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I have a 6" cast iron as well as several other sizes, which includes a large grill skillet.
I use the 6" one for steaks or fresh tuna.
I cut the steak or tuna in half or smaller sizes before freezing, as I don't want to eat too much red meat at once.
Cast iron takes longer to heat and also longer to cool.
I use that to my advantage by placing the meat in the pan while it's still on the heat source to brown one side, then remove the pan from the heat source for the other side.
If I'm cooking meat(s) that came right out of the freezer, I cover the skillet for the reverse side, when it's off the stove to make sure the inside gets cooked, or at least, not cold.
I had to give up my very heavy grill pan. I was afraid I would drop it. And I had to carry it cross kitchen to the sink to wash it every few days. I worried that I would drop it and chip my sink.
But so far, old 75 year old me is able to lift my three iron skillets with ease. If I cooked more, I’d use them more. But I do still use them. Eventually, I’ll give them to whichever kid is interested in having them.
I have given up on the non-stick. The coatings don’t last long. I was surprised to find out the skillet works great to fry eggs.
Years ago, I got sucked into buying pans that were touted as non-stick. What I found was that, after a time, the coating began to peel off and we were warned it could cause illness so I tossed them. Went back to my cast iron skillets and never looked back.
As I stated early on, I've had mine for decades and they've held up remarkably well. I never wash them with soap. In fact, soap has never touched them A light soaking in very hot water will release anything stuck, which is rare and then using a non-scratch pad to finish cleaning and drying off with a paper towel. A little light oiling keeps them in tip top shape. I've saved hundreds of dollars by not buying new pans over the years and can highly recommend them to everyone who likes to cook (and bake).
I picked up a cast iron skillet on sale that had a enameled finish and it blew up on my electric stove top. It ruined my burner and almost blinded me. Beware of enameled finishes on cast iron.
I was given a set of retired cast iron frying pans by my mother. She did not like them because they are too heavy for her. While I can handle them, my complaint is it takes a long time to heat them up. If I am gonna fry a couple of eggs, using a thin metal pan is much quicker. So I have not been using the cast iron pans either.
I googled and learnt that cast iron skillets retain heat and are great for searing meat. Besides that, is there any situation where a cast iron skillet has an advantage over the normal thin metal pans?
Particularly, among the set there is one skillet that is 6" in diameter. My steaks won't fit in it....
I much prefer the flavor given to anything pan fried of cast iron. Every so often I just get a craving for a pan fried cubed steak and nothing compares to cast iron for that. Sometimes we make pan gravy after the steak is done and smother them longer in the gravy.
I have given up on the non-stick. The coatings don’t last long. I was surprised to find out the skillet works great to fry eggs.
Non stick coatings will wear out faster if they are used on high heat. But, yeah, they do wear out and become much less slippy. I still use an old T-fal though, with a spritz of Pam. It works fine for cooking turkey bacon.
For stove top bacon cooking, I much prefer cast iron. For many pieces of bacon, I prefer the oven.
cornbread
omelets
'finishing' items in the oven that your browned in the pan
burgers
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