What Are Your Experiances Using/buying A Cast Iron Skillet?
I am thinking of buying one but i haven't had very good experience with cast iron kitchen utensils?
Mine always seem to rust. Is it really true that you need to condition them?>
What is so specially about the cast iron?
Doesn't the food get stuck to the skillet?
ALso i have a nephew in the house that is learning to walk and i am afraid that if i turn my back he may touch the skillet, is there a fast, safe way to cool it down?
Ebay Listings:
 The Camp Chef Cast Iron Skillet, 14-Inch Diameter  US $38.04
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 VTG No. 8 C Cast Iron 10 1/2" Skillet Cured, Excellent Shape, Ready For Cooking US $22.50
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 Griswold No.6 Cast Iron Skillet 699J US $9.99
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 Vintage No 8 Cast Iron Skillet With Heat Ring and Lid, USA Made ,Check It Out US $38.00
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 GRISWOLD CAST IRON SKILLET #7 WITH LARGE LOGO ERIE PA USA US $10.49
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 Griswold #3 Cast Iron Skillet US $12.99
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 El Paso Chile Co Cast Iron Oval Fajita Skillet Seasoned US $22.99
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 CAST IRON SKILLET, 10 1/4 " Dia., 2" DEEP, GREAT FOR LARGE CAKE OF CORNBREAD US $24.99
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 VTG Cast Iron Skillet Made In USA No.3- 6 5/8" 1-H -2 Cured Ready For Cooking US $9.99
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Remove all packaging and adhesives from a new unseasoned cast iron skillet. Some modern cast iron cookware is preseasoned at the factory, but it won’t hurt to season it again. Make sure all paper and pricing stickers are completely removed. Use a sponge and light, soapy water to quickly remove any remaining surface dirt and dry the pan thoroughly with paper towels or by air drying. This is the only time water should ever be used to clean the inside of a cast iron skillet. Future cleaning should be done with dry paper towels and salt only, to prevent damage from rust. Once the cast iron pan is completely dry, find a supply of cooking oil, shortening, bacon grease or animal lard.
Preheat the oven and prepare the skillet. Different people will tell you different temperatures for proper seasoning, ranging from 250 to 500 degrees Fahrenheit. Since the main point of seasoning is to bake the oil or grease into the pores of the skillet, a preheating temperature of 350 degrees or higher seems reasonable. As the oven heats, wipe a generous amount of your chosen oil or grease around the inside of the skillet. Wipe out any obvious excesses, but remain generous with the coating.
Place the cast iron skillet upside down on the top rack of the hot oven. To prevent the grease or oil from dripping onto the bottom burners, place a cookie sheet or other oven-proof tray on the lowest rack. Allow the pan to remain in the oven for at least an hour. Do not be alarmed if you see or smell smoke — this is a normal part of the seasoning process. The oil or grease is filling up all of the pores of the cast iron, creating fewer crevices for food to become trapped.
After an hour or more has elapsed, use oven mitts to remove the cast iron skillet from the oven. Place on a heat-resistant surface (right side up) and allow the skillet to cool. The cast iron skillet is now seasoned, but some foods such as eggs may still stick to the bottom without additional oils or grease. The seasoning process needs to be repeated several times before a sufficient layer of charring has built up in the bottom of the pan. Ideally, a cast iron skillet should be wiped out completely after cooking, and then put through the seasoning process again. It may take several years for a cast iron skillet to reach the non-stick level of your Grandmother’s prized frying pan, but the results should be worth the effort.
You do need to condition them. The directions are on the packaging. Periodically they need to be reconditioned. Eventually, if you use them over and over, they will be non-stick. I have my grandmother’s pans and they are around 90 years old. I’d be lost without them.
Cooking in cast iron actually causes iron to leach into your food. That’s a bonus boost of iron, which is especially good for women as we usually do not get enough iron in our diets.
As for your nephew…when he’s around, use the back burners and don’t leave him alone in the kitchen. The pans conduct heat really well, but hold it well, too.
As for cleaning. I use a wooden (bamboo) scrubber and coarse salt. Then I just rub a very thin coat of vegetable oil all over the pan and put it away again.
They do require some work, but there’s something really special about mastering the art of cooking with cast iron. Also, they can go right into the oven to make cornbread or pineapple upside down cake.
Cast iron skillets now come pre-seasoned. You do have to care for them properly, however. They come with instructions. Basically, those are to wipe it out immediately after use and then apply a thin coat of cooking oil with a paper towel. Store it on it’s edge if possible.
There is no such thing as a fully stick-proof skillet, no matter what it’s made of. All of them require cleaning and maintenance, but iron is one of the materials that takes more work. Still, for me, the benefits of cast iron outweigh the extra work it demands.
As far as fast cooling – it can’t be done. Cooled too fast, it’s not unusual for them to crack and break. Always set the skillet – or any other hot cooking utensil – back out of reach when the little one is around. Cast iron skillets are no more hazardous than other cookware – he could just as easily grab the handle of an aluminum or steel pan that’s full of boiling liquid and dump that all over himself.
Yes, you need to “season” them, by coating the inside of the pan with oil or shortening, and either placing in a hot (400 degrees) oven for about 30 mins, or using the top of the stove on med. low heat for 30 mins.
I personally prefer to buy them from yard sales and such when they are old and well seasoned, black all over.
Never clean them with soap and water, only wipe clean with a paper towel. Never cook wet things in them, nothing with water or milk, and never tomato based sauces, because these remove the seasoning and will make them too “dry” and they will rust or stick. After the pan is clean and dry, coat the inside with another light layer of oil or grease for next use, and to help keep it from rusting.
