Ok, I'm inching my way along with this 30 Bags in 30 Days Project. But I'm proud of myself that I'm keeping at it. My latest attempt involved me, spontaneously attacking the kitchen. Well, it came by accident. Mr. WhiMSy love opened a cupboard & things started flying out. So, I figured since it was already started for me, I might as well finish the rest of the cupboards & drawers & shelves.
I got rid of one big bag of garbage (old stained linens, a glass lid to a pot that's been forever missing, tupperware in the form of plastic ham, & plastic macaroni salad containers, etc.) & another big bag of donation stuff!
So far...15 bags purged, in 10 days!
In all my decluttering & purging, I uncovered 2 cast iron pans. They are small pans. One is a mini skillet (made in China & not as heavy as the other pan)—about 6 1/2" across x 1 1/4" deep. The other is a tiny pot—4" across x 2 3/4" deep. I'm not kitchen-savvy. I try. And, sadly, I've got a few appliances in my cupboards I've never even used. (Wedding prezzies!) Maybe I'll reveal those later.
But first, help a girl out.
These pans are not in the best shape. Well, the Chinese one looks awesome. But I know I can clean the rusty one properly. I'm pretty sure I've googled that before. But then what? What do I do with them? We aren't campers, but we do grill. And we have a flat glass stovetop--so I know it can't be used there. Any advice? Do you have a favorite 'cast iron recipe'? Is there even such a thing as a 'cast iron recipe'? I think I may have used one of these pans ONCE in the past 10 years. But I'd really like to try to use them properly & give it a go before I decide to give it up.
I can't wait to hear your comments!
UPDATE: OK, so I keep hearing that glass stovetops + cast iron pans = "A-OK". I guess my naivety on the whole subject of cast iron cooking had me fooled! Can't wait to try my pans! And thanks for the cast iron encouragement!
UPDATE: OK, so I keep hearing that glass stovetops + cast iron pans = "A-OK". I guess my naivety on the whole subject of cast iron cooking had me fooled! Can't wait to try my pans! And thanks for the cast iron encouragement!
♥
Love bags!
ReplyDeleteI found a nice cast iron skillet when going through my late mother in law's things -- it belonged to my husband's grandmother -- had a significant amount of rust. I was able to clean it up - I oiled it and put it in the oven for awhile -- has stayed nice ever since. I like to make frittatas (sp?) in mine...start on top of stove with eggs, spinach, onions - when nearly set - top with slices of tomatoes and a bit of cheese and stick in oven for 10-15 minutes. So yummy! I also make an onion blue cheese steak sauce (from Pioneerwoman.com) in my cast iron -- I like the way the onions get carmalized in it. Since it's so heavy, seems like things stay warm longer too.
ReplyDeleteBrenda
Oh my! What a fun find! I like to use my cast iron skippers to make cornbread in. I let it sit in the hot oven for 15 minutes and then take it out, put a little butter in the pan and coat the bottom then pour in the batter. I cook it til lightly brown on top like normal. It is so good! It's kinda crunchy on the bottom. I mean, come on, buttery on the bottom corn bread, YUM! :)
ReplyDeleteDefinitely cornbread in the oven!!! mmmmm..... I didn't know you weren't suppose to use them on flat glass top stove- we've been using ours on our glass stove for 6 years now- oops! We cook eggs, pancakes, cornbread, french toast and stuff like that in ours. Love them! I wash it without soap and then oil it with peanut oil to keep it seasoned nicely.
ReplyDeleteIf the pans are REALLY rusty, an easy way to get a lot of the stuff off is to do a self-clean cycle on the oven with the pans in them. Then you just have to scrub with a brush or steel wool if it's really bad. After that, oil it up really well and put in the oven on lowish heat until it starts smoking, then turn off the oven and let them cool off before using. Voila! And just rinse with water and scrub out the old stuff once they get gunky again, don't use soap or it will take off all the finish and you will have to reoil them all over again.
ReplyDeleteI really like making eggs in my cast iron skillet. If it's oiled really well scrambled eggs don't stick very much. You can also heat cast iron up a LOT, so they're great for making fried eggs with runny centers that still have the white parts cooked all the way.
I also like making poached chicken in the oven with foil over the top. I've poached the chicken in marinara sauce and bbq sauce, and both were great.
GoddessMychele---Well, I guess I just assumed not to use them on glass top stoves. Maybe it's ok then! That'd be great!
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You could bake in them inside the oven or roast! :) Hugs Marilou
ReplyDeleteDefinitely cornbread, preferably Mexican cornbread with hot peppers, corn, a little onion and cheese!!! Oh, no, now I'm hungry again!
ReplyDeleteWE use ours on a glass top stove! Never heard that you can't! Love the cast iron cooking - give it a try!
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