cast iron skillet

[marni]

After seeing how much use my daughter got out her cast iron skillet over the holidays I went out a bought one. I seasoned it in aaccording to her directions and am now loving cooking in it and exploring some new oil free cooking. Anyone have any favorite recipes for cast iron skillets besides corn bread.

marni

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Dutch babies:
http://strumelia.blogspot.com/2009/05/dutch-babies.html
Lots of recipes for them if you google- really easy to make.

Also, naan bread:
http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/?p=1440

[pumpkinpony]

This is my favorite - Pineapple upside down cake (http://inncuisine.com/decadent-desserts/get-your-skillet-on-recipe-cast-iron-skillet-pineapple-upside-down-cake/)! no mess in the cast iron...

[tulip]

I use my cast iron skillets for just about everything. I bake bread in them, and cook eggs, and burgers and cornbread and clafoutis and roast potatoes and sautee stuff and french toast and pancakes and even toast english muffins.

I love finding cast iron skillets at yard sales and junk shops. They never die, they just need a little rejuvenation from time to time.

[Biciclista]

me too! when i was pregnant with my first child, they checked me for anemia and were stunned at how high my red blood cell count was. They said it was from using cast iron. we cook everything in it, including tomato sauce.

[gnat23]

Haven't tried it yet, but keep meaning to:
http://vicariousfoodie.blogspot.com/2008/06/deep-dish-sausage-and-tomato-pizza.html

But yah, I use my cast iron for everything. My favorite is the crust you can make on a hunk of blackened salmon. NOM.

-- gnat!

[GLC1968]

But yah, I use my cast iron for everything. My favorite is the crust you can make on a hunk of blackened salmon. NOM.



Oh, good idea! I haven't done salmon in ours yet but I will now!

I have quite a bit of cast iron but just a few weeks ago bought a cast iron ebelskiver pan and it is SOOO MUCH FUN! I love playing around with different ingredients from sweet to savory. And every single time I turn one, I marvel at how cool they are. :o

[AnnieBikes]

Hi Marni, I scavenged in my in-laws kitchen when my mother-in-law went in to the nursing home three years ago (she passed away on Thanksgiving). My 90 yr. old father-in-law has been eating with us these three years and has the benefit of the two wonderful, long seasoned fry pans! I also cook tons of stuff in them..cornbread in the little one, but everything in the big one. I stir fry in it as it gets really, really hot and you can quickly cook things.

Here is one of my favorites...Shrimp and Grits

4 servings

4 c. water
1 c slow grits (you can use the quick ones, but it isn't as good :D )
3 Tbs butter
1/2 c. grated cheddar

Bring water to boil and add grits, following packaging instructions. Remove from heat and stir in butter and cheese.

1 to 1 1/2# shrimp, pealed and deveined (I have found that 1# of shrimp feeds three people for this recipe)
a bit of bacon grease
4 tsp lemon juice
2 TBS parsley
1/2 c scallions cut into 1/4" pieces (I use onions if I have no scallions on hand, but will saute them separately to add to the skillet)
1 garlic clove minced
1/2 tsp cayenne or to taste for spiciness desires
1 14 oz can petite dice tomatoes

Saute' shrimp in a teaspoon or two of bacon fat in very hot skillet until just done, about 2-3 minutes. Remove shrimp. Add all the rest of the ingredients to skillet and cook for three minutes, until very hot. Add shrimp back in and rewarm for one minute. Spoon grits into bowls and spoon the shrimp mixture over. Yummy!

[oxysback]

Yum! I just made this Monday and it's delicious!

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/09/apple-cake-in-an-iron-skillet/

[GLC1968]

Yum! I just made this Monday and it's delicious!

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/09/apple-cake-in-an-iron-skillet/


Holy crap, I just drooled on my desk. That looks amazing!

[smilingcat]

Yum! I just made this Monday and it's delicious!

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/09/apple-cake-in-an-iron-skillet/

A classic french tarte tatin with few minor differences. very yummy.

[Atlas]

]
I have quite a bit of cast iron but just a few weeks ago bought a cast iron ebelskiver pan and it is SOOO MUCH FUN! I love playing around with different ingredients from sweet to savory. And every single time I turn one, I marvel at how cool they are. :o

I just had to comment it makes me happy to see someone else making aebleskiver. They are one of my favorite foods and I really need to get a pan for them.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

One thing I will say here- the old cast iron pots and pans are way better quality than the newer ones made today.
It's WELL worth it to scrounge around in flea markets or garage sales to find an old one.

