15 Things You Need to Know About Cooking with Cast Iron
Cast iron pans are incredible, but can be intimidating to cook with– how do I clean them? are there special rules? what exactly should I use them for?? Keep reading for the 15 things you need to know about cooking with cast iron.
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Our cast iron pans were formerly reserved only for camping trips. Mainly because I had NO CLUE how to take care of them, or really how to use them at all. So they were kept stored in the cabinet until the one week out of the year where my husband was in charge of all the cooking.
A few years ago, though, I decided it was time to figure out how to cook with cast iron and I haven’t looked back since.
When I tell you that I love our cast iron collection as much as I love my Instant Pot collection, you know it’s serious.
In this post:
- Benefits of cooking with cast iron
- 15 things you need to know about cooking with cast iron
- Recommended pans and accessories
- A GIVEAWAY of a favorite cast iron pans!
Keep reading for all the good stuff, and be sure to go all the way to the end so you can enter to win TWO of our favorite cast iron pans. After you finish, be sure to check out the newest video on YouTube so you can see all of these tips and recipes in action!
Benefits of cooking with cast iron ::
If you’re like three-years-ago-me, reluctant to cook with cast iron or not seeing the value, let me show you the light…
- Cast iron is durable. Really, really durable. As in, can last you a lifetime durable. There’s not much in the kitchen that this could be said for.
- Cast iron improves with time. Again, how many kitchen tools actually get better the more you use them? The more you cook with your cast iron pans, the better the seasoning will be.
- Cast iron is inexpensive. Yes, you read that right. Even though they could last the rest of your life, they won’t break the bank to buy them. We LOVE Lodge cast iron pans (more about them in a minute), because the quality is amazing and the price is on point. (We’ve used the $200+ fancy pans and greatly prefer our Lodge pans!)
- Cast iron is versatile. Just like my Instant Pot, I can easily use a cast iron pan for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. My griddle especially, is a workhorse in my kitchen. I might use it for eggs and bacon for breakfast, grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch, and steak or burgers for dinner.
- Cast iron is easy to clean. Okay, so cleaning cast iron was initially a big hurdle for me, but once you learn the basics, it’s seriously a breeze.
- Cast iron is healthy. Cooking on cast iron is a great way to get extra iron in your diet, which for many of us is a huge perk!
- Cast iron cooks food well. Cast iron maintains heat well and cooks food evenly, resulting in less energy usage and better searing and sautéing.
15 Things You Need to Know About Cooking with Cast Iron
Now that you’ve seen the light and are ready to try cooking with cast iron, you’ll need to know a handful of basic principles to get you started on the right foot.
Or maybe you’ve been cooking with cast iron pans for years, but can pick up on a new tip or trick!
This video is a short overview of the basic principles, but be sure to watch the longer version on YouTube to get all the tips and recipe ideas!
COOKING TIPS ::
1. Preheat your pan before cooking.
Always give your pan 5-10 minutes to preheat before starting to cook for best results, ESPECIALLY when searing meat.
2. Cook over medium heat at most.
Generally, medium heat is the highest setting you will need to use with your cast iron pans. Cooking food at too high of a heat is one of the most common mistakes with cast iron and can be a first cause of your food sticking to the pan. Lower heat prevents sticking.
(The one exception I use to this rule is when I cook my London Broil, I heat the griddle to medium high for a really good sear).
3. Use wooden, metal, or silicon cooking tools.
Cast iron is great because you can use whatever cooking tools you want! Personally, I love my wooden spoons, metal tongs, and my small silicon spatulas.
4. Don’t move food too often while cooking.
This is such an easy yet impactful tip to put into practice! If you move your food too soon, or too often, you are preventing it from browning or searing well. Plus, letting your food build up a sear is another great way to prevent sticking.
Add your food, toss it with whatever fats/oil and seasoning you are using, then leave it alone to let it cook. This is one occasion where less is more when it comes to stirring.
5. Start with ingredients at room temperature for more even cooking.
Whenever possible, take your meat and/or vegetables out of the fridge or freezer before you need them to give them time to come to room temperature.
6. Avoid sliding pans on cook surface.
This is a rule specific to glass top stoves. I get asked a LOT about if cast iron is safe on glass top stoves. The answer is yes, but you just want to be careful to set the pans down gently and avoid sliding hot pans around on the stove.
7. Keep a potholder handy for the handle.
We do prefer a small potholder or oven mitt over the silicon handle covers since the silicon covers tend to slide and move around when you are holding the pan.
