Spice up your home-cooked meals with cast iron
Apr 13, 2020
After only a few weeks at home, are you already in a rut with home-cooked meals? Well, you’re not alone. Many of us have run through our entire repertoire of our usual meals and are struggling to for new ideas. Try spicing up dinner this week by cooking with a Lodge cast iron skillet. Here’s three things to keep in mind when you cook with a cast iron skillet.
Seasoning
Seasoning a cast iron skillet is different than seasoning food. It requires no salt or pepper but oil. bond of the metal and oil creates a non-stick cooking surface and prevents pan rust. Old cast iron pots and pans can be renewed by knocking off the rust, applying vegetable oil or Lodge seasoning spray and baking. Want to start fresh? When you buy a new Lodge cast iron skillet, it is already pre-seasoned and ready for cornbread or chick-frying.
Cooking
Using cast iron can be tricky but oh so yummy. Make sure your skillet is properly seasoned and hot. Pre-heating the skillet is essential to reduce sticking and getting a good even cook. After the skillet is heated up, add oil to the pan then get to cooking!
One thing to keep in mind while cooking with cast iron is that the whole pan is metal and will get hot – including the handle. Use a handle mitt to protect yourself and your family when handling the skillet, which will also stay hot, so be cautious at first when heating it because it doesn’t cool back down so easily.
Cleaning
When you’re ready to clean up, no matter what, do not ever put your Lodge skillet in the dishwasher. It cannot be stressed enough that you must always wash it by hand. You can use a small scraper to remove stuck-on food and wash with a small amount of soap. Sometimes after a sticky or messy dish, the skillet might require more scrubbing, or you can loosen the stuck-on food by letting a small amount of water simmer in the skillet for a minute or two before cleaning.
Make sure that at after each cooking session, the skillet is properly dried and oiled because a well-seasoned skillet needs very little cleaning. The Lodge Seasoning Kit has everything you need for proper care and cleaning.
Pull out and revive Grandma’s old iron skillet or order up a new, perfectly seasoned one. Either way, it’s time to spice up your home-cooked meals with cast iron. These skillets are perfect for crisp cornbread, golden fried chicken or a seared pork chop. Break out of your comfort zone and start cooking with cast iron.
Seasoning
Seasoning a cast iron skillet is different than seasoning food. It requires no salt or pepper but oil. bond of the metal and oil creates a non-stick cooking surface and prevents pan rust. Old cast iron pots and pans can be renewed by knocking off the rust, applying vegetable oil or Lodge seasoning spray and baking. Want to start fresh? When you buy a new Lodge cast iron skillet, it is already pre-seasoned and ready for cornbread or chick-frying.
Cooking
Using cast iron can be tricky but oh so yummy. Make sure your skillet is properly seasoned and hot. Pre-heating the skillet is essential to reduce sticking and getting a good even cook. After the skillet is heated up, add oil to the pan then get to cooking!
One thing to keep in mind while cooking with cast iron is that the whole pan is metal and will get hot – including the handle. Use a handle mitt to protect yourself and your family when handling the skillet, which will also stay hot, so be cautious at first when heating it because it doesn’t cool back down so easily.
Cleaning
When you’re ready to clean up, no matter what, do not ever put your Lodge skillet in the dishwasher. It cannot be stressed enough that you must always wash it by hand. You can use a small scraper to remove stuck-on food and wash with a small amount of soap. Sometimes after a sticky or messy dish, the skillet might require more scrubbing, or you can loosen the stuck-on food by letting a small amount of water simmer in the skillet for a minute or two before cleaning.
Make sure that at after each cooking session, the skillet is properly dried and oiled because a well-seasoned skillet needs very little cleaning. The Lodge Seasoning Kit has everything you need for proper care and cleaning.
Pull out and revive Grandma’s old iron skillet or order up a new, perfectly seasoned one. Either way, it’s time to spice up your home-cooked meals with cast iron. These skillets are perfect for crisp cornbread, golden fried chicken or a seared pork chop. Break out of your comfort zone and start cooking with cast iron.