Who’s wondering, “What is the black residue on my cast iron pan?” Either you see black flakes in your food while you’re cooking, or the paper towel or cloth turns dark when you dry your skillet. It may appear as raised areas on the cooking surface and keep your pan from looking and feeling smooth. … Read more
Do you have a bumpy skillet and wonder, “Why would I want my cast iron to be smooth?” I mean, they look nice, but are there any real advantages to having your skillet smooth over rough? And is it worth it to sand it down and get one quickly, or can I wait and get … Read more
Why is my cast iron skillet bumpy? That’s a question I asked myself not too long ago. If you are at all familiar with vintage cast iron, you know it’s smooth. Was it always smooth, or did it get that way over time through seasoning and much use? Is the bumpy cast iron of today … Read more
Are you asking, “What happens if I don’t season my cast iron pan? Well, it depends on what you mean by not seasoning it. Did your pan come preseasoned? Or did you take off all the seasoning, and now you want to know if you need to build it back up? Maybe you want to … Read more
Have you ever wondered, “Why is cast iron cookware black?” I mean, iron isn’t black, so why isn’t my pan the color of iron? That’s a good question and one we are going to look at right now. So let’s go. Why Is Cast Iron Cookware Black? The reason cast iron cookware is black is … Read more
Are you asking, “Why can’t I put my cast iron in the dishwasher?” I mean, it would be so much easier, right? No scrubbing or following specific steps to clean your pan; just rinse, load, and run the dishwasher with all your other dishes. Ummm…not so fast. You probably should think about what your cast … Read more
Do you love the way oil makes your food taste but are tired of the splatter? Are you wondering, “Why does oil splatter when I’m frying?” You know, that pop, pop, pop, spit, spit, spit and “Ouch, that hit my face!” splattering. Well, there is a reason for the popping and spitting and spattering. So, … Read more
Do you have trouble getting that nice brown crust when cooking a steak, and you’re asking, “Why does my steak turn gray when I cook it?” Actually, a gray-colored steak is a fairly common problem if you don’t follow the correct steps for searing. Searing is cooking your steak quickly in a hot pan to … Read more
Are you asking, “Why did my cast iron pan crack?” What causes cast iron to crack anyway? Can you fix it? Or do you have to throw it away? What about using it with the crack or will the crack only get worse and break? How do you even know if your pan has a … Read more
I will be honest; I had never heard of an induction cooktop before starting this website on cast iron cooking. But I soon learned that one of the questions people ask is: Can you use cast iron on an induction cooktop? So in this article, I will tell you what I found out about induction … Read more