Not to hijack, but along the same line--- I'm late to the cast iron party. I purchased quite a bit of le creuset. I use the braiser pan quite a bit. I love the no rust and easy clean up of the enamel surface. However I'm not as much of a fan of the larger fry pan. Do you use yours as CL mentioned above? How can I utilize it further, otherwise it's just sitting in the drawer.

I also have three, but they are all different sizes, and I mainly use the largest one - 10" diameter, I think. I use it for making Spanish (i.e. potato) omelet, cornbread, and hamburger corn pone pie, which my mother used to make frequently, as it is a simple one-pan dish. To make it, I saute ground beef in the 10" iron skillet with onion, and then add typical taco style seasoning - oregano, Ancho chili powder, cayenne, and salt, plus a can of Ro-Tel tomatoes, which I like because they have chilies and cilantro in them. Then I pour on a half-recipe of cornbread (which would normally fill the pan itself, unless halved) and then bake it in the oven.

Here is the cornbread recipe I use:
Cornbread
Ingredients:
2 cups of cornmeal (yellow or white)
1/2 cup sifted flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg lightly beaten
2 cups buttermilk
2 tablespoons bacon drippings or vegetable oil

Method:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Put the drippings or oil in a large (10-inch) cast-iron skillet and place it in the oven for a few minutes until itâÂÂs sizzling.
Mix together dry ingredients. Set aside.
Whisk egg and buttermilk. Mix with dry ingredients
Take cast iron skillet out of oven, and pour hot oil into batter, and mix.
Pour batter into cast iron skillet, bake in oven for 20 minutes. Cornbread should be brown on top and pulling away from the sides of the skillet.

Lars

Here is a link that might be useful: Cornbread recipe

I have lots of cast iron and use them all the time:

~ large frypan - pot roast, brown, add braising liquid and cover tightly with foil; oven fried chicken, get pan pretty hot before I add the breaded chicken pieces; oven roasted vegetables, coat in a little oil, herbs, spices, s&p; deep dish pizza, lightly oil the pan before putting in deep dish dough and toppings; french toast

~ smaller frypans - cornbread; chicken or pork chop, season, brown, put in toaster oven to finish baking; biscuits, 4 in 8" pan, 2 or 1 large in 6" pan; breakfast scrambled egg in 6" pan, fritatta, Farmer's breakfast; cook 1 hamburger, brown and heat hot dogs,

~ round griddle - warm tortillas, pancakes, quesadillas, crisp thin crust pizza, heat griddle on stove top burner, drizzle with a little oil, put pizza crust on to cook, turn over when just starting to brown, put toppings on crust, put in a 450 oven for 15 minutes = crisp crust, hot sauce and toppings, melted cheese, delicious!

Note: Thanks again, Ann T, for my much used, absolutely wonderful 6-inch Wagner cast iron pan!!!

Teresa

I find that if stuff sticks to my cast iron skillet, it's easy enough to take care of. First I try coarse salt and a paper towel with just a little water. If that doesn't do it, scrub with a plastic scrubber or brush with just hot water, no soap. If it's still stuck, put enough water in the skillet to cover the stuck stuff, bring it to a boil and then pour out the hot water, then try the salt/paper towel trick once it's cool enough to handle.

Once you've cleaned it, though, rinse with hot water, dry with a paper towel, then put it back on the heat for a minute to evaporate any residual water; then wipe it with a little oil.

I'm gonna try this CI recipe at the link; sounds like an easy way to roast a chicken.

Here is a link that might be useful: chicken roasted in a skillet

Okay I am thick but it sounds like you just use them as a baking dish is there a benefit to using cast iron over glass. Do you preheat pan every time? I see it has lots of uses but do please spell it out. Do you oil each time? When cooking cinnamon buns etc is there a flavor transfer if the last thing had garlic? My pans don't have the enamel coating.

My cast iron is not enamel, it's just cast iron.

I use the dutch oven for things like pot roast and beef stew, and also as a deep fryer.

My biggest skillet is used for searing steaks, browning ground meat, I've made chili and goulash in that one.

The 8 inch pan is great for baking cornbread, put the grease in the skillet and put it into the oven while the oven preheats, then pour the batter into the hot pan, it makes a great crunchy crust.

The smallest one I use for eggs. It's as slick as Teflon through nearly 40 years of seasoning.

I was also told by my old doctor many years ago that the reason I was never anemic was because I used cast iron and it "leached" into acidic foods, so I was upping my iron intake. That's a good thing.

