What foods can you cook in a cast iron skillet?

And the fact that they can go from the stovetop to the oven means you can cook perfect baked goods like cornbread and even pie. Another bonus: While you have to scrub your other pots and pans to get them clean, all you have to do to clean a cast iron skillet is rinse it with warm water post-cooking.

1. Dutch oven pot roast with carrots and potatoes.
2. Braised Dutch Oven Pulled Pork.
3. Beef short ribs braised in red wine.
4. Mexican Meatball Soup.
5. Stuffed Green Pepper Casserole.
6. Unstuffed Cabbage Roll Soup.
7. The BEST Chicken Cacciatore.
8. Chicken Taco Pasta.

• Bruschetta Chicken Skillet. …
• Sloppy Joe Macaroni Skillet. …
• Smoky Beef and Rice Skillet. …
• Italian Pasta Skillet. …
• Turkey Smoked Sausage Pasta Skillet. …
• Cheeseburger Pasta Skillet. …
• Beefy Skillet Ravioli. …
• Creamy Spaghetti Skillet.

• Smelly foods. Garlic, peppers, some fish, stinky cheeses and more tend to leave aromatic memories with your pan that will turn up in the next couple of things you cook in it. …
• Eggs and other sticky things (for a while) …
• Delicate fish. …
• Acidic things—maybe.

I don’t ever boil water in cast iron (soups, pasta, beans) because constantly boiling water causes the seasoning to release on the iron. For such dishes, just use a bean pot or other non cast iron piece.”

Yes, you can cook with butter in your cast iron skillet or Dutch oven. Keep in mind that butter burns at temperatures above 350°F (177°C), so you shouldn’t use high heat when you’re frying foods with it. Either turn down the heat or substitute it with an oil that has a higher smoke point.

First Time Cooking: Sautéed Onions and Peppers 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.

The best way to ensure eggs wind up on your plate—rather than your scrub brush—is to properly heat and oil your skillet. … But don’t worry, cast iron makes the perfect egg no matter how you like them done! If you’ve had your coffee, step up your eggs with a pan seared steak or homemade biscuits.

Place sausage in hot cast iron skillet and brown on all sides. Add water, cover and let steam for 5 to 8 minutes or until sausages are no longer pink in the middle. … Add olive oil to same skillet along with peppers and onions. Cook over medium heat until soft, about 20 minutes.

Cast iron pans and dutch ovens can be used for frying and baking foods to perfection. When properly seasoned they are terrific for non-stick cooking on top of the stove as well as baking in the oven. Cast iron pots are heavy but it is worth the extra muscle power it takes to use them.

You can boil water and liquids in your cast iron without any issues. It will not ruin the seasoning or create rust. For example, I simmer sauces and I use boiling water to clean my cast iron skillet.

Cast iron works with both oven and stovetop use, which means that it tends to work well as a backup choice for almost any type of cooking vessel. As long as you get a skillet that’s deep enough and large enough to contain your food, you should be alright.

MYTH: You should 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.

Myth #1: You should never cook tomatoes and other acidic foods in cast iron. A well-seasoned pan can handle acidic foods with impunity. … The high acidity of these foods will strip the seasoning and result in discoloration and metallic-tasting food.

Cast iron pots, called dutch ovens, are ideal for soups, stews, and braising meat because they can hold heat for a long time and distribute it evenly. Unlike pots, pans, and skillets made out of thinner material, you won’t need to worry about the bottom of a dish burning if you aren’t able to stir it constantly.

Cast iron is such a dense substance that it holds and radiates extreme heat very well, providing even temperatures for searing and pan-frying meat, seafood and vegetables and for slow cooking tough stew meats and beans.

your food is black because there’s tiny iron pieces sticking to your food if not properly seasoned. to season your skillet, wash the surface with a sponge, dry with a paper towel or a piece of cloth then apply a thin coating of vegetable oil.

Cooking steak in a cast-iron pan is ideal because cast-iron heats very evenly and retains heat extremely well. A pre-heated cast-iron skillet provides the intense heat needed to sear the exterior of a steak to a crispy, flavorful golden-brown, while also cooking the interior to perfection.

Do not use olive oil or butter to season your cast-iron pan — they’re great to cook with, just not for initial seasoning. … Turn off the oven, leaving the pan in the oven to cool completely as the oven cools down.

