Cast Iron Facts and Fiction

 

When I first married, I was given a couple of cast iron frying pans.  One was about 8 inches and was meant to be my cornbread pan.  The other was a 12-inch skillet.  They had been well seasoned by Granny, and I kept and used them with minimal upkeep for nearly 25 years.  

I used my cast iron nearly every day.  I usually avoided cooking eggs in my skillet, especially the cornbread skillet, because I found it needed to be re-seasoned many times before it was non-stick for cornbread once more.  I washed my pans in soap and water and I cooked spaghetti and chili in them many an afternoon, letting them simmer long and slow.   I found over the years that truly there is not a lot you can't do in an iron skillet as long as you keep them clean and you occasionally re-season.

When she gave Sam a brand-new set of cast iron when he was on his own,  he brought them to me requesting I season them.  This brand of cast iron was covered in some sort of coating that literally had to be heated and scrubbed off before they could be used.  I think it was meant to keep out moisture until the pans could be properly seasoned but it was a very long process. Because he needed cookware, and because I had plenty of stainless frying pans,  I handed him my prized old pieces of cast iron.  I eventually got those pans seasoned.  

John's dad gave me a Dutch oven that he'd found in a thrift store.  It was coated in rust and took quite a lot of scrubbing and seasoning to bring it back to life.  

When Grandmother passed away I came back from sorting out her kitchen with a deep skillet that she fried chicken in and a flat griddle, perfect for making pancakes as well as an iron corn bread pan that makes corn bread look like little ears of corn.

Grandmother and Granny's pans felt like velvet they were so smooth.  So why did I quit using cast iron to cook?  I have no clue, but recently I've been pulling those pieces out more and more often.  Some have taken a little care to bring them back to full use, but I've renewed my love of cast iron.  

About a year ago, I made up my mind that when my current slow cooker breaks down, I'm not replacing it.  I'd initially stated that I was going to buy enameled cast iron to replace the slow cooker, but after reading today, I've changed my mind. Cast iron and enameled cast iron are virtually the same material with the one caveat that bare cast iron never chips.  The porcelain finish over enameled cast iron can be chipped and cracked.  Hmmm...After reading that I literally changed my mind about buying an enameled cast iron pan. That old Dutch Oven Mr. Harry gave me years ago will do just fine.  

I thought I'd share with you what I learned about cast iron today.

The first cast iron products date back to the 5th century B.C. in China.  A pig iron product, cast iron is a by product of the smelting process.  Because it was moldable, it was made into teapots, pots, pagodas, and ploughshares.

Henry VIII brought iron smelting to the England and began making cast iron cannons which were cheaper to make than brass cannons.  In the 1700's a Mr. Darby began making pots of the metal which gained quick popularity because they were inexpensive and more readily available than copper or steel.

I read a load of stuff about cast iron, mostly out of curiosity.  I've heard so many 'facts' about it that were contradictory that I wanted to know what was right and what wasn't.   People stick hard to what they 'know' and it turns out that most of our facts are right and a few of them just aren't so.  

Facts:

#1. Unlike other non-stick pans, cast iron does not produce toxic fumes.  It is naturally non-stick, as long as it is well seasoned.

#2. Cast iron cookware can last indefinitely.  Even badly rusted pieces can be reclaimed (more about that in a bit).  It is nearly unbreakable, doesn't chip or scratch.

#3.  It can be used over open flames, on stove top or in oven.  Yes, you can use cast iron on a glass cook top, but you do need to use some precautions.  Because cast iron is heavy you risk breaking the cook top if it is set down too hard or dropped.  I haven't read this anywhere but I'm assuming that you wouldn't want to put a hot skillet right from the oven on a cool glass surface either, for obvious reasons.

#4.  It's easy to clean.  More on this in a little bit as well.

#5.  Heats evenly, and holds heat well.

#6.  It is good for cooking at various temperatures.  You can sear or slow cook equally well in a cast iron skillet.  

#7.  Cooking something sweet in a pan in which you've recently cooked something savory will spoil the flavor of the sweet product.  For that reason, if you're planning on making a cobbler don't do it following a batch of Garlic roasted Brussel Sprouts.  

Myths:

#1.  You should NEVER cook eggs or delicate fish fillets (tilapia, flounder or sole) in cast iron.

