Kitchen

[Shanus]

Maybe because I was raised in the South, but a great, seasoned cast iron fry pan is the most used cookware in my kitchen. It's naturally non-stick, retains the heat, & can be used stove top or in the oven. Anyone have one that they love? 

[Sassy7356]

I hav e never had one but always have hinted to getting one.  What size is good to start with?

[Sooner]

Start with a 10 inch skillet--if you can find one in an antique store that is smooth as glass on the bottom.  If not, get a pre-seasoned Lodge new one.  Read about them, LEARN HOW TO USE THEM.

Get one of those Cooking in Cast Iron magazines from Hoffman publications and make pies, casseroles, biscuits, cornbread, cinnamon rolls, pot pies, hot rolls and a zillion other things in it!   PIZZA!

[winamac1]

I don't find my LODGE cast iron to be nonstick at all.  If I cook eggs, I have to put oil in it!

[jaxs mom]

I cook eggs in my bare cast iron all the time, without sticking. You do need to season it by cooking fatty foods for awhile before you have enough seasoning base though. 

[Shanus]

@winamac1

Do you keep it seasoned and most importantly after you use it, just wipe it out...no soap...and using a paper towel & drop of veg. oil, store it that way. If you find it is no longer "non stick", you can begin as new pan and do the "seasoning" process. I had to do this to one of my older pans.

[Sassy7356]

@jaxs mom @winamac1 @Sooner Thanks for all the tips on what to get and bake/cook in it.  One will go on my Wish List for Christmas.

[jaxs mom]

You can use dish detergent. The no soap rule is from back in the old days when people used lye soap. Today's dish detergent does not strip seasoning, which is polymerized anyway. I wash my bare cast iron with detergent pretty much every time I use it and have no issues with sticking. I cook eggs and omelets without added fat and they don't stick. My pans are all well used and well seasoned. 

[jaxs mom]

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@Sassy7356 wrote:

I hav e never had one but always have hinted to getting one.  What size is good to start with?

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Size is determind by how much you want to cook. If you're only cooking for one you probably want a smaller pan than if you're cooking for 5. I have everything from little 5 inch skillets up to a 17 inch. 

[Starpolisher]

• Mine is also well seasoned and non stick. I use it everyday and it stays on my stove top. One of my son's just stopped by here with a friend and his fiend commented on how well seasoned my pan is. He said his didn't look like mine so I told him how to care for it. Speaking of which; when I first married my mother in law told me how to care for mine.  While I had seen them at other people's homes, my mom did not own one. Well, the idea of not scrubbing the pan and keeping it oiled did not sound  very sanitary to me. It ended up rusting and I threw it out. The second one I owned cracked in half  because I use to run cold water in it while it was hot. I've had this one for years. I don't scrub it and I keep it very lightly oiled! Voila! 🍳