Cast Iron Part 2: The Using-It Edition
So, there's a lively discussion about seasoning and cleaning cast iron pans. What about using them?
My cast iron pan replaces a non-stick pan that was not oven safe. I'm wondering what new and exciting things I can do now that the oven is not off limits.
I'm imagining strata, maybe corn bread?
What are your favorite recipes for cast iron?
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26 Comments:
Fried chicken, hands down. Also the best for pan-searing steaks. You just can't beat that full-contact crust that forms. Hmm...I have a whole chicken AND ribeyes in the fridge...what to cook first??
hungryinhouston at 4:41PM on 09/30/08
Great for searing steaks and then to the broiler to finish them. Fried chicken and pork chops, obviously. Hamburgers. I also have a small cast iron pan that was my grandmother's that I use exclusively for corn bread.
deeoh1 at 4:52PM on 09/30/08
strata and cornbread are great in cast iron. I roast a butterflied chicken with two iron pans when we're not into firing up the grill: preheat medium pan in the oven, brown (seasoned) chicken skin side down in the large iron skillet. flip the chicken over, set the medium pan bottom right on top of the chicken and bake/roast it for 40 min-1hour, depending on the size (an Oprah recipe, actually). Also, arroz con pollo does well as long as you have a lid that fits. chicken/eggplant parm, homemade mac 'n cheese, and shepard's pie are great as well.
joyyy at 8:37PM on 09/30/08
@ joyyy - the macaroni doesn't stick to the cast iron pan? Interesting. Is it crusty on the sides and bottom? Drool.
erinlovestoeat at 9:45PM on 09/30/08
here's my favorite cast iron skillet recipe.
in a 12 inch cast iron pan, saute a couple of tart apples in a couple of tablespoons of butter until they are soft. meanwhile, mix together one cup milk, one half cup flour, a teaspoon of vanilla, a tablespoon of sugar, a pinch of salt, and two eggs. pour the batter over the apples and sprinkle it very heavily with cinnamon sugar. dot it generously with butter. bake it at 350 until it puffs up and is cooked through -- about half an hour. you can run it under the broiler for a minute or two to melt the sugar.
cybercita at 10:41PM on 09/30/08
A better question would be "what CAN'T you cook in cast iron?"
1stmakearoux at 9:00AM on 10/01/08
I do Irish Soda bread and Jiffy cornbread in my cast iron. If you'd like my Irish Soda bread recipe, just let me know. It's traditional for us to eat it on St Patty's day with corned beef, cabbage, and mashed potatoes....mmm. One of my favorite meals of the year.
gastronomeg at 11:16AM on 10/01/08
I love a good dutch baby in a cast iron. it get so high and fluffy. droollllll
http://luv2cooktoomuch.blogspot.com/ ">luv2cook
love2cook at 11:32AM on 10/01/08
Sounds like tarte tatin above, @cybercita! I love making pineapple upside-down cake in my 14-inch cast-iron pan. It's tough to flip over; I usually need my husband's help. But it gets raves! Dark, syrupy, caramelized pineapple with a perfectly baked, fluffy pineapple-infused cake.
Once it's seasoned well, you can make ANYTHING in cast-iron that you would in a non-stick pan.
Editmom at 11:35AM on 10/01/08
@love2cook -- your link won't work. What's a dutch baby?
Editmom at 11:56AM on 10/01/08
there's nothing I *don't* cook in my cast iron pans. the more you use them, the better they get ...
philosophotarian at 12:02PM on 10/01/08
Not only do I use my cast iron pan for normal cast iron pan things, I use it when I want to roast something small, because the only roasting pan I have is huge. For instance, last night I roasted a chicken.
RegrettableFoodie at 12:09PM on 10/01/08
One of my favorite things to make in my cast iron is roasted chicken, sausage and potatoes. Season some chicken parts in salt and pepper, thighs and legs work best, then brown off in the cast iron. Remove the chicken when its got some good color, then slice the potatoes in half, place flat side down, cover with two sausage links, the chicken, and perhaps a few cloves of garlic, thyme, rosemary, top with fresh lemon juice and olive oil and roast for 45 minutes on 375. The potatoes absorb all the great flavor from the sausage and chicken, and everything comes out a little crispy from the dry roasting and the contact with cast iron.
mediocrepop at 2:01PM on 10/01/08
@erinlovestoeat: it's just awesome and is a bit crusty from being baked. This is my boyfriend's cousin's recipe ... it rocks.
