# 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:** 10\ **Page:** 4
**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 28, 2015, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bought-a-cast-iron-skillet-now-what/728807/61 "2015-08-28T23:44:43Z")
> [@Lacunae\_Matata](#): > > And tonight’s dinner… was brought to you by the letters F and e… Nice one. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Lacunae\_Matata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lacunae\_Matata](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lacunae_Matata)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2015, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bought-a-cast-iron-skillet-now-what/728807/62 "2015-08-29T01:37:37Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Nice one. 🙂 My high school chemistry teacher would be proud of me for remembering. Otherwise, I only have you guys in DoperLand to appreciate geek humor! ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2015, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bought-a-cast-iron-skillet-now-what/728807/63 "2015-08-29T02:42:51Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Cornbread. Northerners don’t know shit about cornbread because they don’t make it in a cast iron skillet. This. I make cornbread in a 9" cast-iron skillet that was part of a set that I gleefully accepted from my stepmother when they got a new glass-topped stove. My stepmum doesn’t make cornbread. A 9" skillet also makes a GREAT pan for pineapple upside-down cake. The cast-iron helps the topping get hot enough to crystallize and make those yummy crunchy pieces around the edges. Great, now I’m hungry and it’s too late to snack. :mad: ETA: \*\*Lacunae Matata \*\*, your post about iron overdose is interesting. Do you know how common this is? (I ask out of curiosity… and because my mom and stepmom heavily used cast-iron pans…I wonder about their intentions now… \<.\< ) ETA2: Dang, ninja’d by \*\*Lacunae Matata \*\* about the pineapple upside-down cake! Great gastronomic minds. ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2015, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bought-a-cast-iron-skillet-now-what/728807/64 "2015-08-29T02:51:10Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > Mine sits on my stove top and I use it for everything. I roast veggies in it in the oven, I bake spatchcocked chicken in it; I make meatloaf in it. Basically, anything that I’m going to saute, bake, or broil I do it in my cast iron skillet. You’ll find that you will want different size ones for different uses. When there was a boyfriend Bunny, or today when I have company, I roast a chicken on a metal rack in the largest skillet, and surround it with veggies so they roast in the delicious chicken juices. Some of the roast veggies are smooshed up and used in gravy, and others are part of dinner. (I start the chicken off breast-side down, then flip it over 3/4 of the way through cooking. Keeps the breast moist.) Great. Now I want roast chicken and veggies, gravy, cornbread, and pineapple upside-down cake. At 11 pm. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Lacunae\_Matata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lacunae\_Matata](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lacunae_Matata)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2015, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bought-a-cast-iron-skillet-now-what/728807/65 "2015-08-29T03:53:51Z")
Re: iron toxicity. It’s not a common thing, as far as I can tell, and most cases of iron toxicity seem to result from little kids finding and consuming pretty red (iron) pills that look like candy. I grew up in kitchens where cast iron pans were used for at least 40-50% of all cooking, and I doubt that it hurt me, or zillions of other kids. I simply mentioned the toxicity issue because most of us probably don’t consider our cooking utensils as a source of nutrients. Unlike a lot of other metals, though, iron is readily absorbed into foods during the cooking process. For a small percentage of people, this could present a problem - folks with a metabolic disorder, maybe, and little kids who may overdose on iron if served, say, a nice tomato-based sauce that simmered all day in an iron pot. On the flip side - I deliberately cook in cast iron a lot lately, because I’m feeding two teenage girls who are at risk of iron deficiency, due to their dietary preferences and menstruation. ---
**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 29, 2015, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bought-a-cast-iron-skillet-now-what/728807/66 "2015-08-29T15:36:03Z")
Unless you have hemochromatosis iron toxicity is extremely rare. The amount of extra iron in your diet from using cast iron pans is trivial. ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2015, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bought-a-cast-iron-skillet-now-what/728807/67 "2015-08-29T18:08:02Z")
TY, **Lacunae Matata** and **TriPolar**! ---
**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 29, 2015, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bought-a-cast-iron-skillet-now-what/728807/68 "2015-08-29T21:44:00Z")
Power’s off. I have a 3,000 w generator powering the TV, Cable, and Internet, and I have a Coleman lantern in the kitchen. I put a cast-iron frying pan above the lantern to try to keep the burritos warm until Wifey gets home. (Where _is_ she?) ---
**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 30, 2015, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bought-a-cast-iron-skillet-now-what/728807/69 "2015-08-30T12:21:43Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Unless you have hemochromatosis iron toxicity is extremely rare. The amount of extra iron in your diet from using cast iron pans is trivial. Yeah, I always wonder about that… everybody says you get iron in your diet from using the pans, and then they turn right around and say that once you’ve got it properly seasoned, it’s protected by this impenetrable polymerized barrier. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2015, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bought-a-cast-iron-skillet-now-what/728807/70 "2015-08-30T13:24:01Z")
> [@August\_West](#): > > 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. That’s my experience. I’m in the “don’t fret about it” camp. I guess I don’t scrub my cast iron pan with steel wool, but I’ll use a little soap if it’s especially cruddy. I think the key points are not to leave it damp (dry on the stove or with a paper towel) and to use it regularly. I like cast iron more than other frying pans for searing meat, making corn bread, and popcorn. I prefer other pans for eggs and for things like rice, which simmer for a long time. And my largest pan is aluminum-clad stainless, so anything big goes there. I think a huge frying pan in cast iron would be heavier than I want to deal with. Honestly, most foods cook fine in any good pan, and for many dishes I use whichever pan is drying on the stove. It’s really easy to make delicious popcorn in a cast iron pan. Use the lid from any same-sized pan to keep the popcorn contained. Put some oil in the pan and heat it gently. Add salt, too, if you like. There should be enough oil that you can slosh it around a bit, as it transmits the heat into the kernel, and you don’t want the kernel to just be heated on the point that touches the pan. Olive oil tastes very good, but you have to be careful since it has a low smoke point. Ghee or goose fat are easy to use and delicious. Peanut oil is easy to use but not as delicious. Anyhow, measure about a third of a cup of popcorn. Take two kernels and place them in the warming oil. When they pop, pour in the rest of the corn, and cover. Shake gently once or twice. Remove from heat when the corn stops popping, and wait a bit for stragglers. Remove the lid and enjoy delicious popcorn. Add additional melted butter and/or salt if desired. Wipe the pan with a paper towel when done, and it’s been re-seasoned. 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bought-a-cast-iron-skillet-now-what/728807.md?page=3)