Let me guess. You’ve shied away from cast iron because someone spooked you with the words “well-seasoned.” Or maybe “rust.” Perhaps you thought you needed non-stick cookware just-in-case. If so, I’m here to put a few cast-iron myths to rest and get you started on the road to legendary.
Unlike modern cookware, there isn’t much that can ruin cast iron. I dare say we could probably circle the Earth with the discarded high-tech, non-stick pans that were accidently overheated and ruined forever. Or scratched and scarred because special tools weren’t used. With scratch-proof cast iron, you merely start over, giving it a new surface. “Good as new again” might be something your great-granny said more than once about the very skillet you have sitting in your attic.
The women of my family brandished cast iron the way a farmer brandishes a pitchfork. My mother’s oversized campfire griddle was a source of pride whenever her kids came back to camp carrying a mess of fish they’d caught.
And no doubt, her kitchen skillet, capable of simmering deer steaks in home-canned tomatoes ’til they were forktender, gave her yet another boast. “Swiss steak,” she’d proclaim after first braising the venison in bacon fat. And her chicken dumplings, fried scones, and raspberry pandowdies were the stuff legends are made of.
In the late ’20s, Granny Rita took my mother, Helen, and my aunt, Dorothy, to the outback in a gas-powered carriage. Back then, you didn’t worry about the weight of your suitcase; you worried about the weight of too much cast iron—three sizes of skillets, one waffle iron, two griddles, two Dutch ovens, a couple of saucepans, and a fire iron.
And no doubt, I inherited my mother’s passion for catching fish.
But more important, I inherited her cast iron that she inherited from her mother, and my daughter will someday inherit from me, and her daughters … on and on. See what I mean? Legendary. It’s not just cookware, it’s Annie Oakley. Daniel Boone. In a league of its own, no other cookware can come anywhere close to giving you chicken so crisp you’ll never think nuggets again or a pot roast so fall-apart tender that no matter how you dice it, you won’t be needing to slice it. Or a Dutch baby so perfectly stand-up crisp around the edges yet silky soft in the middle, the lyrics to “Cry Like a Baby” get stuck in your head.
Come on in and apron up. I’m much obliged to be introducing you to your future life partner.
But first, in honor of the outdoorsy clan I come from, I want to head outdoors for a few pages before kitchen duty takes us back inside.
Who doesn’t love sitting around a campfire?
Chimeneas and fire bowls are good alternatives if you don’t have a place for an outdoor fire pit. A heavy-duty, cast-iron campfire tripod works best with an open bowl.
Or eating a campfire meal?
I contend people bond better without a roof over their heads. And because I’m always on the lookout for dinners that get everyone involved, pie irons allow each person to make and bake her or his own meal. Now, don’t let the “pie” part of these cast-iron devices mislead you. For under $20 each, you can buy waffle, dog ’n’ brat, bread ’n’ biscuit, panini, round hamburger (I use it to roast chicken breasts), and even square “just about anything including toasted pecans” pie irons for your evening escapades, PieIron.com.
My favorite quick campfire treat is to load my square pie iron with a peanutbutter, banana, and chocolate-bar sandwich. After I unload the warm, gooey goodness onto a plate, I top it with vanilla ice cream.
Old-fashioned waffle irons were designed for use with wood cookstoves by removing one of the round top plates so the base of the iron is in direct contact with the fire. But they can also be used outdoors by tucking campfire coals under the lower compartment. The top part of the waffle iron is designed to swivel and turn above the heat for browning on both sides. Make sure your waffle iron is hot and well-oiled before pouring in the batter. Never place it in open flames. And don’t open the iron too soon to peek. When you start to smell the aroma of waffles wafting through the air, they’re done.
A camp Dutch oven has three legs and a flanged, snug-fitting lid so it can be set on a bed of hot coals and then loaded with hot coals on top—an outdoor convection oven! It can be used for baking, stewing, and roasting.
Pssst. Don’t stop with cookware. How about a cast-iron truck bed? (top)
Cast-iron tractor seat stool? (right)
Cast-iron boot puller?
(bottom)
Or how about a cast-iron, claw-foot, outdoor bathtub?
Cast-iron backyard sink?
Can you imagine your great-granny’s grin about now?