Can I cook this in a cast iron skillet?

irlforum

Hi,
I'm starting off this evening trying to add new recipes to my diet.

I think that this one looks nice and should be easy enough to try. http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=recipe&dbid=140

The problem is that it specifies a stainless steel skillet. I don't have a stainless steel skillet though - just cast iron. I assume cast iron is no good?

Also if you were to cook this receipe for you dinner what kind of carbohydrates would you add to it?

Thanks.

Sparks

I don't see anything in there I wouldn't cook in mine.
Generally, unless there's something acidic like lemon or tomatoes in the dish, it's safe for cast iron. I think they just said stainless steel in order to say the skillet shouldn't be non-stick (you can't make a pan sauce in a non-stick pan).

(and if it's enamelled or even just properly seasoned, then even acidic dishes can be done)

the beer revolu

I'd use cast iron too.

Some good mash would be nice with that and something green.

irlforum

Thanks for the replies. I'm just after looking up some Jamie Oliver videos and he was showing spaghetti meatballs. He made his own tomato sauce in his pan which I think was a teflon coated one as it has a red mark in the middle.

Given that I can't put tomatoes into a cast iron what alternatives are there to teflon?

By the way the receipe and pan used can be seen in the Jamie receipe 2 video here. http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0718148622/ref=cm_cr_asin_lnk

Is it a non-stick frying pan like this http://www.amazon.co.uk/Creuset-3-Ply-Stainless-Non-Stick-Frying/dp/B002VXU8O2/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&s=kitchen&qid=1277150604&sr=1-8

The Hill Billy

Hi OP - Just bear in mind that some times the term "skillet" is used to describe what we in Ireland call a plain ol' frying pan. It doesn't necessarily have to be one of those cast iron ridged yokes.

Sparks

Erm, cast iron skillets don't have ridges (those are grill pans), they're just ordinary frying pans made from cast iron.

bonkey

Sparks wrote: »

Erm, cast iron skillets don't have ridges (those are grill pans),

Or sometimes "griddle pans".
But yes...a skillet is flat. Its just a posh (or old) word for what we commonly call a frying pan.

the beer revolu

I regularly cook tomatoes in my cast iron pan, for pizza sauce, without problems.

Why can't you make up sauces in a non stick pan?

Sparks

the beer revolu wrote: »

I regularly cook tomatoes in my cast iron pan, for pizza sauce, without problems.

If it's well-seasoned (or enamelled), you can do that - if it wasn't, your pan would give the sauce a nasty aftertaste.

Why can't you make up sauces in a non stick pan?

Because the meat won't stick to the pan, and without that, you don't get the little black bits at the bottom of the pan that you make the sauce from (the fond if you want to get all technical about it).

irlforum

Sparks wrote: »

If it's well-seasoned (or enamelled), you can do that - if it wasn't, your pan would give the sauce a nasty aftertaste.Because the meat won't stick to the pan, and without that, you don't get the little black bits at the bottom of the pan that you make the sauce from (the fond if you want to get all technical about it).

Hmmm I heated up dolmio sauce after frying mince in my newly seasoned cast iron this evening and didn't notice anything. I have a tongue to develop that's for sure!

Interesting about those black bits being important for sauces - though a properly seasoned cast iron pan wouldn't allow the meat to stick either would it?

Sparks

irlforum wrote: »

Hmmm I heated up dolmio sauce after frying mince in my newly seasoned cast iron this evening and didn't notice anything. I have a tongue to develop that's for sure!

Well, heating up takes only a few minutes; I'm talking about cooking a tomato sauce from scratch, about an order of magnitude more time.

Interesting about those black bits being important for sauces - though a properly seasoned cast iron pan wouldn't allow the meat to stick either would it?

It wouldn't let large chunks stick, but small bits will, and it's those small bits that have all the flavour of the sauce locked away. Sear off a steak, then while the steak rests, deglaze the pan with some brandy (and flame it off), and add some black peppercorns and cream, and you have a classic french dish right there (steak au poivre) and it's fantastic.