A small cross-section of my cast-iron collection.
It's a good thing I love cooking in cast iron, since I seem to attract pans of that ferrous material like a magnet. Cast iron has some great cooking properties--it's heavy and so it distributes and holds heat well, and, properly seasoned, food doesn't stick. Plus plain cast iron can be used in the oven as well as on the stove top. They're quite reasonably priced, too, for pans that last. Cast iron isn't hard to care for, but you do have to follow some basic rules of thumb to preserve the "seasoning" and prevent rusting.
Cast-iron pans come in all shapes and sizes. I've acquired quite a few, from my grandmother's little 4" skillet (just big enough for one egg; I use it to melt butter), through a pile of more standard skillet and Dutch oven sizes, all the way up to the one Lodge Cast-Iron used to call the "Big Ol' Skillet"--a 17"-diameter wonder that my mother gave me for my holiday cooking. I use my 8" and 11" skillets for almost anything. The 8" is a great size for lunch for one (a burger and a few strips of onion fit fine), or for warming corn tortillas. It's also the right size to bake a half-recipe of my mom's cornbread; the 11" is the full recipe size. The 11" size is great for family meals; I'll often have vegetables sautéing in one, and a cut-up chicken cooking in another.
My cast-iron Dutch oven is the perfect tool for one of my favorite winter dinners--a whole chicken seasoned with herbs and garlic nestled on top of a bed of slow-cooking vegetables (potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, parsnips, beets--even brussels sprouts are good), baked with the lid on until the chicken is falling off the bone. It's also the pot of choice for a sumptuous stew. And the Dutch oven is, in my opinion, where the "pot" in "pot roast" must come from; I wouldn't cook one in anything else.
Breakfast is great for cast-iron cooking, too; if you're a bacon fan, nothing cooks it better, and the grease from the bacon is great for your skillet as well. Eggs and bacon in my square divided griddle, given to me by a friend. Pancakes on the griddle or in the 11" skillet. Hash browns in any convenient cast-iron skillet. And it may not be the perfect omelet pan, but my omelets have turned out tasty anyway.
But that Big Ol' Skillet? Enough sliced sweet potatoes to feed an army, brushed with oil and covered with foil, baked in the oven (it takes up one whole rack in mine) until the sweet potatoes are super soft and start to caramelize. Just the ticket for my New Year's Lucky Black-eyed Peas Party and Southern Food Extravaganza.
And Mom? If you're reading this...I'd love one of those 10 1/4"-diameter Deep Skillets next!
From: Elyse | 1/12/10 at 11:28 am
I love my cast iron pans. You mentioned some of my favorite pans - including the 17 inch "monster". Sometimes you just need a big pan for the crowd. To add to your comments, my absolute most favorite piece of cast iron is the Lodge Pro Grid, http://www.parkers-pantry.com/product/103//Lodge/Logic+Pro+Grid+~+Iron+Griddle/
It is a reversible grill for the stove top. We love to grill and outside is not always a workable option for our family. This griddle makes the grill marks and really tastes like it was done out side. Fajitas are the best on the grill. When that lime juice hits the hot griddle and steam comes up... awesome! I have a gas stove and it works like a charm.
From: Barkcookware | 2/3/10 at 11:48 pm
I love the idea about the sliced sweet potatoes, I'm going to have to try that. I think that it is the most durable and long lasting cookware out there even when it has been abused it can be brought back to life with a little tender loving care. Try abusing a non stick, enamel coated all clad or stainless steel cookware and you might as well chuck it. I know of cast iron skillets and dutch ovens that have been passed down through2 generations and are know in the hands of the 3 generation and are still a pleasure to cook in.
From: CastIron Carol | 2/20/10 at 8:17 am
There is nothing better than a proper cast iron pan!
From: frank j varner jr | 4/12/10 at 10:13 pm
haveing been a volinteer fireman for several years i have recovered several UNDAMAGED peices of cast iron cook ware after the home burned to the ground!
From: Online Food Delivery | 5/1/10 at 2:34 am
Nice blog and informative posting on "cast iron pan"
From: shirley A. Evans | 2/15/11 at 9:47 am
What is a house whole cleaner / for iron skillet
to take off burned on grease
From: Lori | 1/5/12 at 5:41 pm
I have a cast iron roasting pan, which I have use twice. After cooking in it I wash with soap water and place in a heated oven open with lid on the inside next to pan to dry completely, then cover it after it cooled down completely and put in closet. Last time I went to us it I pulled it out of my closet and open the lid and it was rusted. What can I do or is it ruined?
From: Kelly Sillers | 7/11/12 at 6:08 pm
I cooked some fresh peas in a cast iron dutch oven and the licker ( juice) turned black is that normal. And can this be eaten?