Nonstick Cast Iron
February 24th, 2008 Posted in Cooking Accessories
I used to loathe cast iron pans. The only ones I had experience with were neglected, sad ones with rust patches and untold grime. Ugh. And then there was the need to season them first, to not use dish soap on them, to oil them after use, etc. Way too many downsides! Besides, what was wrong with Teflon-coated cheapo pans?
I went through years and years of cheap Teflon in Japan, which is what everyone uses. They’re good for about a year of heavy use, but then just get too scruffy, with the Teflon coming off in flakes (and into the food — yuck).
But replacing pans so often felt so wrong; has anyone ever had that sick feeling of chucking what used to be a perfectly good pan into the garbage?
I gradually began to experiment with all kinds of pans — woks, copper, aluminum, stainless, enameled cast iron, and good old-fashioned cast iron.
- Woks, though incredibly useful and versatile, were difficult to store and took up too much space on my tiny stove.
- Copper is absurdly difficult to care for, as I found out after spending some $300 on a pan and never using it because I couldn’t deal with it.
- Aluminum doesn’t work for me — it feels too flimsy and gets hot spots.
- Stainless is a good choice for many types of cooking; I don’t know how I’d survive without my mighty All-Clad Dutch oven, despite my dig at AllClad in the previous post. But for everyday pans, not for me.
- Enameled cast iron is pretty great; it is essentially just cast iron (and thus very heavy) with a coating applied to it that makes it stick-resistant, and the enameling process makes the pan nonreactive to acids, which is a huge plus. I’m slowly growing more and more impressed with the enameled cast irons pans I’m seeing.
It took me a while to warm up to regular cast iron; After cooking in the kitchen of my friend Lucelle, who only uses cast iron, I was hooked; her pans were truly nonstick — I’ve never seen such nonstick pans! Yes, you can’t use soap on them, she said. Big deal. Just rinse them under very hot water and wipe with a scrubby. And after it’s washed, cast iron needs a few drops of vegetable (or other) oil and a quick wipe with a small corner of paper towel.
What about “seasoning”? Most cast iron pans sold today come preseasoned, but it’s really not a big deal. If you do need to season one, simply pour about a quarter-inch of vegetable oil into the pan and bake it at 375 degrees for about an hour. That’s it! But if you care for it as I described above, this shouldn’t even be necessary. I now cook almost exclusively with cast iron. It’s ideal for cooking meats (the heat is very even, and it retains heat incredibly efficiently), vegetables, eggs, pasta sauces . . . just about everything, really. It also goes from stovetop to oven or broiler beautifully.
For such performance one would expect a pricetag to go with it, but these iron workhorses–which can last for generations–are among the cheapest cookware items you can buy. A ten-inch beauty retails for about $15. I’ve since purchased all the ones photographed above, from the manhole-cover-like 15-incher to the little ramekin-like pots (ideal for baked eggs).
Any other cast iron fans out there? What’s your favorite dish to cook in it?
19 Responses to “Nonstick Cast Iron”
By
Salpy on Feb 27, 2008
$15?! Seriously? But where? Where can you buy this? So far, most of my pans are hand-me downs from my mother, so though I yearn for good pans, I never have spent any time seraching for them. And, I’ll admit, I’m lazy. Why not just pop into Sur La Table (seeing as I know where that is) and pick something up? However, I highly doubt that they’ll sell me cast iron for $15. Actually, I know they won’t, because after your last post, and some of my friend’s urging, I went online and tried to find cast iron by looking on the Sur La Table website. Most assuredly not there. So where does one buy cast iron? Where did you buy yours?
By
lesbianhousewyfe on Feb 27, 2008
Ummm… I bought my cast iron pan at Target – unseasoned and dully grey. I was poor, so I think it couldn’t have cost more than $10. I love it! After just a couple of years, the skillet was perfectly seasoned and non-stick. At 15 years of hard service, I still have no complaints and use it almost every day. Cornbread remains my favorite dish since I heat the cast iron skillet in the oven with the fat inside (shortening or butter) to melt it and the edges get really crispy during cooking. Mmmmm….
By
Eric on Feb 27, 2008
Salpy, you can find 8 inch cast iron pans at Amazon for $12, and 10 inch pans for $16. Click the link in the upper right corner of the blog called “visit the breakaway store,” and you’ll see it there. If you order more than $25 worth of stuff, shipping is free. Good luck! Let me know if you have any problems…..
By
Eric on Feb 27, 2008
lesbianhousewyfe (love that name) — isn’t it amazing how long these things last? And how many products get BETTER the longer you use them?
Please come to SF and cook me your cornbread.