Fact: You can cook eggs and delicate fish in cast iron as long as the pan is well-seasoned.  If it is newly seasoned, you might want to wait until your pan has seen a little use.   Now I'll add this: it is my experience that eggs stick to everything except non-stick pans and those peel.  I've tried aluminum and stainless steel.  I've tried heating the skillet and leaving it cold.  I've tried butter vs. various oils and my eggs always stick.  If you have a secret, please let me know.  All that said, I've watched Lisa at Farmhouse on Boone and Hilary at Old World Cottage (both on YouTube) and they both cook eggs without them sticking in their cast iron skillets.

#2.  You can NEVER use your cast iron to cook anything acidic. 

Fact: You can cook acidic foods, and even slow cook them in your cast iron.  Clean well after and re-season.

#3.  You can NEVER use soap on your cast iron. More on that in a bit.

#4.  It is said that using cast iron cookware will increase iron content in the body.  

Fact:  NOPE.   There is no evidence that proves this to be true.  None.

Here's what a real expert of quality cast iron cookware has to say about cast iron:

Will Copenhaver, vice president of marketing and sales or Smithey Ironware, Charleston, South Carolina reminds us: "It's ironic that a cast iron skillet, which settlers carried across the plains in covered wagons 100 years ago and washed in creeks with sand (if they were washed at all), is now perceived to be an item that requires delicate maintenance and care."

Cleaning:  I'm about to make a controversial statement:  You can use soap on your pan if you choose.  

So, let's just go on and talk about cleaning, now that I've thrown that statement out there.  

Here's how I've always cleaned my skillets:  I wait until the skillet is fairly cool to the touch and then I use hot water and a tiny amount of dish soap to wash it.  I scrub stuck on food with a stainless-steel scrubber.  I recall watching Mama and Granny both use an SOS pad on their skillets (soap and stainless steel).  I used to soak my pans if there was anything burnt on to the pan.  Honestly my pans remained just fine for all that 'abuse'.    I'm not saying I'd do the same in the future, but I'm being honest here about my past use of my skillets.  I never treated them as rare and precious objects but as tools.  I took care of them and used them routinely.

You do not have to wash your cast iron at all if you choose but you must clean it in some way, whether you choose soap and water or simply use salt and paper towels.  I do recall seeing Granny take paper towels and just wiping out skillets that she'd used for deep frying.  Her pans were so very well-seasoned and she was such a careful cook that she seldom burnt anything in her skillets.  But if you are the sort who has never used soap and don't want to use it now, then don't.  Obviously your skillets work well for you as you are using them.

Personally, I dislike using paper towels on my cast iron.  I've noted that paper towel can leave fine lint behind on the surface.  I prefer to use a dry cloth of some sort.

If you prefer to use the salt method, you can use paper towel, parchment or waxed paper and a coarse salt to scrub the pan. This method also works well on rusty skillets.  Some recommend using a neutral tasting oil with the salt.  The method you use has likely been handed down to you by whomever introduced you to cast iron cookery in the first place.  Do what works for you and let others do what works for them.

Anytime I clean my pan, I always put a dab of oil in the pan and then rub it over the surface until no oily film is left.  Then store your pan.

Reviving Rusty Pieces:  When Mr. Harry gave me that old Dutch oven it was very rusty.  I thought it was pretty hopeless.  I asked Granny the best means to revive it and she told me lots of elbow grease was required, lol, and it was!    She suggested I use salt and waxed paper and keep scrubbing until the pan no longer yielded up rusty residue.   

I wish I had known then that badly rusted pieces can be revived using an orbital sander.  I don't have all the details on how you'd do it so please don't ask but since I found the information in two different places on the web in my brief search, I'm willing to bet that you can find the details just, as well.

I did the hard work, but I'll tell you truth, that it didn't last well.  When I pulled it from the back of the cupboard last year, there was still some visible rust.   I went back at it with waxed paper and salt all over again and then seasoned it two or three times.  It's holding up well, now. 

Seasoning:  Granny always used shortening.  It was her favored oil.  You will want an oil that is neutral in flavor and has a high heating point.  This makes extra virgin olive oil and refined coconut oil a good choice, as well as shortening.  Personally, I stick with Granny's Crisco shortening, the only brand of she used but I have used regular olive oil, too, when I had no shortening on hand.

There are two seasoning methods.  You can season on the stove top.  I've never used this method and don't feel I can share the method because I'm not familiar with it.  However, many people seem to find it quite satisfactory.

I have always used the oven method.  Wipe the skillet, inside and out, with your choice of grease or oil.  Place in a 350F oven, and let it bake for at least 1 hour.  Some recommend 400F.  You can repeat this process as long as you like.  When cleaning the Dutch oven, I did this several times until I felt the sheen on the vessel was what I wanted it to be.

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