Cast Iron Pan

Le Creuset Cast Iron Cookware Stand

2010-08-24T00:00:00+01:00

Check out the Le Creuset Cast Iron Cookware Stand over here.

"I have two stands/shelves for my Le Crueset dutch ovens which are the back bone of my cookware. This stand does not hold any of my ovens over 5 quarts. The other stand holds my 9, 6 and 5 quart dutch ovens and this one holds ovens that range between 2-5 quarts. It's solid, attractive and does look great with the small-medium cookware, but will not fit the larger sizes. Because we live in an earthquake area, the sturdiness is really important -- heavy dutch ovens seem very safe on these shelves!"

"I can't say enough good things about this rack.

Storage - I use the bottom 4 shelves for pot storage, the top shelf for ramekins and a plant. If needed, smaller pots can be nestled inside the larger pots, I have 6 pots and a grill pan on mine. Makes it so convenient to retrieve.

Appearance - black matte cast iron shelves, I have had mine for 5 years, looks like it did when it was new. This is a great way to display Le Creuset pots, the colors just pop.

It is very stable, I wasn't sure what to expect, but there have not been any problems, even made it through a California earthquake and remained upright. Although the description states the shelves are adjustable, it is very limited in that regard. The shelf depths are fixed by the length of the posts provided with the unit, what you can do is arrange so that the deep shelves are on either the top or the bottom. I recommend the deep shelves be on the bottom, as shown in the picture.

This piece is made with the quality you would expect from Le Creuset.

Emerilware 10-Inch Cast-Iron Square Grill Pan

2010-08-24T00:00:00+01:00

Check out the Emerilware 10-Inch Cast-Iron Square Grill Pan over here.

“I enjoy this grill pan, how ever, I have a glass top stove and it may be a little on the heavy side to cook on the glass top.”

“Absolute great grill pan.. I love this so much, I have been grilling steaks on this pan, I do believe it is the best investment in cookware that I have made.”

“I really like this grill pan. It makes lines on the meat just like an outdoor grill. Even though it says pre-seasoned, you still have to keep up with special care. It will smoke up the kitchen until it is properly seasoned. The food tastes great! This pan is probably for "old school" folks who have used cast iron cookware and know how to care for it.”

“EMERILWARE CAST IRON FROM AMAZON WAS THE BEST PRODUCT I EVER ORDERED,ALSO I REC. MY ORDER IN ONE WEEK. I WILL ONLY ORDER FROM AMAZON.COM FROM NOW ON.”

“Cooks great, cleaning takes a little more effort than non-stick, but hey, what do you expect? How hard is it to clean the grill surface of your outdoor grill?”

Cast Iron Pan

2010-01-06T00:00:00+00:00

The Cast Iron Pan came about hundreds of years ago, and has lasted through to today because of the excellent heat retention and diffusion. The common use of cast iron pans is frying (the pans are able to heat up to a very high temperature and then retain that heat), but their application can extend much further.

There are many categories of pan, but the most popular are:

Cast Iron Frying Pan / Skillets
Flat Top Grils
Griddles

There are also Dutch Ovens, which are seen less these days with the advent of cast iron casserole dishes.

Along with frying, cast iron pans can be used for:

Searing / Sealing
Stewing
Braising

One use that sets cast iron pans above other pans, is that you can transfer them straight from the stove (gas, electric, ceramic hob) into the oven or grill and back again. Particularly useful if you are trying to sear some fish or meat, and then let it cook on a lower heat in the oven.

It is believed that there can be health benefits to cooking with cast iron pans, and that some iron will bleed into the food in very small amounts. However, the more seasoned a pan becomes (discussed later on), the less iron will get through seasoning.

Also of note is that the older a cast iron pan gets, the better it will perform. There are many different approaches to cleaning these pans, and some people advocate not cleaning them at all!

The next article outlines the Types of Cast Iron Pan, and should help you understand which type of pan is right for you.

Types of Cast Iron Pan

2010-01-05T00:00:00+00:00

There are a number of different types of cast iron pan, but chances are you will only come accross the griddle or skillet (frying pan).

The table below shows a picture of each different type of cast iron pan, the name of the pan and a brief description.

Image	Pan Type	Description
	Skillet / Frying Pan	The skillet or frying pan is the most common type of cast iron pan, and will be found in many shops and
	Griddle	The skillet or frying pan is the most common type of cast iron pan, and will be found in many shops and
	Dutch Oven / Casserole dish	The traditional dutch oven has long since lost the large handle (used for cooking over an open fire), but the idea remains the same. In much of the world, they are termed casserole dishes. They are generally cast iron, or more modern ones can be enamled cast iron (makes them easier to clean and prevent seasoning of the iron). The traditional use is for stewing and slow cooking, the pans are all iron which retains the heat and enables you to stew on really low temperatures. If you have the time, these pans can have an incredible affect on slow cooked meat.

Given the variety in shapes and sizes in pans, and that cast iron pans have been around for hundreds of years, there are a number of manufacturers and models of cast iron pan. The most popular is the Le Creuset Cast Iron Pan, which I will talk about in my next article.

Le Creuset Cast Iron Pan

2010-01-03T00:00:00+00:00

Le Creuset is the most popular brand of cast iron pan, and they produce a huge variety of pans, as well as other kitchen cookware and accessories.

