Cast iron skillets

[InconstantMoon]

Was looking at buying some and got overwhelmed by the talk of seasoning and oiling after each use. Are these pans a nightmare to maintain or is it worth it?

I love mine. It's practically non stick, so I use it for pancakes, omelettes, steak, most things really. Day to day you give it a gentle wash with dish soap and water. Dry it well. Every once in a while you season it (I use avocado oil on a kitchen towel, spread it thinly on the pan, put it in oven until hot. T
urn off oven and let cool). That's pretty much it.

You don't have to season after each use.

You season once when you first get it new, and then wipe it rather than thoroughly wash after each use, allowing some oil to be retained. You'd imagine the oil going rancid but it doesn't. Consider re-seasoning occasionally like PP said, or just add oil as you think it needs.

Love mine. Ours will last forever, I suspect.

You shouldn't have to use soap either. Just hot water whilst it's still warm.

Ok well that sounds much more manageable, thanks!

they are the best thing in my kitchen!! So so easy to clean. The seasoning is just at the start as once you start using it regularly it will self season with what you cook in it. We use it for scrambling eggs, frying mince, chicken curry, sauteeing vegetables, stir frys....everything really. Ours has a metal handle so we can even use it for oven cooking too.

I bought one and seasoned it and the first time I used it to cook an egg, it stuck EVERYWHERE. I’ve not used it since! Keep meaning to give it another go….

Love my cast iron skillets! Just season once and then don’t use soap to clean (only hot water) and make sure it’s dry before you put away. You can always re-season if needed.

I have the Le Creuset round skillet in my basket right now as its reduced as a discontinued colour.

The only thing that is stopping me from checking out is that I am not sure if I can fry eggs in it....

This one doesn't need to be seasoned. It has the black interior and needs to build up a patina. But I do need a pan that I can fry eggs in as well? So the conundrum is, do I buy this one and then will I have to buy a non stick pan as well for the eggs?

This one

Eggs and a small amount of butter is cooked in mine everyday and they don't ever stick.

I've bought a set!

Bear in mind that there are differences between raw cast iron, pre-seasoned cast iron and enameled cast iron.

Oh jeez! It's pre-seasoned

Pre seasoned should be fine
Just means you shouldn’t need to do the initial seasoning (but might need to reseason every so often)
Don’t use much soap when washing
I love mine

@isthismylifenow

I have the Le Creuset round skillet in my basket right now as its reduced as a discontinued colour.

The only thing that is stopping me from checking out is that I am not sure if I can fry eggs in it....

This one doesn't need to be seasoned. It has the black interior and needs to build up a patina. But I do need a pan that I can fry eggs in as well? So the conundrum is, do I buy this one and then will I have to buy a non stick pan as well for the eggs?

Where is it on sale please? I'll take a look, not fussy re colour as I already have a mix (shame on me)

@Meg70 I am not in the UK, sorry. On our site there is a clearance section. All the discontinued ranges are sold about half price there. At the moment all the Cotton (white) range is quite well reduced as this colour has been discontinued.

(I did buy the hydration bottle, and I am really loving it)

I use non stuck frying pan for my r (scrambled, sunny side, omelette etc). But I have a cast iron frying pan. Two actually but we’re talking real, old school cast iron, which is not le cruset. Le cruset is cast iron BUT cast iron with a coating externally and interior.

In my cast iron pans I make tart tatin (or with bananas, peaches, plums and best of all shallot tatin), corn bread and things such as that.

I also have cast iron griddle that makes most flavoursome steaks with beautiful lines.

BUT I repeatedly have to tell my DH not to soak it in the sink and have forbidden my sultry DC from using them as they all think they need a scrubbing due to build up of grease. I have to hide them.

Yes, pre-seasoned is fine although you will need to use it for a bit to 'add to' the seasoning so that things don't stick.

Whatever you do, and particularly to start off, don't cook very acidic things in them especially as a sauce (i.e. tomatoes). You can when the seasoning has built up but not to start with.

I can easily cook fried eggs in mine but it's too big for scrambled or omeletts. The latter cook best in a proper omelette pan in my view.

Congrats on your purchase!

I’ve just been given my MIL’s old hot plate. It must be 100 years old. Just a wash in soapy water and a quick oil with a non flavoured oil and it’s fine.
It was used to make Welsh cakes but not much else, I don’t think. (I didn’t meet my MIL, she died many years ago sadly).

More skillet issues! Do I have to put them on the hob or in the oven every time I wash them to make sure they're throughly dry?

I don’t. It’s best to make sure they don’t sit wet for too long or they can get rust patches, but again if they are seasoned (ie have a layer of oil) this protects against rust. If you’re finding you get rust then that may mean you need to re season and stop using soap when you wash.

Thank you!