These Cast Iron Skillet Recipes Will Give You New Respect for Your Pan (2024)

FAQs

What is the first thing I should cook in my cast iron skillet? ›

We recommend starting with vegetables as they are more forgiving than most proteins - they taste delicious and won't stick to your pan! Keep in mind that using a little bit of oil is necessary to help to keep food from sticking.

That's because we believe in the advantages of using cast iron as cookware. Cast iron can impart a great sear and crust on meats; it can withstand high temperatures on the stovetop as well as in the oven. And as I've shown, it can be used to create a variety of meals.

Cast iron pans are popular, especially for searing, and are generally safe to use. But they can leach iron, which is a strong pro-oxidant. Those genetically at risk for iron overload should learn more about cast iron safety. For well over a thousand years, cast iron has been used as a reliable cooking surface.

Never cook acidic foods in a cast iron skillet.

You can sauté cherry tomatoes in cast iron, but don't try making a long-simmering tomato sauce. If you recently purchased your skillet and it still needs to be "broken in," acidic ingredients can erode the seasoning and even make foods taste metallic.

What oils can I use to season cast iron? All cooking oils and fats can be used for seasoning cast iron, but based on availability, affordability, effectiveness, and having a high smoke point, Lodge recommends vegetable oil, melted shortening, or canola oil, like our Seasoning Spray.

SEASON YOUR PAN. Your food will stick, unless you compensate by using more oil than in an unseasoned pan. It might stick anyway, unless you are actually pan frying the food. If you use an unseasoned pan, the most obvious thing that will happen is that your food will stick to it.

Since olive oil is such a pantry staple, many people naturally wonder if they can use olive oil to season cast iron. You can use olive oil to season cast iron, but you need to choose a high quality extra virgin olive oil, which should have a smoke point close to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Yes, you can season the pans for frying, sautéing, or baking in cast iron cookware like pans, pots, or skillets with butter, but it's not the right choice to season it for the first time. Butter immediately starts to smoke when added to a heated pan because cast iron can withstand a lot of heat.

Can you cook eggs in cast iron? ›

Not only can you cook eggs many ways in cast iron, you should: the material's superior heat retention and (especially in baking) heat distribution means better eggs—softer scrambles, crispier fried edges, and fluffier frittatas and stratas—no matter how you cook them.

In short: No. You'd have to be mouse-sized to see quantifiable health benefits from mineral intake exclusively with cast iron. Because mineral transfer happens at such a small scale, it's safe to say that cast iron is not any healthier than other pans.

When cooking in cast iron, you should add a little oil to the pan before adding your food. This helps ensure the food doesn't stick, and it helps build layers of seasoning. You can generally use whatever oil you prefer, as long as the cooking temperature is below the smoke point of the oil.

While cast iron can become non-stick with sufficient use over time, a newer skillet will almost certainly cause your eggs to stick to its porous surface. And that'll turn into one messy cleanup! But once your skillet is reliably non-stick, cast iron skillet eggs will become your new go-to for weekend brunches.

Is There Anything You Shouldn't Cook in Your Cast-Iron Skillet? Experts Weigh In. While there's nothing that's technically off limits, the pros say you should be careful with acidic foods, like tomato or wine sauce, which can corrode the seasoning if left in the pan for too long.

Caveat: A really, really well-seasoned pan has a film of fat (oil, lard) that protects the metal from whatever food or kitchen tools that come in contact with it. If you've religiously cared for your pan, feel free to simmer that tomato sauce. The rest of us mortals should avoid overly acidic foods in our cast irons.

Acidic foods like tomatoes can damage the seasoning, or the nonstick coating, of your skillet. What's worse, the end result will taste metallic, especially if it's something—like a slow-simmered pasta sauce—that requires a long cooking time. Skip the cast iron for your bolognese and use stainless steel instead.