# I bought a cast iron skillet! Now what? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 25, 2015, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bought-a-cast-iron-skillet-now-what/728807 "2015-08-25T03:36:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2015, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bought-a-cast-iron-skillet-now-what/728807/21 "2015-08-25T16:53:22Z")
> [@AHunter3](#): > > Agreed. No flour either. Let’s not go overboard here. But the ratio should be heavily towards the cornmeal. Like 3:1. It also needs a little bit of sugar, but not more than a tablespoon. Make sure the fat in the skillet is good and hot before you pour in the batter and return to the oven. Done properly in a well-seasoned skillet, the cornbread should slide right out. Brush the crumbs out and you are ready for the next recipe. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2015, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bought-a-cast-iron-skillet-now-what/728807/22 "2015-08-25T17:09:16Z")
Coarse ground corn meal works best. You can substitute some corn flour instead of wheat flour to get it to hold a little better. Corn flour can just be corn starch depending on what you buy, so use less if it’s just starch. I didn’t right down the proportions but I did make a decent cornbread using extra starch to replace the eggs for someone on a limited diet. Pizza Rustica is a great dish for a cast iron pan. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2015, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bought-a-cast-iron-skillet-now-what/728807/23 "2015-08-25T17:11:49Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Be careful about cooking foods with high acidity, as it will strip off the seasoning. Lemon juice is especially hard on it. How do we feel about sauteeing tomatoes in an iron skillet? ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2015, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bought-a-cast-iron-skillet-now-what/728807/24 "2015-08-25T17:14:36Z")
> [@DadWagonDriver](#): > > No cooking ideas, but I bought one of[these](http://www.amazon.com/Blisstime-Cleaner-Stainless-Chainmail-Scrubber/dp/B00N8NJIIQ/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1440509530&sr=8-5&keywords=chain+mail+scrubber) chainmail scrubbers to clean my pan with, and it works great. Is it my imagination or is that a Teflon pan in that picture? ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2015, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bought-a-cast-iron-skillet-now-what/728807/25 "2015-08-25T17:20:34Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > Is it my imagination or is that a Teflon pan in that picture? Correction, _was_ a Teflon pan. ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2015, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bought-a-cast-iron-skillet-now-what/728807/26 "2015-08-25T17:20:59Z")
In addition to other baking applications, a cast iron skillet is great for baking biscuits. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2015, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bought-a-cast-iron-skillet-now-what/728807/27 "2015-08-25T17:21:17Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > It also needs a little bit of sugar, but not more than a tablespoon. I disagree, no sugar at all. "[The North thinks it knows how to make cornbread, but this is gross superstition," Mark Twain wrote in his autobiography.](http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/08/why-southern-cornbread-shouldnt-have-sugar.html) I believe that the poor guys who began making and eating corn bread in the South had no sugar. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2015, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bought-a-cast-iron-skillet-now-what/728807/28 "2015-08-25T17:22:21Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > I disagree, no sugar at all. > > "[The North thinks it knows how to make cornbread, but this is gross superstition," Mark Twain wrote in his autobiography.](http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/08/why-southern-cornbread-shouldnt-have-sugar.html) > > I believe that the poor guys who began making and eating corn bread in the South had no sugar. Didn’t they have molasses? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2015, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bought-a-cast-iron-skillet-now-what/728807/29 "2015-08-25T17:31:22Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Didn’t they have molasses? “Probably”, he admitted seeing his thesis crumbling away, “but they did not put it into their cornbread.” :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2015, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bought-a-cast-iron-skillet-now-what/728807/30 "2015-08-25T17:33:14Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > How do we feel about sauteeing tomatoes in an iron skillet? We feel that if your pan is sufficiently well seasoned, an occasional tomato sauce won’t hurt anything or add any off-flavors to your dish. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2015, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bought-a-cast-iron-skillet-now-what/728807/31 "2015-08-25T17:40:53Z")
