Anyone cook with cast iron?

**losborne2929** · 08-29-2011, 07:45 PM

i just acquired my cast iron skillets. cured them in th eoven with lard and they turned out good. eggs cook and do not stick. but other foods seem to stick. tonight i made sausage and cabbage in it. stuck some. one night i left the leftovers i the cast iron skillet as i ate and that was a mess. i need to know the basic rules. i was cooking on a gas stove on medium heat.

**Spirit Deer** · 08-29-2011, 09:22 PM

Be sure the cast iron is good and hot before you put the food in. That will help with sticking. I usually add oil while it's heating, and when the oil starts to make designs in the bottom of the pan, it's hot enough. Then add food. I usually use a medium flame on a gas stove, too.

Also, even well-seasoned CI needs some oil, cooking spray, or something, so if you haven't been using anything, it's going to stick.

Feel free to add as many layers of seasoning as you like. The more the better.

If you cook proteins, like bacon, and then add something like eggs without cleaning the pan, it'll most likely be somewhat sticky. That's just the way it is. The sausage you cooked with the cabbage could have been the sticky-making culprit in that dish.

It's easiest to wash cast iron while it's still warm. NEVER add cold water to a hot pan though. Get the water from the tap good and hot before getting it anywhere near the cast iron.

Don't leave any acidic food in cast iron for more than a couple hours. Acidic foods, like spaghetti sauce or chili, can pit the surface.

You can soak CI in warm water for a few minutes and it'll be much easier to clean if something is sticking. I'll 'fess up right here and now and admit sometimes I'm too lazy to clean a pan after supper, so it'll sit overnight. No harm done at all. I don't do that with acidic foods, though.

Welcome to the slippery slope. Soon, you'll have all the symptoms of an affliction called castironitis. Not that I would know anything about that myself.

**Spirit Deer** · 08-29-2011, 09:36 PM

Okay, I just found your first post in this thread.

Originally Posted by losborne2929

can i fry hamburger and then add sour cream etc for a stroganoff?

Absolutely.

tonight i did sausage and cabbage and immediately took it out of the pan but there was food stuck on and i had to scrape it with my spatula pretty good and still not sure it all came out....then i scrubbed it with salt with a paper towel. one other evening i cooked something in it and then sat to eat dinner and by then the food was all stuck on and it was a mess. so i know to get the food out of the pan immediately after cooking but what are some of the other rules to cook with cast iron?

It's not unusual to have to scrape to get all the food out. Don't worry about that. A thin plastic scraper is a good little accessory to have for CI cookware. My husband and I tend to argue over who gets the scrapings, because that crispy crusty stuff we scrape off the bottom of the pan is often the best part!

i don't cook a lot either. will it hurt my pans to sit without being used for periods of time?

Yes and no. CI is most happy when it's heavily used. It may also get rancid if not used a lot. But if that happens, it's easy enough to burn the old seasoning off and re-season. Unlike other non-stick cookware, cast iron's finish is infinitely renewable. And of course its even-heating qualities are legendary. Don't just use it on the stovetop. It's great for baking, too. Try making cornbread in it sometime. You'll never use anything else. It's also great for stuff like deep dish pizza and Bisquick Impossibly Easy Pies. I have camp Dutch ovens and a large skillet I don't use for months on end, and I've never had a problem. I season my CI with CI conditioner from Camp Chef though. Using lard might make it easier to have problems with the seasoning getting rancid. But I'd say you could go a few weeks at least between uses. Still, the more you use CI, the more you may like it and then maybe it'll become your everyday cookware. It really is better than just about anything else.

i know that we should not wash them with soap and water unless it's really nasty but can i pour chicken stock into them when cooking?

It's perfectly okay to use a mild soap to wash your CI, if you like. And plenty of water.

You can use chicken stock or any other liquid you like. I do it all the time. I cook almost exclusively with CI, and I cook A LOT. So it takes a beating. If the seasoning gets damaged, I slap on another coat every now and then as needed. I don't cook with much fat anymore, and I often steam foods. I think that does more damage to seasoning than anything, and that's not that bad.

