What To Use Cast Iron Skillet For

17 Best Ways To Use Your Cast Iron Skillet

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Cast iron cookware was a big innovation when it get-go came into being in the 3rd century (via Web Restaurant Store). Prized for its heft, ability to rut to extremely high temperatures, and indestructibility, bandage iron eventually became so integral to daily life that the economist Adam Smith, in his seminal 1776 book, "The Wealth of Nations" likened its value to society to that of aureate (via The News Periodical). Nevertheless, cast iron declined in popularity throughout the 20th century equally more "avant-garde" cooking materials became available. That beingness said, other "advanced" innovations included plastic, diet soda, Television dinners, GMOs, and nuclear weapons.

At the turn of the millennium, equally people began questioning whether innovation necessarily equals improvement, cast atomic number 26 cookware came back into vogue — but not universally. Some complain it's hard to clean or besides complicated to take care of. Others claim you "shouldn't" cook this or that food on bandage fe. Simply that's not truthful either. Sure, challenges present themselves, merely cast iron tin handle practically annihilation you throw at information technology – with results superior to other surfaces. Read on for these all-time uses for your cast iron skillet that you probably never thought possible.

Use your cast iron skillet to make marinara

Meatballs and tomato sauce in a cast iron skillet

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You have, no doubtfulness, heard warnings never to use your cast fe skillet to melt tomatoes because their acid can leach atomic number 26 from the pan and into your food, leaving a nasty taste. America's Test Kitchen sought to test that by simmering tomato sauce over medium heat in a well-seasoned cast iron skillet for at least 30 minutes. Testers found was that at that place was no discernable metallic taste to the tomato sauce — until the sauce had simmered for a full 30 minutes. In one case the sauce had cooked for longer, notwithstanding, metallic flavors did announced in the sauce.

What America'southward Test Kitchen concluded was that the seasoning on a bandage atomic number 26 skillet helps keep the acrid from the tomatoes from interacting with the iron content of the skillet — up to a indicate. The upshot is that you can definitely utilise your well-seasoned cast iron skillet to brand many tomato-based dishes. Simply keep your simmering to no more than than xxx minutes, don't store the leftovers in the skillet, and apply baking soda to scrub out the skillet. Baking soda is a base, which will assist neutralize any lingering acid.

Yep, you can brand eggs in your cast iron

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Forget what you've heard virtually non using your cast atomic number 26 skillet for eggs. Cast fe is a perfect vessel for cooking eggs because it is so good at retaining temperature. That means that every time you cook your eggs, they're going to turn out pretty much the aforementioned. Yous merely have to be willing to make a few modifications.

One is that you tin't skimp on preheating your cast iron pan, which could take several minutes (via Lodge Cast Iron). Also, take your eggs out of the fridge a few minutes early. Letting them approach room temperature helps go along the eggs from sticking to the cast iron surface. Finally, you should merely use a sturdy metal spatula when cooking eggs on cast iron. But metallic will properly dislodge eggs from the bandage iron's surface. With those pocket-sized adjustments, you'll even be able to make scrambled eggs using your cast iron.

Go ahead and cook seafood in your cast atomic number 26

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The taste and texture of seafood is greatly enhanced by cast fe cooking. So, it'due south unfortunate that some cast iron critics claim you should "never" cook fish and other seafood in a cast iron skillet, as information technology is supposedly too delicate to subject to cast atomic number 26's less-than-smooth surface. Merely if your fish is sticking to your bandage iron, it is more likely the result of your non having cooked the fish long plenty before you tried to flip it, or that yous didn't apply a metal spatula.

Some as well claim that fish and seafood allegedly leave behind a stink that never quite goes abroad. But at that place are several means to eradicate fish odors from bandage iron, including scrubbing your skillet with baking soda (via World of Pans). If that strikes y'all as too labor-intensive, so y'all can take a page out of Cook's Illustrated and simply bake your clean, empty pan in a 400° Fahrenheit oven for ten minutes.

