Go Iron All The Way

My dear friend on the west coast has never learned about iron skillets. I won't tell you her name because that would be an indescretion, but I will tell you that it starts with an R and we've known each other for years. Yes, that's her. Anyway, the poor dear needs some help so I’ve compiled a fantabulous post explaining it all to her so she can be more like me.

The first thing to know is that basically any heavy iron skillet will do - they're pretty much all the same wherever you buy them. I'm confident R will be buying hers at Target. They sell "pre-seasoned" skillets now but chances are, you'll end up with a gray one and that's what you want. There's several methods to doing this - the correct, by-the-book way and then The Loopy Way. You choose. Here's what Loopy would do.

Pre-heat your oven to 500' for about 15 minutes so that it's hot. Use the hottest tap water you have (only water!) and scrub the entire skillet, inside and out, with a steel wool pad or green scratchie. You need to remove the protective coating the factory applied. Pour about 1 tabl. of vegetable oil in the center of the skill and spread it all over with a paper towel. Be sure to get the handle, bottom, and the inside. Add more oil if needed. Put the skillet in the oven and cook it for about 1/2 hour. Yes, it will probably smoke. Turn off the oven after 1/2 hour and leave the skillet in there overnight. In the morning, do it all again. The following day, do it again. After three or four times it will start to turn black and you'll need less oil. After that, you can wipe it thoroughly with a towel and use. If it's seasoned correctly, it will be practically non-stick and you could even make pancakes in it - I do it all the time.

Use mostly high heat when cooking with these skillets to preheat them and turn it down once you add the food if you need to. NEVER wash them with soap! If something does stick in them, scrape it out the best you can, put it on a burner turned to high and add 1/2 cup of water. Once the water boils, scrape the bottom clean (it will come up instantly, clean all your pans this way) and then rinse under the hottest water WITHOUT soap. Dry the skillet thoroughly, put it over a burner on high for a few minutes, add a few drops of oil, rub them into the skillet with a paper towel, let it cool right on the burner. You can treat grill pans, dutch ovens, and all cast iron like this for years of enjoyment.

Here's a link to Lodge, a great cast iron cookware company.
http://www.lodgemfg.com/