I do use my new one too, which 'seemed' like it was made in USA and had a lot of down home Southern style marketing descriptions to it, sold by a southern US company here...but when it arrived I was suspicious and searched everywhere for proof of where it was made and finally found "China" stamped tiny on the cardboard box. I suspected as much since it was oddly silver-ish (sort of like a graphite pencil look) thicker but more lightweight, and has a slightly rough finish, I suppose from a sand mold form. Nowhere near as good as my old American 60 year old pot. I wonder if the metal would test pure or not. Luckily I only bake bread in it, lined with parchment paper, so I'm not worried about it.

I suggest if you get any new ones you find out for sure whether they are made in USA or not. American ones will definitely be more expensive.
Best to hunt for an antique one!

[Biciclista]

I just had to comment it makes me happy to see someone else making aebleskiver. They are one of my favorite foods and I really need to get a pan for them.

what is that? (I see it has multiple spellings!)

[zoom-zoom]

I just had to comment it makes me happy to see someone else making aebleskiver. They are one of my favorite foods and I really need to get a pan for them.

Yay for Scandinavians! :D Ebelskivers (http://www.culinate.com/books/collections/All+Books/The+Cast+Iron+Skillet+Cookbook/Ebelskivers+(Scandinavian+Pancakes)) rock!

[azfiddle]

I have two big cast iron skillets I inherited from my parents- they must be around 60 years old and I love them. I haven't baked in them but use for cooking almost everything that includes "saute" or "brown" in the recipe.
Curries, pasta sauces, stews, chicken dishes etc.

[GLC1968]

what is that? (I see it has multiple spellings!)


This blog shows some nice pictures and a link to a good Williams-Sonoma recipe, too.

http://www.applesandbutter.com/2009/11/aebleskivers-and-unitaskers.html

[uk elephant]

I just invested in a big cast iron pot too, with a skillet lid. Made a big pot of beef stew in it so far. Delicious, and the cast iron is perfect for slow cooking stews. Brown the meat, add the veg and liquid, then stick the whole thing in the oven on very low heat for a very long time. Your suggestions of corn bread and other yummy things sounds great. I'll definitely have to expand my repertoire. And good to hear, Mimi, that it will improve my iron levles. That was the point of getting it in the first place.

[Eden]

Yum! I just made this Monday and it's delicious!

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/09/apple-cake-in-an-iron-skillet/

Holy crap - 3 sticks of butter and 1/2 a cup of sour cream.......

I have 2 cast iron skillets. One picked up at an Amish farmers market and one from my mother in law, who never seasoned it properly (and so hated it as everything would stick). I also have carbon steel wok (at least I think it must be.... it will rust if you leave it wet, but it certainly isn't iron... would be too thick and heavy). I impressed my Chinese co-workers with that one. It is well seasoned and well used. Nothing sticks to it anymore. All I have to do after cooking is rinse it and put it on the stove to dry. I think they'd never seen a white person with a proper wok....

I don't cook acidic things in my cast iron. I like the the condition of them too much at the moment to want to start again... I specifically like them for pancakes, fried potatoes, frittata - love them for frittata, directly from the stove to the oven and out again, no problem and all I have to do is turn the pan over to plate it. I still prefer a small pan with curved sides for fried eggs though.

[marni]

not only my desk but my computer are now soaked. I can see I am going to have to break diet restrictions for a day and try this. OMG

[uforgot]

I'm going to have to try this. I'm really tired of my "non stick" cookware that really doesn't last. I'm going to find one this weekend and try some of these recipes. Not PW though. Can't imagine where my cholesterol would go with her stuff.

[tulip]

Non-stick pots and pans are made of some really nasty stuff, apparently. I used to have a parrot, and was told by the avian vet to never use non-stick cookware because it releases fumes that can kill birds. Not a good sign.

Just put some olive oil in a cast iron skillet (or butter if you're making something sweet). Keeps things from sticking.

[NoNo]

...and one from my mother in law, who never seasoned it properly (and so hated it as everything would stick)...

Ok, time to ask the experts: What is the best way to season cast iron cookware? I know enough not to use soap when I wash it, and I was told spray it with PAM or drizzle some olive oil on it afterwards. I wouldn't say it's at the non-stick level, but I can see some kind of layer developing. Am I doing it correctly?

[Tuckervill]

You coat it with oil all over, front and back and handle and put it in the oven at about 250* for an hour or so. Put something on the rack below it to catch the drippings. Wipe it off, and, if you really want to do it up good, repeat the process.

If the pot is brand new, you should wash it with soap and water first, then dry it well before you add the oil, because there is usually wax on it to keep it from rusting while it sells.

Karen

[oxysback]

Ok, time to ask the experts: What is the best way to season cast iron cookware? I know enough not to use soap when I wash it, and I was told spray it with PAM or drizzle some olive oil on it afterwards. I wouldn't say it's at the non-stick level, but I can see some kind of layer developing. Am I doing it correctly?

