What Is The UK’s Best Cast Iron Skillet?
Cast iron skillets are a well-loved kitchen tool – with their heat-retaining properties and durable strength, they allow you to sear, sauté, fry and roast food with ease. Plus, given that cast iron pans only gets better with age and use, there’s no time like the present to invest in a hardwearing skillet. In this article, we’ll look at the best cast iron skillets currently on the market, providing you with another way to cook some truly delicious meals.
Cast Iron Skillet Reviews
Cast Iron Skillet Buyer’s Guide
Cast iron skillets are a fantastic tool for meal preparation, both at home, and in the great outdoors. But, with so many skillets on the market, how do you choose the right one for you? Here are some points to consider before you by that classic piece of kitchen craft.
Size
Cast iron skillets can vary greatly in size, from a mini 3″inch cookie baking model, through to 30+cm wide for family style cooking. So, think about what you’ll be using the skillet for; daily meals, camping trips, BBQ and special dishes? Then, how many people are you cooking for? Yourself, partner, dependants, or maybe you want to feed an entire army? Where possible, get slightly bigger than needed, in case your circumstances change, or you discover how much you love leftovers.
Handle grip
This is important, because cast iron will get exceptionally hot! So, in order to avoid nasty accidents, and injuries, look for handles that will not just fit into the palm of your hand, but also keep your hand a short distance from the pan itself. Ideally, a longer handle is best, however, having a protective cover or heat protection cloth is also beneficial.
Ease of cleaning
Cast iron is an easy to clean cookware, however, there are a few rules; pre-season before use, do not soak in water, always dry thoroughly, store it somewhere at room temperature and that’s dry. To help with this, look for skillets that are pre-seasoned, and that come with cleaning aides.
FAQs
How to season a cast iron skillet?
- Preheat your oven to 375˚F/190˚C
- Thoroughly clean in hot soapy water.
- Dry completely
- Wipe oil over the skillet
- Place it on the middle oven rack
- Bake for an hour
- Turn off the oven and allow it to cool in the oven
How to clean a cast iron skillet?
There is an art to cleaning cast iron, and you may find it counter-intuitive. For the best results, you need to ‘season’ your cast iron skillet, this process is described below. This process will give your pan a pseudo nonstick finish, making cooking and cleaning easier. However, this protective nonstick coating is removed when washed in soapy water.
So, how do you clean cast iron? With hot running water. Where possible, wipe out any food stains or leftovers with paper towel, then under hot water, give your skillet a light scouring with a rubber or plastic scourers, followed by a thorough rinse, and dried off first with paper towel – in case of any remnants of food – and then with a soft cloth. The trick then is to wipe over the entire surface with oil – to prevent oxidisation and rusting.
Never, ever, wash your cast iron cookware in a dishwasher; the harsh detergents will remove the seasoned surface, and, will encourage rust to develop due to the humid environment during ‘drying’. Cast iron that has rust must be cleaned and treated again before it is safe to cook with.