1. Cast Iron Cooking… Present and Future
By Howard Hicks – http://www.campstovepro.com
Cast Iron cookware is a great addition to any
outdoor kitchen. It has the nostalgia of being used
by early 19th century settlers and pioneers. These
early settlers used these treasured kitchen items for
their durability and their ability to retain heat.
Because stoves had not been invented yet these
hearty cookware items were used over a camp fire
or in a fireplace. This meant that all cooking items
were designed so that they could be suspended over,
or put in the camp fire or fireplace. Pots had handles
to allow them to be hung over a fire, or with legs so
that they could stand up in the fireplace.
The flat skillet and cooking pots and pans with legless, flat bottoms became
popular in the late 19th century when cooking stoves became popular. Because cast
iron has the ability to withstand and maintain very high cooking temperatures it is
a great choice for searing or frying, and its excellent heat diffusion and retention
makes it a good option for stews or braised dishes.
The skillet's are able to develop a "non-stick" surface, which makes it a good
choice for egg dishes, particularly scrambled eggs. This "non-stick" surface called
seasoning is a process by which a layer of animal fat or vegetable oil is applied and
cooked on to the cast iron surface. It is also used to keep the skillet or pot from
rusting and prevents food from interacting with the iron of the pan. People in the
know say the seasoning process should be re-applied at least once a year.
Ordinary cleaning such as scouring or washing in a dishwasher is not
recommended because it can remove or damage the seasoning on a cookware item,
these items should be cleaned by simply wiping them out after use with a paper
towel or clean damp sponge or cloth.
Most cast iron cookware are cast from a single piece of metal this provides an even
distribution of heat. This allows most cookware to serve as both a stove top fryer
and oven baking dish. Many recipes call for the use of a cast iron skillet or pot, so
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2. that the dish can be seared or fried on the stove top; then transferred into the oven,
pan and all, to finish baking.
Cast iron skillet's can also double as baking dishes. This is an advantage over many
other cooking pots, which may be damaged by the high oven temperatures of 400
°F or more.
An important thing to be aware of is that cast iron is a very slow conductor of heat
and can form hot spots if heated too quickly, or used on a small or low heat burner;
however, it has excellent heat retention properties, and the entire skillet or pot will
eventually become extremely hot, including the handle.
Today some of the most popular cast iron cookware items are: the skillet, the flat
top grill, the griddle, the dutch oven and the deep fryer. These great cookware
items can usually be found in some form or another where seasoned outdoor chef's
set up their outdoor kitchen.
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