! I still say the old ways were the best ways. =) I grew up with cast iron cookware. Oh, and I have a shallow sided skillet that is strictly for cornbread. You just can’t beat it for cooking cornbread in. I just may have to make some cornbread for supper tonight.
Cornbread Casserole
2 packages of Mexican corn bread mix
(Mix according to directions.)
1 can cream style corn
1 pound sausage or ground beef, cooked and drained, and broken into small pieces
Add corn and cooked meat to cornbread batter. Bake according to directions on cornbread package. This is good hot or cold. You will need a big skillet to cook this in. (You can cut this in half if needed. Just use half the amounts called for.)
Deborah! That sounds so good! I have a Mexican Cornbread recipe, but it is much more involved than yours. I want to try yours! Thanks for the recipe! :)
Thanks for sharing Deborah. I am no on a mission to get a whole set as well. :-) Going to keep an eye out at the thrift store.
…a great source for cast iron pans are garage sales and estate sales. Check your local weekend papers’ classified ads.
I inherited one Wagner skillet from my Mother. Since then I have purchased several on E bay to complete my Wagner set. Surprisingly, they were relatively inexpensive even with the shipping!! The beauty of buying them used was they were pre-seasoned. I love my iron skillets!
I love my cast iron skillet! Try roasting a chicken in it. When it’s done, you can make pan sauce right in the pan, if you want.
For me, my 10-inch skillet was the “gateway drug”. I added the 12-inch skillet (the most used pan in my kitchen), a reversible grill/griddle, a dutch oven, a grill pan, and a pizza pan!
It may be that the iron absorbed into the food from cast iron isn’t always beneficial for some people. This article by Dr. Weil spells it out: http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/id/QAA364217
I’ve been border-line anemic for years. I usually can’t even donate blood. Ever since I started using cast iron my iron has been great, as well as my kid’s. I thought the article had a point about certain people with certain conditions needing to watch their iron intake, but there was some bad info in that article as well. Like don’t use veg oil EVER on cast iron. It will go rancid way faster than animal fats. There are some exceptions (flax seed oil, for instance, can take the heat) and despite his point that there are good sources for iron in the listed foods, most people still don’t get nearly enough. Especially women. Or if you don’t eat a lot of processed foods (which are fortified with iron). Also, don’t use a detergent like he says. And deep frying is not bad in moderation. Just don’t use veg oil. Most are rancid oils by the time they get to the store shelves.
I was in line at the store to buy one and the cashier told me NOT to use it on a glass top stove due to scratching and possibly breaking the glass due to the weight and temperature. Anyone know anything about this? I don’t care about a few scratches, but shattering glass kinda makes me nervous. Worth the risk? Is there really a risk?
Sarah- I pulled this off the Lodge Cast Iron Site for you.
Can Lodge products be used with a variety of heat sources?
Lodge products may be used on various heat sources including gas, electric, induction and ceramic/glass top stoves and ovens. Seasoned cast iron can also be used on the grill or for camp cooking. Do not to drop cookware on the stovetop or slide across the surface. Begin heating cookware on low and slowly bring heat up to medium or medium/high. Always remove cookware from the stovetop after cooking. We recommend that you refer to your stove/range manufacturer’s owner manual for more information regarding ceramic/glass top stovetop requirements.
Sarah,
I had a glass top stove (Maytag) in my house and used my cast iron with no problems. It didn’t seem to scratch the top and I never broke the top. I used my griddle, skillets (10 and 12 inch) and my bean pot on the stove to cook. I actually was never told that it would break the glass, so I never even considered that when cooking with my cast iron. My other cookware is Royal Prestige (yes, they got me just before I got married! Sue me folks! But after 32 years it really DOES still look like when I bought it!) and it is also rather heavy but never had a problem with it either.
The instruction manual that came with my glass top said to never use cast iron on stove top. I’m not taking any chances.
I have glass top and as long as you pay attention you should be fine. I have never had any problems. The only thing I would suggest is make sure you do a prewipe, i.e. use a towel or hand to make sure there is nothing on the burner, dust, sugar, dirt.
Sarah, I sell appliances. I am a kitchen Designer and we were taught that the only cast iron you can you on a glass top is an enamel coated bottom one. this prevents the scratching. you should be fine with a small one but Do not use a great big heavy duch oven on your glass top. If you do decide to use a standard cast iron don”t move it set it down cook, lift up. Its the textures that scratch. The heavy weight is the same reason you should not can food on a glass top they can’t handle the weight. Hope that helps!
My mom always made pineapple upside down cake in one and it is hands down, the absolute best.
My family does too!
Ditto! My brother’s fav cake for his birthday!