What I do after I cook in it is scrape the excess food out under running water (I use a hard nylon spatula or one of those handy little square scrapers that Pampered Chef sends with their stoneware), wipe it with paper towels, and put it on a burner on high for about 5 minutes. When it's good and hot, I remove the skillet from the burner, spray a wad of paper towels with cooking spray and wipe the inside of the skillet. It'll be hot. Be careful! My skillet has a permanent home on my stovetop. :)

[OakLeaf]

Five minutes is great to refresh and protect the season after you wash a pan, but initially seasoning it will take longer. I've had better luck on the stovetop (where I can control excess oil by periodic wiping) than in the oven. My experience is that if oil pools, it will not varnish and season the pan. Because of the curved bottom, it was extremely difficult to season my cast iron wok (it's getting there though, finally).

[uforgot]

I purchased one at our local flea market for $4! It's a little one. I googled "seasoning cast iron" and there were a lot of instructions out there! I seasoned it 3 times this weekend and cooked everything in it on Sunday. It was great! My teflon skillet went in the trash. Now I'm going to go back and find a large skillet, dutch oven....

[badger]

I have an iron skillet that is has that ceramic coating, like Le Creuset (a cheap Starfrit knock off). Can I "season" it like a real cast iron skillet? Food does stick to it, so I don't cook things like eggs, but for most everything else I do. I'm thinking I may just go and get a traditional skillet.

[OakLeaf]

Nope. Seasoning happens when oil seeps into the pores in the iron and bonds to the varnish. Enameled iron can't be seasoned. (But nothing sticks to it really hard, and it can be scrubbed, used for long cooking of liquids and acidic foods, and - even though they tell you not to - washed in the dishwasher.)

[pumpkinpony]

You coat it with oil all over, front and back and handle and put it in the oven at about 250* for an hour or so. Put something on the rack below it to catch the drippings. Wipe it off, and, if you really want to do it up good, repeat the process.


This works good - just make sure you put it upside down in the oven, or you end up with a sticky varnish like coating... I did that once. Took some time to get the pan back to it's normal self.

The other thing that helps is cooking lots of naturally fatty foods in it.

[Susan Otcenas]

Yay for Scandinavians! :D Ebelskivers (http://www.culinate.com/books/collections/All+Books/The+Cast+Iron+Skillet+Cookbook/Ebelskivers+(Scandinavian+Pancakes)) rock!

I asked for (and received) a cast iron ebelskiver pan for christmas. Sooooo yummy. Fun to make, too!

[Tuckervill]

This works good - just make sure you put it upside down in the oven, or you end up with a sticky varnish like coating... I did that once. Took some time to get the pan back to it's normal self.

The other thing that helps is cooking lots of naturally fatty foods in it.

Yeah, I meant to say that. Turn it over. :)

I could have written Oxy's post, down to the Pampered Chef scraper and the permanent home on the stove-top. But I have three of them living there, all nesting together on the back left burner (just like my ex-MIL and my grandmother did). Whenever my mother comes over and wants to tidy up, she puts them in the oven! What she doesn't realize is that I never store anything in the oven because I'm deathly afraid of fire, and storing something in the oven is just an invitation for me to turn the oven on without checking first! Drives me nuts, because then I don't know where they are!

Karen

[cyclingqueen2k9]

cast iron skillets are great for all types of cooking. I love them.

[Laterider21958]

Back in the late 1970's - early 80's there was a lot of cast-iron cookware around - especially here in Australia. It was not very expensive and I went 'mad' and purchased cast-iron saucepans, dutch-ovens, set of 3 skillets, set of 3 frypans (with lids), steak platters which came with individual wooden serving bases as did the small ramekins with lids. At the time I didn't season them correctly and was having constant problems with rust. I also found that they weighed a ton.

Being a hoarder I didn't throw them out and they spent over 25 years living in the deepest, darkest corner in my kitchen. In the meantime I invested in stainless steel cookware which are perfect still, except for their handles, which are now held in place with metal bands. So much for lifetime guarantees!

About 3 years ago I needed an extra large frypan and I dragged out the cast-iron one, dusted it down, applied oil and discovered it cooked the best ever quickest "roast" vegetables. With continual use and careful cleaning I have a wonderful non-stick frypan. Generally I remove the food and wipe it out with scrunched up paper towel while still hot and then apply a thin layer of oil. Acidic foods do effect the non-stick surface and the pan then requires a wash. I always dry it immediately to prevent rust and then apply a thin layer of oil and heat it and leave it to cool on the stove. There it stays until I use it the next day.

I'm going to don my miner's head lamp and delve into the back of the cupboard and resurrect the other pots and pans and give them a work out too. The steak platters have never been used as my husband gave up eating meat and joined me in vegetarianism, but I guess they'd be perfect for keeping veggies hot.:)