There are many advantages to using a cast iron skillet. For one thing, the pans themselves are very robust and they can list virtually forever if you take care of them—they may even improve with age. They also keep the heat very well and can be used in two-part recipes where a food starts on the stove and moves to the oven. Despite all these upsides, many home chefs are intimidated by using and caring for a cast iron skillet. Fortunately, we have a complete guide for you that moves through preparation, cooking and cleaning.
With that in mind, here’s your complete guide to cooking with a cast iron skillet.
Seasoning:
When prepared right, cast iron skillets will provide a lot of heat and a non-stick surface—but over time, even the best cared-for pans will rust a little and lose these qualities. The process of getting a cast iron skillet ready to cook with, whether it’s new or old, is called “seasoning” it. Follow these steps to season your skillet:
1. First, get some steel wool and a little bit of dish soap and scrub down the inside of your skillet. Because cast iron skillets are all one piece, be sure to scrub the entire thing all the way around—including the outside. This step should take off all the rust and grime.
2. After that’s done, rinse the pan under hot water and give it one more pass with a non-abrasive scouring pan or the rough part of a sponge. Remember: water will rust your pan, so use a towel to get it as dry as possible. Finally, put your clean skillet on the stove and heat it up to get every last drop of water out so the pan is bone dry.
3. Now that it’s ready, we can season our skillet! Take an oil—ideally flaxseed oil or canola oil—and pour a little bit into the pan. Using a paper towel, rub the oil all around and in the pan. Because the iron has pores, it will actually soak this oil up. After you’ve rubbed all the oil in, go back again and wipe off all the excess oil.
4. Finally, throw your cast iron skillet in the oven and set it as high as it can go! It’s important to cook the skillet at a very high temperature for about an hour, ideally to take the oil past its smoke point. This way, the oil will bond with the pan and the pan will come out sleek and smooth. If it’s still sticky, it needs to be cooked longer.
Cooking:
As we said, cooking with a cast iron skillet can open the door to all kinds of great recipes. Still, there are a few pointers to keep in mind.
1. Because the pan doesn’t cook evenly but it does keep heat well, be sure to heat your pan up on low or medium heat for five to 10 minutes before starting to cook with it. Hold your hand above the bottom of the pan to make sure its ready to go.
2. If your pan is seasoned but you find your food still sticking, it may be because you’re putting cold food in a cold pan. Be sure that the food isn’t truly ice cold and that your pan is warmed up.
3. When it comes to searing meat (which these skillets do very well), don’t move it around too much! Throw some oil down and let the meat sizzle. If you wait long enough, it will form a crust that will essentially release itself from the pan when it’s good to go.
4. Finally, be careful using very acidic foods like wine, vinegar or heavy tomato sauce in your skillet—these can undo your seasoning and hurt the pan. Still, a little bit of tomatoes in a recipe now and then is ok.
Cleaning:
As with the above, the cleaning process with cast iron is also detail-oriented and can’t be skipped! Still, it’s pretty straightforward. Here are the steps:
1. Ideally, you want to clean your pan pretty soon after using it (but letting it cool enough to touch first). If you wait too long, the food will start to set. Be sure not to throw a hot pan under cold water as well as it might crack!
2. To gently clean the pan and keep the seasoning intact, drop in some salt and scrub it with a scrubber or the rough side of your sponge. Rinse with water, towel it off and then evaporate the water on your stove.
3. Finally, apply another thin layer of oil to your skillet and put it on the heat until it starts to smoke. With that, you’re all set.
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