Cast iron is too brittle for fish like sole, flounder, and tilapia.
These delicate fillets may stick and crumble due to the rough surface and high heat. Nobody wants their next batch of pancakes to taste like last night’s salmon, and fish odors can linger.
3. Adhesive or sweet sauces
Cast iron can’t withstand sticky glazes like teriyaki or honey garlic.
These sauces contain sugar that can burn and stick to the top, creating a mess and damaging the seasoning in your pan. In addition to making cleanup a nightmare, your skillet may lose some of its nonstick properties.
The best option is to wait until your cast iron is well seasoned or cook sticky sauces in a nonstick pan.
4. Eggs — Except for Experts
Yes, some people can use cast iron to cook eggs. However, eggs will probably stick unless your pan is well-seasoned.
If you scrape them off, you risk scratching the surface and leaving an uncleanable residue.
For now, omit the eggs if you’re still adding seasoning to your skillet.
Instead, try: For sunny-side up or scrambled eggs, use a nonstick skillet. You can try different things once your cast iron is well-seasoned.
5. Foods with Strong Flavors (such as curry and garlic)
Particularly if it hasn’t been seasoned after years of use, cast iron absorbs flavors and odors.
And while that might not be an issue for savory dishes, baking something sweet in the same pan presents a significant challenge.
What to do: Keep one pan for savory cooking and another for sweets, or deep-clean your skillet after heavy meals.
6. Desserts — Following Savory Dishes
Baking in cast iron is great. Brownies, skillet cookies, and cobblers all come out delicious.
However, don’t be shocked if your chocolate cake tastes a little smoky if you’ve just fried bacon or onions in your skillet before starting to bake desserts.
This is due to the fact that cast iron retains its flavor.
Solution: Start by giving your pan a thorough cleaning. Even better, if you bake frequently, save one cast iron pan for desserts.
7. Steaming or Boiling
Do you want to use your cast iron skillet to boil pasta? Avoid doing it.
High-moisture cooking methods like boiling or steaming are not suitable for cast iron.
Instead, use: A pot for boiling that is enameled or made of stainless steel.
8. Food Storage in the Skillet
It could be tempting to prepare dinner and then put the entire skillet in the refrigerator.
Don’t.
Food that has been left in cast iron, particularly if it is moist or acidic, may lose its seasoning. If left for too long, it can even lead to rust.
Additionally, it can ruin the flavor of your leftovers in addition to being bad for your pan.
What to do: After your food has cooled, move it to a storage container. The skillet should then be thoroughly cleaned and dried. Continue reading…
