Cast Iron Skillet/Dutch Oven Cooking

Today marks the start of the new Ultimate Blog Challenge (UBC). I am excited to join in the fun this month. I skipped out on the last two times due to other commitments and health issues. Hopefully, I can make it for the next twenty-eight days! 

Sometimes, I wish I were up to speed like so many other bloggers who have content sitting and waiting to pull from. Since I am a newbie - (been at this now for about a year), I don't have much prepared in advance. That is on my 'to-do list' for 2021 though. Wish me luck! 

Anyway...I'm sure some of my readers might cringe at the content of my post today because I am going to talk about cooking with Cast Iron Skillets, pots, and Dutch ovens. Healthy, Unhealthy, Indifferent?

  

While waiting on my husband to get off work a few weeks back, I posted a random question to my Facebook wall. This wasn't prepared or thought out in advance...it was very random and spontaneous. 

My statement went like this: 

"We love cooking meals in our cast iron skillets and Dutch ovens.

 How many of you own any and know how to use them, clean them and preserve them"? 

I received many amazing comments to my statement and posed questions. I even learned the recipe of how to make Dump Cakes in them. Do you know how to make a Dump Cake in a Cast Iron skillet? If not, continue to read as I will share the recipe with you at the end. 

One of my friends indicated they learned how to cook with cast iron skillets during Boy Scouts. They went on to say, they enjoy cooking biscuits, gravy, baked beans, Tater tot Casserole, and Chili in theirs.

Thinking about their comment, I recall mom and dad making biscuits in the Dutch Oven we had. We were camping in Eagles Nest with several other couples from church and mom would make biscuits daily. They also cooked fresh fish and a hearty pot of chili, too. Such memories...I wish I had photos of those days...but I don't. 

Eagles Nest was so pretty from what I remember. We were camping right off the bank and the men were fishing daily. My son was only 6 months old when we went camping there. He is now 38 years old! I would hope the area is much of the same, but these days...one never knows. If I had my druthers, I would be living in the mountains. I love the mountains. 

We cook in our cast irons regularly. My husband loves cooking Fried Chicken in ours. I like to cook Bagna Cauda when I cook in them. My only wish is, wishing we could do all our cooking over an open campfire. Gone are those days for me because of my Environmental Asthma. (the smell of campfires and wood-burning triggers me faster than fast). Nevertheless, we own several different sizes of cast iron skillets and Dutch ovens. 

We cook everything in our cast irons from breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I think our favorite meal to cook in them is Farmer's Breakfast. (I will share that recipe at the end, too). 

Other comments to my random statement were, "We use our set up too". They had several images of assorted sized cast iron pots in a photo they posted. They also indicated they loved cooking in their Dutch oven, too.

Another comment was "I brought all of my dad's home that he had when he was a child". This person indicated they wanted to display them but first, was going to make Fried Potatoes and Chicken Fried Steak in them! 

I wondered to myself 'how' they wanted to display them? Would they be set out on the countertop, or up on top of the refrigerator? Would they be on a shelf of some kind? We store ours either in the oven or in the cabinet until it's time to use them. Where do you store yours? 

Another friend of mine wrote, "I love my cast iron skillets and pots! They cook like nothing else! Lastly, another comment received was, "we rarely use any other skillet than our cast irons. We have three different sizes. They just need to be seasoned if they are brand new. Follow the instructions. After every use, I wait until the skillet has cooled, then I rub coconut oil on them".  

I have purchased cast irons that needed to be seasoned before using and I have bought pre-seasoned ones. I don't know which I prefer as either way...the result is the same. I will say this though. In my opinion, the longer you have your cast irons, the more seasoned they become and the better the food tastes. What are your thoughts on the taste of your food from cooking in cast irons? Better, not so much or about the same? 

How many of you know how to preseason a cast iron skillet? The process is simple and doesn't take long. 

How to Preseason Your Cast Iron Skillets: 

1. Scrub skillet well in hot soapy water. 

2. Dry thoroughly (I always dry my cast irons on a burner on top of the stove). 

3. Spread a thin layer of melted shortening or vegetable oil over the skillet. 

4. Place it upside down on a middle oven rack at 375 degrees. (Place a piece of foil on the lower rack to catch the drips.)

5. Bake 1 hour: let cool in the oven. 

Most of our cast iron skillets are pre-seasoned already. After each use and once I have cleaned them and allowed them to dry thoroughly, I rub Cast Iron Conditioner on them, then put them away. 

 

Now you may be asking, 'how do you clean them"? Great question...You will want to avoid using the dishwasher for your cast iron cleaning. Don't use soap or steel wool, as these may strip the pan's seasoning. I use a small little plastic scraper to remove stuck-on food. I've also heard that you can use coarse kosher salt and water to clean hard stuck on food from your cast irons as well. Once you have cleaned the cooking area of your skillets, pots/pans, and/or Dutch ovens, rinse them and dry them thoroughly. If you are trying to remove stubborn cooked food, you might try boiling water in the pan for a few minutes, then try cleaning them up again. 