**checkerkitty** · 09-07-2011, 11:14 AM

I love cast iron! I have several skillets of different sizes. The 12 inch skillet is the one that sees the most use around here. I cook on the stove with it and in the oven. On the rare occasion that I deep fry in a couple of inches of oil, I always use that 12 inch skillet. Then I let the oil sit in it overnight to cool. It has made a really well seasoned surface. I can even use just a little oil in it (about 1 tablespoon) and fry eggs without sticking. Cast iron rocks!

**amr6987** · 09-11-2011, 02:34 PM

I cook with cast iron all of the time. Usually I cook in jambalaya pots or dutch ovens but I also use cast iron pans too. To me you can't beat the taste that comes when cooking with cast iron. Here is a great place to find almost any cast iron product you need.

thejambalayapot.com

**mh3rdwheel** · 09-11-2011, 07:53 PM

I am looking to extend my cast iron collection, I cook mostly with it, love it, i just prepped a skillet a small one,

**ohwhataday03** · 10-31-2011, 07:36 PM

I love mine c/i skillets and dutch oven, I would love to own some more but dont have the space right now. we're fixing the kitchen so I can buy some more

**shp1055** · 11-01-2011, 09:17 AM

Scored at an auction this past weekend: (1) 8" c/i skillet and (2) 10" skillets, already seasoned for $5.00. with tax and the 10% buyers charge, it totalled $5.95 for three skillets!!! I knew someone would need them and one of my friends did, as well as her granddaughter. $2.00 per skillet is a deal any day of the week.

**lex71x** · 02-07-2012, 02:24 PM

i cook with my lodge skillet everyday, its my least valuable piece so it never leaves the stove and never gets washed. great for hamburger helper because its so coated in grease nothing will ever stick to it.

**nvmommyx6** · 02-07-2012, 08:36 PM

Love my iron skillets and dutch ovens. The outside cooking is the best and the flavor is better than anything else!!

**Merrilee** · 02-07-2012, 09:54 PM

I'm about 9-1/2 years late, but I use mine all the time on top of the stove. All I ever hear is they're good for you, and aluminum might give you Alzheimers...which has probably been shot down but once it's in my head. I just wash mine & dry it & use it for everything. Had my first from a garage sale & got another on e-bay. Fortunately it said on the bottom "chicken fryer" (I think) so I k new what to look for on e-bay. It's a deep pan.

**lex71x** · 02-07-2012, 11:44 PM

Originally Posted by Merrilee

All I ever hear is they're good for you, and aluminum might give you Alzheimers...which has probably been shot down but once it's in my head.

just like the myth that MSG is bad for you has been shot down in recent years, aluminum cookware really isn't that bad for you. it's not the best, of course, as aluminum in your food produces a lot of things that can give you cancer.

the only thing you can get in your food from using CI is your daily dose of iron, hey who wants to take supplements anyway? You never really have to wash it either, just wipe it down. Teflon is toxic too and it costs more, so why would anyone use anything besides cast iron...

**bent** · 02-15-2012, 02:07 PM

yes I cook with CI, my mom displays over 50 pieces in her kitchen (on her walls, over the door _I never use that door btw. just in case) sometimes I find her a piece she mainly uses two pieces a small skillet for bread or to fix a quick meal (she use to use the larger skillet but has issues now hefting it), a round griddle for frying and dutch oven. she's 70 so when I asked her what her secret to cooking w/CI (this was many yrs ago and it's not changed) to heat the skillet, then low and slow... and to always clean right after cooking, season 2x a yr.

**Faithful** · 02-15-2012, 02:46 PM

I cook with cast iron most of the time. I use a cast iron Dutch oven in my fireplace.

**Faithful** · 02-15-2012, 02:51 PM

I season my cast iron in the oven at 300 for at least 2 hours. I spread a thin layer if oil on it before I put it in the oven and each time I wash it. Cast iron must not be soaked In water and if possible should only be wiped out with a cloth or paper towel. The pan will become easier to Caen as it ages. They are very subject to rust so never leave it wet. Dry on a burner on low. They should be stored without a lid on to reduce condensation.