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Cast Iron Dutch Ovens:

Before anyone ever thought of a crock pot, there was the cast iron Dutch oven. Dutch ovens have been used for hundreds of years. They are unparalleled in holding a good, even temperature and can transition seamlessly from stovetop to oven.

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Cooking with Cast Iron Cookware:

I personally own five old cast iron pots—a 10-inch and a 12-inch cast iron skillet, two large cast iron griddles, and a cast iron Dutch Oven. I love my cast iron pans!

You can use a single cast iron frying pan or cast iron skillet for almost any cooking task. Bake a cake, sear a filet, roast or fry a chicken, fry potatoes, stir-fry vegetables, etc. One skillet is all you need, but because cast iron cooking is a lot of fun and makes the food taste great, you will likely want more than one cast iron pan.

Benefits of Cast-Iron Cookware:

Foods glide out of it, much like with a Teflon pan.

Cast iron goes from stove to oven.

No special utensils are required.

It will not warp, and cleanup is easy.

A well-seasoned cast-iron pan improves with age and can last a lifetime.

A well-seasoned cast-iron skillet's distinguishing feature is its glassy, nonstick surface created by layers of polymerized oil.

Professional chefs consider cast iron cookware precision cooking tools, enabling exact control of cooking temperatures. These reliable pans offer even cooking temperature without hot spots. They can be used on the stovetop or in the oven. All our grandmothers had cast iron skillets and griddles. In fact, your grandmother swore by it, and the pioneers depended on it.

If you do not own a cast iron skillet, it is well worth the investment. You can find them for sale on the internet, at cook stores, thrift stores, flea markets, or yard sales. If the pan is rusty or encrusted with grease, buy it anyway. Don't worry! I'll tell you how to restore it so you can enjoy it for a lifetime of cooking. You'll be able to pass the pan on to your children and grandchildren.

Caring for Cast Iron Pans and Skillets

The most common mistake people make with cast iron is improper seasoning, which causes food to stick. Cast iron is naturally non-stick when seasoned correctly.

Always preheat your cast iron frying pans before frying in them. Water droplets should sizzle, then roll and hop around the pan when dropped onto the heated surface. If the water disappears immediately, the pan is too hot. If water only rests and bubbles, it is not quite hot enough. NOTE: Do not pour large amounts of cold liquid into your hot cast iron pan as this can cause the cast iron to crack. Never forget your potholders! Cast iron pan handles get extremely hot when cooking!

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The trick to maintaining cast iron cookware is known as seasoning or curing. If your pan is properly seasoned, your food will not stick, and your iron will not rust. Proper seasoning also makes cleanup easy. Seasoning involves filling the pores in the metal with cooked-in grease, creating a smooth, non-stick surface.

If a portion of the seasoning wears off and food sticks to the surface or there is rust, it should be cleaned and re-seasoned. This is a natural way to create non-stick cookware. Like modern non-stick cookware, cast iron requires special care to avoid scratching the surface.

NOTE: New cast iron cookware has a protective coating that must be removed. American companies use a food-safe wax; imports are covered with a water-soluble shellac. In either case, scrub the item with steel wool, soap, and the hottest tap water you can stand.

How to Season Cast Iron Pans and Skillets:

Definition of Seasoning: Seasoning means to create a slick and glassy coating by baking on multiple thin coats of oil. This protects the cast iron from rusting and provides a non-stick surface.

To season a cast iron pan, rub it with a thin coat of neutral food-grade oil. Rub the oil off with paper towels or a cotton cloth until the pan looks dry, not glistening. Use vegetable oils, shortening, lard, or food-grade coconut oil/butter.

Place the lightly-oiled cast iron pan upside down in the oven, with aluminum foil on the bottom to catch drips. Heat the pan for 30 minutes in a 450-500 degree F oven. Then, turn off the oven and let the pan cool to room temperature. Repeat this process several times to create a stronger seasoning bond. NOTE: Seasoning generates smoke similar to cooking in a dirty oven.

The oil fills the cavities and becomes entrenched, smoothing out the surface. By seasoning a new pan, the cooking surface becomes nonstick, and water cannot create rust. A few frying jobs will help complete the seasoning process, turning the iron into a rich, black color indicative of a well-seasoned skillet.

Never put cold liquids into a hot cast iron pan or oven as they will crack.

Be cautious when using cast iron pans on an electric range as the burners create hot spots that can warp or crack the iron. Preheat the iron slowly and keep the settings to medium or medium-low.

Important:

Unless you use your cast iron pans daily, they should be washed briefly with a little soapy water, rinsed, and thoroughly dried. This prevents the surplus oil from becoming rancid.

Remember: Every time you cook in your cast iron frying pan, you are seasoning it again by filling in the microscopic pores and valleys. The more you cook, the smoother the surface becomes!

Cast Iron Seasoning