Y'all can also cook pancakes on cast iron

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Pancakes cooked on cast iron just feel and then much homier than pancakes cooked on non-stick surfaces. And that makes sense considering that pancakes have been around since the stone age, well before cookware was invented (via Coppersmith). If a hot stone could handle a pancake, then trust us, so tin can your cast iron skillet. You but accept to proceed a few fundamentals in mind.

Pancakes can't be cooked at just any old temperature. If yous endeavour to cook them at besides high a temperature, they'll burn without cooking on the inside. If you overcompensate by lowering the estrus too much, they don't really cook at all. Plus, pancakes melt best when the batter rests at room temperature before cooking. To make pancakes in your bandage atomic number 26 skillet, swipe the cold skillet with a bit of shortening and oestrus for at least five minutes on medium. Before you lot pour your batter, brand sure a drib of h2o dances on its surface (rather than sizzling and disappearing). And, every bit with eggs and seafood, apply a metal spatula.

The only accurate way to make hoecakes is using bandage iron

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Hoecakes are classic Southern fare that maylooklike pancakes but are well-nigh definitelynot, co-ordinate to Slate. Hoecakes are meant to exist sturdy enough to act as a "shovel" for whatsoever else you're eating with them. According to their origin story, the "hoe" in their name refers to the flat, metallic gardening implement — considering they were supposedly commencement cooked on gardening hoes heated in the fireplace. Bold you don't plan on using a garden hoe as a cooking implement, the next most authentic thing is a flat-bottomed cast iron griddle.

To whip up a batch, only whisk a cup of cornmeal and a cup plus two tablespoons of boilingwater. Let the mixture to cool for 10 minutes while you heat upwards your cast iron skillet over medium oestrus and add together a spoonful of oil. Cascade the concoction into six-inch circles and cook for ten minutes. Flip with a metallic spatula, cook for another 8 to ten minutes, and enjoy a plateful of authentic Americana.

Your cast iron skillet holds the cloak-and-dagger to the best Southern fried craven

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Perhaps the all-time way to brand Southern fried craven is in your cast fe skillet — provided that your skillet has sides that are at least two inches tall. The reason is that cast atomic number 26 is so good at retaining heat that your frying oil should not significantly drib in temperature when you add the chicken. In fact, cast iron skillets are sometimes referred to as "chicken fryers," co-ordinate to Dummies, which suggests heating your frying oil to 375° Fahrenheit and using an instant-read thermometer to make certain it's reached that level before y'all start frying (and retains that same temperature as y'all continue frying).

And when you're done cooking, here'due south something else to be happy about: cooking with oil at that temperature will add a layer of seasoning to your cast iron skillet (via Field Company).

Utilize your cast iron skillet for perfect steak every fourth dimension

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While steak lovers volition endlessly contend the "best" and "only" style to make a proper steak, the fact is that you can't go wrong using a bandage atomic number 26 skillet, co-ordinate to LifeSavvy. Once it'south heated it volition reliably retain its estrus. And when you're cooking steak, that matters a lot. Back in February 2021, Giada De Laurentiis blew the minds of fans of the "reverse sear" with an Instagram post explaining how she corrals the intense heat of a cast fe skillet to do everything a contrary sear does without opening the oven.

Just massage olive oil and kosher salt onto both sides of a thick steak, estrus your cast iron skillet to high, then add your steak and do admittedly nix for three to five minutes. That's how long it will take for the salt, oil, and meat proteins to develop the perfect chaff, which is not only your express lift to Maillard heaven, but besides works to suspend the steak ever-then-slightly off the skillet's surface.

Your cast iron is perfect for making nail-burgers

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Lucky for burger lovers everywhere, Smashburger materialized in 2007, founded on the singular notion that burgers should exist "smashed" into a patty shape with a spatula while cooking (via Smashburger). As information technology turned out, information technology's not the squishing, per se, that is problematic, but doing and then over a slatted grill. That has the issue of releasing precious juices into the flames, diminishing the taste while as well risking flare-ups and burned meat. And for anyone who isn't wedded to very-thick burger patties, there's a lot to exist said for smashing a burger — which only cries out for the reliably super-hot surface of a well-heated cast iron skillet.

