Cast Iron Skillet
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- TheBlueOne
I finally bought one, and I cooked up some outstanding pork medallions for me and the wife tonite. Started on the stove top with the pork chops, dry rubbed with some cajun spices some olive oil, garlic and sea salt. Browned 'em and then moved the skillet to the oven at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes...served up with some multi-grain pasta with a garlic butter sauce and a salad with a simple balsamic vinigrette...
The chops came out fantastic. Cast iron skillets rock.
The wife was very, very happy :)
- Seff0
neato torpeedo?
- Soler0
i don't eat swine, but that sounds good
- TheBlueOne0
i don't eat swine, but that sounds good
Soler
(Feb 20 07, 18:54)You could do the same thing with chicken cutlets easy..I usually do, but I had chicken for lunch, so...
- TheBlueOne0
Here it is:
mmmmm...I can still taste it...
- elahon0
I love cooking with cast iron. Try parboiling some new potatoes (I like the red ones), draining and tossing them into a skillet with some olive oil, sea salt and fresh rosemary. Pop in the oven on about 400-450 for about 10-15 mins or until done to your liking. Shake the skillet around every once in a while to evenly coat the potatoes and to rotate the cooking surface. They brown up very nicely. Goes great with pork tenderloin or burgers from the grill. Yuuuummm!
- elahon0
That looks kick ass! 10:45 and my stomach is grumbling now...
>>>Here it is:
theminiblog.com/files/... [jpg]
mmmmm...I can still taste it...
TheBlueOne
(Feb 20 07, 19:05)
- TheBlueOne0
I'm writing that down.
ok, I'm mor ecopying and pasting, but it's the same thing...
- elahon0
Wasabi/sesame encrusted seared tuna steaks come out SOOOO good in cast iron. Mix up a bit of wasabi paste and slather on the tuna, and take a bunch of sesame seeds and press into the sides of the tuna so it covers and sticks to the wasabi. Heat up some oil in a HOT pan (better have your stove fan on for this) and drop your steaks into the pan. I only sear for about 10 seconds on each side so it blackens. But I love sushi, and I like this dish as close to raw as possible, just make sure you get excellent tuna. Also goes good with the potatoes mentioned above.
Ok! Enough food talk. Bed!
- madirish0
this should, without question, be a mandatory tool in every kitchen that gives a damn.
- cast iron is better in every way once properly seasoned
- it is the most versitile material you can have to use
- the same pan can be used countless ways (read: grilling, saute, searing, roasting, braising, serving...)awesome job, Blue dude. maybe next time a finer, more delicate green to pair well w/ your medallions. anyone can buy pre-choped spring mix.... ;)
maybe a watercress, seared beet green, or a mustard green even?
- Nairn0
..the problem with skillets is in maintaining that sought-after seasoning whilst keeping it fairly clean. imo - ALWAYS water-wash as soon as you've finished cooking, whilst the blighter's still searing hot, wiping with an especially-kept detergent-free sponge or cloth or whatever.
And yes, a skillet and large decent [read: Sabatier] chopping knife are the two essentials in any kitchen.
[Another highly worthwhile post from Nairn].
- ********0
a well seasoned black cast iron skillet is God
- mrdobolina0
looks good dude.
made chicken padang over jasmine rice the other night. quite nice.
- madirish0
..the problem with skillets is in maintaining that sought-after seasoning whilst keeping it fairly clean. imo - ALWAYS water-wash as soon as you've finished cooking, whilst the blighter's still searing hot, wiping with an especially-kept detergent-free sponge or cloth or whatever.
Nairn
(Feb 21 07, 06:24)then i can easily see why it is hard for you to maintain "that sought-after seasoning"
*NEVER*, ever, ever, Ever wash your iron w/ a sponge, water, or soap......... EVER. this is de-facto, 100%, w/o question how you will not ever get your pan to be seasoned, let alone work as you like.
to develop a seasoned pan;
- begin a session w/ it by getting it up to heat over a low flame
- w/ a paper towel folden in quarter, rub across the pan an even, thin, honest amount of oil- olive is nice, given it's high flash rate.
- let pan work oil and once begun to smoke, take fresh paper towl and remove excess oil..... do *not* remove from flame.
- let pan continue to work and then once most residue is begining to settle, adjust flame/heat source for cooking method.
note: roasting poultry is a great way to season virgin cast iron, any shape or size.Nairn- once you are done w/ your dish and while the pan is still very hot, wipe out *completly* w/ more towels (cotten if possible), but do NOT wash. you will ruin it. if there are crusty bits that are either burnt on, or stuck, get a rigid plastic spatula and remove them- not metal as this will scar seasoning you are trying to build up and then remove through use.
remember- one is not wanting seasoning to build up, but rather condition the cooking surfave w/ heat and a medium to a desired surface finish.
- grunttt0
why don't i have an iron skillet???
i'm buying one this weekend.
I just remembered i have a $50 gift certicate for Willam Sonoma.
As for a good knife - I won a $100 chef knife from a local cooking store. it's the best and most used thing in my kitchen.
- acescence0
we've got a million cast iron skillets in our house, they last forever, so it's easy to find them in used shops and bring them back to life with a bit of work.
i'm also a fan of our latest addition, the cast iron grill pan-
- madirish0
dude, grunttt- even better than an over priced one from Pissin' Sonoma; go to an antique shop, goodwill (maybe) junk shop and look for an OLD-school one there. it will most likely be ~ $5 and worth a lifetime more. seriously.
- madirish0
that'swhati'mtalkin'bout acescence!
:)
- grunttt0
good call madirish
- maxB0
theblueone. you need your own blog.
which means you need to stop using the pvn as your blog.
just sayin.
- ********0
thumbs up to black grill as well
if for any reason you ever need to "reformat" an iron skillet, throw it in the coals of a fireplace overnight