By
GooberNgrape on Feb 27, 2008
i lurv my cast iron skillet. after only a couple years, it’s starting to get a really great sheen on it. some eggs still stick a tiny bit, but it’s about as good as i could hope for in a non-stick pan.
my need for a bigger vessel led me to a nice 7qt cast iron pot recently. lodge has the snazzy ones available with stainless handles and lid knob. found it on sale online, very cool.
amazing that cast iron can excite me, but i’m a sucker for snazzy.
By
Brady K on Feb 27, 2008
You can get Lodge cast iron skillets anywhere – even your local Ace hardware store.
By
Life in Recipes on Feb 28, 2008
I was lucky enough to inherit four assorted cast iron skillets via my mother, via my grandmother. The one that sees the most use is the ten-incher (measured across the bottom). I love it best for roasting whole chickens, and searing-then-roasting small pork loins and breasts of veal.
By
White On Rice Couple on Feb 28, 2008
No cast irons in our kitchen. We would like to use them, but the weight of cast iron pans would probably collapse our shelves. I’ve known of people who are also devotees of cast iron, and they had lots muscles!
We’ve had so much luck with our 12 year old Stainless Steel Calphalon set of pans that are not “non-stick” . Thanks for the valuable info on the different types of pans.
By
Kalyn on Feb 28, 2008
I have a cast iron grill pan with ridges that I bought at Sears for $12 (don’t you love how women always remember the price of something that was a bargain?) It’s a great pan which will last me for a lifetime!
BTW, your comment totally made my day! And now I’ve subscribed to you so we’re even.
By
Rich on Feb 28, 2008
Hi Eric — Love the books! Your feed is now on my iGoogle page.
Having lived in Japan you might’ve heard of the cast-iron “Magic Frying Pan.” Way pricey, but also insanely thin for quick heating & easy handling. (You know, the MacBook Air of cast-iron pans.
)
The waitlist is also insanely long. Back in 2004 Tokyu Hands delivered it after a 6-month wait. I just peeked over at the above link, and now they report a 2.5-year queue. Whoa.
By
Eric on Feb 29, 2008
Wow, I’ve never heard of the magic pan — so classically Japanese! A tech fix for EVERYTHING. Even more incredible is the 2.5 year queue!
Welcome Kayln! We hope we make it worth your while to stick around.
WoR — I hear you about weight. I’ve got this ikea rack set up, as seen in the photo in “Cooking Well in a Minimally Equipped Kitchen,” that kinda sags from all the iron, and it scares me. The rest of the collection is underneath…..
How do others deal with storing these things?
By
Chuck on Mar 2, 2008
I have been using the pan my Mother give to me that was her Mother’s, probably made in the 1920’s. pretty well seasoned.
I see in the picture, small bowl like pans with handles and lids. Where did you find them, I have been looking/googling since I saw the picture.
By
Scott on Mar 2, 2008
Another great place to find them is at garage sales; two of my pans were about $3 each, and, and as bonus, had several years of preseasoning.
I also have a cast iron sukiyaki pan which I got in Japan.
I like to use the Alton Brown method for making grilled cheese sandwiches: make the sandwich, with butter (or oil) on the top and bottom outer portions. Heat two cast iron pans (one smaller than the other) on the stove. Then put your sandwich in the larger one, and put the smaller one on top – it’s a sandwich press! It takes about 30 to 45 sec., and then it’s done.
By
Karena on Mar 3, 2008
I live in a circa-1921 flat with walls of lathe & plaster, so I can’t (won’t?) install the pot-rack of my dreams I see in the kitchen porn magazines. So that means I stack my pots and pans in the cabinets. I fold old dishrags into squares and layer them between pots and pans. Sometimes when I return a Le Creuset pot to the cabinet, I swear the old wooden shelves creak a bit.
By
Eric on Mar 3, 2008
Chuck, I got those small round lidded iron pans at the Crate and Barrel outlet store in Berkeley, but I think every Crate and Barrel carries them… insanely cheap, I think $8.
That version of the sandwich press is brilliant! Why buy a panini press.
Love the dishrag-between-the-pans idea!
By
L on Mar 18, 2008
Steak! Or grilled meat in general! I live in a tiny LA apartment with nowhere to BBQ so my cast iron grill pan is a great alternative. It’s even worth the fact that every time I use it, I set off the smoke detectors and you can see me running back and forth fanning at them with a cutting board or magazine. I’m sure the neighbors must love me when I grill. =D
By
Eric on Mar 20, 2008
My steak session on cast iron often results in the screams of the detector, too! I really wish I had a hood.
By
Doug on Nov 24, 2009
I have tons of cast iron. i have been collection for years. i have goon to flea markets an got old peaces the where just caked with crud. i jst put the in my oven and turn on thh ovencleaning cycle which cleans them back down to when you first buy new. then i put tem through a seaning cycle. good as new.