The Beauty of Cast Iron -- The Ultimate Nonstick Pan

Posted Wed, Oct 17, 2007, 5:19 pm PDT

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I started off cooking almost exclusively with nonstick Teflon-coated cheap pans acquired for peanuts on an as-needed basis (usually when one of the cheapos had lost most of its Teflon, and everything began to stick to it). But replacing pans so often felt wrong; am I alone in feeling slightly ill when throwing a pan into the garbage? Nor did I want to ingest any flaking-off Teflon bits.

I gradually began to experiment with all kinds of pans -- woks, copper, aluminum, stainless, enameled cast iron, and good old-fashioned cast iron. Woks were difficult to store and took up too much space on my tiny stove. Copper is absurdly difficult to care for, as I found out after spending some $300 on a pan and never using it because I couldn't deal with it. Aluminum didn't work for me -- it feels too flimsy and gets hot spots. Stainless is a good choice for many types of cooking, and I still have a few cherished stainless pieces (primarily my mighty All-Clad Dutch oven). Enameled cast iron is quite nice; it is essentially just cast iron (and thus very heavy) with a coating applied to it that makes it stick-resistant. But, I discovered, properly cared-for cast iron is completely nonstick, so why bother with enameled?

It took me a while to warm up to regular cast iron; I had a cast-iron pan that I must not have cared for properly, because it rusted a bit and food tended to stick to it. But after cooking in the kitchen of a friend who only used cast iron, I was hooked; her pans were truly nonstick -- I've never seen such nonstick pans! The secret, she told me, is to never use soap on them; just rinse under very hot water and wipe with a scrubby. And after it's washed, cast iron needs a few drops of vegetable (or other) oil and a quick wipe with a small piece of paper towel.

What about "seasoning"? Most cast iron pans sold today come preseasoned, but it's really not a big deal. If you do need to season one, simply pour about a quarter-inch of vegetable oil into the pan and bake it at 375 degrees for about an hour. That's it! But if you care for it as I described above, this shouldn't even be necessary.

I now cook almost exclusively with cast iron. It's ideal for cooking meats (the heat is very even, and it retains heat incredibly efficiently), vegetables, eggs, pasta sauces . . . just about everything, really. It also goes from stovetop to oven or broiler beautifully.

The cost of these wondrous pans? About $15, making them surely the greatest bargain in culinary land. Share you cast iron stories here!

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10 Comments

1. Posted by Linda on Thu, Oct 18, 2007, 7:48 pm PDT

I cook in cast iron pans and love them. The food tastes better as well as how easy it is to clean them.
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2. Posted by c7abrewer on Sat, Oct 20, 2007, 3:39 pm PDT

I cooked with cast iron for nearly 30 years, my skillets are old friends. Unfortuantely, I now have an electric range with the gass top and my cast iron has been oiled and stored. I now cook with smooth bottomed Calaphon One Hard Anodized. These are ok, but just not the same. At least when we go camping the cast iron can come. I also never used soap, only hot water and a clean scrubber.
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3. Posted by Liz on Wed, Oct 24, 2007, 11:13 am PDT

I inherited a couple of cast-iron skillets from my grandmother's basement, scrubbed out the rust, reseasoned them, and now use them daily! The big one especially is now truly nonstick; I can make grilled cheese sandwiches without extra oil.
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4. Posted by Tino J on Tue, Oct 30, 2007, 9:11 am PDT

I have all of the above, but I use my 15" cast iron pan which weights a ton for spaghetti sauce, and many other things, and clean up very easy!
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5. Posted by Betty on Sat, Nov 03, 2007, 11:37 am PDT

Can you use cast iron on electric ranges? Here in Oregon it's tough to come accross gas stoves.
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6. Posted by Bosstweeds on Sun, Nov 04, 2007, 2:49 pm PST

I too only use cast iron and have been for years. It is good to discover what people took to be common knowledge a century ago. You end up coming arounf 360 degrees. They say aluminum pots may put unwanted minerals in your body and who wants the risk of ingesting teflon! I use not just skillets but grill pans and deep Dutchovens. I even have a cast iron Wok with a flat bottom.
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7. Posted by dave k on Sun, Nov 04, 2007, 7:15 pm PST

After years of carefully not using soap or other patina ruining cleaners, I had a perfectly stick proof 12" cast iron skillet. Without thinking twice about it I decided to make spaghetti sauce in it. Lo and behold my beautiful skillet was stripped of all it's patina and I had a skillet that seemed like it was brand new and I had to begin the process of patinizing it from scratch. I learned from that experience to NEVER, NEVER cook tomato sauce or other highly acidic in my well seasoned cast iron skillet.
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8. Posted by dblinton11 on Sat, Nov 17, 2007, 5:30 pm PST

I was wondering if cooking things like fish in my cast iron skillet (which is so big I can hardly pick it up!) will retain the fishy smell? I always feel funny not using soap & water!
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9. Posted by allamericangeneralstore on Sun, Feb 24, 2008, 8:49 am PST

I have been using Lodge Cast Iron Cookware for years to cook fish. The pans do not retain a fish smell if you properly maintain your seasoning of the pans. I love to blacken Mahi Mahi. A Lodge Cast Iron pan like this one: http://www.allamericangeneralstore.com/L12SK3-13-14-inch-Lodge-Logic-Cast-Iron-Skillet-wassist-handle_p_3200-59072.html Does a wonderful Job of searing your favorite blackening seasoning to the fish.
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10. Posted by louie on Sat, Apr 12, 2008, 1:30 pm PDT

Has anyone tried cast aluminum skillets and pans? One of the local stores is pushing them, stating they have all the advantages but none of the weight of cast iron.
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