LOVE use #13!!! Haha! My favorite part of Tangled ;)
That was just such a darn cute movie! :-)
Heat your maple syrup before putting it on your pancakes makes them even better!!
I wouldn’t make corn bread in anything else. Here is the old cornbread recipe from the back of the Aunt Jemimah yellow corn meal package (the new version just doesn’t cut it for a Southerner). http://anamericanhomemaker.blogspot.com/search?q=corn+bread
I forgot about making pineapple upside down cake in an iron skillet – so good! And it can’t be beat for fried chicken.
Thanks Karina! I have actually been searching for this!
You forgot that they last forever with proper maintenance. im using my grandmothers which she had since she was my age. I love em!
I never really thought about it till now, but its what youre supposed to make tortillas on. I dont think youd be able to bring any other type of skillet to that high of heat required to make them.
I have three different sizes and LOVE cooking with them! Use them daily!
When hurricane Ivan hit I didn’t have electricity for four days I cooked outside on the grill using my cast iron. I can’t wait to see what Isaac has in store for us. I have cast iron, food, ice, briquets & starter. We’re good to go here!
Good luck Karina!!!
This all brings back memories of being at my grandmother’s house and opening the door to the basement. To the left were hooks with all of her cast iron skillets hanging, ready to be used again! Why didn’t I ask for those????
When we sold our house and decided to live in a 5th wheel and travel the country for a while, I made sure to include my cast iron skillets even though weight and space are always considerations! I have cooked cakes in my dutch oven, biscuits and all kinds of goodies over open campfires and even on my gas grill! You just can’t go wrong with them! And they look good hanging from a pot rack (when we decide to leave the road eventually) or hanging on a wall…
My iron skillet is over 28 years old and it is still my favorite piece of cook wear. They didn’t come preseasoned back then. My dad and I would hang out together every Thursday afternoon and he’d buy me something a new bride would need. I knew a cast iron skillet was what I wanted but I discovered they only had them in gray. When I reported this to my Daddy he just laughed at me and told me I would have to season it to turn it black. I bet he thought my future husband was in big trouble in the eating department. I was married a few weeks later and had that skillet seasoned in no time. Its pretty well seasoned now but when I see my mom’s cast iron skillet (54 years old) I have skillet envy because the more they are used the better they get. Hers is beautiful and I imagine that someday it will be the one thing we have a problem deciding who inherits it.
Wow…lots of great comments and suggestions! I’m obviously a cast iron newb….I have a lot to learn. :-) Thanks everyone!
Hi Jillee…look into Lodge’s biscuit pan also. Use your favorite buttermilk baking mix and just drop into the wells and bake. Yummy buttermilk biscuits! You will love Lodge products.
Karina gave an excellent recipe for cornbread…I have used this for years with one exception…bacon grease instead of butter. It ups the flavor and makes the most delicious crust! It’s one of the very few things that I still use bacon grease for. In the South it used to be the seasonong of choice for almost everything! Now I limit it to just a few dishes that are just not the same without it.
Hi Linda. I’m glad to find SOMEONE who actually still uses bacon grease. Although, you’re still a little more conservative about it, than I. LOL. I still use it ALL THE TIME. The way I see it is this…..people have been cooking with rendered bacon fat (or meat fats) for centuries and society still exists. I figure I’m going to die of something someday and it might just as well be something as delish as bacon fat. Cook on!
Love my cast iron! Lodge cast iron has outlet centers I love going to them they run seconds on sale I had never bought the 2nd before and and ask this lady who was buying them about it and she told me as long as the chalk mark was on the back to buy them because it just had a blimsh on the back and would cook great. I only know of 2 Lodge cast iron outlet around me there one on the Alabama/ Tn line and one in Pigeon Forge Tn ( The Great Smokie Mountains).
Lodge is headquartered in South Pittsburgh, TN not far from Chattanooga heading southwest towards Alabama. Go to lodgemfg.com, click on “about” and you’ll find info for the annual Cornbread Festival held every spring. It’s a must if you’re in the area. Branch out from skillets and get a Dutch oven or two. I have made everything from cornbread to cassoulet, coq-au-vin to vindaloo using cast iron. The higher-costing LeCreuset is enameled cast iron, but Lodge has that too, for less!
I have a grill pan and love to use it when I can’t grill. I also use my largest pan for fried chicken. the best I have ever had. I want a bigger pan though, just waiting for tax time.
I found a wonderful tutorial not too long ago (thru Pinterest) for how to recondition/reseason old cast iron pieces – she often picks up old pieces at yard sales for $5 or less, pieces that people got rid of b/c they assumed they were beyond using anymore.
