If you've ever toyed with the idea of cooking in cast iron, make the leap. Cast iron is inexpensive and produces extra tasty food. You even get a little extra iron in your blood if you cook in cast iron.
One of the local Boy Scout mothers was thrilled to pick up a Dutch Oven and a set of cast iron skillets. She dreamed and talked about cooking with these fabulous hand-me-downs. The last we heard, she was getting information online about her cast iron and was busy learning all about her new cooking toys. A couple of months later, she donated the worse-for-wear pots to the Scout group. Fortunately, the pieces were easily salvaged and are good as new (or old).
Many great cooks grow up using cast iron and can’t imagine not having a jet black skillet sitting on the back burner or a cast iron muffin pan in the cabinet. In fact, it’s not unusual for family members to put in the word early that the cast iron pieces are coveted as remembrances of an older cook when a relative passes and property is divided.
Generation after generation, new cooks turn to cast iron. Some remember a grandmother or elderly aunt using the pots and pans. Others happen across a good cast iron skillet at a secondhand shop. Once converted, most cast iron owners are hooked for life.
There are a number of reasons why cast iron remains popular:
The pieces are inexpensive and virtually indestructible. They just get better with age if handled properly.
Cast iron heats evenly. Dishes are cooked to perfection from edge to edge and in the center.
Cast iron holds the heat. While it takes a little longer to heat a cast iron pan, once hot the pans and pots are very efficient.
Food cooked in cast iron absorbs traces of iron. Anyone with anemia or with a tendency to feel draggy due to lower levels of iron can benefit from cooking in cast iron.
The classic crust on cornbread can’t be duplicated with other pans. Other metals simply don’t “breathe” like cast iron and don’t produce that porous, crispy outside that cast iron makes when used to bake cornmeal based products.
Buying Cast Iron Cookware
Old cast iron is better, because it’s been seasoned and used. Like wine, cast iron gets better and better with age. Look at secondhand shops, Good Will, Salvation Army and at online auction sites for used cast iron.
Old cast iron pans or pots will be dark black with a light sheen. They are considerably heavier than pots of similar size made of other cooking metals. If in doubt, simply ask someone. Most shop owners or clerks will be able to tell you if a pan is cast iron.
If buying new, you’ll find cast iron and enamel coated cast iron. There are benefits to using enamel coated (no seasoning, easier clean up in the beginning). On the other hand, enamel coated cast iron is much more expensive, and it does not cook like old, uncoated cast iron. You don’t get the cast iron flavor when the metal is coated with enamel.
Most buyers start with a skillet (or perhaps a Dutch Oven for camping). A small skillet runs around $10 while a standard Dutch Oven goes for around $30. Prices go up as sizes go up. Large pieces will cost more.
There are less expensive cast iron pieces on the market and usually made in sweatshop countries. Often the iron is not cast evenly, and design flaws are a problem. Be sure to eyeball the piece before buying if possible. Though cast iron may vary slightly in terms of thickness, the overall thickness should be similar. Look at the edges to determine even casting. As far as design, some of the knock-off pieces have handles attached after the initial casting or are cast without legs in the case of Dutch Ovens. It’s really hard to cook over a fire when the Dutch Oven does not have the legs to lift the piece up slightly above the coals.
A brand new cast iron piece will be light gray in color rather than black. If you’re used to seeing old cast iron, the new cast iron will look strange. Just know that the piece will turn black and look like classic cast iron after being used a few months.
Another option today is to buy a cast iron piece pre-seasoned. This is a single seasoning and has a slightly darker color than the unseasoned new cast iron. A base seasoning is nice. It’s still a good idea to do your own seasoning.
Seasoning Cast Iron
If you’ve heard old mountain women talking about seasoning beans, you’ll know they mean to add pig fat. That’s the same idea with seasoning cast iron. Solid fat is rubbed into the metal to produce a stick proof-barrier and to add actual flavor to foods cooked.
Traditionally solid fat was just that—solid pig fat. Many a cast iron pan has been seasoned with fatback or bacon grease. Today, more cooks use vegetable shortening (Crisco etc.). Actually, lots of cooks try to use vegetable oil on cast iron which is a mistake. Oil clogs up the metal pores and also tends to run during the seasoning process. Do not use oil—even good, expensive oil. Stick with solid animal fat or vegetable shortening.
If you have a new cast iron pan, wash it quickly. Most new pans come with a light coating of wax for protection. It’s hardly noticeable; however, that coating will prevent the seasoning from sinking in. Dunk a new pan in water and lightly wipe to remove any factory coatings.
Rub fat or shortening all over the dry cast iron piece (new or old). Do not put it on thick. Coat the surface but lightly. If you put too much shortening on the pan, the extra will drip in the oven and make a mess. This mess cleans up pretty easily, but oven cleaning is still not fun.
Turn the oven to 250 degrees F and put the cast iron in the oven. Let the pots/pans bake for a couple of hours up to four hours. Temperature and time can be varied. The general idea is to slow bake the cast iron for a fairly good length of time.
The pan is seasoned once it’s baked, but a single seasoning is not likely to do the trick. Most pans need to be seasoned a few times in the beginning and then when they begin to stick.
Cooking with a Cast Iron Pan
If possible deep fat cook the first few times after seasoning a cast iron pan. This is a great time to make home cut French fries, chicken, or crab cakes. Cooking with lots of oil to start with helps protect and build the surface.
One thing to avoid initially when cooking with new cast iron is tomatoes. The acid can break down the seasoning.
Once a cast iron pan is broken in, most anything can be cooked and will not stick. A really good finish is just as stick proof as Teflon.
Cleaning Cast Iron
It’s a good idea to clean cast iron soon after a meal is finished. Moisture and acids can ruin the surface (until the pan is reseasoned).
Generally a quick rinse with water and a light swipe with a sponge will clean a cast iron pan. If the food is really sticky, it’s fine to hand wash the pan with dish washing liquid. Just don’t let cast iron sit in the water. Dip, wash and dry. Don’t put cast iron in the dish washer. That’s one sure way to wreck the finish.
Every few times, place the washed cast iron skillet on the stove burner and dry it a little extra. Then, swipe a light coating of oil or Crisco in the pan. This will help preserve the finish.
If storing the cast iron for a while, place a paper towel in the bottom. This will absorb extra moisture. A small piece of cardboard placed between the pan and lid will also help keep the air circulating and keep the piece dry.
If the finish does get messed up on cast iron or if rust begins to appear (usually only on pans not used and put away slightly wet), just reseason the pan. Pour a little Pepsi Cola on any rust spots and rub with Tin Foil. This will remove the rust. After that, just season as if the pan were brand new. It’s not unusual for a cook to reseason cast iron for a variety of reasons.
Yes. You Can Cook with Cast Iron!
Cast iron may sound like more trouble than other types of metals.
This is true only up to a point. The seasoning process is kind of messy. But, an older pan rarely needs to be seasoned. Some may never need a reseasoning.
The time spent seasoning a pan is minimal, and once a pan is well seasoned, it’s practically self cleaning. Food slips right out. So, count the seasoning as time saved later on cleaning.
Once your pan is broken in, you’ll have delicious foods and get that little extra iron as a bonus. Fry up some bacon and then scramble eggs, and you’ll know why so many people rave about cast iron.
External Links:
Texas Cook.com - Information about cast iron cooking plus recipes.
Lodge - An excellent company producing years of cast iron.
Cookbooks - Here are some great cookbooks for using with cast iron.