Founded in France in 1925 (by two Belgians), Le Creuset made their first cast iron pan - the iconinc "Le Creuset Round Cocotte" (or Dutch Oven/Casserole dish). Since that day, the company has ballooned, and now exports cast iron pans and dishes around the world.

After the initial pan, and after the second World War, Le Creuset produced many different colours (the most famous is "Flame") and types of iron pan. Most notably - in addition to their cocotte - are the skillets (frying pans) and griddles - all of which are cast in iron, and are finished in enamel. The enamel comes in many colours, and makes the pans look a little more exciting than some other manufacturers.

However, it should be remembered that with any increase in production (as Le Creuset has seen) comes with a reduction in standards and quality. Whilst the casserole dishes remain strudy, some of their ovenware has been found to crack easily (for example, I have taken a black glazed oven dish out of the oven and rested it on a metal surface - upon which it cracked in half).

They have also started producing stoneware and enamel covered steel pans, and silicone bakeware. These all deviate from the traditional foundings of Le Creuset, and are often produced in China or elsewhere in Asia.

It is important to fully consider your options when investing in cast iron pans - they are not the cheapest pan available, and will last you will if you look after it. Le Creuset may be the most well known manufacturer, but it does not mean they are the best quality and most suitable cast iron pans available. Whichever pan you do decide to go for, looking after it is the key to it lasting and you getting the most out of it.

The first step in looking after your pan is How to Season a Cast Iron Pan.

How to Season a Cast Iron Pan

2010-01-02T00:00:00+00:00

Once you make the decision to buy and use a cast iron pan, maintenace is very important.

Unlike teflon coated non-stick frying pans, cast iron pans (at least skillets and griddles) need a high degree of tender loving care. However, once your pan has been used a few times, it will develop its own non-stick surface, and will last you much longer than a conventional frying pan or dutch oven/casserole dish.

However, before you get started with using the pan, you can do some artificial seasoning of it. The following steps outline this process, and the video on the right will show you a slightly different approach.

Seasoning your pan

Remove all packaging from your new cast iron pan
Wash the pan down in warm, detergent free water. Do not use any metal/wire wool on the man, just a sponge or brush is sufficient
Take a small knob of butter and rub it all over the inside of the pan
Heat up your oven as high as it will go
Place your pan upside down on a shelf, ensuring there is something to catch the drips from the butter
After several minutes, take out the pan, let it cool, and reapply the butter and repeat the process

Remember that the more times you season the pan like this, the better it will perform when you come to cook in it. It is also important to note that when you are cooking in the pan, any fats will again help the seasoning process.

Cleaning your pan

When you come to wash the pan, let it cool slightly before rinsing it under hot water and scrubbing with a sponge or brush. Do not use a metal scourer/wire wool, and make sure the pan is not straight off the ring or out of the oven before putting it under water (it could crack).

You can let the pan dry naturally, or pat it dry with a cloth or towel. Again, do not scrub it dry, as the seasoning will be lost.

Never put your pan in a dishwasher!

You will undo all of your hard work from seasoning the pan, and potentially ruin it forever (the salts from the dishwasher tablets do not play nicely with the iron pans).

If you are interested in buying a cast iron pan, you can continue to the final section of this site - Buy Cast Iron Pans.

Buy Cast Iron Pan

2010-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

There are many sites on the internet through which you can buy cast iron pans. Some of these are online-only retailers, but many are online stores representing regular stores.

If you are looking to buy Le Creuset cast iron pans, you could look no further than Le Creuset's website. However, you should remember that the majority of cookware shops the world over will stock some Le Creuset pans already, and you may want to try them out. It is worth bearing in mind that many retailers try and sell Le Creuset pans at an increased cost, because of their reputation. You can easily find these pans in discount stores such as Century 21 in the US and TK Maxx in the UK.

Tips for buying a cast iron pan

It is imporant not to get seduced by manufacturer/brand - as mentioned previously, the best advertised and best selling cast iron pans do not mean they are the best. Many cast iron pans appear unbranded, and are the pans you would see in professional kitchens because they are no-nonsense, long lasting and reliable pans (these are often plain black in appearance).

AGA also make a selection of cast iron pans, which may look nice matched with an AGA Oven, but again may not be the best tools for the job.

When you're choosing your pan, it is worth reading some reviews (Amazon sells a lot of kitchenware, and has user reviews of the pans); bear in mind that cast iron pans are a speciality piece of kitchenware, and not everyone "gets them". Also consider the weight of the pans. If you are intending on getting a 28cm skillet or griddle, you will need to be fairly strong-wristed to move it around with ease. As these pans get - and stay - so hot, you need to be able to control them properly.

Enamelled or seasoned?

My personal preference is to have a non-enamlled skillet and gridle, but for an enamelled caserrole dish (dutch oven). Whilst you want to nurture a seasoned surface on the frying pans, you often do not want the hassle of doing this on a big casserole dish. If you were to do a beef stew and then a fish stew in the same casserole dish, there may be some mixing of flavours that bleed into the meat.

I would not use an enamelled skillet or griddle, partly at the risk of scratching enamel flakes into the food, and partly because it does not offer as traditional cooking experience.

Finally

A good cast iron pan should last you for decades if looked after properly, so spend some time researching the options and be comfortable with your purchase.