cast iron grill pan — what works, what doesn't

I just impulse bought a cast-iron grill pan on sale because I've never cooked with cast iron before, and I was wondering — I'm excited to cook meats etc with it, but if I tried to make shakshuka or skillet pizza, would the grill lines create big problems for me when cleaning? any tips would be greatly appreciated!! :)

murph14
  • Posted by: murph14
  • September 27, 2020
  • 1619 views
  • 3 Comments

3 Comments

gandalf September 28, 2020
Here is an article about what not to cook using cast-iron utensils, generally (not even considering how the the raised grill sections might otherwise affect what you cook) https://www.purewow.com/food/what-not-to-cook-in-a-cast-iron?utm_source=zergnet&utm_medium=syndication.

Also, I presume that you will need to season your grill pan as you would a regular cast-iron skillet; so be mindful of how you wash it.
 
Nancy September 27, 2020
A few added notes...
Yes to pizza. There's a thread on reddit a few years ago with detailed suggestions.
Shakshuka, I think, would be hard to make on this pan.
It's relatively shallow and you would have a hard time maintaining a deep enough layer of sauce in which to poach the eggs.
Scrambled eggs, on the other hand, would probably work.
 
Lori T. September 27, 2020
I don't think the raised grill sections would be a big problem to work around, no. It could actually make your pizza crust even nicer, because there would be a slight increase in the amount of it making contact with the hot iron. If you make a pizza on an outdoors grill, you get grill marks after all, and nobody complains about that. Making a sauce it in might be a bit tricky when it comes time to stir, but you would know the pan had those lines, and stir with that in mind. It might not be the go to pan for things like pancakes or upside down cakes, but otherwise it should work just fine. And you might find you like cooking with cast iron well enough that next time there is a sale, you'll pick up an ordinary flat bottom skillet to keep it company.
 
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