Our family enjoys cooking in our cast iron pans so much that our son-in-law asked for a set of his own this last Christmas. When I asked him if he had tried them out, his reply was, "YES, I love them". I smiled because I thought to myself, keeping past generations' way of cooking at the forefront of the 21st Century is exciting. 

As promised, here are the recipes- enjoy!

DUMP CAKE

(cooked in a Cast Iron Dutch Oven)

2 cans of Fruit filling (used for pie baking)

Cherry, Apple, Peach, Blackberry, etc.

Yellow Cake mix 

1 stick of butter (cut into small squares)

12 oz. Lemon-Lime Soda

Cinnamon

 The first layer consists of the fruit filling placed in the Cast Iron Dutch Oven. 

The second layer is the cake mix. Sprinkle the cake mix directly over the fruit filling (dry). 

Pour the Lemon Lime soda over the mixture. 

Place the small squares of butter on top of the mixture in random areas. 

Sprinkle Cinnamon lightly on top. 

If you are cooking this over an open fire, you will want to place 15 hot coals on the bottom, then place the Dutch Oven directly on top of the coals, then place the lid on top and cover it with another 15 hot coals and cook until the cake mix is cooked through. (About 45 minutes to an hour). 

 If you are cooking in the oven, cook at 350 degrees. Same steps as above except for the coals. THEY WILL NOT BE USED in the kitchen oven. 

In both instances, if the cake isn't quite done - you can always cook it a little bit longer. Once completed, remove carefully using oven mittens or cast-iron gloves to prevent burns. Serve immediately. 

 (there are many variations of Dump Cake recipes- this is just the one that was shared with me). She even went on to say, she has tried Chocolate Cherry! oh my...That sounds good for Valentine's Day...! 

FARMERS BREAKFAST

 (this is one of our favs any day of the week. Camping out or even at home)

Eggs 

(quantity will depend on the number of people you are feeding)

Bacon cut into small pieces.

Pork Sausage

Onion chopped up.

 Milk, optional

Potatoes 

(quantity will depend on the number of people you are feeding)

 Grated Cheese

 (we use Monterey Jack, Cheddar, Colby)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Vegetable or Canola Oil

 (we always use Canola)

Wash and clean potatoes thoroughly. Cube or dice them. 

Begin cooking potatoes in oil. Add salt and pepper. 

When about halfway done, add bacon. Continue cooking. 

 When bacon is almost finished, carefully drain the oil from the pan. Add sausage and chopped onion.  Continue cooking thoroughly until the potatoes, bacon, and sausage is completely cooked. 

 Once again, drain the excess oil from the pan, leaving just a little bit so the eggs will cook without sticking. 

 Crack and add the eggs one by one.

 (you can also crack these into a bowl, add milk, salt, and pepper, and slightly beat milk and eggs together. Set them aside). 

 Gently stir until the eggs are cooked and mixed into the potatoes, bacon, and sausage mixture. 

Top off with the cheese and enjoy! 

You can add slices of avocado, tomatoes, salsa, jalapeno peppers, too! 

This makes a great breakfast burrito, too. Heat up flour or corn tortillas, add some mixture and eat up. 

 

BAGNA CAUDA

Serves 6

 3 sticks of softened butter

6 cloves of whole garlic

2 cans of Anchovies

1 pint of Whipping Cream

1 pint of Half and Half

Package of French Bread, a loaf of bread or Texas Toast, cooked

 OPTIONAL:

 Assorted fresh vegetables (cabbage, celery, broccoli) cut into bite-sized pieces.

DIRECTIONS:

 Using a Cast Iron skillet, heat butter until completely melted on low. 

Once melted completely, add garlic cloves, one by one. (you can chop these up as well). FRESH garlic is much better, but jarred garlic will work. 

 Cook the garlic with the melted butter, constantly stirring on low. Once the garlic begins to stick, add the anchovies. Continue stirring constantly on low heat until they have completely dissolved. 

 Add the Half and Half, Whipping Cream - stirring constantly on low. Be sure to scrape the sides while you are stirring the mixture. Scrape the bottom of the skillet from time to time as well. 

A crust will begin to form on the top and then you will know the Bagna is done. 

 (I normally cook mine for about 2 hours or so...low and slow). The longer it cooks, the better! 

You can transfer this to a crockpot on low to serve at a party or family gathering. You can even place it into a fondue pot or other flameproof casserole dish. Keep on low heat to keep warm. 

 Serve with bread and vegetables. 

 What's left can be frozen for up to six months. 

 ENJOY! 

Day 1 of the UBC is underway...I can't wait to see where this month takes us. 

Are you ready to cook with a cast-iron skillet now? Drop me a comment below and let me know what your favorite thing is to cook in a cast-iron skillet.

Heart to Heart Soul Creations

H2hsc2020

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