How To Use A Cast Iron Skillet?

In this age of nonstick pans, it's easy to forget about our old friend the cast iron skillet. For perfectly grilled steaks and vegetables or adding charcoal to burritos, these pans are worth the investment. Read on to learn how to season a pan, how to use it, and how to care for or refinish an old one so it can last another 50 years. With this insight and expertise, you'll also learn to appreciate the wonders of cooking in a cast iron pan.

Cooking

Cast iron is considered the "difficult pan" in the kitchen, but in reality, it couldn't be simpler. There are only a few rules to cast iron, and once you understand them, you'll understand why those who cook in cast iron love them.

Heat: Heat the pan properly before using it. This means putting it on medium-low heat when you start preparing it and letting it heat up while you chop onions and put your stuff together. It's important to rotate the pan every few minutes to make sure the whole thing is heated, and when you actually start cooking, the entire cooking surface will be evenly heated, which will hold for a long time and transfer the heat well. If you try to cook in a cold pan, you are likely to have food that sticks, as the heat also helps to close the microscopic holes in the surface and prevents food from sticking.

Oil your food: Whereas with other pans, such as stainless steel or nonstick, you would spray the bottom of the pan with a little oil before cooking, with cast iron (especially pan cast iron), you would be much better off brushing oil on meat or vegetables before cooking. This helps prevent oil from spilling into the grooves on the pan that make cleaning so painful. When you add food to the pan, use tongs and a firm grip to set it down and lift it a few times to create the initial sear, then pop it out and away.

If you are grilling a steak, don't turn it often. Let it cook on one side until the full cooking time, then flip it. This will caramelize the sugar in the meat, searing it and preventing it from sticking. If you lift it too fast, you will disrupt the searing process, causing the steak to slacken and stick to the pan.

Nonstick Cast Iron Skillet

Common Mistakes Everyone Makes When Cleaning Cast Iron Pans

Dishwashers, soaking, shortcuts ...... No matter what you do to other dirty pans, just don't make the same mistakes to clean your cast iron pans.

The first common mistake? Letting your cast iron pan soak in water. Soaking may be the preferred method for removing food that sticks to other pots and pans, but it's a poor choice for cast iron pans. The surface of cast iron can absorb the water sitting on it, which can then rust. For the same reason, avoid using the dishwasher. Instead, this better method is recommended for removing burnt-on debris from cast iron pans. Boil a little water in the pan until the food debris can be easily scraped off.

Another mistake with cast iron pans is washing them with soap - the trick to easily cleaning cast iron without soap is simple: sprinkle coarse salt on a damp surface and scrub with a stiff brush or cloth. The salt will scrape off the food residue without affecting the seasoned surface.