Food and Cooking

Hi there,

I am a big fan of enameled cast iron, and have not had issues cooking fish or eggs in mine. If something sticks, you can add a little fat or liquid (broth, beer, pickle juice, ad infinitum) to help loosen the stubborn item, it doesn't take a whole lot. I like using a sizeable spatula with a pat of butter atop it and gently work the spatula under whatever is stuck as the butter melts under the food itself.

Things stick in your pan because there's not enough fat to keep it moist. You're essentially frying things when you use a pan, so having enough oil is essential to prevent burnt sticking food. With enough fat in the pan, you should be able to glide a fried egg around the pan with ease.

Enamel cast iron pans are excellent for deglazing as well, which'll make cleaning them even more simple and the byproduct makes for a delicious sauce that'll punch your meal quality up tenfold. Honestly you should deglaze everytime you cook,

Enamel stains as you use it but it's pretty easy to clean with Barkeeper's Friend (either the powder or gel work, though the powder will last you an eternity longer than the gel). Outside that, the exact cleaning method you stated works.

I hope this helps in your quest, happy hunting!

My vote is for a 10-12" traditional cast iron pan. I've used every type of pan out there, and the one I leave sitting out on my stove is my trusty cast iron skillet that was my great great grandparents'. It will oulive me too!

Buying:

I would recommend to not buy new. Buy an old used one that ideally has a smooth surface, not a rough one. (The newer ones have a dimpled surface due to how they're molded and they take longer to season up in my opinion.) Check the old pan for bulges, cracks, and extreme rust (like the whole thing is orange). If there's a few rust spots, that can be fixed with a good scrub, a thin coating of oil, and an hour in a 400 degree oven. That's it! If you are cooking with the same pan a lot, you don't need to worry about it rusting ever again. Just always coat it in a thin layer of high heat oil. (I prefer avocado or safflower.)

Cooking:

Never put food in a cold pan! Let it warm up first. Put a bead of water in to check if it's ready, it will sizzle when the pan is hot. If food sticks, add liquid or oil and scrape the bottom good with a metal spatula. You don't have to be gentle with cast iron!

Cleaning:

After cooking, turn off your burner and immediately remove all the food (do not leave it in the pan to cool! Harder to clean) and run it under blazing HOT tap water (I wear kitchen gloves for this step!) The temp change won't be high enough to damage your pan. Scrub it out with a copper chore boy or very stiff brush all over, then put back on the still warm burner (if you use electric) or turn the burner on low and wait for the water to evaporate off, it'll only take a minute or two. Then rub the pan lightly ALL OVER, every bit, with a high heat cooking oil. I keep a small rag in some oil for this purpose. Done! It takes me like 3 min to clean the pan, tops.

This cleaning method is sooo much easier than having to deal with any of my other pans. If you wash it hot and keep it seasoned, nothing will stick and it'll last forever!