Folks always ask me what is the best Christmas present for a cook.
If you walk into my kitchen, there will be no doubt as to which pan is my favorite. My Lodge cast-iron skillet sits prominently on my stove-top. Since it is used almost every day, I don’t even bother putting it away!
I use it for everything. Main courses, sides, cornbread, even desserts … you name it and I have probably made that dish in that tried and true pan.
At the Southern Foodways Alliance Symposium, I asked Mark Kelly, Public Relations manager for Lodge Manufacturing in South Pittsburg, TN, to talk about this iconic American cookware.
“The thing that makes Lodge cast-iron cookware such a great cooking surface is its heat retention and maintenance of the heat.” I find that my cast iron skillet heats up more quickly and evenly than my stainless cookware. It is also oven-proof. So whether I am finishing a dish in the oven, or just sticking it in there to keep warm, I don’t have to switch cookware.
And talk about durability, my pan is close to 15 years old and is still going strong. My uncle has a Dutch oven that he has been making Jambalaya in for decades. I have already put my claim on that well-seasoned pot when he decides to retire from cooking!
The key is to clean it correctly. “The basic part of maintaining the cast iron is to rub olive oil or vegetable oil all over the cookware before you cook and then after you clean do the same thing and put the skillet on the stove top or in the oven for a few seconds to allow the oil to seep in.”
This is Jennifer Chandler with The Weekly Dish. Merry Christmas!