I was unaware that cast iron skillets were used for anything other than clobbering home intruders over the head by small children or housewives. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2015, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bought-a-cast-iron-skillet-now-what/728807/32 "2015-08-25T17:42:57Z")
Was semen pan-fried in a _cast iron_ pan? ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2015, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bought-a-cast-iron-skillet-now-what/728807/33 "2015-08-25T17:46:01Z")
> [@brainstall](#): > > There seems to be two schools of cast iron care - the treat it like a precious object and follow all the rules to maintain the seasoning, and the treat it like a piece of really useful cookware and don’t sweat too much about ‘the rules’. > > I’m of the second school. I have multiple pans in various sizes and use my cast iron for just about everything. If stuff does stick and I have to soak or scrub the pan, I may end up stripping the seasoning, but it’s easy enough to get it back with a quick swipe of oil, or just cooking up some bacon for breakfast. I agree. It’s a hunk of cast iron. The fuck could someone do to it with kitchen equipment? I don’t treat my cast iron particularly nicely and it looks great and is nice and slick. Far more preferable to cook in than my roommate’s prissy pots and pans that scratch up if you look at them crosseyed. Things I cook in cast iron: cornbread pancakes bacon chicken thighs fried chicken steaks taco meat grilled cheese hamburgers pizza meatballs chicken-fried steak spanish rice fried rice etc. While I have other non-cast iron skillets, I rarely use them. I just cook everything in cast iron. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2015, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bought-a-cast-iron-skillet-now-what/728807/34 "2015-08-25T18:44:08Z")
Fry some bacon. It seasons the pan well, and bacon grease is best for that little dab after cleaning. Here’s how I clean, when I do (dont clean unless it gets really grungy): Boil some water, pour into pan. Let soak. Clean with soft brush. Wipe, then put on fire. Apply a half-teaspoon of bacon grease. When it melts, use a paper towel to wipe the whole pan, and getting some grease over the entire surface. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2015, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bought-a-cast-iron-skillet-now-what/728807/35 "2015-08-25T18:59:16Z")
One thing nobody warns you about: NEVER leave cast iron on a porous surface, wet. It will leave a big black stain on, say, your nice butcher block countertop, which is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to remove. ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2015, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bought-a-cast-iron-skillet-now-what/728807/36 "2015-08-25T23:36:04Z")
I use mine for cooking outdoors, over an open fire. Stuff that is too stinky or messy for cooking indoors. Bacon and fish, mostly. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2015, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bought-a-cast-iron-skillet-now-what/728807/37 "2015-08-26T00:04:56Z")
> [@brainstall](#): > > There seems to be two schools of cast iron care - the treat it like a precious object and follow all the rules to maintain the seasoning, and the treat it like a piece of really useful cookware and don’t sweat too much about ‘the rules’. I cook in a cast-iron frying pan, rinse it in hot water, wipe it out with a paper towel, and dry it on the stove. Sometimes I’ll give it a coat of Crisco and heat it. Is that ‘following the rules’, or just cooking with it? ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2015, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bought-a-cast-iron-skillet-now-what/728807/38 "2015-08-26T00:46:16Z")
First thing you do is strangle yourself a nice Neptunian slug. This why you always buy cast iron cookware. BAM! ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2015, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bought-a-cast-iron-skillet-now-what/728807/39 "2015-08-26T01:52:02Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > I cook in a cast-iron frying pan, rinse it in hot water, wipe it out with a paper towel, and dry it on the stove. Sometimes I’ll give it a coat of Crisco and heat it. > > Is that ‘following the rules’, or just cooking with it? More or less what I said. Just dont dunk it in soapy water and scrub all the seasoning off. You then have to re-season it. Not hard to do, just goes against modern day thinking. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2015, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bought-a-cast-iron-skillet-now-what/728807/40 "2015-08-26T02:17:25Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > I believe that the poor guys who began making and eating corn bread in the South had no sugar. I’m confused. I’ve only ever had sweet cornbread in the south. I had no idea that cornbread could even be sweet until I lived in Georgia. It made sense to me that sweet=southern because in Michigan anyway, the standard is non-sweet cornbread, and non-sweet iced tea, and sickenly sweet everything in the south (cornbread, BBQ sauce, tea, etc.). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bought-a-cast-iron-skillet-now-what/728807.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bought-a-cast-iron-skillet-now-what/728807.md?page=3)