The Joy of Cast Iron
Published March 17, 2008
Something you should also be aware of is how to clean cast iron. Never put cast iron in the dishwasher. The pan should simply be wiped out after cooking. For a tougher cleaning, heat the pan, pour in water (a process called deglazing), and then scrape the pan with a wire brush or metal spatula. Dump the water out and dry with a paper towel. When you store the pan for future use, give it a quick shot of cooking spray and wipe that into the surface.
Once you get used to cooking on cast iron, I'm sure you'll find more and more uses than just frying things. I've used my 12" cast iron skillet for making pineapple upside down cake, baking biscuits, and making one-pan shepherd's pie. My skillet is so indispensable that it is never put away. It has a permanent place of honor on my stovetop, next to the whistling teapot and my Capresso coffee maker.
I give you this charge: Go out and try cooking on cast iron. I think you'll enjoy it and grow to love this classic, proven cooking method.
This is a favorite recipe of mine, a one-skillet recipe for pineapple upside down cake you can prepare in your cast iron skillet.
Topping:
- 1 cup of firmly packed dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1 can (20 oz) of pineapple slices
Cake:
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 6 Tbsp cake flour
- 6 Tbsp of ground almonds (from about 2 oz of whole almonds)
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 3/4 cups of sugar
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
- 4 large eggs
- 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup sour cream
1. Start by making the caramel topping. Take brown sugar and butter and combine and melt in skillet on medium heat until sugar dissolves and the mixture is bubbly. This should take several minutes. Arrange pineapple slices in a single layer on top of the caramel mixture in skillet.
2. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Whisk the flours, almonds, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the sugar and butter together until light. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. Add dry ingredients alternately with sour cream in 2 additions each, beating well after each addition. Pour cake batter over caramel and pineapple in skillet.
3. Bake cake until tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes. Cool cake in pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Turn cake out onto a platter. Serve warm or at room temperature.
- The Joy of Cast Iron
- Published: March 17, 2008
- Type: Opinion
- Section: Tastes
- Filed Under: Tastes: Recipe, Tastes: Food and Drink, Culture: Home and Garden
- Writer: Tom Bux
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Comments on this articleComments
in fact, i will be making hash tonight in my big cast iron skillet (because the wife hates corned beef by itself). i tell you, it's the way to go.
and i know want lisa means about the weight. man, we have one of those french enameled dutch ovens (great for making marinara) that i leave in the cupboard when my back is acting up.
The newest piece to our collection we got from QVC. It is a Paula Deen 12" deep fryer.
We weighed it when it arrived. It alone weighs 12 pounds!!
i also have one of those cast flattop things: flat on one side, raised on the others. man, i love that thing, but getting it back into the storage bin on the bottom of the stove...it's a tricky little exercise.
I used castiron for many years, carefully seasoning the surface after baking the raw skillet to drive off the oils. But eventually I switched to very heavy stainless steel for two reasons: sauteeing tomatoes and such would erode the seasoning, and difficulty of using a dishwasher. I'm very happy with the SS stuff, it looks good, works like castiron, and I got them for about $15 each by selective shopping at Marshalls and Ross. I also managed to get nice glasstops with non-metallic handles.
Nowadays I always install a flattop electric stove and I use a remote Infrared thermometer to ensure repeatable temperature results. The SS looks great sitting on that flattop ready to go to work.
Yes, I used to be a gas fanatic. But no longer. the electric is easier to set at a correct temp for each requirement, and the nunmeric setting is reproducible. Plus, that flattop is SO easy to clean!
I LOVE the sight of my 4 gleaming pots and sautee pans sitting on the gleaming clean flattop ready to go!
infrared thermometer? geebies.
yeah, i guess i can't argue with the "repeatable results" thing but what about fast temperature adjustments? you're in the middle of a saute and want to crank it up for a bit to carmelize something...and then back off. i always thought electrics reacted too slowly.
by the way, the corned beef hash came out nice 'n crunchy last night. you're right tom, cast iron rules!
I'm with Mark on the electric. I have electric, and have cooked on gas. Though it takes getting used to, I always preferred the fast, even, and reliable heat of gas.
Plus you can use it to toast marshmallows.
Only problem I have with electric is that it's hard to sear meat (which I eat little of anyway) and it's hard to make stir fry.
I love my cast iron, some of them have been with me for decades. I remember the cheap teflon coated pans of my early adulthood, the instant coffee of cookware.
Supposed to be better, but actually suck badly.
Nothing beats a well seasoned iron skillet. Once you understand that even the toughest stuck food (crusty corned beef hash) will release a half minute or so after turning off the heat, you're golden.
Nice article Tom!
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Tom, interesting article on cast iron cookware. I recently bought a 6.5 quart enameled cast iron Dutch oven, and while I love cooking in it, I have to say that its weight is somewhat of a drawback (the shipping weight on this piece, according to Wal-Mart, is just over 19 pounds!). It's probably the one thing that prevents me from buying more cast iron cookware (although I suspect a small skillet is in my future).
Oh, and anyone who owns a Capresso coffeemaker clearly knows their stuff.