If you read through the comments, the topic of using on glass stovetops is addressed – basically, the newer cast iron pieces probably should not be, but the older ones that do not have a heat ring on the bottom are okay. She also talks about maintaining your pieces and what/what not to look for when thrift-store shopping for cast iron.
Here is the link: http://www.ibelieveicanfry.com/2010/12/reconditioning-re-seasoning-cast-iron.html
Wait, let me amend that. It was the older/antique pieces that had the heat ring b/c they were designed to be used on wood-burning stoves. So it’s actually newer pieces that don’t have the heat ring on the bottom, which is what you want if using on a glass cooktop. Also, just be careful to lift the pan to move it around rather than sliding it.
My cast iron skillets are the best for fried eggs and fried potatoes. They cook quickly and have crispy edges. I have a cooktop and use my cast iron all the time. I have various sizes. My mother would cook on the cast iron wood stove at our camp. The eggs and potatoes were so delicious.
Hey Jill! I’ve been reading your posts daily for awhile now (after finding one of them on Pinterest), and I file about 90% of them for future reference. When I saw this one I got really excited because I, too, am a huge fan of the cast iron skillet. I gave up my non-stick cookware sometime in the past year or two for safety/health reasons, and I’ve found that cast iron is an ideal replacement. Even though it’s heavy, I’d rather have something that’s not easy to tip over on the stove. I’m really glad I read this post because I was using dish soap to clean the messiest meals and now I’ll avoid it and use salt instead.
Thanks for all the great info!
*nods* the main thing you want to be careful with is tomato in your cast iron, because the acidity may affect your seasoning if it’s a newer pan. If you do use tomatoes in your cast iron just make sure to wipe them out right away.
I wasn’t sure about the salt the first time I heard about it, either, but it really does work. I buy the bags or boxes of plain salt since I’m severely allergic to iodine, so it makes it really easy to just dump some in the pan and scrub it with a dish rag, or an old newspaper if it’s really greasy and I’m going to be tossing that in the trash. I only ever had one pan that I had to scrub, then rinse with really hot water, then scrub again. Can’t say that for my steel pans. =)
I love my cast iron skillets and dutch ovens. I owned them for years. I never use dish soap on them and they are wonderful. We have a big family reuinion campout every year and we always have great dutch oven meals. Our favorite right now is sticky buns in the dutch oven, but we’ve done pizza, enchaladas and of course chicken and potatoes. Thanks for the post about pancakes. Love your website and the things you post.
Ooooo…..sticky buns!! thanks Sharleen. :)
I LOVE LOVE LOVE my cast iron pans. In fact that is all that I own and use. I have six in my house, all different sizes plus all our dutch ovens for fun outdoor cooking. One thing I always do is after I wash them, dry it well with a paper towel and then spray a little pam on it. This keeps is from rusting and it will be all ready next time you use it.
yepyep. If you’re moving away from the non stick sprays for one reason or another, a quick wipe with your cooking oil has the same effect.
I love all my cast iron skillets too. They are the only thing to use to make peanut brittle. I, too, always use cast iron to make pineapple upside cakes, cornbread, fry steak or chicken and then make gravy in the grease that is left over…if there is too much just pour out as much as necessary. I enjoy your posts every day, so much. Don’t know where you find all your ideas but I sure am glad that you do.
I inherited my mom’s cast iron skillets (including her coveted cornbread skillet). They were used when she got them and they’re still in GREAT condition! I’ll probably be passing them on to my girls when time comes.
I inherited 2 of my great-grandmother’s cast iron skillets and if my house was burning down, they’d be in the top ten list of things I’d try to grab! The smaller one I use almost exclusively for cornbread (had a lot of fun formulating the perfect recipe that fit the dimensions of the skillet) and the big one for practically everything else. One thing I love using the big one for is in place of a comal for cooking homemade tortillas :)
Cast iron is so versatile and as you can see it lasts for generations if you take care of it – mine are probably over 100 years old! I always clean mine with hot water and paper towels, adding kosher salt if it needs scouring. Then I heat on the stovetop so that it’s BONE DRY, let it cool, then store.
You can move the cast iron off your top ten list. They may be the only things that survive the fire.
P.S. I second Linda above – bacon grease all the way for cornbread! I also use it for cooking greens. I sound so Southern in this post :)
I live in a condo and we’re not allowed to have a grill of any kind, which really sucks because my boyfriend really likes steak. So I “borrowed” one of my mother’s cast iron skillets and made the best steaks with them. I sear them for a few minutes on each side and pop the skillet in a 350 degree oven for 8 minutes- perfect medium steak!
