I purchased my beloved cast iron pan for under eight bucks, about six years ago, and I think it deserves a mini blog. It is one of the items in my kitchen that I absolutely cannot live without. It sits on my stovetop 24/7 because it gets used every single day. I adore cast iron because it’s non-toxic and if any actual iron rubs off onto your food, it’s probably a good thing because most of us could do with a little more iron anyway!
I fry everything in this little pan: eggs, scrambled eggs, fried tofu, tofu bacon, banana fritters, onions – to name what I’ve cooked in the last few days. Every now and again, when I can be bothered, I “cure” it. This means that I cover it in some kind of fat or thick oil (bacon fat is good, but because I don’t fry much bacon, I use coconut oil). I smother it in the fat/oil and leave it in a warm oven (that I’ve just turned off) for 12 or so hours. When I remove it, I rub it with a paper towel and that’s that. But I do this very sporadically, and most of the time, after cooking, I just rinse it under hot water with a little eco-friendly dish soap and give it a good scrub.
If you are looking for a more eco-friendly/non-toxic pan choice – I beg you to get yourself a cast iron frying pan. They can be found at any big box store and you’ll love it for life!
