Don’t be nervous about using a cast iron skillet in the kitchen — these glorious pans are one of the best kitchen tools you’ll ever buy. They can cook everything from crispy-edged, sunny-side-up eggs and bacon, to fluffy cornbread, perfectly seared steaks, caramelized vegetables, winter roasts, spicy stir frys and much, much more.

The secret — and once you’ve nailed it, you’ll want to give away your other frying pans (not joking) — is in the seasoning. What’s seasoning? It’s fat polymerization: oil, paired with high heat, transforms the surface of the pan, leaving a thin, non-stick film that’s chemically bonded to the iron surface.

But that doesn’t mean you’re stuck with a high-maintenance tool. Sure, if it’s brand new (or you’ve pushed it so far back into the cupboard you’re not quite sure if it’s rusty or just dusty), a little pre-seasoning won’t hurt. But in general, it’s just about using the pan.

It’s that simple — the more you use it, the better it gets. Here are four easy ways to cook in your cast-iron that will help build the non-stick seasoning (and your confidence):

Fry

Try it with: Bacon
While flaxseed oil is touted as the best oil for seasoning, plenty of other oils will season your pan. Bacon will release lots of fat into the pan and boost that finish, while delivering perfectly crisp slices to go with your breakfast pancakes.

Sear

Try it with: Steak
If you’re cooking a steak indoors, cast-iron is the way to go. It will give you that restaurant-level sear on your steak that no other pan can quite replicate. In fact, if all you use it for is searing steaks, that will still help build the seasoning. (And turn out great steaks at home, every time.)

Sauté

Try it with: Vegetables
Cast iron can get veggies cooked quickly on weeknights, when there’s very little time for slow-roasting. Try making caramelized carrots in an oiled pan, or char broccoli florets in a dry hot pan to a tender-crisp finish. The iron retains and radiates heat to cook the vegetables quickly, while creating a golden-crisp finish on the outside.

Bake

Try it with: Cornbread
If you have a pot of chili going on the stovetop (or in the slow cooker), whip up cornbread batter to bake in an oiled cast-iron pan. (Another benefit to cast-iron is it’s totally oven proof, and retains heat long after you take it out of the oven, so you can serve fresh, warm cornbread right out of the pan, all through dinner.)

Try it with: Pizza
A really hot, thick cast-iron pan can be used in place of a pizza stone, when making more artisanal-style pizzas. Nathan Myhrvold (Author of Modernist Cuisine, Modernist Bread and founder of The Cooking Lab) advocates for a pizza steel (or suggests you could also use a cast iron skillet), because the key to a thin, chewy Neapolitan-style pizza crust with tasty scorch marks on the bottom is baking it on a super-hot surface — steel conducts heat better than ceramic (the material of choice for pizza stones), as does cast iron. Pre-heating the pan is key.

How to clean and keep your cast iron skillet in good condition

Built to last, it’s incredibly hard to ruin a cast-iron pan. Got rust? Scrub it down and season it in the oven, then you’re ready to start cooking with it again. The best way to keep it in good shape is to know how to clean and lightly re-season your skillet. These simple steps keep your pan rust-free and evenly seasoned, ready for the next dish!

1. Brand new pan? Clean it with soap and water, and dry off.

2. Season it. Even if it came pre-seasoned it’s recommended. It will help give it extra protection (and lessen sticking).

3. Clean it after every use. Hot water, a nylon scrub brush, and a touch of soap (if needed) will do it.

4. Re-season it. Make it part of the clean-up process. Once clean, return to a hot burner, adding oil once pan is heated through. Wipe oil over pan with paper towel, and continue heating for a few minutes. Turn off burner. Your pan is ready to use again later.

The post Don’t Be Afraid Of Your Cast Iron Skillet: Here Are 4 Easy Ways To Start Using It Every Day appeared first on Chatelaine.

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