Kitchen Essentials: The Cast Iron Pan

We've gotten a lot of hand me downs from the family basement over the years -- furniture, lamps, art, an espresso maker -- but our hands down favorite is the cast iron pan. It's likely that there's one lying around in your family's basement or just waiting to be picked up at a stoop sale or online. For a very low price, you'll have a pan that's strong, durable, has excellent heat retention, and with the right care, a non-stick surface.

The trick with cast iron cookware is the seasoning process. If you are buying new cast iron products, they are often pre-seasoned, and just need to be maintained as you use them, but that gem you find in the basement may very well be rusty, so you will need to give it a hard core scrubbing with steel wool to get started. Once it is clean and dry, give it a very light coating inside and out of vegetable oil, vegetable shortening, or lard if you've got it. Place it in a 300 degree oven for an hour upside down with a baking sheet or foil underneath to catch any drippings. Let it cool before use.

To wash your seasoned pan after using, just use a brush and hot water; never use soap. If food gets stuck on, boil some water in it, let it sit for a bit, and try again with the brush. You can also use a paste of kosher salt and oil as an abrasive. After rinsing, place it on the stove on medium heat and spread a thin film of vegetable oil on the surface of the pan with a paper towel (wad it up so you don't burn yourself), let it heat up for a minute or two, then turn of the heat and let the pan cool on the burner. When completely cool, wipe off any excess oil before storing. With proper care, you'll be able to pass on your cast iron pan to your grandchildren, because everyone needs iron in their diet!

Other kitchen essentials: one sharp knife.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Laren Spirer in Food on January 7, 2008 3:25 PM

Comments [rss]

PatrickNorton

You have to be very careful for choosing anything for you and your family.
Iron Supplement

ebad

The extra iron you will receive from cooking with cast iron is very small. One is better off just eating more spinach salads. You will get more iron, however, if you wash your pan with soap, or don't dry it correctly. Then a little rust will get into your food. I recommend the Brooklyn Kitchen if you live in Williamsburg for pre-seasoned or vintage cast iron stuff. Cast iron dutch ovens are also really awesome and WAY cheaper than enameled cast iron (le creuset, etc).

Spirit of 76

Most Americans don't need more iron in their diet. They get enough just with a little meat every day. In fact, there's a controversy over whether excess iron in the human body contributes to heart disease. Also note that multivitamin supplements for seniors like Centrum Silver omit iron altogether, as do multivitamins specifically for men. The only people who really need iron supplements are women who are menstruating.

Laren Spirer

All I know about your kitchen, Nic, is that it is used to make ridiculously good bacon (which was possibly made on a cast-iron griddle?). I'll be happy to come over and check out the nickel-plated, but Rocknrope's got a point about the budget issue. . .

Rocknrope

Seasoned cast iron 10" pan, $15.00

Nickel plated cast iron 10" pan, $100.

Thanks nic, but I'll pass and take alittle more care of my cast iron pan

cucarachita

They're selling some pretty decent cast iron pans at Fairway on the second floor by the cash registers of the organic section (74th street & b'way store).

I'm very pleased with the one I was given by my man (well used, well seasoned -- he'd decided he doesn't want to cook anymore!), and put away the one I bought from Kmart (a Martha Stewart), which is not as nice, but will do the trick, too.

You can find pretty reasonable ones out there.

nicwolff

Oh Laren, have you learned nothing in my kitchen? (Well, I guess you haven't actually cooked in it, so that's normal.) Nickel-plated cast iron rules! All the benefits (ok, it doesn't add iron to your food) and no seasoning or salt-scrubbing needed - just throw it in the sink or the dishwasher, it can't rust.

Laren Spirer

Yes, I use mine for fritattas all the time. Works well for cornbread too.

brooklynbee

Another great thing about cast iron pans is they can go from the stovetop into the oven - comes in handy for certain recipes, like frittatas.