Avoid these food for thought to keep your skillet in great anatomy .
Brie Goldman Food : Annie Probst Props : Breanna Ghazali
A stamp - iron skillet is a must in the kitchen of any serious cook . The versatile genus Pan provides a nonstick cooking Earth’s surface , holds heat well , can well move from the stovetop to the oven . Proper maintenance andcleaning of a plaster cast - iron skilletwill ensure the pan lasts generation .
Credit:Brie Goldman Food: Annie Probst Props: Breanna Ghazali
But while a mould - Fe skillet skin in load ofsweet and savory recipes alike , there are some occasions when you should reach foranother paninstead . Many component are prostrate to baffle to the surface of the pan , requiring a thorough scrubbing and running the risk of infection that you ’ll strip away the pan ’s hard - earned seasoner .
Here , Sarah Brekke , M.S.,Better Homes & GardensTest Kitchen culinary specialist , andKelsey Barnard Clark , chef , cookbook source and the season 16 achiever ofTop Chef , count in on whatnotto cook in cast iron .
But First, A Word on Seasoning
Before you pull your cast - atomic number 26 skillet out for a recipe , regardless of its ingredients , it ’s imperative to check that the pan isproperly seasoned .
“ Seasoning is the most important thing , ” Clark order . “ How you treat your cast smoothing iron is more significant than what you put in it , truly . It ’s like anything else — the in effect you take tending of it , the good it ’s gon na be . ”
As Brekke note , just about anything will stick to an unseasoned cast - atomic number 26 genus Pan , and the pan will also speedily rust after manipulation . The more flavour the pan is , the more nonstick it will be .
Foods to Avoid Cooking in Cast Iron
Here are the foods you should fend off cooking in cast iron .
Acidic Ingredients
In many cases , you should forefend cooking acidic ingredients such as tomatoes , lemon yellow juice , wine-coloured , and acetum in your mould - branding iron skillet . Brekke says this is especially true when cooking in an improperly seasoned pan , which will respond more with the acidic ingredients , leading to an undesirable metal feel in your concluding dish antenna . This mean you should also never marinate intellectual nourishment in a cast - iron goat god , as the superman in the marinade does not interact well with the iron .
“ The acids in the formula react with the atomic number 26 , which will not only start to fall in down the adorable flavouring coating on your pan but also impart a metal smack to your terminal dish , ” Brekke state .
That say , Brekke says acidic ingredientscanbe prepare in stamp iron as long as they do n’t spend too much prison term hanging out in the goat god simmering . “ bet on the formula , acidulent ingredient can mayhap be sum afterward to avoid some of these unwanted reactions , ” she says .
Clark agrees that time is of the essence when cooking with acidic ingredient in cast Fe . A splash of acetum or a liquidity crisis of lemon in all likelihood wo n’t hurt , but for long - simmeringtomato - based saucesor fret andwine - braised meats , you ’ll want to opt for a nonstick or untarnished sword cooking pan instead .
Eggs
While cast iron is famed for its power to hold heat , several factor are prone to stick to on its surface , resulting in amessy cleanup . Avoid sticky ingredients like eggs — at least until your cast smoothing iron is properly mollify .
“ These item have a reputation for stick to cooking surface , ” Brekke says . “ You may be able to get forth with misrepresent these items in a very well - seasoned goat god , but it ’s still a little risky and we typically recommendchoosing a non - stick skilletfor these formula . ”
Fish and Seafood
Many types of fish and seafood can also easily get stuck to a plaster cast - branding iron pan . Clark avoid cooking delicate fish and seafood , like scallops or freakish livid fish , in cast iron as they do n’t support up as well to the high temperature . Thicker cut of Pisces like tuna , however , will do just fine .
“ There ’s just no reason to do something like scallops , ” she say . “ You ’re not trying to carry flavor into scallops ; you ’re just trying to get it crispy . You launch the hazard of delicate seafood getting stuck because that ’s the whole peach of cast iron — it gives that grillroom - like issue that you would n’t want to do with something like a escallop . ”
Heavy Liquids
Clark also cautions against cooking any recipe with large amount of liquids — such as whenbraising meat — in cast atomic number 26 . “ The whole point of cast iron is you want it to last out dry as much as possible , ” she pronounce . “ Save any recipes that require lots of liquid for yourDutch ovenand keep your cast iron as wry as you’re able to at all times . ”
Desserts (Sometimes)
Cast iron ’s power to hold back heat makes it well - suited for bake afters likecinnamon rollsandcakes . That said , mould - branding iron pans have a disposition to keep flavors , so Brekke mention that there can be some carryover between formula . Make certain toproperly clean your dramatis personae - iron skilletafter cooking savory dishes if you plan on establish a dessert in the same pan , such as askillet cookieorDutch babe .
Foods to Cook in Cast Iron
One of the major benefits of a cast - branding iron skillet is its heat energy retention — once it get blistering , it stay hot . With that in mind , Brekke sayscast - iron pan are idealistic for cooking ingredients that require gamy heat , including searing and preparation substance , electrocute , blistering vegetable , pizzaor evenbaking cornbread . Clark say her favorite affair to cook in cast iron is protein , especiallychickenandred meat , but loves the flavor it add to a wide image of mantrap .
“ mold iron has a penchant and that ’s the beauty of it , ” she says . “ That ’s why we make love it . ”
