Heck i been makin ( Skillets ) for years. put about what ever thats close to breakfast food in them.Dang now im hungry. I got eggs,hashbrowns,and some Costco Italian sausages. need some jalipeno pepper but i dont have any right now.im not going to the store at 4.30 am
Ditto here. I’ll fry up some bacon in our iron skillet. Shred some potatoes, skins and all. Chop onions. Something I’ll run the onion thru the same grater I did the tater to make sort of an onion purée. Add onions to taters. In the smoking skillet with bacon grease, place the hash brown patty. When side one has a nice crust, turn and place in 400/425 degree oven to finish cooking. Maybe 15 minutes. When taters are done fry up a couple over easy eggs and serve on top of the taters.
Sometimes we’ll do pancakes, French toast or a cinnamon roll to have something sweet.
The all-in-one skillet is a marvelous meal indeed. Onions and potatoes are a perfect combo, of course. And bacon for sure makes anything better. Not just the bacon itself, but the fact that anything else that comes after gets fried in bacon grease.
There's only one fat in this world that's better for frying potatoes in: duck fat. And that's not something I get my hands on very often. There's a reason why duck fat fries are legendary. If you've had 'em, you know. If you haven't, don't miss the opportunity if it should ever arise.
There is something special that happens in iron skillets. It's my wife's #1 device. She can't lift it much tho. All the goodies that caramelize at the bottom...yumm
We also have a cast iron pot & even a mini 1 egg skillet.
Yah, when we say a cast iron pan is well seasoned, that can be taken literally as well as figuratively. Those little mini pans are so cute - but even when I'm only cooking for myself, I never do just one egg.
Roger that. I’ve even taken to doing grilled cheese in our iron skillet or my new favorite. Two tortilla shells with slices of provolone. That’s sort of a grilled cheese sandwich.
My favorite cheese for grilled cheese sandwiches is Muenster. Nice flavor and a good creamy melt, not unlike Mozzarella in texture. In fact my chef friend Cyndi told me that when she was playing pool with Emeril he said he likes to use Muenster insted of Mozz for melting on top of chicken parm. A genius idea I think.
I've been eating a ton of corn tortillas since I went gluten free last Summer. (I had to; biopsies revealed my gut has been colonized by a strain of bacteria that doesn't like gluten). So I'm doing lots of tortillas. Even just warmed ones with butter and sea salt are pretty darn good but I'm also rolling 'em and stacking 'em and stuffing 'em. I make quesadillas once in awhile - not the same flavor as a traditional one with wheat but mighty good nonetheless. I've always loved corn. And rice. Have been eating a lot of 'em now that I'm gluten free.
I get gluten-free bread sometimes; definitely a poor substitute for the real thing. Still, it's the only way I can do a traditional grilled cheese or any sandwich.
I've tried a bunch of brands, so far Udi's is the least worst. (But their so-called bagels are terrible!)
I agree. The cast iron is so much better at heating evenly.
We have a big heavy cast pot & lid they call a Dutch oven.
It's a nice piece for everything from sauces to roasts.
Yep, there's nothing like cast iron for even heating. When I pushed those potatoes to the outside and put the onion in the middle, I was wondering if it even made much of a difference.
The other thing cast iron is ideal for is those dishes where you start by browning meat on the stovetop, then add liquid elements and transfer to the oven. That's a great technique, a whole class of great recipes.
Dutch oven. We do too. Use it almost as much as the iron skillet.
I've wanted a Dutch oven for years. Must weigh a ton.
Wonder what is happening that makes everything taste so good in cast iron? Do you think it is the even heating, ?,or is there some secret mojo going on in cast iron like in some of our guitars..lol
Mojo for sure. The 10” one we have was handed down to us by my parents. Based on the markings on the back, this thing was cast in the early 30s. My parents were born early 30s. So this pan started life with one of my grandparents and ultimately some day will be passed on to one of my kids.
This thing is well seasoned for sure. I think some of the mojo comes from a surface that is not sterile like SS or non stick. Iron is porous so I think every time you use it some flavors get left behind. Regardless how you clean it. Never use soap to clean. Just hot water. Just my opinion.
Yep, never soap. It kills the seasoning. One hardly ever has stuck-on remnants with cast iron, but if you ever have to clean one you can use salt as an abrasive.
I used to get wonton soup from a little storefront Chinese place, and the flavor of broth was a little different every time, but always a little special.
I finally figured out they were reheating it in their wok, and it was taking up ghost flavors from the last dish cooked in the pan.
glad to see people still use cast iorn. I learned to cook with it and its all I'll use. My collection covers almost anything you want to cook
Cast iron really is the best. There are people who collect cast iron the way we musicians collect gear.
Sorry, it didn't last long enough. Gone in minutes, actually.
I truly believe it's the even heating, but being a guitar junkie, I'll never dispel mojo.
But once that sucker gets hot, it's hot all over.
The thickness of the cast doesn't allow the pan to cool when adding stock or other goodies.
That must account for something.
Plus most are handed down, so they're family.
I definitely think heat retention is part of the cast iron magic. Along with the seasoning of course. There are some who say that it adds a trace of iron to food cooked in it; that might affect flavors subtly also.
You mentioned thickness, what I've noticed is that my 19th century cast is actually thinner than 20th century to now. The cast now days is pretty thick but does work good I just prefer my older cast. Another thing I have noticed is that the older cast is much smother inside the pan's, i have almost took a sanding disk to my newer stuff
I used to assume it was many years of usage that had smoothed the iron. But according to the foodies over at Chowhound, cast iron made before the mid-1930s used a formulation and process that's different from modern production. That accounts for the characteristic smoothness on the cooking surface of those great old skillets. They say sanding down a modern one won't do it, because the metal itself is more porous all the way through.
People have gotten hip to the old pans and you don't find 'em at garage sales or Goodwill these days. A lot of them are kept in the family of course, but you used to see them for sale now and then. Not any more.
another good one is fried spam-- with eggs over white rice.........really
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you can even get it at McD's in Hawaii
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Love me some spam every now and then. Couldn't make a regular thing of it, I don't think. For me, having it once or twice a year is what makes it special. Theysure do love the stuff in Hawaii though. Just once I'd love to have one of those huge Hawaiian breakfast sandwiches, where they top a burger with Spam and bacon and a fried egg and more. Maybe a thin slice of pineapple?
I bet a bacon and pineapple sandwich would be out of this world.
I like fruit and meat together sometimes; have often put cubed apple and craisins in my chicken salad.
