Versatility is a characteristic of an A-grade chef. To reach the master level, a future chef needs to cook with all types of cookware.
There’s no doubt that cast iron skillet is here to stay. It’s easy to use, durable, rustic and gives food a new flavor.
For example, you can try a roasted red bliss potatoes recipe. And, you can learn about supreme recipes later on in the article.
How to Cook with Cast Iron Skillet
When you get a cast-iron skillet or another piece of cast iron cookware, it looks like any other cookware. Most of the time, people opt for skillet due to its simplicity.
Give it a try. Cast iron skillet allows you to stir, fry, and bake.
However, cooking with cast iron cookware requires that you follow specific practices. It’s nothing complex or hard to track.
All you have to do is care for the cast iron cookware properly, learn how to prepare for cooking, and learn a trick or two.
Cast Iron Skillet Care
Before you put a skillet on an oven, learn how to care for the cast iron cookware. Whether you are working in a restaurant or cooking at home, hygiene and cleaning are mandatory.
Even if there is personnel for cleaning, cast iron cookware requires more attention. The process of cleaning is about using the right equipment and products.
Following a proper cleaning routine, the cookware lasts longer, and the taste of the food gets better. Without proper maintenance, the cast iron cookware loses its purpose.
The primary reason you opt for cast iron cookware is that fulness of flavor. Take a cast-iron skillet as an example.
It’s a simple piece of cookware you can use anywhere. With a touch of oil and spices, you can cook meat and vegetables in several ways.
After the cooking, you clean the skillet with soap, a cloth, and a brush. Chefs love this type of cookware because of its simplicity.
Also Read: Amazing and Cheap Ways to Update Your Kitchen
Cast Iron Skillet Cooking Preparation
Most guides add seasoning as a part of the maintenance routine. Cast iron seasoning is more than that.
It is a part of the cooking preparation.
Seasoning is the crucial step in cooking with cast iron cookware. During this process, you neutralize the taste of previous cooking. And, you keep the cookware in a mint state.
You don’t have to season the cookware before each cooking. But, with more experience, you can gauge when the seasoning is wearing off.
Seasoning is a process when you preheat the cookware and add a touch of oil to it until it evaporates. Clean the cookware with the cloth, and you are good to go.
When you get to cooking, remember to preheat the cookware. After you preheat the cookware, add oil, and after that meat. Vegetables come last because they require less attention and time to cook.
Also, you want the meat to let its juices out, so vegetables can soak in it. A general rule for cooking with cast iron cookware is to not move around the food too much.
Finally, there’s no reason not to change the way you cook during the cooking! That’s the best thing about cast iron cookware. You can start in the oven and finish the cooking in the oven. It gives you a much better taste.
Cast Iron Skillet Cooking Tips
Some people believe that you should avoid alkaline and acidic foods. That includes foods like tomatoes and beans.
The reason for this is due to the strong aftertaste that the food leaves. There’s a lot of speculation that acidic food destroys the cookware faster, while alkaline foods give it a metallic taste.
But, the absolute advantage of the cast iron cookware is that you can reseason the cookware. So, with proper care, you can cook anything you want.
Cast Iron Cooking Recipes
Before you get with experimentation and cooking practice, get the basics down. Master a few recipes first, and then you may explore new techniques and try new recipes.
Roasted Red Bliss Potatoes
It is a simple dish. And, it goes so well as a side dish. It’s simple to prepare, and you can tweak this recipe to suit your taste.
For this recipe, you need:
- 2lbs of red bliss potatoes halved or quartered
- 5 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2-3 sprigs rosemary, stripped and chopped fine
- Olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
Preheat the cast iron cookware over low heat for five minutes. Add a few tablespoons of oil and turn the heat to medium-high. Take a bowl and add potatoes to it. Season the potatoes with a tablespoon of olive oil, salt, pepper, and rosemary.
Pour the potatoes into the skillet. Cook the potatoes so that the cut side faces down the skillet. When you notice that potatoes are becoming brown, add garlic. Keep cooking for about five more minutes. Check if a thong can easily slide through the potato. Then, serve the meal.
Savory Dutch Baby
It is another name for a pancake. Let that sink in first. Then, heat your oven and get ready to prepare a tasty treat.
For this recipe, you need:
- 3 large eggs
- ¾ cup of whole milk
- 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter
- ½ cup of all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon of ground fresh pepper
Preheat the oven to 450°. Let the skillet heat for 25 minutes. Blend eggs on a blender at high speed for about a minute. While the motor is running, gradually add milk and butter. Add flour, cornstarch, salt, and pepper.
Blend until it all combines.
Remove the skillet and add the remaining butter to the skillet. Coat the surface of the skillet with butter, and then add the batter from the blander. Bake the pancake for about 20 minutes. Then, the pancake is ready, and you can add toppings as you wish.
The recommendation is to add fried eggs, avocado, and shaved ham. You can also try smoked salmon, crème Fraiche, and sliced spring onions. Or try sautéed kale, crispy bacon, and aged cheddar.
Perfect Porterhouse Steak
The steak is the absolute must of any kitchen and chef. Without knowing how to cook a steak, you can’t be a chef.
For this recipe, you need:
- 2”-thick Porterhouse steak
- Tablespoon of vegetable oil
- Kosher salt
- Ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter
Let the steak sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Heat broiler, and heat the skillet over medium-high heat. Heat oil in the pan until smoking. Season steak generously with salt and pepper and cook until a deep brown crust forms on the underside.
Cut the meat from the bone into two pieces. Slice both pieces straight down to the bone. Replaced sliced steak around the bone and return to skillet. Top with butter and broil until the butter melts. Cook until the steak becomes medium-rare.
Cook with Cast Iron Skillet
There you have it. These are the basics of cooking with cast iron cookware. However, the best thing you can do to learn all these things is to cook.
There’s going to be a period of trial and error. But, once you master the cast iron cookware, you become a step closer to becoming a master chef. Let’s get it.