First, the less yous handle your basis beef, the more than tender the burger. Skipping the by-hand patty-forming procedure eliminates a lot of handling. 2d, cracking the burger on the hot grill directly exposes more meat to the estrus, resulting in a larger surface surface area undergoing the Maillard reaction, which bestows an inimitable nutty, savory caramelized flavor.

Apply your cast iron skillet similar a panini press

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Since we're on this topic of "pressing matters," we idea we'd share with you this genius utilize for your cast iron skillet — one which leverages the heft of cast iron, which came to us via America's Test Kitchen. Just as you lot can use your cast iron skillet for smashing burgers, you tin also utilise information technology for pressing paninis. However, for optimal results, you will actually need 2 bandage iron skillets.

First past coating a large, seasoned bandage atomic number 26 skillet with oil and heating it over medium-high heat. While it's heating, make your sandwich. Assuming y'all've let your skillet get hot plenty to toast bread, you're at present ready to place your assembled sandwich on the skillet. At present, have your second cast iron, glaze the clean bottom with oil, and place it on top of your sandwich. Afterward a few minutes, the bottom of your sandwich should be a toasty aureate-brown. That's when you should flip the sandwich over and repeat the process.

Bandage iron makes indoor s'mores any time of twelvemonth

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Information technology used to be that s'mores were a care for reserved for campfire season. Eventually, of course, people realized you could crook your style to a southward'more than in the microwave, but since the process involved placing a common cold sandwich into the microwave to melt, the procedure feels remote.

With a cast fe, nevertheless, y'all tin have a s'mores-making experience that is equally close to the bivouac version every bit you can get without making an actual campfire. Simply lay your s'mores sandwiches onto a cold cast fe skillet, set the heat to medium, and sentinel as your due south'mores come to life. If you want to use your cast atomic number 26 to brand s'mores for a crowd, preheat your oven to 450° Fahrenheit, break your chocolate into pieces, identify them in your skillet, and top with marshmallows. Place in the oven for 7 to nine minutes or until the marshmallows are golden dark-brown. Serve with graham crackers for dipping.

A Dutch baby was meant to exist cooked in a cast iron skillet

A Dutch infant is a "bready, buttery skillet full of deliciousness that when topped with fresh fruit and powdered carbohydrate becomes a care for you lot and your (lucky) guests will long remember," co-ordinate to Nathaniel Lee, the recipe programmer who brought the states this impeccable, surprisingly elementary Dutch baby recipe. Technically, a Dutch baby is really just a crepe-similar pancake (as opposed to a fluffy buttermilk pancake) that you melt in the oven without flipping. When done, it comes out lighter-than-air as a outcome of its high ratio of eggs to other ingredients.

While you could certainly make a Dutch babe in another oven-condom dish, the fact is that zero compares to a Dutch baby cooked in a bandage fe skillet. As Lee explained to Mashed, cast iron'southward ability to retain rut evenly enables your Dutch baby to rise properly without burning its edges.

Your cast atomic number 26 skillet is a perfect stand-in for a pie tin

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If y'all want to bake a pie and you lot don't take a pie pan on hand, y'all can certainly make do with 1 of those disposable pie tins you tin notice in your supermarket'southward baking aisle. But disposable tins tend to be flimsy and are often besides shallow to incorporate a bubbles filling. Then, to avert a massive oven cleanup, y'all'll have to place your dispensable tins on baking sheets, which also become part of your cleanup detail. And so, does that mean y'all need to take upwards precious cupboard infinite with a designated pie pan?

Not if yous have a cast iron skillet. Just make sure its diameter is consistent with your pie recipe (usually nine or x inches in bore) and then that you won't have to make any adjustments for recipe book or baking time, equally America's Examination Kitchen advises.

