My gf got me a cast iron pan. I despise it. It’s so much work compared to my other pans and I don’t see any benefits. I only bring it out if she’s watching me cook over my shoulder, so now I cook I tell her to relax on the sofa with some streaming or a book.
So a few tips for cast iron if you want to know why people like it. It does take a bit of practice because cooking with it feels different and wrong when you’re used to other pans. But once you know how to work it it legitimately does cook better and clean easier while being practically indestructable. I used to think the same as you until I made myself learn how to use it and now I will never go back.
Let it properly heat up before you put anything in it or it will stick. Flick a drop of water at it before cooking and if the water beads up then it is ready. Unlike other pans, cast iron has a lot of mass and takes a bit to warm up. But that also comes with the advantage of being able to maintain an even and stable temp across the pan. Cast iron feels like cooking on induction no mater what type of range you have.
When in doubt use more oil, butter, or grease.
Use metal tools. This alone is one of the big advantages of cast iron. Unlike other pans you don’t need to baby cast iron. I use a steel grill spatula on mine.
When you’re done cooking just wipe it out with a paper towel while it is still hot. Unlike other pans you actually want to leave a thin layer of oil or grease on cast iron. You only need to get the food out of it which usually only requires a quick wipe. If you cooked something saucy then just wash it like you would any other pan (except don’t leave it to soak), just be sure to completely dry it on the stove afterwords and apply a thin layer of oil to it.
Use it at least every other week. The more you use it just for frying thing the more nonstick it gets as the layer of seasoning builds up. Letting cast iron sit is how it gets sticky and nasty. If you are going to store it long term then wash it with soap, dry it on the stove, and coat it in a thin layer of flaxseed oil because that stuff stays good practically forever.
My gf got me a cast iron pan. I despise it. It’s so much work compared to my other pans and I don’t see any benefits. I only bring it out if she’s watching me cook over my shoulder, so now I cook I tell her to relax on the sofa with some streaming or a book.
So a few tips for cast iron if you want to know why people like it. It does take a bit of practice because cooking with it feels different and wrong when you’re used to other pans. But once you know how to work it it legitimately does cook better and clean easier while being practically indestructable. I used to think the same as you until I made myself learn how to use it and now I will never go back.
Let it properly heat up before you put anything in it or it will stick. Flick a drop of water at it before cooking and if the water beads up then it is ready. Unlike other pans, cast iron has a lot of mass and takes a bit to warm up. But that also comes with the advantage of being able to maintain an even and stable temp across the pan. Cast iron feels like cooking on induction no mater what type of range you have.
When in doubt use more oil, butter, or grease.
Use metal tools. This alone is one of the big advantages of cast iron. Unlike other pans you don’t need to baby cast iron. I use a steel grill spatula on mine.
When you’re done cooking just wipe it out with a paper towel while it is still hot. Unlike other pans you actually want to leave a thin layer of oil or grease on cast iron. You only need to get the food out of it which usually only requires a quick wipe. If you cooked something saucy then just wash it like you would any other pan (except don’t leave it to soak), just be sure to completely dry it on the stove afterwords and apply a thin layer of oil to it.
Use it at least every other week. The more you use it just for frying thing the more nonstick it gets as the layer of seasoning builds up. Letting cast iron sit is how it gets sticky and nasty. If you are going to store it long term then wash it with soap, dry it on the stove, and coat it in a thin layer of flaxseed oil because that stuff stays good practically forever.