DAILY CARE ::
8. For little messes, wipe clean with a paper towel or rag under hot water.
For everyday cleaning, soap is not necessary and can take away the seasoning on your pan. If you do not have a lot of food stuck to your pan, putting it under hot water and wiping it down is usually sufficient to get it clean.
9. For bigger messes, bring a cup of water to a simmer in the pan, then scrape with a stainless mesh square or nylon scrubber brush under hot water.
When you have more food stuck to the pan, heating water in the pan and then cleaning it helps tremendously to release the stuck food. We really like our stainless steel chainmail scrubber for these cleaning jobs.
10. Always dry your pan completely.
It is very important to dry the pan entirely as soon as you finish rinsing it. Leaving water on the pan can lead to rust.
11. Avoid rapid temperature changes.
Never put a hot pan under cold water. Use hot water to rinse and clean your pans.
12. Rub with a light layer of cooking oil, preferably while the pan is still warm.
You can use a variety of cooking oils, but flaxeseed oil is one of the strongest and best oils to use. Each time after you clean your pan, rub a quarter size amount of oil over the entire surface. Make sure you do not leave a thick coating or pools of oil anywhere on the pan. You just want a thin layer. Using too much oil lead to food sticking.
REFINISHING ::
13. It’s time to refinish your pan when your food is sticking, or you see rust, or the surface appears dull and gray.
We re-season our pans as needed, every few months or so. The process is simple and will help to keep your pans in good condition.
14. Wash with hot, soapy water, then rinse and dry completely.
You want to get the pan completely clean, and in this case, soap is good to use. You are preparing your pan for the seasoning in the next step.
15. Apply a very thin layer of oil, then bake upside down in a 400 degree oven for at least 1 hour or until the oil is completely hard and no longer sticky. Let the pan cool in the oven.
This step can take a little while, so it’s best to do it on a day when you will be around the house so you can reapply the oil as needed. You want to repeat this process 2-3 times, until you achieve a deep, coal black finish.
PRINT THE COOKING WITH CAST IRON REFERENCE SHEET
You can print all of these tips on a handy reference sheet to keep on hand in your kitchen as you are learning the ropes with cooking with cast iron.
Recommended Cast Iron Pans and Accessories
Basically, we love Lodge pans. All the Lodge pans. They are great quality and come pre-seasoned and ready to go. These are the ones we have in our kitchen:
- 10″ Cast Iron Skillet
- 12″ Cast Iron Skillet
- 20″ Reversible Griddle (read a review and tips specific to this griddle here)
- 10″ Cast Iron Round Griddle
- Stainless Steel Chainmail Scrubber
- Flaxseed Oil
Share the love month! Giveaway #1!
Whew! If you have stuck with me in this thorough post (I’m nothing if not thorough!), then your reward is a chance to win TWO Lodge pans!
This is the first of four giveaways I will be doing for Share The Love Month, so be sure to stick around so you don’t miss the other great giveaways of my favorite things!
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Thanks for pointing out that the more you cook with your cast iron, the better the seasoning will be. I am thinking about getting my dad a cast iron stovetop grill because he loves cooking with cast iron pans and I think he would really like grilling with one too. I think it would be nice that it would get better with time and would help things be more seasoned because then it would make sure that it would be a gift that he would keep for a long time and could continue to use.
I have to try this cast iron. ASAAAAP
Hi, Thanks for the sharing this information about cooking in cast iron. You explain it like an expert.
Great tips!!! Thanks for sharing this most especially the video!!
I can’t believe cast iron can be so easy to clean! I have a skillet that I’ve had over 1 1/2 years and I haven’t used it yet because it terrifies me!
I learned not to move food around too much when cooking in cast iron. I have never even thought about that. Also learned it is better to have food at room temperature before cooking.
I didn’t know you should give a good cleaning periodically. I always thought no soap ever. Good to Know
We rarely use soap. Usually if our pans need to be re-seasoned in the oven, we just get it clean with hot water and then apply the oil. Soap would be helpful for older pans or pans that have not been used in a while.
I love cast iron. I did not know I could use it on my glass top stove! Thank you!
Using room temperature ingredients in cast iron pans. Never new this. ☺
I didn’t know cast-iron pans had to be seasoned on a regular basis! I thought it was a “one and done kind of thing. I learned something new!
Loved learning your cleaning tips!
Wonderful article! Great to know cast iron improves with time and is easy to cook with once you figure out temp settings!
It’s great to think that using it more actually makes them even better!
I didn’t know you had to reseason the pans and could use whichever cooking utensils
I REALLY ENJOY COOKING WITH CAST IRON AND FOUND THE CLEANING AND CARE INFORMATION HELPFUL
I have always avoided Cast Iron, I had this idea in my head that they were difficult to care for. After watching you use them to cook, and reading this post, I think I may just be ready to give them a try. Thank you!
