I've been reading your site for a while now and I just love it!

I adore my cast iron. Along with realizing that teflon is unsafe, I got tired of the money it took to replace it every few years. When little black flecks start getting in your food, you know it's bad stuff! Cast iron will last virtually forever unless you break it!

One thing I do to mine is after I clean it I put a dime size amount of oil and use a paper towel to rub it in. It helps season, keeps rust away, and gives it a beautiful shine!

~Trish

I grew up cooking with cast iron, and when I got married last year, new cast iron pans were one of the first things my husband and I purchased. We got ours at williams Sonoma, because we had recieved gifts from there that we did not really need, so we had a some credit. We purchased one very large skillet, and a grill pan. The grill pan makes WONDERFULL burgers and steaks! Just be sure you have a splatter guard... Ours were lodge, and came pre-seasoned. At Williams Sonoma they were about 20 dollars each, but I know my dad has purchased a few at his favorite thrift store and only paid a few dollars for them. The bonus both ways is that they come pre seasoned! I recently bought another deap cast iron pan at macy's when they were on sale, and get to try seasoning this one soon!

The way I clean my pans is to either heat the pan up and then rinse with warm water, or emediately after serving, run the pan under water, then place it back on the stove with a little oil.

Before I was married and was still living with Momma and Daddy, we did have pans that lost there seasoning (we washed them with soap a few times I think), we started "washing" them with oil. We would put the pans on the stove top (I am not sure what tempurature) with enough oil to coat the bottom well, then simply wiped them out with paper towels. Sometimes I would have to really scrub with the paper towels, but it worked well, and the pans are now well seasoned again!

I have also heard that if you are anemic, it is good to cook tomato based sauces in cast iron, as it will leach more of the iron out of the pans.

I hope that is helpfull!

I inherited my pan after my stepmother died. I love it. My sister wants it. Ain't gonna happen! LOL

It is the only pan I use for cornbread. It makes the BEST cornbread. After use I just wipe it out with a paper towel. If it has lost some of its shine I put a little Crisco in it while it is still warm and wipe with paper towel.I haven't cooked much else in it. I'm like you I always reach for the Teflon.

We actually have a whole collection of cast iron. It was my husbands parents. We have pans of all sizes plus a cast iron cook stove!!

Lodge cast iron pans are made in South Pittsburg, Tennessee. They have an outlet with fairly cheap prices. I think we paid ~$5 for a grill pan.

http://www.lodgemfg.com

I have heard you shouldn't use cast iron on smooth top stoves. Does anyone know if this is true??

Tricia

I used to use my cast iron all the time. I'd use it for anything that I was frying. I got it when I first got married (25 years ago this summer!. But last year I got a new stove and it is a glass top (smooth) surface. The manufacturer's instructions say not to use the cast iron skillet because itis heavy enough to break the glass on my stove top. So, now it is in my cupboard not being used. My daughter wanted to take it when she moved out, but I wouldn't let her. I can still use it to bake cornbread in the oven.

I inherited my cast iron after my great-grandmother died. She got it for a wedding present in 1928. :) It is one of my favorite possessions.

Two years or so ago, it was getting, hard to describe, but rough on the bottom. We took it camping with us and put it in the fire. It was glowing red (very cool! LOL), but it burned off all the excess. It was then easy to reseason it, and it looks lovely today.

Betsy

If you use soap, does it ruin it? or just remove the "seasoning?"

I found one while "curbside shopping" in my neighborhood on trash day. It felt sticky, so I haven't used it yet.

Alton Brown uses cast iron a lot in his cooking. His books are great for explaining the chemistry behind what's going on in the kitchen.

Jo

I know that everything and everyone that uses cast iron says not to use soap but if you really feel the need to do so, it's ok. We do all the time. Just make sure that after you've dried the pan on the stove you add a bit of oil/shortening/ bacon grease (the best thing for seasoning EVER!) to put the oil you just took off back on the pan. I also grew up with cast iron and after my hubby finally learned how to cook with it we don't use much else. I grew up not using soap on my cast iron but hubby just couldn't handle that so once he started learning how to take care of it he started doing it himself and our pans are awesome!!!! He even rejuvenated his great grandmother's old dutch oven! I hope that anyone that was hesitant about using it because of the soap thing will now think about trying it. It's a wonderful tool in the kitchen!
Thanks, Tammy for all you hard work and recipes and insights. I really enjoy reading here.
Tracy

I grew up cooking on cast iron. We had all sized pans and a griddle. I have a "chicken fryer" which is just a 10inch skillet that is twice as deep and an 8 inch. They work beautifully. I use soap when cleaning the pan and always rub in a teaspoon of oil. One of the real keys to keeping cast iron nice is to NEVER EVER soak it!

