Cast Iron Pans

A normal person wouldn’t write about the pans in their kitchen, but I feel compelled to since I have reached a stepping stone in my culinary personal-life.

It starts and ends with a cast iron pan.

For years my mom made grilled-cheese sandwiches and pancakes and bacon and other important foods with her cast iron. When I was in college I thought I was ready from my own cast iron pan and what a fool I was!

I found one for sale in West Seattle. It was new and heavy. I fell in love too hard and too fast to realize the commitment I was making to love and cherish such a gift.

I took that pan home and burnt the shit out of it. I killed every food that ever came across it. I put it in the sink and let it sit for days. I scraped it with steel wool and then… I put it in the dishwasher…

And then I put it in the garbage.

I swore off cast iron and gave thanks for Teflon.

That was years ago and recently I’ve been longing for “the pan that got away.” I needed one that would crisp my bacon and let me throw it into the oven… of love.

I shared my new feelings about cast iron with my dad and his wife. They were very supportive and let me know that when the time came, I would be ready.

The time came.

Jeff and Elaine happened across three, rusty, dusty cast iron pans while they were cleaning out an old house belonging to an old woman who probably couldn’t even lift the pans. They were destined to be mine!

With these pans I was given an opportunity with a fail clause. “If you can’t handle these pans, we’ll take them.” My pride was at stake. I knew I couldn’t back down from the challenge because failing this time could lead to a lifetime without cast iron in my kitchen.

First, I (lovingly) scrubbed the rust off the pans. Then I washed them with soap and attempted to get every last bit of grime out. Since the pans had been used, some of the sediment held fast and I gave in. It stayed, and I respected its tenacity.

Then, (and this is where it gets good) I seasoned the CRAP out of those pans. I rubbed them and I cooked them and I oiled them again. It’s been several weeks and the pans are seasoned before and after each use. I do NOT use soap to clean them, but rinse them with water and season them again.

I feel that I have a responsibility to keep these pans in good working condition and treat them as I do my Le Creuset pans, which are beautiful inside and out.

Le Creuset

There is no question that my cast irons and I are meant to be together. I was given a second chance and I am taking this opportunity to make the best damn dutch babies (and other stuff) EVER!