In my experience, it’s reasonable to reseason a cast iron skillet once to 2-3 times per year. If you cook fattier foods in your skillet and avoid cleaning it with soapy water, the seasoning could last for years.

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.

Clean cast-iron skillet after every use Wipe interior surface of still-warm skillet with paper towels to remove any excess food and oil. Rinse under hot running water, scrubbing with nonmetal brush or nonabrasive scrub pad to remove any traces of food. (Use small amount of soap if you like; rinse well.)

1. Scrub skillet well in hot soapy water.
2. Dry thoroughly.
3. Spread a thin layer of melted shortening or vegetable oil over the skillet.
4. Place it upside down on a middle oven rack at 375°. (Place foil on a lower rack to catch drips.)
5. Bake 1 hour; let cool in the oven.

The test kitchen staff likes well-seasoned cast-iron for cooking bacon. … Instead, lay the bacon flat in a cold pan and place it over a burner set to medium or medium-low. As the bacon heats up along with the pan, the fat will slowly liquify, making for bacon that’s perfectly crisp.

Mighty Nest lists the three most common reasons why your eggs may be getting stuck: Your cast iron skillet isn’t seasoned enough, there’s not enough fat, or you have the pan over the wrong heat temperature. During the preheat stage, the pan should be over medium-high heat.

Heat your oil over medium-high heat before adding the eggs. But, don’t let it get too hot! If your oil starts smoking and bubbling, then it’s too hot. If it gets too hot, this is when the eggs stick to the pan.

Place a heavy skillet, such as a cast iron skillet, over medium-high heat. Cook patties in hot skillet until meat is no longer pink in the center and the sausage is browned, about 3 minutes per side. Serve immediately.

Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage; cook until lightly browned, approximately 3 minutes per side.

Sausages can be cooked in numerous ways. In general, boiling and baking are the healthiest methods, as they don’t require much oil. However, pan- and stir-frying are good options as long as you choose a healthy oil. Conversely, deep frying is the least healthy way because of the fat and calories it adds.

While your cast-iron skillet might be tough, it isn’t indestructible. There are a few surefire ways to ruin the seasoning, or worse, destroy your cookware entirely. Avoid these pitfalls to keep your pan in tip-top cooking condition.

So, Is Cooking in Cast Iron Healthier than Cooking in Other Pans? 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.

Contrary to popular belief, you can use a small amount of soap to clean cast iron cookware! Large amounts of soap can strip the seasoning off your pan, but you can easily re-season your pan as needed. … Our cast iron cookware should be washed by hand. A dishwasher will remove the seasoning and likely cause rust.

Over time, cast iron cookware becomes “seasoned” as it collects oils, creating a naturally nonstick surface. Scratches, however, promote adhesion, which in turn promotes unwanted buildup and even rust.

Cast iron retains and distributes heats so well that you can cook the vegetables over fairly low heat (avoiding the risk of burning before being cooked through), stirring only every once in a while, until they are deeply golden and cooked through.

Professional chefs use cast iron due to its many advantages. Besides being durable and inexpensive, cast iron pans and pots are easy to clean and great at heat retention. These features allow chefs to whip up several meals, especially those that need low simmering and browning to prepare.

Can Savory and Sweet Dishes Be Cooked in the Same Cast Iron Skillet? The simple answer is yes! … Once the fat cools on the metal, it is more similar to a plastic than it is a cooking oil.

A baking pan, oven-safe Dutch oven, or sauté pan can be used if you don’t have a casserole dish or the correct size baking dish for a recipe.

Many a roast, broiled or braised, has been cooked in cast-iron skillets. These skillets are oven-safe because the entire skillet is made of metal — meaning no part of it will melt unless you put it in a blast furnace. Stainless steel skillets are also oven-safe as long as their handle is oven-safe as well.

A cast-iron skillet is ideal for this type of low and slow cooking, as it will retain heat well throughout the skillet, and distribute it evenly across the cooking surface, so you don’t get burnt spots. The sturdy construction means you can leave your chili to simmer for hours without worrying about your pan warping.

Acidic Foods like Lemon Based Preparations, Tomato Sauce Tomato-based curries like paneer, sambhar, kadhi, or rasam shouldn’t be prepared in an iron kadhai. Use a cast-iron only if you wish to quickly toss any of such preparations.