Cast Iron Skillet Dos and Don’ts

A well-seasoned cast iron skillet takes time, patience and care. However, this does not mean that you need to coddle it like a newborn or tuck it into bed every night. Cast iron is a tough, versatile material that is exceptional at conducting hot, even heat, but it does require some maintenance. A new cast iron skillet is raw natural metal and, just like our skin, it has pores. When you heat this material, the pores open and absorb the oils and fats from what you're cooking. Over time, these oils combine with the porous surface and create an easy-release surface that is harder and smoother than cast iron is on its own. This process is called seasoning and it is much easier to do at home than it sounds. To help you get the most out of your pans (and keep them in good cooking shape), here are a few dos and don’ts to live by when it comes to cast iron.

Dos

• Use dish soap—really! A soft sponge and dish soap are not abrasive enough to scrape off all of the hard-earned seasoning on the surface of your pans. If you only rinse your skillet, bacteria can grow or grease residue can go rancid. For tough foods that a soft sponge can’t clean, try scrubbing your cast iron with a few tablespoons of oil, kosher salt and a paper towel. When the salt looks black and dirty, then rinse and dry well.
• Rub the cast iron skillet with oil before storing. After washing and carefully drying your cast iron skillet, use a paper towel to apply a very thin layer of neutral oil like soybean, flaxseed or vegetable oil. Store it until ready to use again.
• Season your pans twice a year. In addition to keeping your pans well-greased after cooking, it’s a good idea to give your pans a full seasoning twice a year. Lay a sheet of aluminum foil on the bottom rack of your oven. Preheat the oven to 400°. Drizzle a few tablespoons of vegetable oil in your skillet and then use a paper towel to spread it evenly across the insides of the pan. Bake upside down on a rack for 1 hour. Let it cool completely in the oven.
• Use it on your grill. For the best crusty sear on a steak or a burger, you need surface area. Let your cast iron skillets preheat on your grill grate until they are nice and hot, then use them on the grill just as you would on your stove top. The cast iron’s flat, even surface will give you that perfect char while still getting the smoky flavor from the grill. Don’t have a grate? You can lay it right on top of the coals or burning campfire logs! Just be sure to have a long spatula and tongs.
• Use metal utensils. It's OK to use a metal spatula or tongs on cast iron—the seasoned surface protects the metal. The only exception is if you are cooking in an enamel-coated skillet. A metal utensil can scratch the porcelain.

Don't

• Put your pans away wet. This is a big one—water will gather in the bottom of the skillet and rust. This also goes for letting your pans air-dry on your stove top. If the cast iron is still damp after drying with a towel, set it over a low flame to dry out. If your pans do rust, gently remove the rust with a fine steel wool pad. Then rinse, dry and proceed with the seasoning process mentioned above.
• Put your pans in the dishwasher. A dishwasher is too harsh and can potentially strip the surface of your skillet.
• Let your pans soak. Keep your pan out of the sink until you’re ready to clean it. Excessive soaking can cause rust.
• Use it to cook acidic foods. According to Lodge cookware, acidic foods like tomatoes, beans and large amounts of citrus juice can potentially strip the surface of a skillet that is not heavily seasoned and make the food taste metallic. If you have a relatively new skillet, save these cooking jobs for your stainless steel or enameled pans.
• Let your pan get sticky. If the surface of your skillet feels sticky from oil, then the skillet isn’t properly seasoned and it can cause the fat on the surface to flake off. To fix this, lay a sheet of aluminum foil on the bottom rack of your oven. Preheat the oven to 400° and bake the skillet upside down for 1 hour. Let cool completely in the oven.

Above first posted on Food & Wine Blog - 2020

My Recommendation: The Best Cast Iron Skillet - Lodge 12" $25.00

Lodge skillets are affordable and durable—with good care, they will last you a long time. These skillets come pre-seasoned, but I highly recommend washing and seasoning them before use. Bonus: They also come in all sizes. The 12-inch is great for roasting a whole chicken, but also stock up on the 3.5-inches for individual baked eggs or fruit crisps with a scoop of ice cream. Yummy!

Cheers!

Lori in Blue Ridge

Get Organized...

