You may have a cast iron skillet or pot that you inherited from your grandparents or a great aunt. Or maybe you purchased it from a yard sale, excited to learn a new cooking technique, but never got around to it.
So now your cast iron sits rusted and unused in the back of your cabinet, because you’re just not sure how to cook with it.
Let’s make 2020 the year that you show some love to your wonderful, high-quality cast iron!
After all, cast iron can be SUCH a great tool for cooking! Once you know how to properly care for it, you’ll love how easy it is to make so many yummy recipes.
Plus, with the right care, your cast iron can last for decades—and that’s REAL sustainable cooking.
Here are a few guidelines to get you started cooking with cast iron.
HOW TO CLEAN YOUR CAST IRON COOKWARE
Cleaning your cast iron is not as simple as a quick soap scrub. In fact, you should AVOID using water and soap with your cast iron completely!
To clean, you’ll need to go through the process of “seasoning” your cookware.
To begin, take a steel wool pad and go to town scrubbing your cast iron, scraping off rust and gunk. If your cookware is in poor condition, this may take some time.
After you have scrubbed down your cast iron, cover the pots and skillets with oil—every crack and crevice.
Put your oiled cast iron cookware in the oven at 250 degrees and bake for about 30 minutes.
Turn your oven off, and leave your skillets and pots in there for a few hours to cool.
Once cooked, remove your cookware and assess how well they were seasoned. If your cookware is in particularly bad condition, it will need to go through this seasoning process several times until it comes out looking sparkling clean.
After you’ve seasoned your cookware, test your cast iron out. I do this by making some cornbread mix to cook in one of my skillets. If the cornbread easily flips without sticking, you know that the skillet has been seasoned well.
If not—time for another round of seasoning.
After cooking, I clean the skillets by wiping them down with a cloth or napkin. (Remember: You are never to put water or soap on your cast iron!)
If you’d like a visual walk-through of my seasoning process, check out the video below:
COOKING WITH YOUR CAST IRON
Cast iron isn’t just your average cookware—nope, you can make tons of different recipes in them, from breakfast to dessert.
The best part about so many cast iron recipes? You can make it all in one skillet. Quick and simple cleanup? I’ll take it!
I’ve gathered together a few delicious recipes for you to try out with your (freshly seasoned!) cast iron.
Farmers Breakfast Skillet
Now here’s a breakfast that would have no problem getting me out of bed in the morning! And by using just one pan, I can quickly clean it up and get on with my day after devouring this delicious egg, cheese, and veggie combo.
To make this recipe, you’ll need…
- Bacon
- Shredded hash browns
- Green onion
- Red bell pepper diced
- Green bell pepper diced
- Cubed ham or cooked sausage
- Large egg
- Half & half or heavy cream
- Shredded cheese (your choice)
- Seasoned salt and black pepper to taste
Cast Iron Skillet Pizza
Pizza in a skillet? You bet. We told you cast iron skillets were versatile!
To make this recipe, you’ll need…
- Hot Italian sausage, casings removed
- Coarse cornmeal
- Bakery pizza dough
- Olive oil
- Mozzarella cheese, shredded
- Pepperoni, thinly sliced
- Red onion, thinly sliced
- Basil leaves, torn
Old Fashioned Peach Cobbler
We’re tucking this one away for this summer’s peach season.
To make this recipe, you’ll need…
For the Filling:
- Fresh peaches, peeled, pitted and sliced
- White sugar
- Brown sugar
- Ground cinnamon
- Ground nutmeg
- Fresh lemon juice
- Almond or vanilla extract
- Cornstarch
For the Topping:
- All-purpose flour
- White sugar
- Brown sugar
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Unsalted butter
- Boiling water
- Ground cinnamon
- Vanilla ice cream, for serving
Join us for a cast iron cooking class at Stoney Creek Farm!
If you are local to the Middle Tennessee area, I invite you to join us at Stoney Creek Farm in Franklin, TN for The Joy of Cast Iron Cooking Class on Saturday, March 7 from 10am-12pm.
You’ll learn how to prepare old time favorites like pot roast with potatoes, carrots, and onions in a cast iron dutch oven. (The best part? You’ll get to devour the recipe, too!)
We’ll also explore tried and true cornbread recipes in a cast iron skillet and in a cornbread stick pan.
You’ll also learn how to care for your cast iron so it will last for decades.
