Because cast iron is slower to heat and does so unevenly, preheating, essential for searing, is also almost always recommended for frying, roasting, and baking. You can do this in your oven or, when you're doing a stovetop preparation, on a burner.
On the stovetop
First, find out if your stovetop will support cast iron. Heat the pan gradually—about 10 minutes is recommended—and rotate it on the burner every few minutes so the heat is evenly applied.
You always want to preheat your skillet before cooking with it on the stovetop. Putting cold food in a cold cast-iron pan will make your food stick. Cast-iron skillets don't heat as evenly as nonstick or stainless steel pans, but they keep their heat very well.
Cast iron cookware can be preheated on the stovetop or in the oven. If you'll be cooking in the oven, preheat the pan in the oven. Similarly, if you'll be cooking on the stovetop burner, preheat the pan on the stovetop burner.
Preheat your oven
Once the oven is up to temp, put the pan in for 10 minutes, then remove it and increase the heat to 300. Pre-heating the pan this way ensures it's completely dry and opens the iron's pores to better soak up seasoning.
Typical preheating temperatures for cast irons are 260-650 degrees Celsius (500-1200°F). Never preheat above 760°C (1400°F). Stagger the welds during the welding process whenever possible.
Place the cookware in the oven upside down. Place a large baking sheet or aluminum foil on the bottom rack. Bake at 450-500 degrees F for one hour.
Fortunately, cast iron happens to have a nonstick coating that prevents food from burning. Cast iron skillets have been designed to perform a lot of cooking and that's why it is safe to use them in an oven. I often use my cast iron in the oven and I haven't encountered any problems yet.
Cast iron pans are poor conductors of heat: Without getting too nerdy here...a cast iron is good at retaining (keeping) heat, but it isn't as good as conducting (transmitting) heat. A cast iron pan will heat unevenly if you're using a burner that's significantly smaller than the pan itself.
Acidic foods (unless you make it snappy)
Acidic foods (like tomato sauce, wine-braised meats, etc.) enter the red zone when they spend too much time cooking in the skillet. It's particularly important to not marinate anything in a cast-iron pan, as many marinades are quite acidic in order to tenderize the meat.
In short, it's best to apply a very light coating of oil to clean, dry cast iron cookware after each use. The oil protects the iron from moisture and oxidation, which helps prevent rust. Apply cooking oil with a clean, lint-free cloth, then thoroughly wipe down all surfaces of the pan to remove excess oil.
All cooking oils and fats can be used for seasoning cast iron, but based on availability, affordability, effectiveness, and having a high smoke point, Lodge recommends vegetable oil, melted shortening, or canola oil, like our Seasoning Spray.
Yes, you can season the pans for frying, sautéing, or baking in cast iron cookware like pans, pots, or skillets with butter, but it's not the right choice to season it for the first time. Butter immediately starts to smoke when added to a heated pan because cast iron can withstand a lot of heat.
Before you bake, make sure to coat your cast iron with nonstick spray. Use a pastry brush to get the oil into the corners or sidewalls of your pan.
Several of our consulted chefs agreed that cast iron can leave an unpleasant flavor layer in tomato-based dishes. The "naked" cast-iron cooking surface of an unenameled skillet can cause "acidic foods to become discolored and acquire a metallic taste," says Weinstein.
Eggs fall into the category of sticky foods that are not ideal for cast iron skillets that haven't built up their seasoning yet. While cast iron can become non-stick with sufficient use over time, a newer skillet will almost certainly cause your eggs to stick to its porous surface.
You can use olive oil to season cast iron, but you need to choose a high quality extra virgin olive oil, which should have a smoke point close to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Although it's recommended that you only need one coat of seasoning to start searing those steaks and baking those Dutch baby pancakes, many folks apply multiple coats of seasoning onto their cast-iron skillets and Dutch ovens. But, like, four or five.
If you choose to preheat an empty nonstick skillet, keep an eye on it and don't let it get ripping hot. Do not preheat an empty enameled cast-iron pan on the stove top, which can subject the glasslike coating to thermal shock (a sudden change in temperature) and potentially cause it to crack.
Description. Iron or steel, when heated to above 460 °C (900 °F), glows with a red color.
Preheat a heavy cast-iron skillet over high heat until very hot, about 5 minutes. A hot skillet delivers the best sear. Add 1-2 tablespoons of vegetable oil to the pan (enough to coat the bottom). Immediately place your steaks in the hot skillet and sear them for 1 minute on each side.