Judging cast iron
Many people buy cast iron at garage sales, farm auctions, or antique stores. When you’re out and about, pay attention to the following features:
- Uniform thickness of sides and bottom with no dips and valleys. Also avoid pieces that are warped. Dips, valleys, and any warping means that the pan is unsuitable for cooking.
- Surface free of discoloration, blotches, and paint spots. Discoloration and blotches indicate that the metallurgy is suspect. Paint spots may signal that the iron has been repaired with epoxy. Also be sure that the surface is free from pits, chips, cracks, and scratches.
- Manufacturer’s logos: American-made cast iron from now-defunct companies (specifically Wagner and Griswold) are collector’s items. The Lodge Manufacturing Company, the oldest family-owned U.S. producer of cast-iron cookware, puts the Lodge logo on every cast-iron piece that it manufactures.
- Restoring possibilities: If you want to be able to cook in secondhand cast iron, you need to be able to refurbish it to cooking condition. Be sure that any imperfections don’t render the pan unusable for cooking and that you’re willing to work to repair it.
Spice and herb suggestions when cooking with cast iron
You can change the taste of a dish simply by changing the herbs and spices that you use in it. Some fun spices and herbs that you can use to introduce some extra flavor in the accompanying foods are as follows, but remember to start out using just a little bit and then add more as you go.
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Allspice: Beef roasts, pork, potato soups, and oyster stews
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Basil: Beef, pork, fish, shellfish, fried chicken, clam chowder, beef stew, green beans, and squash
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Chili powder: Shrimp, fried chicken, and beef stew
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Cinnamon: Ham, pork, stewed chicken, carrots, and sweet potatoes
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Cloves: Corned beef, ham, fish, roast chicken, baked beans, bean soup, carrots, squash, and sweet potatoes
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Ginger: Beef roast, chicken, and duck, baked beans, rice dishes, seafood, bean soup, carrots, and squash
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Nutmeg: Pot roast, fried chicken, beans, and carrots
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Oregano: Swiss steak, veal, chicken, pheasant, fish, shellfish, and stews
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Sage: Pork, veal, chicken, turkey, duck, stew, squash, biscuits, and cornbread
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Thyme: Roasts (all types), clam chowder, stew, carrots, green beans, potatoes, biscuits, and cornbread
Common substitutions when cooking with cast iron
You won’t always have exactly what a recipe calls for or the time to run to the store to get it. Check out the following common substitutions that you can use in a pinch:
| What You Need | What You Can Use Instead |
|---|---|
| Allspice, 1 teaspoon ground | 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon plus 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves |
| Apple juice | Equal measure of white grape juice or white wine |
| Baking powder, 1 tablespoon | 1/4 teaspoon baking soda plus 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar |
| Buttermilk, 1 cup | 1 cup plain yogurt |
| Chocolate, 1 ounce unsweetened | 3 tablespoons cocoa plus 1 tablespoon oil |
| Cornstarch, 1 tablespoon | 2 tablespoons flour |
| Egg, 1 whole | 2 egg yolks plus 1 tablespoon water |
| Flour, 1 cup all-purpose flour | 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons cake flour |
| Flour, 1 cup cake | 1 cup all-purpose flour minus 2 tablespoons |
| Flour, 1 cup self-rising | 1 cup all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, plus 1/2 teaspoon salt |
| Garlic powder, 1/8 teaspoon | 1 clove glove |
| Garlic, 1 clove | 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder or minced, dried garlic |
| Herbs, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh | 1 teaspoon dried herbs or 1/4 teaspoon powdered herbs |
| Herbs, 1 teaspoon dried | 1 tablespoon chopped fresh herbs |
| Honey, 1 cup | 1 1/4 cup sugar plus 1/4 cup liquid |
| Marsala, 1/4 cup | 1/4 cup dry white wine plus 1 teaspoon brandy |
| Milk, 1 cup fresh whole | 1/2 cup evaporated milk plus 1/2 cup water |
| Sherry, 2 tablespoons | 1 to 2 teaspoons vanilla extract |
| Sugar, 1 cup powdered | 1 cup sugar plus 1 tablespoon cornstarch, mixed in blender |
| Vanilla extract, 1 to 2 teaspoons | 2 tablespoons sherry or bourbon |
| Wine, 1/4 cup or more white | Equal measure of white grape juice or apple juice |
| Yogurt, 1 cup plain | 1 cup buttermilk |
Equivalent measures for cast-iron cooking
Following are some measurement equivalents:
| This | Equals This |
|---|---|
| 3 teaspoons | 1 tablespoon |
| 1 tablespoon | 3 teaspoons |
| 4 tablespoons | 1/4 cup |
| 5 1/3 tablespoons | 1/3 cup |
| 1/4 cup | 4 tablespoons |
| 1/3 cup | 5 1/3 tablespoons |
| 2 cups | 1 pint |
| 4 cups | 1 quart |
| 4 quarts | 1 gallon |
| 1 pint | 2 cups |
| 1 quart | 4 cups |
| 1 gallon | 4 quarts |