Cast iron aficionados are passionate. Most are on a mission to convert the rest of the world to the joys of cast iron cooking. If you ever start using it, especially for outdoor cooking, you will likely discover its almost mystical allure.
In spite of my initial resistance, I’ve learned a lot about cast iron over the last 10 to 15 years. I’ve had to. My husband is obsessed with cast iron. Therefore, I am up to my eyeballs in cast iron cookware of every shape, size and make.
Cast iron is one of the most durable cooking implements you can purchase. Dutch ovens and other pieces can be used for decades, passed down from one generation to the next. We still use Mama’s cast iron pans she’d had since the 1940s – they make perfect cornbread every time. If cared for properly, cast iron is seemingly indestructible. I know – my husband has tested it thoroughly!
Recently, cast iron has experienced a surge of interest, especially among celebrity chefs and health-conscious home cooks. While the initial outlay for cast iron cookery may be on the expensive side, its longevity outweighs the cost factor. I can’t begin to count the number of non-stick and regular stainless pans I’ve thrown away over the years. But my mom’s old cast iron stuff, and my husband’s, just keeps on going.
I had to learn how to use and care for the cookware properly or our marriage might have not passed the “iron test.” To save another newbie from the trials I had to endure, I want to share some tips:
- Don’t put highly acidic foods such as tomatoes, vinegar or citrus juices in cast iron for lengthy times or marinate (with bases using tomatoes or citrus) in cast iron pans. It can ruin the seasoning. It can also leave a metallic taste in your food – not harmful, just slightly unpleasant. Spritzing lemon juice or using a splash of wine at the end of cooking won’t make a difference if you don’t let your food sit in the pan for long.
- Since cast iron is slightly porous, it tends to take on strong flavors that can linger for a bit. To avoid this, skip cooking garlic, fish, strong cheeses, peppers and such. If you enjoy cooking desserts in cast iron, like many chefs recommend, getting a separate cast iron pan for your most delicately flavored dishes would be wise.
- Delicate fish, even salmon, doesn’t always flip well when cooked in cast iron because it tends to fall apart.
- For the first months of use, cook mostly steaks, bacon and other fatty fare. This helps enhance the coating of seasoning in the pan and ensure that it will become truly non-stick. If a pan isn’t used often, it will take longer before it will be able to handle such items as scrambled eggs, pancakes, etc. Most people don’t use their cast iron often enough and are disappointed when everything they try to cook seems to stick. Follow the suggestion above and you will enjoy cast iron’s natural non-stick advantages.
- Never store food in your cast iron cookware. It will break down the seasoning and possibly promote rust. (This I know from experience!)
Cooking and caring for cast iron is a learning process. Mom was a professional at both. She passed these skills to my older sister, Melanie. She is now the “Keeper of the Cast Iron” and rightly so. She has perfected Mom’s recipe for cornbread – just add a pot of beans and some sweet onion for a yummy fall feast!
Mel’s Cast Iron Cornbread
4 cups cornmeal
2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning or seasoned salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
6 tablespoons oil or bacon grease
4 eggs, at room temperature
2 ½ cups buttermilk
Mix dry ingredients, then add eggs, oil and buttermilk. Let stand while you heat large (10-inch) cast iron skillet with 2 tablespoons bacon grease or oil. Get skillet hot*, then pour in cornbread mix and place in preheated 450º oven for 30 minutes or until evenly browned.
*To make a crispier crust, sprinkle 1 tablespoon cornmeal in oiled skillet before adding cornbread mixture.
by Tamra M. Bolton