Your cast atomic number 26 skillet is the only matter you lot'll have to clean subsequently making a chocolate chip cookie "pie"

Chocolate chip cookie pie in a cast iron skillet

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Baking chocolate fleck cookies usually requires, in addition to the mixing of the dough, a laborious process of dishing out dough onto multiple cookie sheets. You tin skip most of that work by using your bandage iron skillet to brand a unmarried, giant chocolate chip cookie. "Plus, the hot bottom and tall sides of a well-seasoned bandage iron create a smashing crust on the cookie. And this treat can go straight from the oven to the tabular array for a fun, easily-on dessert.

To brand a cast iron skillet chocolate chip cookie, you can use any recipe for chocolate chip cookies, including this incredible one. According to Very Best Blistering, you don't need to make any recipe adjustments from your regular "cookie" recipe, just you do have to double your baking time.

Cast iron can quickly and safely thaw frozen meat

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If it'due south about dinner time, and you just realized that you forgot to defrost your meat, your starting time thought might be to make use of the defrost setting on your microwave. While that'south a reasonable workaround, nosotros take a much better one via America's Test Kitchen. But place "thin, frozen cuts of meat in the skillet at room temperature and allow them sit down for an hr." Et voila, you're fix to get cooking.

Cast iron is a brilliant conductor of heat, even at low temperatures. As your meat begins to defrost, the cast atomic number 26 absorbs the ascent temperature and holds onto it, rather than cooling off the way many other surfaces would, which and then is captivated back into the meat. Equally America's Test Kitchen explains, "the rapid transfer of ambience heat from the metallic to the food will quickly, safely thaw the meat."

Y'all can use your cast fe as a double boiler

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A double boiler refers to a organization of 2 pots, one fitting onto the top of the other, allowing food placed into the upper pot to steam or melt gently as water boils below (via Web Restaurant Store). Double boilers are the preferred method for melting chocolate and are also ideal for creating frail sauces such as Hollandaise.

However, if y'all have a cast iron skillet and a stonemason jar — or any other heat-proof basin-like container, you don't demand an actual double boiler. But use your cast atomic number 26 skillet — with its wonderful ability to retain and distribute heat — as the bottom pot. In many cases, yous won't demand to put any h2o in it at all. Using a depression to medium flame, oestrus the skillet so place a smaller pot or saucepan right on the surface (via America's Exam Kitchen).

Your bandage fe can double equally a fondue pot

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Cheese fondue, which was all the rage at dinner parties during the 1970s, is finally making a comeback in the U.South. But y'all don't need a fondue pot to brand your own cheese fondue — not if you accept a cast iron skillet, says Culture.

Simply rub a garlic clove inside your cast fe skillet, and then chop it and add together it to the skillet forth with one-third cup of dry white wine and ane tablespoon of whiskey. Bring to a boil over medium heat, and then slowly add eight ounces of grated cheese and two teaspoons of cornstarch. Stir constantly, lowering the estrus if the mixture begins to boil. As soon as the cheese is melted, remove the skillet from the heat and identify it on a heat-proof surface. The fondue will stay hot and melty thanks to your cast fe skillet's power to concur heat.

Plow your cast iron over and utilize it like a pizza stone

Pizzas on the surface of a cast-iron skillet

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If you have a cast fe skillet, then y'all can brand an accurate-tasting pizza even if you don't own a pizza stone, co-ordinate to The Atlantic. Preheat your oven, lining information technology outset with a cookie sheet or aluminum foil for piece of cake clean-up. Place your clean ungreased cast iron on your stovetop on high. While information technology's preheating, assemble your pizza and slide information technology into your hot cast iron skillet. Cook in the oven co-ordinate to your recipe's directions.

You lot can also use your cast iron skillet to melt frozen pizza or to make your own French bread pizza, according to Lifehacker. For this, you'll be turning your skillet over and using its underside. Preheat your oven while heating your cast iron skillet on your stovetop. When it'south expert and hot, turn it over, place it on a cookie sail in the oven (to limit cleanup), place your pizza on tiptop, and bake.