I have found that acidic foods like tomatoes can compromise the seasoning on the pan, so I scrub with a plastic scrubbie, oil the pan and put it in the oven for a while, then wipe it clean when it cools.

I have used a plastic scrubbie when things are very gunked up but my egg pan just gets a wipe with a paper towel and it's good to go. I haven't tasted the residue of any other foods and I'd think if I were it would be in something like cornbread. I don't taste the iron/metal in chili or spaghetti sauce either, I'm assuming because there are other strong flavors.

I've used cast iron for frittata because I can start on the stove and then stick it in the oven in the same pan, I also do that with beef, sear it in cast iron then place it in the oven. I can't do that with glass. I also make stew in a dutch oven, then just put biscuits on top and bake them atop the stew, a one dish meal.

The benefit of baking in cast iron is that the crust is lovely. I really don't see a benefit to baking something like pie in a cast iron pan, though, I prefer my glass Pyrex. Cast iron won't break, though, if that's a concern for you.

Annie

Once cast iron gets hot, it maintains heat very well - no hot spots, it's an even heat.

Once cast iron is well seasoned, it can serve well as a non-stick pan for eggs, quick breads like cornbread. I brush a little oil on my skillet for my morning scrambled egg.

Cast iron is practically indestructible. I have my grandmother's 10-inch skillet that is at least 60-75 years old. Many folks who find a good deal on a piece of old cast iron can remove the old seasoning and re-season the pan for many years of use. One of the things to reuse, make do and mend. Check the piece well for cracks before buying. Do not be afraid of rust, that can be removed also.

I've never found that garlic or spices linger in the pan, but the use of tomato products can maybe affect the taste of the next food cooked in that pan. I might not use CI to cook cinnamon buns, but that is mainly because one large skillet could not hold a recipe of 20+ buns. I might make an apple cobbler in my CI pans. And I wouldn't poach eggs in CI, but I guess you could if that is the only pan you had.

I am referring to my CI that is not enameled in this post. I do have one Le Creuset French Oven that I love. If it goes missing, I'll suspect my mother......

Teresa

CL, I use my cast iron pans for almost everything, from cakes and pies, and cornbread to pizza. The resulting pie and pizza crusts baked in cast iron pans are unbeatable.

My LC pots and pans are gathering dust in my kitchen because I tend to gravitate towards my antique cast iron pans. And even though they don't need it, I will occasionally wipe a little bit of neutral oil (although I understand vegetable shortening [or lard] is better) on them, and nothing ever sticks.

Btw, I preheat all pans prior to cooking, cast iron or not.

Sol

I'm a huge fan of cast iron and have dozens of pieces. Frying pans, a couple of covered casserole/dutch ovens (different sizes), popover pans, an English muffin pan, shaped molds.

They're all useful, and all get used frequently. A few of my favorites--I've got an oval baking dish that's good for all sorts of things (especially cheesey Monkey bread). The small round covered pan is the best pan for making the overnight no-knead bread. But best of all, is my cast iron wok. It takes a little while--10-15 minutes--to preheat it, but once hot, it's fantastic for stir-frying.

I do use some pieces for savory foods, others for baking. I do think there is some flavor transfer if you've just sauted onions, and then make a pan of cinnamon buns, for example.

If your pans are well-seasoned, they really shouldn't stick at all. Of course, you need to use hydrogenated shortening (never oil) to season, and then the pans need to be heated for exactly the right amount of time--too little and the seasoning doesn't harden to a slick coating; too long and you can go past perfectly seasoned and back to 'naked'.

Hang in there with them--they'll be your favorite cooking utensils in no time. You may even turn into a cast iron addict like me.

And as someone else said, cooking with cast iron is very healthy because you're adding iron to your food when you cook.

Just made a pineapple upside down cake in my cast iron skillet today (10-inch). Always comes out perfect (I line the bottom with parchment paper so when I flip it over it pops right out). I only have a few Le Creuset pieces but I use my big pot ALL the time. It's the work horse in my kitchen - from spaghetti and meatballs to no-knead bread. I know you're not suppose to wash seasoned cast iron but I can't help but give it a little soap and water and then I dry it and let it air dry before I put it away. I haven't oiled it since the 1st day I used it. Never tried baking a pie it it, though!

I use my cast iron for everything also. Along with an assortment of skillets we have a round griddle that's just for eggs and tortillas, a deep skillet that's great for casseroles and deep-frying (anything tomato-ey or acidic doesn't stay in the pan after it's done), a big old chicken fryer, and a little bitty skillet that's perfect for toasting nuts, seeds and spices.

