How to Use a Cast Iron Skillet (6 Methods) | Bon Appétit

Join Bon Appétit Associate Food Editor Kendra Vaculin as she explores 6 different ways to use a cast iron skillet from the home kitchen. From searing vegetables to shallow-frying a breaded chicken cutlet, Kendra shows you a variety of ways to cook with this multi-purpose pan.

00:00 Intro
00:30 Searing
02:35 Baking
04:17 Sear-to-oven
06:30 Crushing
07:36 Shallow-frying
10:00 Panini press




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How to Use a Cast Iron Skillet (6 Methods) | Bon Appétit

[cdh]

I love my cast iron pens for searing my sous-vide meats.
Just got a carbon steel wok today to which many of the same principles about seasoning apply, so I'm looking forward to this addition. I burned it in and seasoned it today and the first result was excellent.
If anyone had told me in my 20's that I'd enjoy cooking as much as I do now, I would have called them crazy, but like with every hobby: Owning the right tools plays a big role in it too.
..and it seems women like men who know how to cook also. ;)

[ok]

Always a pleasure to watch someone who is articulate, knowledgeable and can convey information in a fun yet educational way. Thank you.

[frothywalrus]

Why is she not doing more videos? This was great!

[conman]

Every video on YouTube gets this wrong. Cast iron is great because it conducts heat really POORLY. That's why we use aluminum in clad pans. Steel conducts heat worse than aluminum. So the thin layers of steel are used for the cooking surface properties, but the layers of aluminum are used to spread heat quickly. Poor conduction means the heat spreads evenly because hot spots can't form as quickly. You can't have a pan with good heat retention (which you also say happens) and also have good heat conduction. The heat would disappate quickly.

[mavenk]

When I use a cast iron as a "panini press", I heat the cast iron pan, also. Then, you just put the hot pan on top of the sandwich and you don't have to flip it!

[raynefaded]

I would really love a BA rundown on cast iron - cleaning, do + dont's, what not to use in it, storage, etc!

[richardmaestranzi]

Cast iron conducts heat terribly. It retains heat - which is why it works so good for most of the applications shown here.

[georgez]

For searing try avacado oil. The smoke point is about 480 degrees to 520 degrees F depending on the type. All I know is that it works great and the taste is amazing.

[kdkulhanek]

Kendra is great. Kendra plus a cast iron is burning hot 🔥

[igaudion]

This was SUPER helpful. Im new to cast iron but my cooking is 1000 times better for it.

[babycakes]

Great content! I would say for that last section, instead of using the pan as a press, cook in the pan & get an actual press like you'd use for bacon, I picked up a round 'Lodge' one at Walmart for just under 15 dollars.

[acvtre]

A fundamental error about how cast iron works: the material does NOT conduct heat efficiently, but stores and retains a lot of it. This is why it needs time for heating up and also why you have a good browning.

[Urbeflurb]

Thank god they went with a giant honk of meat. No video on cast iron skillets is complete without a giant honk of meat.

[DD-ufuo]

Cast iron pans can also be used to keep your husband in line. Be careful though, cast iron may crack when it comes in contact with a hard surface. LOL
.

[JosephJohnson-jgnk]

You forgot to mention it’s a great self defense weapon if you’re being robbed.

[jebusgod]

ok so it's been a while since I watched a BA video since all of the change but why has one of the changes been BA no longer using a tripod for their cameras! Seriously it feels like I'm on a boat with the constant swaying and rocking of the camera

[Toledotourbillion]

I thought I was watching Tasty channel and I thought to myself "man they've stepped up their game." Until I saw the ending. No wonder why the content was good😅

[MrSuperbad]

The big question still they ever revert back to filming in the test kitchen, the main element that made Bon Appetit so great in the first place.

[sisgaia]

One correction: cast iron does NOT heat evenly. Cast iron is not a good conductor of heat compared to, for example, a stainless steel pan with a layer of copper in the base. It does retain heat much better, though.

[zanebrant]

They do not "conduct more heat", they retain more heat because of their density, meaning that when food touches the pan there is more heat for it to absorb. The food doesn't "cool" the pan off as much.