Just like your grandmother, I now own a cast-iron skillet. It seemed like the logical choice after I realized the finite possibilities of non-stick, yet was not ready to burn my whole month's salary on an All-Clad frying pan. This cost $19. It's heavy as a brick--actually, more like a couple bricks. You can toss this war-horse around with glee and it will take it all. Clang it around as loud as you can, see if it cares.
But it is finicky in some respects. Cast iron skillets apparently don't like to be washed, have to be seasoned, and if any of these aren't followed, those eggs will do nothing more than adhere like cement to the bottom.
Or, this is what I'd been told. I read many post about how to season and clean a cast-iron skillet, even a nice one from the NY Times. But mine came, somehow, pre-seasoned. I'm not sure if this is good or bad, but it did meant that I could get right to business. And that I did.
I didn't want to dandily-dance around with this beast, coaxing essences out of exotic ingredients. I wanted a steak. I wanted a really expensive cut of steak cooked at inordinately high temperatures and nothing else. Well, maybe some potatoes. With butter. And sour cream. But the focus was the beef. And if you like medium-rare steaks, that picture above is some serious eye candy.
See, cast-iron can go where no self-respecting non-stick would dare. That is, into an oven. Steaks need a nice sear, which needs to come from absurdly high heat, but then needs a relatively lower heat (in this case a cool 500 degrees), which can easily be regulated by the oven.
The steak is important. Thin, tough steaks won't do well, so I had to put down some money for a nice one. I picked something called Shell Steak, which I found out is also strip steak, Kansas City Strip, or New York Strip depending on where or who you are. I live in New York, so this is New York Strip, no matter what the Met says.
New York Strip
- 1 large shell steak (mine was .80 pounds)
- canola oil
- salt and pepper
serves 2
Adapted from Good Eats.
For safety, it's nice to carry around a towel, so you'll always have it there and won't be tempted to touch the scalding metal hunk and destroy your hand.
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. This will take a good hour, depending on make or model, to fully reach. So plan ahead. Or make sure your girlfriend plans ahead for you. Place the the iron skillet in the oven to let it heat up.
When the oven has reached its top temperature, remove the skillet (with a oven mitts/towel/or other protective device) and place on a burner over high heat. To reiterate, the iron skillet is going to be really, really hot.
Coat the steak with a little oil and salt and pepper. Then place it in the skillet. It should his and fuss, but that's fine. Just don't move it for 30 seconds.
By that time a nice crust should have formed, and it will no longer stick to the pan. Pull to early, and you might have an adhered steak.
After the 30 seconds, flip and cook for another 30 seconds on the other side. Then turn off the heat, and place the iron skillet (with towel!) in the 500 degree oven to cook for 2 minutes. Flip the steak, and cook for another 2 minutes. Then remove.
Now let it sit four a few minutes before cutting into it.
It's up to you if you want to go cutting your steak into nifty slices, or leave it whole and manly on the plate. I'm a stickler for presentation, and ain't nothing like a cut up steak. As well, it seems like more food when you cut it up, and you'll be less likely to down a pound of meat. Throw on the potatoes and enjoy.
Now if anyone could explain exactly how you're supposed to clean the skillet, I'd really appreciate it.
{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
i love my cast iron skillet-had it forever and it always performs like a champ.
rinse it with hot water and scour with a metal scrubby. dry it and then let it air dry. i've known those who, after the pan is dried, spray it with a little oil and rub it over the surface with a paper towel.
steak looks absolutely delicious!
Must try this. I bought a cast iron skillet recently but haven't used it. By the way, how did you prepare the potatoes?
We roasted the potatoes at 500 degrees. We did them earlier this year with so-so wings. Here's the link: http://www.thepauperedchef.com/2006/04/buffalo_wings_w.html
Good luck with your skillet. I've loved mine!
Cool post.
You don't need to worry about cleaning a cast iron pan that much. If you cook a little something and it's still oily, it's fine and will add some more seasoning to the pan. If you have some greasy, steaky bits left in the pan, but don't want water to get on it (sometimes it can rust, etc) just use kosher salt and a paper towel. I thought it was odd at first, but it works very well and you don't have to worry about properly drying the cast iron all the way. Just dump salt (~1/4 cup) into the pan, and 'scrub' it with the paper towel. It'll get all the gunk off, and then you just wipe the salt into the trash.
My roommate used to scrub his cast-iron skillet with kosher salt… its abrasive enough to get the crap out, and I suppose it adds a hint of natural seasoning.
I invested in really expensive non-stick pans a few years back, I was young and thought even if they do not last forever they are great for now, some have started to scratc but I inherited cast iron pans from my grandmother and I use them over and over and over. And I will have them forever!
How do you get rust off an iron skillet?
Okay, cooked the steaks in the cast iron skillet like recommended…the only part you forgot to mention was the SMOKE!! Enough smoke to set the smoke detectors off in the house…BUT WHAT A BEAUTIFUL STEAK!! Just perfect!!
YES YES YES……..CAST IRON SKILLETS ARE THE BEST…NEVER WASH THEM WITH SOAP SO THREY WILL REALLY WONDERFULLY SEASONED FROM THE FOOD YOU COOK IN IT. THE OLDER THE BETTER. I ALWAYS LOOK FOR CAST IRON WHEN I GO TO GARAGE, YARD SALES OR FLEE MARKETS. AND YES COOKING WITH IRON IS VERY GOOD FOR YOU. STAY AWAY FROM THE SILICON STUFF…..OH YEAH…NOTHING LIKE COOKING A STEAK IN A IRON SKILLET…REMEMBER THE OLD DAYS ON THE PRARIE…THEY DIDNT HAVE OVENS OR MICROWAVES. THEY KNOEW HOW TO COOK.GREAT FOR CORN BREAD TOO..
I get really bad heartburn from gas or charcoal but I love a nice medium-rare ribeye so I always cook mine in my great-grandmother's cast iron pan. To clean it I pour in some water and let it come to a boil, pour it out in the sink with the hot water running and then take a small "nail" brush and scrub out any debris. I thoroughly dry it with paper towels and then rub a tiny amount of oil onto the cooking surface with a paper towel. (Putting the oil helps it not rust for me.)
Hope this helps…everyone should try this method just remember to turn your exhaust fan on because it does smoke!
I have several sizes of cast iron skillets and (my favorite) a dutch oven – great for jambalaya, stews, gumbos, etc. I rinse with water and scrub with a teflon scrubber and heat on stove burner until dry. Then I spray a little oil on (while still hot) and rub it around with a non-linty rag or napkin and allow to cool before putting away, being sure to wipe off any excess oil. I like the kosher salt idea and will try that, but I will still spray with the oil – that keeps them nice and shiny and non-stick. If they do get rusty (tragedy!) you can scrub lightly with a steel wool soap pad (or the kosher salt may work), but then you must, must, must rub in some oil to "moisturize" the pan.
I've been using cast iron for years — love them. Whenever I use it for gravy or something that you feel like really needs washing, dry on the stove top over a flame. This keeps the pan seasoned. If you simply use oil — like for frying — just wipe with a paper towel.
Is the oven time really necessary? I sear my steaks for 2.5. Minutes on both sides and they turn out very yummy.