Take Care,

Trixie

Tammy - thanks for all the effort you put into this site and blog. Some of my best recipes have come from you!
I have several pieces of cast iron - a 3 pc. skillet set given to us as a wedding present, a chicken fryer, 10" and 12" skillets, a dutch oven, a biscuit pan and a cornbread/scone pan. Many of them were purchased unseasoned and several came from Amazon - they do have great prices, but I've learned to add things to my cart and then wait - the price can fluctuate, esp. around Mother's Day or Easter.

One of the best ways I've found to season a pan is to coat it with oil/shortening/bacon grease and leave it in the oven. Every time you heat your oven, you season your skillet. I had the hardest time getting the cornbread/scone pan seasoned because it's divided into wedges and the sides of the wedges didn't hold on to the oil very well. Leaving it in the oven for a couple of weeks has turned it into the perfectly seasoned pan I was trying so hard to achieve.
And they ARE indestructible! I left one on the stove just a bit too long and burned the seasoning off the bottom - this was a piece purchased preseasoned. I just scrubbed it well, added some oil, and left it in the oven for a while. Good as new!
As for cleaning, I don't use soap - just a hard bristled brush and hot water. I dry the pan with a paper towel, make sure it's completely dry, and then add some oil and spread it around with another paper towel.
The one thing I'm dying to get now is a grill pan/griddle. Prices have jumped on them recently - I guess because of the season.
And a tip for the person looking for a dutch oven - while I've never used enameled cast iron, Cook's Illustrated tested several enameled dutch ovens and found that a Chefmate brand from Target (not available on the web, but in the store) for $40 was just as good as the Le Crueset. Another item for my wish list. :-)

I grew up in a home where we only used teflon and so I have always used it as well. A friend of mine always uses cast iron and she made it sound very complicated to take care of. It scared me off. However, I recently found out that my daughter is anemic. I read that cooking acidic foods in cast iron multiplies the iron content phenominally, so I began cotemplating trying it. I was still wary of making the switch. Reading this thread has helped me to feel a little more confident about trying out cast iron. Thanks! :-)

BTW, I forgot to add that I always use soap on mine. My mom always did and we didn't notice that it effected it at all.

Another cast iron fan here. I have had a glass stove-top for 3 years and have used my cast iron on them frequently with no problems. My owner's manual did not warn against cast iron and the salesman at Sear's said his wife used one daily on their's.

I love cast iron, but it can break. I had a flat griddle that accidently was set askew on a burner and the uneven heating caused the griddle to crack. I heard a very loud ping, and discovered the big crack. Science in action. Also, about using soap in cast iron; I was taught not because the pan absorbs the flavors of all that is put in it. I have some friends who have a pan strictly for potatoes and one for meat because of that reason/belief.

I have had cast iron skillets for about 15 years now. I grew up with them. I have a square skillet (good for french toast and sandwiches) two 8 inch and a dutch oven. I love them. I do use soap in mine when needed, but I just reseason by rubbing in some veg oil and putting them in a hot oven for a few minutes as described by another comment here. It's not as "stick free" as teflon, but it's great stuff. You can also clean one that has a build up or rust by building a big fire and sticking the pan in it. My great uncle used to do this. I inherited one of my skillets from him! The rest I got at auctions and some are old. I use my dutch oven to cook roast in the oven and I use the others for cornbread and my Irish soda bread in the oven. I'm thinking my dutch oven would be perfect for this new round of "no knead" bread recipes. Anyway, love cast iron and glad your looking into it!

p.s. I recently bought two Edgar Meyer CD's at half price books. I'm so glad you introduced me to him!

I love my cast iron. I spent years not knowing how to season them without starting a fire! lol We used to cover them with oil and throw them on a fire for a while. I finally found out how to do it in the oven about 3 years ago. (I've been out of my parents home with my pans for 22 years! lol)

I have always used metal utensils with them with no problem. I put a little oil in them and rub all over after I have to use soap and water on them. I have heard that they can crack but I have never known anyone who has had that happen.