However, I have never been able to successfully cook pancakes in them. The out side edges of the pancake would burn and the middle would stick and never cook properly. I’m able to cook pancakes great on other skillets, but not my cast iron. I don’t know if its because the temperature is too hot or what, but its very bizarre.
The best pineapple upside down cake is cooked in cast iron as is cornbread and cinnamon rolls. You can use it for pretty much baking anything. I don’t think I’m going to give my mother’s skillet back though.
it may be because cast iron takes longer to fully heat than lighter weight pans do. If you’re only letting it heat as long as you would a stainless pan it may either not be getting warm enough through so food is sticking on the colder spots, or it may be getting warmed on too high heat. I usually put my cast iron on just under medium when I start measuring and mixing the batter, and then test the pan by dropping some butter in to melt before I put the pancake batter in. If it melts fairly quickly but doesn’t brown *right away* I start cooking. If it sizzles and browns right away it’s too hot for pancakes and will cook the surface before the middle gets done.
clarification – “sticking on the colder spots” – my electric stove heats my cast iron from the outer edge into the middle, where the center of the burner is there isn’t any *direct* heat so I have to wait a few minutes for heat to travel all the way through the pan. Once you give it time to warm it maintains its heat marvelously!
Ha ha ha I am so glad that you mentioned the weapon thing. From the #1 reason to use cast iron I had a vision in my head of tangled. LOL
If you buy them at yardsales and are leery of the seasoning, the easiest way to start over is to put them in your oven and turn on the self-clean cycle. You will be amazed at the result, with no effort. Then you can reseason on your own.
One word of caution – if the pan is cracked at all, do not put it on self-clean cycle; it could break.
I LOVE CAST-IRON SKILLETS !
Ah Jill what took you so long? I have a set of six cast iron skillets, various sizes, a dutch oven, and a chicken pan, all over 100 years old. They were my great grandmother’s then my grandmother’s and now mine. I’ve parted with 2 for one of my sons who will actually cook and even he loved them so much that he started buying his own. I wish mine could talk just so they could tell me about the meals that they have served our family over the generations. Plus, I want my great grandma’s biscuit recipe.
P.S. Always dry them on the stove top after washing, never let them air dry it will ruin the finish. If you do burn something in them and have to scrub them and reseason them, just dry them on the stove top, then wipe with a good shortening and place in a 350 oven for about 15 to 20 minutes, or bring them up to smoking temp on the stove top to reseal them. I know most people don’t like to use shortening but other than real lard, it is the best thing for seasoning iron skillets or any iron cookware.
Growing up it was all my mother used. I received two as wedding presents in 1974. I still have them and continue to be my cooking utensil of choice. You have to try cornbread. You cook it on top of the stove, like a slow fry, then flp it over and bake . Perfect. it takes some practice but always worth it.
Have several skillets (various sizes) 2 dutch ovens and a 2 burner griddle! I love them all and would never cook without them. Ive found the best oils to use are bacon grease (just a smidge) and lard (just a bit) ive found for some reason crisco makes it kind of sticky and I never use Pam it also makes it sticky. Ive never thought of using them on the grill but now I’m going to have to try it!
I agree with all readers above!
One thing though: do not use red wine when you cook a casserole in cast iron!
It tastes allright, but the LOOK is terrible! The red wine makes the casserole grayish, it is not at all attractive! White wine i s okey.
Want to add a delicious flavor to your pancakes… Use coconut oil in the pan. They are amazingly delicious!!!
I guess it’s my country roots, or living in the South, but it just AMAZES me that so many people didn’t know the virtues of cooking with cast iron! Simply blows me away and makes me wonder what other people use in their kitchens. Ninety-five percent of my skillets are cast iron and I even have a few cast iron sauce pans. My cast iron dutch oven makes such a beautiful pot roast w/ veggies that I can’t imagine making it any other way! I’m so glad others are finding out the wonderful world of cooking with cast iron.
Here in south Louisiana everyone has black iron pots! You can get a good gravy with out one!
Now I had never seen one but my grandma gave me one she never used but I’m not sure what to use it for. My mom had a smooth bottom one but I have one that has a very small circle pattern (don’t know how to describe it but it has a clear texture to it that is part of the pan). What can I cook in it and why is it not smooth? Anyone know the answer?
Hello Jillee! Another WONDERFUL blog post………..I just love coming here every day. Thanks for all your hard work. I featured your post over on my infant blog and I have no idea what a link back is but I THINK I linked back to you. I don’t post very often but you inspired me today. Here’s the post: http://trixiejo302.blogspot.com/2012/09/our-familys-traditional-nothings-better.html
Have a great day!