What foods can I not cook in a cast iron pan?!


Question: Cast iron, properly seasoned, is the original non-stick cookware. Ignore previous post about eggs- eggs have been successfully fried in iron for as long as fried eggs have existed. Success is absolutely dependent upon proper and frequent seasoning.

Do not leave anything acidic in iron. Truth be told, you should not be leaving food in the pan anyway- it continues to cook and degrade. Serve it up in something. Acidic ingredients such as tomato, vinegar, and citrus will rust your pan if left in, as iron oxidizes in the presence of acid.

If it can be cooked, it can be cooked in iron. Period.


Answers: Cast iron, properly seasoned, is the original non-stick cookware. Ignore previous post about eggs- eggs have been successfully fried in iron for as long as fried eggs have existed. Success is absolutely dependent upon proper and frequent seasoning.

Do not leave anything acidic in iron. Truth be told, you should not be leaving food in the pan anyway- it continues to cook and degrade. Serve it up in something. Acidic ingredients such as tomato, vinegar, and citrus will rust your pan if left in, as iron oxidizes in the presence of acid.

If it can be cooked, it can be cooked in iron. Period.

You can cook anything in one, I have 2 and a roasting pan and a dutch oven. Don't leave tomato items in them for long after cooking, they pick up a tinny taste, well, actually irony.

Sam is right, plus make sure that it has been seasoned.

I wouldn't doover easy fried eggs in one. they will most likely break.

You shouldn't cook acidic foods in cast iron. Iron is a reactive metal and can react with acids. This is mitigated somewhat by properly seasoning the pan, but I would still opt for stainless steel or annodized aluminum for acidic concoctions like tomato sauce or other highly acidic recipes.

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I think you can cook anything in cast iron, but the one answer about over easy eggs is a good precaution because stuff seems to stick to the cast iron. That can help with pan sauces though. I mainly use mine for steaks and chops, high heat to sear then into the oven.

Alton Brown from good eats had a good way to clean the pan too, he put some oil and used like about 3/4 cup of rock salt and worked it around to absorb all of the dirty parts. I did it on mine and it worked great.

The only thing that I have found to be unacceptable cooked in iron skillet are mushrooms......turns them black...
My pans are well seasoned, they belonged to my grandmother .





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