I used to be intimidated by cast iron too, but really they are very simple to use!
I learned not to slide my pan on the stove.
Thanks for the tips and video! I’ve often been told that once you oil your pan you need to put it back on the burner and heat it for a few minutes. Is that really necessary?
We do not do that. Occasionally, if my oven is already warm from cooking something, I will put the pan in the oven after I clean and oil it. But that step is not necessary every time.
The heat setting! I’d love however to win a set and be able to send to my sister, she’s in love with cast iron.
Love my cast iron! Great giveaway!
WOW-SO MANY GREAT TIPS! My biggest take-aways were how to clean, how to season—-over and over again as needed!, and that even though its CAST IRON it does not withstand big temp changes…I had no idea!
Thank you friend.
Thanks for the tips. I only have a small cast iron skillet. But I love it.
My husband got me a small skillet a few years ago which I barely used and got me a huge 16″ this past Christmas. I am learning to love my cast iron.
That IS big! Fun!
I haven’t cook much with cast iron so would love a chance to win your “LOVE GIVEAWAY” …. Love watching you cook with your cast iron products! 🙂
Thanks. Didn’t know about having food at room temp
I love my cast iron!
I haven’t used cast iron in quite awhile, but I really want to get started again. Thank you for all the tips.
I learned that it is better to cook with medium heat and to avoid rapid temperature changes when cooking.
Looking forward to adding to my collection!!?
I learned to not stir so much – I am stirring gal!
I learned the hard way that you need to completely dry the pan immediately and woke up to a reddish pan in the morning ?
Thankfully, even red pans can be restored!
I didn’t know you should only cook on Medium heat. Helpful info!
I recently got a cast iron skillet as a gift. I had wanted to try them for years. I started off slowly using it but have started to use it more and more. I love it and will definitely be getting the chain mail scrubber!
We have my grandmother’s cast iron pans, but sad to say one of them broke when it fell on our slate flooring, handle side down. I was shocked! Thanks for sharing your tips. It was great to be reminded about how to care for cast iron! I love that griddle too! Wow!
I just started regularly using a cast iron skillet and when I learned to keep the heat WAYYYY down I’m really loving it!
I didn’t know you shouldn’t cook I’m cast iron any higher than medium high. Thanks for all this info!
I love this article. I have wanted to get some cast iron but wasn’t sure where to start.
I didn’t know that you had to preheat the cast iron pan. I’m learning so much from you Lisa. Thanks so much for everything you do for all of us.
I never knew cast iron would work on a glass range top.
Thank you so much for doing this! I’ve been interested in trying cast iron but hadn’t taken the time to learn more and honestly was leery of cleaning it. Do you recommend drying the pan on a warm burner? Thanks again!
You can do that, but I usually just dry it with a towel. Getting it dry immediately is best.
Love cast iron have used it for years. Love the idea of the chain mail to clean!
I’ve never seasoned my pans as well as you explained! On my to-do list now! Also love the chainmail scrubber suggestion!
My grandma always used cast iron so I’ve always been curious, but still scared to try! Thanks for the tips!
Thanks for all the great tips! I definitely struggle with keeping a well seasoned pan.
I think you have just given me all I needed to know, including courage, to try cast iron cooking! Thank you! Bookmarked and ready to refer back to!
I am glad to learn about preheating, temperature limits, not moving the food too much while cooking, and how to are fornthe pans after cooking.
Learned to not rapidly change the temperature of the cast iron from hot to cold by running it under cold water.
I have learned that cast iron doesn’t take much heat and it gets super hot and holds heat. I need to work on keeping the best turned down ?♀️ My goal is to cook eggs in my skillet!!
Cast-iron is so easy to clean!
You’re inspiring me to try. I’ve always been intimidated to try cast iron.
i was reminded about how to reseason! We often look at estate sales or garage sales and find good deals on cast iron. YOU are the reason i began using my griddle on my cook top! I have never been the same!
That’s great! We use our griddle so much!
I absolutely LOVE cooking with my cast iron pots! Cornbread just isn’t the same in any other pan.
I agree!
Thanks for this great info! My mother-in-law had bought me a small cast iron pan from goodwill years ago, but I had no experience with how to use it. It was very intimidating to me. I tried to clean it but it never seemed to come out right. I finally just gave up. I wish I would have had these instructions then.
I have always wanted to try using a cast iron skillet but for some reason thought it was difficult to cook with and take care of. Your tips have motivated me to take the plunge and try it out.
I did not realize the skillet should be preheated to prevent food from sticking. I love all your videos.
