Why I love my cast iron skillet
Now I loves me a machine in the kitchen. I consider them completely indispensable for the daily production on made-from-scratch breakfasts, lunches and dinners. But my cast iron skillet is one of the few pieces of equipment I use every single time I cook – okay, perhaps not when I make a salad – but almost every time.
The benefits of using this pan are numerous. Fantastic heat retention. A really, really good sear. Absolutely no toxic chemical fumes evaporating into your face if the pan gets above 260c (very easy with non-stick). Stove top/hob to oven functionality, with great crisping on pastries, pies, breads and pizza. A genuine lifetime of use. And pretty cheap with it. Cast iron pans even transfer nutritional iron to your food. This is no small benefit. Unless I eat several portions of whole grains everyday, I really struggle to meet my recommended daily iron intake.
The multi-generational, hand-me-down (in a good way!) possibilities of such a piece of equipment should not be underestimated either. This pan will pretty much last for ever. If you want to use a great pan for your whole, long life, then pass it on to the next beloved generation, this is a piece of equipment you should get.
So just to recap, a roomy, solid, heavy, cast iron pan is one of the best things you will ever buy. And this Lodge Logic pan fulfils all the qualities I want in such as pan. Big enough to fit in large batches of vegetables. Heavy, but with two handles for when you need to haul it somewhere. A head start on the whole seasoning shenanigans. Simple, sleek, clean, all-black design. Yes.
Cooking with cast iron
Where to start? I use this Lodge Logic pan to sear all my vegetables, adding flavourful brown compounds which really enhance their subtle flavours. My recipe for Caramelised mushroom stock and the beautiful garlic mushrooms that accompany my Spring mushroom lasagne with wild garlic would be impossible without this pan.
I use it to develop a tasty, crispy brown crust on Healthy pan-fried falafel and these Tofu tempura veggie burgers.
To steam-fry a batch of Vegan potstickers with tofu.
Also to deep-fry dishes such as Battered halloumi and chips.
When used as a baking pan to cook a vegetable pie – Courgette and spinach or Aubergine, mushroom and halloumi for example – it browns and crisps the pastry beautifully.
The list goes on and on and on…
Cleaning cast iron
This pan comes “pre-seasoned’, but it definitely requires usage. The more you use it, the better its non-stick qualities will be. It is best if it doesn’t come into contact with water, but if it’s really caked in something I do soften that with water before scrubbing off with this little brush. You can clean your pan without a stiff, natural pot brush, but it’s definitely easier with it. Never any soap though – never!
A mixture of cheap cooking oil and salt is the very best way to clean cast iron, but it is also more expensive and laborious, so you decide. Drizzle in a few tablespoons of oil and add a teaspoon or two of roughly ground salt, then leave it for 5-10 minutes before rubbing gently and removing the excess with a cloth or some kitchen towel. A bit inconvenient? Yes.
Add to your kitchen collection
What pieces of kitchen equipment can you not live without? Let me know in the comments!
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