It seems like the older pieces are easier to season/re-season. DH has been taking his random orbit sander to some of ours to clean them up. We've been using rice bran oil on an old rectangular griddle and it looks kind of spotty, but after several 'treatments' it's as good as teflon.

I broke (!) an old favorite skillet a few years ago. The outside was really crusty and I'd read that tossing it in the coals of a burn pile would clean it. It broke in half. We bought a replacement, but it's just not the same. Fortunately, we found a similar old skillet at a yard sale. Buried in a wheelbarrowful of cast iron, it was like glass inside and out. The guy said, "Oh, I'll have to get a little more for that one." Twelve bucks, and it's one of the best pans I own.

Next challenge is the old Dutch oven that was abandoned in our old cabin for years. I do love my enameled ones, but we ate a lot of beans cooked in that old thing 'back when'. Sad to see it all rusty.

Katie, I also broke a cast iron skillet. I used it on a campfire and not wanting the kids to get burned on a hot pan, I stuck it into a bucket of water. Yeah, well, it seemed like a good idea right that minute.

Annie

What is the science of cooking in a braiser? I have a knock-off from Aldis. I love it - but I'm not sure what its best use is. Sauces? Re-heating gravy? I've just always been curious. I don't tend to "braise" meat. I thought maybe if I understood the purpose of the shape, I could figure out what it would do well. Is it to minimize evaporation during braising? Thanks! I love learning from you all.

I will try doing a roast in one this week and see how it goes. I do use them to fry all the time I have a little one that is perfect for morning eggs and I use it to toast sesame seeds.

When doing a roast does it change the cooking times? and do you make the gravy in the pan like a regular roaster?

I have only used canola oil to season so that may be part of the sticking problem with scrambled eggs.

I have a cast iron wok too and just love that it stays hot. I wonder if that might be better to do a roast in anyone ever try it?

The darker the pan, the darker and richer the gravy, so roasting meat in a cast iron skillet will give you terrific gravy.

I have used mine for all sorts of stuff over the years. I have a fantastic sweet, moist cornbread that I make in my skillet, melting the butter in the bottom to give it a crispy crust. Even my southern friends like it.

Cocaty, as I understand it, braising is slow cooking in a moist environment. That allows the connective tissues to break down as opposed to tightening up. The limited amount of water keeps from diluting the flavor--as opposed to boiling or stewing, where a lot of the meat's flavor ends up in the liquid.

Here's one of my favorite braises, perfect for cold weather--especially on a day you have a lot to do in the house. You start the dish around lunchtime then you don't touch it for 7 hours. You don't have to brown the meat before cooking it, but if you want to that's okay too. I have an old cast iron pot that works fine for this, but any covered casserole will do. Don't be alarmed by the amount of garlic it calls for: it'll all cook down and be sweet during those seven hours.

Gigot de sept heures (Seven hour leg of lamb)

1 leg of lamb, about 6#
4 garlic cloves, sliced, plus 20 whole garlic cloves
1/4 cup olive oil
salt & pepper
2 small onions, thinly sliced
4 carrots, peeled
1 bouquet garni
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup flour, 1 cup water

Preheat oven to 300àF. (If necessary, trim most of the external fat off the lamb. Some legs of lamb will come with a heavy fatty connective tissue, called the âÂÂfellâÂÂ, covering a lot of its surface. Remove as much of it as practical--leaving it on will make the dish gamier because most of the gamy flavor is in the fat and connective tissues.) Make many small stab incisions in lamb and place slivers of garlic in each incision. Rub lamb well with olive oil, season with salt & pepper. Place it in Dutch oven and add onions, carrots, bouquet garni, garlic, wine. Put lid on Dutch oven. Combine flour and water, make a 'caulk' and use it to seal the lid to the dutch oven. (Note: ThatâÂÂs not necessary if you have a casserole or Dutch oven with a fairly snug-fitting lid.) Place it in the 300ÃÂoven and cook for 7 hours. Yes, 7 hours. NO PEEKING--leave it alone. A half hour before itâÂÂs done, fix some noodles or rice or couscous to soak up the juices.

Remove the Dutch oven and break the seal. You don't eat the cooked flour paste.

That's it! About a half hour to an hour of prep, then you leave it the heck alone for 7 hours. It's nearly foolproof. Serve it with whatever else you want, and a medium bodied red wine goes quite well with this (say, a nice Zinfandel) but a dry white (such as the remainder of the bottle you opened to get the cup of wine in the recipe) is fine as well if that's your preference.