Skillet Cooking Made Easy

Cooking in a skillet is often ignored today due to fancy backyard grills or the modern stove top grills and electric grills. For many cooking aficionados, there’s no better skillet than the old fashioned iron skillet.” Many prefer the all metal without wooden handles. It provides a very even cooking surface without hot spots. Iron skillets, if seasoned before their use, will not stick and the flavor seems to be intensified. As well, there’s no danger from aluminum or Teflon particles that can be dangerous to your health.

Seasoning is very easy to do. The pan should be scrubbed thoroughly with scouring pad and dish detergent in very hot water to remove protectants sprayed on by manufacturer. The pan then should be rubbed inside and out with a very thin layer of oil. A good vegetable oil such as canola, sunflower or Crisco or lard also work well. Heating it in the oven or on top of the stove on high until it gets very hot will drive oils into surface, thus creating the cooking surface you want. Occasionally, this needs to be redone, especially if pans are not cleaned quickly as using too much soap will tend to remove needed surface oils. They should be dried well after washing; often just quick heating on stove will dry them to prevent rusting. Pans will darken with use and seem to cook better with age.

Vegetables, meats, fish and even fruits can be cooked to perfection in a skillet. Cooking times will, of course, vary. From luscious steaks to crispy fish and beyond, whatever you desire can be prepared for the enjoyment of family and friends. Like with other forms of cooking, practice will make perfect.