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup ounces elbow macaroni
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
melt butter in a saucepan. blend in the flour and salt. gradually add the milk, stirring constantly; cook until the sauce is thickened. add the 1/4 c shredded cheese and stir until it's melted.
cook the macaroni in boiling salted water as directed on the package, until tender. drain. add it to the cheese sauce and mix well. turn into two individual baking dishes or caseroles, or into a 1 qt casserole. sprinkle top with the remaining cheese, and bake in a moderately hot oven (375) for 15 minutes or until cheese melts. slip under broiler and brown top of caserole.
joyyy at 2:50PM on 10/01/08
you can get that crusty seared "meat candy " on hambugers if you use cast iron.mmmmmmm.
bisbee at 5:20PM on 10/01/08
I have to agree that nothing sears a steak like a cast iron frying pan. We also sometimes roast a small prime rib roasts (smothered in fresh herbs) in a cast iron frying pan. Yummy!
Recipes for Cooking at 9:52PM on 10/01/08
You can NOT cook anything acidic in them, certainly nothing with tomatoes or sauce. No balsmic vinegar reductions either.
You can roast, fry and saute and bake.
Mares at 10:53PM on 10/01/08
@Editmom - dutch baby is a big pancake:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_baby_pancake
anysuchname at 11:18PM on 10/01/08
@mares: I cook a lot of different things in my cast iron dutch oven, including jambalaya, which is heavy on tomatoes. If your iron is well seasoned, the seasoning will protect it from the acid. I also make spaghetti sauce in it. No problem.
1stmakearoux at 9:04AM on 10/02/08
Pineapple Upside Down Cake was meant to be made in a 12 inch cast iron pan. It was my grandmother's specialty until she could not lift and turn it over anymore.
robincat at 4:38PM on 10/02/08
where's the link on taking care of your cast iron pan?
snowmoonelk at 10:48AM on 10/06/08
@editmom, actually, it's a variation of a german dessert called kaiserschmarren. the pancake is poofy, not flaky like tatin. it's soooo delicious. i could eat a whole one myself, so i limit myself to to making them once every decade or so.
cybercita at 11:04AM on 10/06/08
Sear a generous pork roast in half butter, half olive oil on high heat so that it gets a gorgeous crust, and then finish it in the oven at 400 for about a half hour. Tent with foil and let it sit to completion for 5-10 minutes while you fix side dishes. I season liberally with salt (Herbamare seasoned salt anyone?) and pepper, and then throw in some sherry just before putting the whole thing in the oven. This is a great quick prep I semi-cadged from W Puck. The pan juices are fabulous!
PS: Costco has a great price on a giant pork loin you can cut into three sections BTW and freeze - and this is good for at least one of the roasts, post-thaw.
Tobey at 1:39PM on 10/06/08
@robincat, i'm a regular weightlifter, can bench or row a hundred pounds and do a 20 pound bicep curl with ease, and i can barely lift my 12" lodge pan. i certainly can't lift it and flip the food out with one hand. i have to scoop the food out with a spatula.
cybercita at 1:58PM on 10/06/08
Help!!!!
i usually sear steaks in another skillet, and decided to try my cast iron skillet this time. Just as I took the steak out of the pan, flames started in the bottom of the skillet . It was small and i easily put it out with salt, but WHY did it do that. Maybe time to season it again?
dmack1 at 7:30PM on 10/07/08
Help!!!!
i usually sear steaks in another skillet, and decided to try my cast iron skillet this time. Just as I took the steak out of the pan, flames started in the bottom of the skillet . It was small and i easily put it out with salt, but WHY did it do that. Maybe time to season it again?
dmack1 at 7:35PM on 10/07/08