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A Stellar Cast pan begins as recycled scrap iron, car parts and previous pan remnants. The iron is melted down and formed into cookware using time-honoured moulding techniques. The raw pan surface is smoothed then seasoned twice with vegetable oil.
Aug 19, 2023 · These are the best methods for stripping off old seasoning, getting rid of rust, and making old, damaged, and vintage cast iron skillets, pans, and cookware as good as new.
- Daniel Gritzer
The Cast Iron Collector: Information for the Vintage Cookware Enthusiast. Learn how to identify unmarked 20th century cast iron cookware.
- Myth 1: Cast Iron Is Hard to Maintain
- Myth 2: It Heats Evenly
- Myth 3: Cast Iron Is Nonstick
- Myth 4: Don't Scrub with Soap
- Myth 5: No Metal Utensils
- Myth 6: Vintage Is Better Than New
- Myth 7: No Acidic Foods
- How You Should Use Your Cast Iron Skillet
- FAQs
- Why We're The Experts
The Theory:Cast iron is a material that can rust, chip, or crack easily. Buying a cast iron skillet is like adopting a newborn baby and a puppy at the same time. You're going to have to pamper it through the early stages of its life, and be gentle when you store it—that seasoning can chip off! The Reality:Cast iron is tough as nails! There's a reas...
The Theory:Searing steaks and frying potatoes require high, even heat. Cast iron is great at searing steaks, so it must be great at heating evenly, right? The Reality: Actually, cast iron is terrible at heating evenly. The thermal conductivity—the measure of a material's ability to transfer heat from one part to another—is around a third to a quart...
The Theory:The better you season your cast iron, the more nonstick it becomes. Perfectly well-seasoned cast iron should be perfectly nonstick. The Reality:Your cast iron pan (and mine) may be really, really really nonstick—nonstick enough that you can make an omelet in it or fry an egg with no problem—but let's get serious here. It's not anywhere n...
The Theory:Seasoning is a thin layer of oil that coats the inside of your skillet. Soap is designed to remove oil, therefore soap will damage your seasoning. The Reality: Seasoning is actually not a thin layer of oil, it's a thin layer of polymerizedoil, a key distinction. In a properly seasoned cast iron pan, one that has been rubbed with oil and ...
The Theory:The seasoning in cast iron pans is delicate and can easily flake out or chip if you use metal. Stick to wood or nylon utensils. The Reality: The seasoning in cast iron is actually remarkably resilient. It's not just stuck to the surface like tape, it's actually chemically bonded to the metal. Scrape away with a metal spatulaand unless yo...
The Theory:Metal is metal, cast iron is cast iron, and the new stuff is no different than the old Wagner and Griswold pans from the early 20th century that people fetishize. The Reality:The material may be the same, but the production methods have changed. In the old days, cast iron pans were produced by casting in sand-based molds, and then polish...
The Theory:Acidic food can react with the metal, causing it to leech into your food, giving you an off-flavor and potentially killing you slowly. The Reality:In a well-seasoned cast iron pan, the food in the pan should only be coming in contact with the layer of polymerized oil in the pan, not the metal itself. So in a perfect world, this should no...
These are the only rules you need to know to have a successful lifelong relationship with your cast iron. 1. Season it when you get it. Even pre-seasoned cast iron can do with some extra protection. To season your pan, heat it up on the stovetop until it's smoking hot, then rub a little oil into it and let it cool. Repeat this process a few times a...
What's the best cast iron skillet?
After extensive testing and comparing 11 pans, we named the Lodge 10.25-Inch Skillet and Lancaster No. 8the best cast iron skillets. We think you'll be very happy with either of them and, with care, both will last forever.
Do you have to spend a lot to get a great cast iron skillet?
Nope! Some of our favorite cast iron skillets were less than $50, and we found that they performed the same as pans that cost hundreds. The key is to find a cast iron skillet that fits your budget and your needs, and for most people that will be the Lodge 10.25-Inch Skillet. That said, we did like some pricier skillets mainly because they were lighter weight.
Are smoother cast iron skillets better than rough ones?
Modern forging practices have made cast iron skillets cheaper and easier to make, but it also leaves them with rougher cooking surfaces than ones made decades ago. While expensive cast iron companies like to advertise the smoothness of their surfaces, using a Lodge 10.25-Inch Skilletcontinuously will build up more layers of seasoning until the cooking surface is smooth and more nonstick. Both surfaces performed well in our tests, so it's up to you.
Kenji has written numerous cookbooks, including The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking and The Wok: Recipes and Techniques.We've extensively used and tested cast iron skilletsover the years, so we know our stuff!- J. Kenji López-Alt
- 6 min
- Skillet. A cast iron skillet is a frying pan with slightly sloping sides and a long handle. Its sloping sides make it easy to flip and toss food while cooking, and the long handle helps to keep your hands away from the heat.
- Deep Skillet. A cast iron deep skillet is similar to a regular skillet but with higher sides. The higher sides of a deep skillet make it useful for cooking foods that require a lot of liquid or oil, hence why it is amenable to cooking techniques like deep frying, stewing, and braising.
- Dual Handle Pan. A dual handle cast iron pan features two loop handles on two opposite sides, rather than a single long handle like a traditional skillet.
- Dutch Oven. A Dutch oven is a heavy, wide, and thick-walled pot with a tight-fitting lid. The thick walls and heavy lid of the Dutch oven help retain heat and moisture.
Mar 11, 2024 · Looking for the best cast-iron skillet on the market? We put pans from leading brands like Lodge, Smithey and Victoria to the test.
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Jan 25, 2023 · Cast iron is one of the kitchen's most finicky yet rewarding materials. If owning a cast iron skillet excites you, here are our top picks for the best brands.
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