10 Adorable Mini Cast-Iron Skillet Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What can I make in a tiny cast iron skillet? ›

Most cast iron skillets these days come pre-seasoned, meaning they're ready for cooking on as soon as you take them out of the box. However, over time, the seasoning erodes, and you'll need to re-apply it by brushing the skillet with a thin layer of neutral oil and heating it until the oil bonds to the metal.

A small cast iron skillet is the perfect size when you want to make just a few breakfast sausages to accompany one of these egg dish ideas above. Cast iron's even heat distribution means you can get a nice even browning on your sausages, even as your oven temperature fluctuates.

Start with Vegetables

Caramelized Onions will help you get a feel for your new skillet: you quickly understand how it retains and distributes heat, while the onions and oil give your pan an easy warmup for many meals to come.

Acidic foods (unless you make it snappy)

Acidic foods (like tomato sauce, wine-braised meats, etc.) enter the red zone when they spend too much time cooking in the skillet. It's particularly important to not marinate anything in a cast-iron pan, as many marinades are quite acidic in order to tenderize the meat.

Clean your cast-iron skillet each time you use it. Doing so prevents stuck-on food from staying on the skillet between uses. If the skillet is only slightly dirty, a quick wipe after cooking in it will work. If dirtier, or food is stuck, then scrubbing it is best.

Using flaxseed oil to season cast iron pans is a growing trend. Flaxseed oil has a very low smoke point—at just 225 degrees F—which means it's quick to polymerize into a layer of seasoning.

Since olive oil is such a pantry staple, many people naturally wonder if they can use olive oil to season cast iron. You can use olive oil to season cast iron, but you need to choose a high quality extra virgin olive oil, which should have a smoke point close to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Seasoning is a major reason I prefer to thrift cast iron — someone has already done a lot of the work to establish and maintain a thick layer of carbonized oil, and many used skillets have a better nonstick surface than new pans.

When should you not use a cast iron pan? ›

Cast-iron skillets and acidic foods just don't mix unless it's super snappy. If you're making a rich tomato sauce, wine-braised meat, or a lemon-based marinade, you might want to consider using a stainless steel or ceramic pot or pan.

Yes, you can season the pans for frying, sautéing, or baking in cast iron cookware like pans, pots, or skillets with butter, but it's not the right choice to season it for the first time. Butter immediately starts to smoke when added to a heated pan because cast iron can withstand a lot of heat.

To ensure even heating, gradually pre-heat the cast iron skillet on a similar-sized burner. Since cast iron holds heat, it's not necessary to use a heat setting above medium. These steps help prevent food from sticking. Don't forget to use a hot handle mitt!

Your First Cast Iron Cleaning

If you are just peeling the sticker off that new Lodge skillet or you found one at a thrift store — the very first thing you should do is wash the skillet. This washing will be slightly different than daily upkeep because we're going to suggest hot, soapy water!

More obviously, an 8-inch skillet is the perfect size when cooking for one: use it to sear a fillet of fish, pork chop, steak, or chicken breast and it'll make less of a mess than in a 10-inch skillet. Or use it for making two eggs at breakfast—that's one of the ways I use mine most.

Cast iron shines when it comes to high-heat cooking, like searing steaks or charring vegetables, but it goes beyond that—you can use cast iron to sauté, bake bread, or even or make a table-worthy dessert.

Cast iron is totally recyclable. Since iron is the main component of steel, you should refrain from throwing it away. Your used cast iron appliances can be melted down and crafted into something brand new, and you can even get money for it!

A cast iron griddle has a flat cooking surface with slightly raised edges to keep oil, batter, and other ingredients mostly contained. The shallow edges make it easy to maneuver spatulas and other cooking utensils to flip pancakes and french toast, fry eggs and sausage, and toast paninis and grilled cheese sandwiches.