Food never sticks in a well seasoned cast iron pan, and the pan itself gives off a tiny bit of iron into foods, making them slightly more nutritious.
To cool it, place it in the sink (no water) or place inside the oven to cool where your toddler cannot reach it.
They are relatively inexpensive. They absorb huge amounts of heat and then release it slowly, cooking your food more evenly as your oven (or burner) cycles on and off. They never warp. They do NOT rust if you follow the manufacturers suggestions for maintenance. Food does not stick to them if they are seasoned properly. They will last a lifetime, literally; I cook with cast iron cookware daily, some of which is over 50 years old, passed down to me from my mother, and they are like brand new. If you are reasonably careful they will just never wear out.
Can you say that about any non-stick cookware? I’ve never used any cast iron utensils, and see no reason to do it.
For cooling, put it in the oven until it is cool.
Mr . Grummp is wrong… they will warp. I felt I should pass this along due to your question about “quickly cooling them”. If you take a very hot skillet and quench it in water, you may very well warp the skillet. If you are worried about the little one(the toddler), stick it in the oven and let it cool, so he can’t get too it.
One writer mentioned iron leaching to your food, this is true. I did a test in a lab test in college using cast iron cook-wear. The food cooked in an iron skillet had something like 80% more iron than food cooked in stainless or aluminum.
As far as seasoning, it will season as you cook. I do the initial season, then after I wash it , I just put it on a hot burner and wipe it out with oil while hot, then store. It is not a big hassle.
I use cast iron every day, most of the pans I have came from my grandmother & my wife’s grandmother. Both my kids want to be named in my will to get them. Seasoning isn’t a problem, if you buy new it has to be done, otherwise only after cleaning with soap which removes the oil from the pores of the iron. They don’t warp, retain heat & distribute it evenly for a long time. Downside, yes they are heavy, yes the handles get hot, (I’ve seen a few with wooden handles) Would I trade mine for the “newest” & “best” product on the market. NO Not unless it came with live in Chef.
Cast iron is my favorite kind of cookware. I have about 140 pieces of it, everything from small frying pans to a huge cast iron pot that will hold about 20 gallons. I’m cooking spaghetti sauce in a cast iron pot now. Most of the people who have already answered and like cast iron have given you great advise. Because of the weight, your nephew is less likely to accidentally spill a cast iron pan. It just takes a bigger hit for him to knock it over. Use stainless steel spatulas and spoons with cast iron, never plastic.
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They are great to cook with. I don’t know why, but food seems to taste good from it. Maybe it’s because its such a pain in the rear to clean, so you always have some sort of old food burnt onto it to give whatever you are cooking some flavour.
It also makes a handy weapon if ever needed. Just an added bonus.
OK, if you can find one at an estate sale or a second hand shop (there is a junk/antique shop near me with dozens of them) get one of those because they are already seasoned. Otherwise only get Lodge brand if you are buying new. I have tried cheaper brands and some took forever to season. I like to season by frying bacon in it on low heat ( you can usually buy ends and pieces from the meat department in a 5 pound box really cheap). After you fry some and get about an inch of grease in the skillet, take it off the heat and just let the grease sit in it til it solidifies, then wipe it out. Crisco is good also, just cook it on the stove top on low heat for 10 or 15 minutes, and let it cool. When the grease is solid, wipe it out, heat your oven to 350, place a large sheet pan on the lower rack and place your skillet upside down on the rack above the sheet pan. The sheet pan will catch any grease that may drip. Bake it for an hour, then turn off the oven and let it sit till it cools off. 2 or 3 hours. Wipe out any leftover grease. It usually takes a few rounds of this to get good and seasoned. As far as safety, you can put the skillet in the oven till it cools off. Oh and NEVER wash it with soap. If something is burned on scrape it off, a metal putty knife works great for this.
i have owned and used cast iron pots and skillets all my life. also all of my family.
yes you must season the skillet ,but only once. if it has never been seasoned ,wash it same as other dishes. dry and then rub vegetable oil inside and out put in oven about 45 min. to 1 hr 350 to 400 deg. or if you have agas grill it would be better so you do not smoke up your house.
you can also buy preseasoned cast iron now .check at walmart or academy, but you will pay more.
yes , food can stick but just soak it in warm water and soap like other pots or pans just make sure you clean your pot the same day.
over time your cookware will get darker until it is black and the inside is very slick this is carbon buildup only the best cooking surface around. over time food will stick less and less but you can burn food in it and make it difficult to clean.
you can wash with soap and water just rinse it well place on stove burner turn on med hi heat watch it dry, then put to cool on another unused rear burner. then when cool put away.
the advantages are many they last forever, easy to clean, they cook very evenly, retain heat very well, and you can cook almost anything in them.the larger pots can be used to cook outside in back yard or when camping.
be sure to keep an oven mit nearby to handle skillet. you may also find them with a wooden handle. if children are around always turn the handle of any pot or skillet to the inside of the stove.its an all around safe practice.
They are so very heavy, theres no reason to by those these days is there? Yes you have to oil them then bake them to cure them, so that foods wont stick as much, you dont really wash them, you more wipe them out, or if you have to scrub them, you have to reseal them again and again. The utensils get hot too. Grabbing one without a mit and you will get severe burns. Pans with plastic coverings on their handles, teflon and the modern miracles of cookware these days, really dont make cast iron desirable. If the thing hits the kid in the head, itll burn him badly and cause other damage from its weight.