Cast-Iron Skillets & Roadkill Chicken

A True Southerner's Delight.

I don′t care if you′re striking′ out on your own for the first time, updating your kitchen, or buying a present for a friend, figuring out which cookware produces the absolute best results without costing an arm and a leg is hard. There′s enamel, glass, ceramic, non-stick, stainless steel, copper-bottom, hard anodized, and "green", which claims to be energy efficient and reduces carbon emissions. Huh? And then there′s Cast-Iron.

Now, Larry and I have tried quite a few types of pots and pans over the years because they sounded like something that would turn out really great meals regardless of our early cooking capabilities. In fact, one company even threw in a complete eight-place setting of dishes, wine glasses and flatware if we bought their pots and pans. I′ll admit that the stainless steel was pretty darn good as far as holding up, although a couple of pots became dented and eventually lost their handles.

The non-stick worked for a while, too, until the non-sticky stuff flaked off because I used metal utensils after accidentally melting the plastic spatulas and spoons that were required to keep from scratching them. Then, one Christmas our family broke into their piggy banks and bought us a really expensive set of cookware that was used by the "professionals". They′re also nice and we still use them. In fact, we′ve never met a pot or pan that we truly didn′t like.

But the thing is, we Southerners are absolutely in love with our cast-iron, and on those occasions when Larry and I have strayed, we′ve always come back to our inexpensive, big old black cast-iron pots and pans that are even-cooking, non-stick, un-dented, handle intact, last forever beasts. We can fry, boil, bake or grill over a raging pit without damaging them. And because they′re seasoned right, all we do is lightly wash and dry them well, then put ′em away until the next meal. In fact, our cast-iron skillet is the only thing I′ll use for scrambling eggs because they don′t stick to the pan.

Ask just about any chef what they like to use most for searing or braising a fine cut of meat, or pan-frying soft-shell crab, and they′ll pull out their cast-iron because cast-iron evenly distributes the heat so food is cooked perfect every time, and the skillets can stand up to temperatures that would destroy other cookware.

And here′s the thing, you don′t have to make a major investment. Start out with a regular old 12-inch skillet for about twenty bucks (that′s dollars, not deer). Then, if you like it, and I know you will, you can get yourself a set that can include a variety of sizes like a 9-, 12- and 15-inch skillet along with a 5-quart Dutch oven and a 16-inch griddle for around a hundred dollars.

The only thing to know is that if your cast-iron doesn′t come pre-seasoned, you′ll need to take care of that, and it′s an easy process. Just scrub the insides really well, make sure they′re completely dry by heating them up. Then, after they cool down, lightly wipe them down with oils high in saturated fats like lard, Crisco, or coconut oil. Finally, placing them in a 400 to 500-degree oven for about 60-minutes. Allow the pan to cool and repeat the process at least one more time. The oil fills any pits or rounding of the pans, making them smooth and non-stick. Every time you cook, you′ll be seasoning the pan again, and it′ll be as good as any nonstick pan out there.

As far as we′re concerned, there′s no better cookware than cast-iron. And while even the economy can′t take the heat right now, here′s something that can at an affordable price. So go ahead and use a real metal spoon to scramble up those eggs or better yet, fire up the grill for the following Iron Skillet Grilled Roadkill Chicken recipe, dually pickup not required.