After the holidays I always resolve to get my house organized...this year is no different.  When my space is organized and decluttered, it brings peace and clarity, and I know that for me, I just function so much better when my home is in order. To help the process, I found a list of things to throw away, donate, or recycle, based on each room in your home.  The list is from the blog: Simply Kierste Design. Maybe it will help you too!

I'll try to make organization a doable project– I don’t have to do it all in one day. The plan is to  start small–maybe a drawer or two a day, a closet, or a room.  The key is to make it a consistent effort– I need to do something every day.  I'm off to sort my socks, they are overflowing the designated sock drawer.

Cheers!

Lori in Blue Ridge

Why should the white eggs have all the fun at Easter??

 

We are big fans of The Country Hen brown eggs. Our favorite meal is breakfast and we love baked goods made with the fresh brown eggs.  After doing some research online, I believe they will also be the perfect Easter Egg choice as well. Their strong, brown shells should be perfect for coloring.

Brown Eggs - Photo Credit: One Sunny Acre - Adventures in Micro Farming

If you are not looking for pastel colored Easter eggs, brown eggs will actually dye to a richer, more beautiful tone than white eggs. It does require using a different type of dye than the typical Easter egg coloring kit, but listed below are two very simple methods. One utilizes food coloring and the other is a natural dye method.

 

Peeling hard boiled farm fresh eggs is a bit more difficult; follow these instructions on how to boil them so they will peel more easily when you’re ready to turn your dyed eggs into egg salad…

   1.   Use the oldest eggs you can, 7-10 days if possible

   2.   Submerge eggs completely in a pot of cold salted water

   3.   Bring water to a boil, turn the heat down to medium low and set timer for 10 minutes    (or adjust according to preferences, this step is not as critical)

   4.   Remove from heat and drain hot water

   5.   Fill the pot with cold water and let sit until eggs are cooled down

   6.   When ready to eat, Peel eggs submerged in cool water

   7.   Random Tip: if you want more centered yolks for deviled eggs, turn your carton of eggs on its side a day or two before hard boiling them.

 

Dye using the Food Coloring Method:

1 cup hot water
2 teaspoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon of food coloring (you can adjust the amount to reach your desired shade)

Mix the 3 ingredients for each food coloring you want (red, blue, green, etc.) Don't forget about using your base colors to create other colors. For example, mix red and yellow for orange, red and blue for purple, or blue and green for teal, etc... Dip cool, hard boiled eggs into the food coloring dyes until the desired color is achieved. Let eggs dry on a rack or in an egg carton.

Dye using Natural Egg Dyes: Dye Ingredients: Blue - Red Cabbage Leaves Orange - Paprika Red - Lots of Red Onion Skins Pink - Beets Purple - Small amount of Red Onion Skins Yellow - Saffron Bring 1 cup of water and dye ingredients to a boil and then reduce heat and let simmer for 15 minutes to 1 hour until the desired color is obtained. Strain dye liquid and add 2 tablespoons of white vinegar. Dip cool, hard boiled eggs into hot liquid and let sit until desired color is achieved. Take eggs out of the dye and put on a rack or into an egg carton to dry. (Careful color can easily be removed until the egg is dry.) Eggs colored in this way have a dull finish, but when they are dry, use cooking oil to add a gloss to them.

Have Fun!

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Quick Tip: Linking to Your Etsy Shop

YourShopName.etsy.com

This is most likely how you’ve been typing your etsy shop address. Simple to remember, easy to tell someone, uncomplicated to put on your business card… It looks great without the “http://” and gives your brand uniqueness. But: it’s not giving you everything it could be!

That etsy address has always been handy but it’s always resolved to another URL, the URL your shop is actually located at. Up until a few months ago, your actual URL involved a random user id number. Well, that has changed!

etsy.com/shop/YourShopName

Now your etsy URL looks like this (above). That’s the URL your shop actually resides at, no resolving or redirecting. Whenever you’re linking to your shop on your blog, twitter, facebook, or anywhere that search engines may scan, use this URL.

If you’re telling people your shop URL in “real life” or using it in printed marketing materials – even in email marketing! – feel free to use the easier to remember URL (top).

Typing in and linking to your correct shop URL is a quick & easy way to improve your shop’s SEO and page rank. Hope this helps!

Author Credit: Tara Gentile - http://www.taragentile.com/about-2/