Adaptable, dependable, durable: Cast-iron skillets made to do it all

  • By Sue Ade
  • Tuesday, January 26, 2016 3:28pm
  • LifeFood

Along with a collection of over 120 brilliantly photographed mouthwatering recipes, readers of Cook’s Country “Cook It In Cast Iron: Kitchen-Tested Recipes for the One Pan That Does It All,” will find tips for choosing, seasoning and maintaining cast iron cookware, as well as an evaluation of traditional and enameled cast-iron skillets. (Evaluations were made from among 10 cast-iron skillets, six enameled and four traditional, each about 12 inches in diameter.) Coming as no surprise to those of us who already own one of these “workhorses” of the kitchen, specialists at America’s Test Kitchen, the home of Cook’s Illustrated magazine and Cook’s Country magazine, “highly recommends” Lodge’s classic cast-iron skillet and Calphalon’s pre-seasoned cast-iron skillet, in addition to Le Creuset’s Signature Iron Handle Skillet.

While my own Lodge cast-iron skillet (pictured above with the vintage metal spatula) has the “smooth, dark black semiglossy finish” that a well-seasoned cast-iron skillet aspires to, it has rarely been used for cooking tasks that go beyond the stovetop – a circumstance that has left my – and possibly your, skillet sadly underused.

With its heat retaining properties, a cast-iron skillet is ideal for baking and serving hot, cheesy dips, such as Baked Pepperoni Pizza Dip. Moreover, as a cooking tool and vessel for a one-dish entrée, like Baked Ziti with Charred Tomatoes, the skillet can handle the blistering of grape tomatoes stovetop, or the browning of cheese under the broiler, with equal ease. As possible dishes for upcoming Super Bowl parties on February 7, either of these is sure to please.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

“Cook It In Cast Iron” also reveals protocols for preheating a cast iron skillet in a 500-degree oven before moving it to the stove – advantageous for a fast, perfect sear when preparing a thick-cut steak that is well-seared on the outside and flawlessly cooked within. Recipes for “Thick-Cut Steaks with Herb Butter” and “Caramelized Onion, Pear and Bacon Tart” will be coming soon – in time for sharing on Valentine’s Day – and it’s something you surely won’t want to miss.

More in Life

"Octopus" is an acrylic painting by new co-op member Heather Mann on display at Ptarmigan Arts in Homer, Alaska. Photo provided by Ptarmigan Arts
July First Friday in Homer

Homer’s galleries and public art spaces celebrate with new and ongoing exhibits.

Frank Rowley and his youngest child, Raymond, stand in knee-deep snow in front of the protective fence around the main substation for Mountain View Light & Power in Anchorage in 1948 or ’49. This photo was taken a year or two before Rowley moved to Kenai to begin supplying electrical power to the central peninsula. (Photo courtesy of the Rowley Family)
Let there be light: The electrifying Frank Rowley — Part 2

In July 1946, the soft-spoken Rowley was involved in an incident that for several consecutive days made the front page of the Anchorage Daily Times.

This nostalgic sauce is so shockingly simple, you’ll never buy a bottle again. Photo by Tressa Dale/Peninsula Clarion
America’s favorite culinary representative

The original recipe for ranch dressing was invented and perfected in Alaska, out in the bush in 1949.

Graphics show the nine finalists in three age groups for the Soldotna “I Voted” sticker design contest. (Provided by City of Soldotna)
Soldotna announces finalists for ‘I Voted’ sticker contest

Public voting will be open until July 20 to determine the winners.

Homer’s Cosmic Creature Club performs at the 2024 Concert on the Lawn at Karen Hornaday Park. (Emilie Springer/Homer News file)
July events to provide entertainment and fun on lower Kenai Peninsula

Events include the Highland Games, Concert on the Lawn, local art camps and the Ninilchik Rodeo.

Nick Varney
Unhinged Alaska: Flashback dreams and the cold sweats

When summer arrives, every personage in the known cosmos suddenly seems to remember that they have kindred living in Alaska.

File
Minister’s Message: Freedom is not what you think

If freedom isn’t what we first think it is, what is it?

This is the Kenai Power complex. The long side of the plant faces the Frank Rowley home, seen here at the right side of the photograph. (Photo courtesy of the Rowley Family)
Let there be light: The electrifying Frank Rowley — Part 1

Frank Rowley made one of the most important steps toward modernization in the history of Kenai.

Most Read