Cast Iron Skillet

Cast Iron Skillet Pan

A skillet is a frying pan and a cast-iron skillet is a thick pan made from iron. It can be used to fry, grill, stew, braise and roast. Some of this is possible as the cast iron skillet is often deeper than regular pans. The size of a skillet can vary from small to large, generally, people get one at 10 inches or so. One needs an oven mitt or cloth to hold the handle of this kind of pan as it is an extension of the pan itself and gets very hot.

Seasoning a Cast Iron Skillet

A cast-iron skillet pan does not come with a non-stick coating such as Teflon, this makes it a way healthier option as Teflon is poisonous in the long run. The fact that there is no non-stick coating also means that a layer of 'Patina' has to be developed with usage. A new skillet needs to be seasoned; this is done with a fatty substance such as the fat from meat or oils. Once seasoned it is to be rinsed at most, if one keeps washing it with soap and a rubbing foam the layer gets removed and food keeps sticking while cooking. Seasoning should preferably be done with meat and not butter or olive oil; this layer protects your food and the iron as well.

Boiling water in this pan after seasoning will weaken the seasoning, making food stick again. One can re-season to remedy this in case.

Cooking with a skillet

The entirety of a cast iron skillet pan is of iron, the handle too; which is why it can be used for baking or roasting in the oven. Purist steak lovers either use a grill or a skillet for their steak, the high heat gives them the correct sear they want. A skillet should be preheated as they do not heat evenly, so letting it heat up on medium heat makes it even out, resulting in a better cook.

Due to the fact that a cast iron skillet pan is thick when cooking things such as eggs the heat needs to be turned down once the eggs are added. It would be easy to burn the food or overcook it if one does not know how to manage the heat.

Fixing a Rusted Skillet

An old cast iron skillet pan can be fixed up even if it is rusted, so the life of this pan is long term; a lot more than the regular thin Teflon pans. A rusted pan needs to be scrubbed well with steel wool and then with foam; after which it needs to be seasoned heavily again. One could also use a mix of vinegar and water to submerge their pan in it. The mix has to be half and half, it will dissolve the rust and will also eat away at the iron so the pan needs to be removed in time.

After using the vinegar mix, the skillet needs to be seasoned as well so it can be used.

Comments

People who have issues with iron levels in their body should be careful using a cast iron skillet as iron does rub off into the food that is being cooked. This could cause them to consume a high level of iron.

A cast-iron skillet pan is available for mid-range prices as far as pans go.