I never wanted a cast iron skillet, I didn’t ask for a cast iron skillet, but now that I have a cast iron skillet, I’m not sure what we would do without it. My in-laws lovingly gave us two Lodge Cast Iron Skillets, and they are still good as new. Cast iron only gets better with use, a good seasoning and they are your best cooking friend.
Why Cast Iron is Great
What’s the big deal you might be asking? Cast Iron is durable, versatile, and easy to maintain. I enjoy cooking, but I don’t want to spend a fortune on pots and pans. For this reason I love cast iron even more it is affordable and stands the test of time. In fact there is evidence that cast iron was used as early as the fifth century BCE.
How can you argue with a design that has truly stood the test of time. Not only have they been in use for centuries, they can last a century. Furthermore, cast iron pans are part of the fabric of our American story. An exciting find on eBay or at a garage sale is a Wagner or Griswold pan, some of them 60 or more years old. Lucky for all of us that Lodge is still cranking out cast iron pans, and is still in the same Southern town where they were founded. I had no idea how fortunate we were when my in-laws gave us our Lodge pans.
They gifted us a 10-inch and a 8-inch skillet. The first thing we did was season them up and started enjoying delicious meals. Here is what makes a cast iron skillet so great.
Seasoning
Nope I’m not talking about salt and pepper here. Seasoning means putting down and building up thin layers of a protective coating made up of oils or fats. As these layers build up they help protect the pan and it will become fairly non-stick.
You may have heard that seasoning is a lot of work. In fact, this is not the case and today most cast iron pans come already seasoned. In that case you can just start cooking the things you love, steaks, chicken, and corn bread (yum). Another great thing about cast iron the more you use it the better it gets. Cast iron practically begs you to cook with them. Below are the steps to get you on your way to a well-seasoned pan. The same steps are appropriate for a a new pan or for routine maintenance.
Steps to a Well-Seasoned Pan
- Clean your pan. You can scrub gently with warm water and if necessary you can use a little bit of dish detergent
- Dry the pan completely. Place on the stove on low – medium heat to assure it is completely dry. Flip the pan upside down to make sure it is completely dry.
- Carefully rub the entire pan with a paper towel soaked in oil. You may want to use tongs to hold the paper towel as the pan will be warm.
- Place the pan back over the low-medium heat for a few minutes, then flip and leave for a few minutes.
- Alternatively, after rubbing with oil you can place the pan in an oven preheated to 450 degrees (F) for one hour. Put the pan on the middle rack upside down. You may want to place a baking sheet or aluminium foil under the pan to catch any drips.
Heating
Contrary to popular belief, cast iron does not conduct heat well. However, cast iron holds heat really well. As a result, as you add food the pan does not cool and it is excellent for providing a nice crust on
dishes or for searing food. Check out this cornbread recipe. A couple of tricks for even heating are:
- Make sure you use a properly sized burner. An undersized burner can cause hot spots, which may cause your food to cook unevenly or even burn in spots.
- To help even out the heat in your pan preheat the pan on the stove for 10 minutes, rotating it a bit, or you can heat in the oven at 250-300 degrees for 20 minutes.
By heating up your pan before cooking in it, hot spots can be minimized. This is due to the fact that once cast-iron is hot it stays that way.
Tough as Nails (Nails were once made of Iron)
Cast iron pans are tough. There are pans in-use today that were made 100 years ago. You can abuse them, and unless they are cracked or structurally damaged they will keep on going. Therefore I know I can use them at home, and then take them camping without worrying about putting them over a campfire. They are thick and will not warp, other pans just don’t hold up to campfire cooking the same way.
Non-Stick
A properly seasoned pan will be basically non-stick. Seasoning builds up oils on the pan creating a smooth cooking surface. Nevertheless this doesn’t mean that nothing will ever stick, I have yet to meet a pan where that is the case. But food will cook nicely with little to no sticking. Fry an egg in the pan to test this out. Place some butter or oil in the pan and warm it up. Put an egg in and fry the egg. It should cook with little sticking on a properly seasoned pan. If you find it sticking a lot just season a bit more using the oven method 3-4 times.
Easy to Care For
Clean up is simple. First, rinse the pan with warm water. Use a soft brush or gentle scrapper to remove any bits of food that are stuck. If needed use a bit of dish soap to assure the pan is clean. Dry the pan thoroughly, then refer to the seasoning section above for tips. Finally, rub the pan with oil and warm the pan. I find my cast iron pans are easy to clean and care for.
Enjoy your cast iron skillet for years to come.
Lodge Pans
We love our Lodge pans, they are made in the USA and have stuck with their hometown. They are available via Amazon. A few of our favorites:
Lodge 10.25 inch Cast Iron Skillet
Lodge 8 inch Cast Iron Skillet
Lodge Grill/Griddle Pan 20″ x 10.44″
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