I thought cast iron would break the bank to purchase! Thanks for the info. I was surprised you can use metal utensils too. I thought that was a no-no. I obviously have no clue. Great info!
Your cleaning tips are so much more manageable than other instructions I have seen so cooking in cast iron is much more appealing now!
That makes me so happy!
I learned how to clean Cast Iron pans!
This is so helpful! I am going to have to try using cast iron again….was too scared before! I didn’t know you need to pre-heat for so long 🙂
I didn’t not realize how versatile cast iron actually was!!! Can’t wait to start replacing my current pans with cast iron.
I didn’t know about those stainless steel scrubbers – they look amazing. I’m going to have to get one!
I learned a lot from all your tips! Thank you!
I love my cast iron, but would love your combo! I abused a skillet for years, but finally learned how to take care of it.
I love learning from you
I’m a mother of 8 children, so I understand your daily struggles getting food on the table. 🙂
I love using cast iron skillets.
I was taught by my Mama when I was growing up, but love the new tips and tricks 🙂
Thank you Lisa for all you do. We appreciate you.
Thanks so much for this video! I have been scared to try cooking on a new cast iron pan I received for Christmas but your video and blog were so helpful I think I’m ready to jump on board. Do I have to do anything to the pan before the first use?
What brand is it? Lodge pans come preseasoned, so I would check to see if your pans are. If so, they are ready to go.
Thanks! It is a lodge pan.
Learn that flaxseed oil is best to use!
Thank for being so detailed. It makes it easy for us visual people to follow. I use my cast iron a lot more after watching you use yours.
Blessings
I learned not to go straight to cold water and how to season my pans better.
I have a cast iron griddle that has seemed too daunting to use….would not have thought to use it for pancakes. I’m going to give our valentines pancakes a whirl on it tomorrow morning!
Great tips and ideas!
Lisa, thank you for always keeping life real and sharing your helpful tips! I have used so many of your recipes and my family has loved them all. Especially your quick 1 hour bread!
I didn’t know how to reason the pan. Very helpful!
Thank you so much for all your amazing tips on cooking with the cast iron! This is incredibly helpful! I love watching all your videos when you cook on them especially that amazing griddle!
I didn’t know cooking on medium heat was best. I will definitely have to try that. Thanks also for the cleaning tips!
This article was very helpful. I have “camping” cast iron pans. But I think I’ll make space for them in my kitchen soon! I especially liked the tip of only using medium heat. I’ve had a lot of trouble with food sticking in cast iron.
I love using cast iron pans but the instruction of cleaning th was very helpful.
Love the fact that it helps put iron in our bodies! My littlest ones have low iron and even meds aren’t helping
Love the fact that it helps get iron in our bodies. My two littlest ones have low iron and meds aren’t helping
Love your videos and cooking tips……and with kids underfoot! My kinda gal!
I was happy to learn that rust can be cleaned & it still be used. In the past I tossed a cast iron skillet that was rusted! ? I love the cleaning guide. I’ve been looking to buy a new skillet and I’m thinking cast iron might be best. I personally have low iron so it can only help. Thanks for the tips!! ?
I have learned so much from you and your videos,thank you so much.
I have learned so much from you on the iP and now the cast iron. I didn`t know you had to oil every time you got threw with the pan. Now i know why everything stuck all the time. I will have to get another pan cause i gave mine away. Thanks so much for your knowledge.
Thanks for the info! I didn’t know flaxseed oil was the best one for seasoning the pan. I plan to try that now!
Good to know that rust doesn’t mean toss it out. We tossed one before because of rust.
Not at all!
Ok this is great, thank you, thank you, AND a printable ❤️ You da best
YES so AWESOME for the printable!
I had no idea you should only use medium heat and the cleaning has always intimidated me a lot!
I did not know you should keep heat on medium, at the highest.
I enjoyed the video of cooking eggs on cast iron.
Thanks for the chance to win! Didn’t know rapid temperature changes was bad for cast iron.
I didn’t know the fact about only cooking over medium heat! Good to know! This may explain a lot! ?
Thanks for the info. I have cast iron that I am scared to use and don’t know how to reseason, so this was helpful!
Thanks for the info on the cast iron pan.
I LOVE my Lodge! You can’t find a better price for that quality. Some day I’ll be brave enough for the griddle maybe 🙂
Thanks for all the helpful tips. I have only been cooking with cast iron for about a month and love it so far.
Loved the post..didn’t realize cooking with cast iron actually gives your body iron!
Thank you for the helpful tips and printable!
Loved this video! I have had trouble with eggs in my cast Iron, so I enjoyed learning about them!