Sharing my Cast Iron Skillet experience, culminating in Steak Night

My friend gifted me with a cast iron skillet when he heard about my (often disastrous) cooking journey. He said, and I quote, “These cast iron skillets are worth their weight in gold, especially if you’re cooking steak.” Well, after finding out how heavy these skillets are (I need to carry one with BOTH hands) – I figured there might be something to this. I’ll walk you through my cast iron skillet journey below

BRAND: LODGE CAST IRON (they’ve been around since 1896!)

SIZE: 12 inch / 30.5 cm (I find that this was the perfect size, as my steak fit snugly into the pan!)

VALUE PROPOSITION:

• Perfect cooking tool for steak: Cast iron skillets can get REALLY hot. We’re talking up to (or even more than) 500 deg Fahrenheit, which is essential for that nice crust on your steak to form, without overcooking the insides (a definite no-no if you’re aiming for medium rare/medium)
• Virtually indestructible: Cast iron skills can last GENERATIONS! How cool is that? Of course, the caveat is you need to take good care of it. And to be honest, it is a bit more high maintenance compared to normal pans, but definitely not as bad as I thought it would be!

STEP 1: SEASON THE CAST IRON SKILLET

A cast iron skillet is literally a big chunk of iron molded into the shape of a pan. Ergo, why it’s so heavy. But even more importantly, iron on its own and in its original state is highly reactive and will rust in MINUTES if exposed to humid air. Would you dare to cook with a rusty pan? Definitely not. Beyond the the rust though, you also run the risk of your food sticking to the surface of the pan. Sounds like a disaster in the making… Well, that’s where seasoning comes in!

Seasoning is simply oil baked into the oven, which gives your cast iron skillet a hard, protective coating that’s formed by heating an incredibly thin layer of fat (aka the oil you’ll use to season), which allows the fat to bond to the metal in a process called polymerization resulting in the conversion of the fat into a form of plastic. What you end up with then is NOT a greasy coating, but a hard, blackened skin that’s glossy, non-stick, and will serve as the perfect protection for your chunk of iron.

The Lodge cast iron skillet came pre-seasoned, but I figured it wouldn’t hurt to add an additional layer of seasoning. To do so, I did the following steps:

• Wash and dry your pan. I figured it’s probably clean, but who knows right? I gave the pan a good scrub with soapy water, then dried thoroughly using a towel. You really want ZERO moisture left behind, so I ended up drying with paper towel again after a few minutes, just to be sure
• Next, I rubbed the pan all over – top, bottom, and even the handle – with vegetable oil using a paper towel.
• After doing so, buff the pan. What this means is, grab a clean paper towel and proceed to wipe the towel off the pan! I know, sounds ridiculous right? I ask you to rub it in, then ask you to rub it off. Well, the initial layer of fat should’ve seeped in already, so now you’re really just rubbing off the excess. If you don’t do this, even a small amount of excess oil on the pan can pool during seasoning, which could then become little hardened droplets on the surface, or a sticky greasy coating.
• Finally, place the oiled pan upside down in a preheated 450 deg F oven, and leave it there for 30 mins. It may get a little smoky and smell a little burnt (this really scared me), so just open a window during this process to keep the air clean. This heat will allow the fat/oil to polymerize and form that hard, plastic-like coating for your pan.
• Afterwards, turn off the oven and let the pan cool inside the oven. I left it there for an additional hour. You can then bring it out afterwards.

 

STEP 2: COOK STEAK WITH YOUR CAST IRON SKILLET

I was really jittery, but the moment of truth finally arrived! Here you see the three pieces of USDA Angus Steak I purchased (~1.68kg in total). Let’s see if the cast iron skillet can turn these hunks of meat into a noteworthy dish, even in the hands of a beginner like me!

• The day before you cook the steak, transfer the meat to the refrigerator
• Around ~12 hours before you plan to cook it, take out the steak from the refrigerator and pat dry using paper towel.

• Liberally season with salt and pepper. Make sure to rub it in, especially if your steak is 3/4 inch or more. You might think you’ve put enough salt and pepper already, but think of all those layers the flavor needs to seep through! Keep rubbing. Make sure to cover ALL surfaces, including the sides

• Afterwards, place your seasoned steaks onto a rack and put back into the fridge. Letting it season overnight will really allow the flavor to seep into the steak

• 20 minutes before you cook the steak, bring them out of the refrigerator. You’ll notice that the color has changed a bit. If the steak feels a bit moist (it shouldn’t though), make sure to pat dry again. You really do NOT want to cook a moist steak as this might prevent the crust from forming
• Heat up your cast iron skillet on the stove. Make sure to use mitts or cloth when holding the handle as it can get VERY hot
• To check if the skillet is at the desired temperature, drizzle some oil onto the pan. When steam starts rising from the pan (yes, STEAM! You can’t miss it), you’ll know it’s time.

• Time to cook the steak! First, place more oil if needed to coat the pan. Afterwards, place a chunk of butter onto the pan and quickly swirl it around to make sure it evenly coats the pan surface
• Finally, place the steak onto the heated pan. My steak was 1″ thick, and I did as follows for a medium-rare/medium finish:

 

• • Side A: 45 seconds, then flip
  • Side B: 45 seconds, then flip
  • Side A (again): 15 seconds, then flip
  • Side B (again): 15 seconds, then flip
  • Side A (again): 15 seconds, then flip
  • Side B (again): 15 seconds, then flip

• Afterwards, I transferred the steak to a chopping board and let it rest for 10 minutes. This allows the juices to pool across the steak. If you slice the steak immediately, you cut short this process.
• Once the 10 minutes is up, slice the steak and marvel at this beautiful texture!

STEP 3: WASH THE CAST IRON SKILLET

While I would’ve loved to gobble up these beautiful steaks, it’s important to clean up and wash the cast iron skillet first.

• First, use a paper towel to gently mop up any hardened chunks on the surface of the pan. Metal scouring pads can harm the finish, so you want to minimize the occurrence of hardened chunks on the pan surface. It’s still pretty hot at this point, so I used a spatula to move the paper towel across the pan surface, so I wouldn’t need to be in contact with the paper towel
• Once the pan has cooled down, immediately wash it with soapy water. Do NOT use any metal scrubs, but make sure to clean the entire thing well
• Afterwards, pat dry with a cloth towel. I felt super paranoid, so I also used paper towels to pat dry after a few minutes
• Finally, it’s time to place it in a moisture free rack – to be brought out again in the future!

 

Overall, I am SO happy with my cast iron skillet. I have NEVER achieved this level of steak perfection in my life, and neither has my mom (who has a gazillion years of experience on top of mine)! Yet, even with zero experience and supremely slipshod cooking methods (I was literally running around panicking because my brand new meat thermometer wasn’t working – ehem, because I didn’t put battery in LOL), it still came out so well. I am a convert! SOOOOOOOOOOO HAPPY. Leaving you these steak photos to keep you hungry