Tuesday’s Favorite Thing: Cast-Iron Skillet

A basic necessity that can pull double duty
The Mixed Stew crew is very fond of the cast-iron skillet. It’s heavy enough to confront burglars and can also crush ice cubes (just kidding). Make sure to season a new cast-iron skillet before actually cooking with it. Coat the skillet’s cooking surface with oil and then place it in a 350 degree preheated oven for an hour. A non-stick patina forms that gives the skillet a nonstick cooking surface. Cast iron is durable and oven-safe, which means that the skillet may be tapped for use in the oven. Cooks can safely start cooking a recipe on the stove and then finish it off in a hot oven with a cast-iron skillet. Use almost any utensil (steel spatulas, wooden spoons, etc…) to cook with cast iron. If they’re maintained well (routinely seasoned to prevent rust), pans (or cookware) made of cast iron will develop a non-stick cooking surface. Cast-iron cookware can last for many years. And in fact, the older, the better so keep an eye out for a used cast-iron skillet at yard sales or flea markets. Be wary of cooking with cast-iron cookware if you have trouble lifting and moving heavy things. Because they are heavy, they might not be the best option for older folks. Also, acidic foods (like tomatoes) will react with iron. Recipes with acidic foods and prolonged cooking times should not be cooked with cast iron.

Helpful Hint: People with iron deficiencies can benefit from using cast-iron cookware. Small amounts of iron leaches out into the food cooked in cast iron.

Note: For the holidays, The Mixed Stew is changing it up a bit and talking about some of our favorite things in the kitchen. We hope you enjoy this little break from the routine.