Ode to My Cast Iron with a side of fungus?

"Why do you cook in that one, Mommy, it's so hard to clean". I remember saying that to my mother whenever she would pull out the dreaded black heavy frying cast iron to make EVERYTHING. It was crackly on the outside and ugly and hard to clean when Iwas old enough to do the dishes. . . Uggggh.

BUT. . .

One day, my stepfather taught her how and then me how to "season" it. I didn't know why at first, I certainly didn't want to eat it, lol. But when he showed me how to oil it lightly before I put it away and how to care for it and never leave it in a sink of water "soaking" because I hated finishing all the dishes, well I just finally fell in love with them. OMG, things just taste better in my cast iron. My cast iron skillet, which was given to me by my grandmother, when I got my first apartment (she picked it up thrifting, I love her), lives in the oven and gets used ALL the time. I sautee veggies, I make roux (apparently that IS the plural as well), I make sauces, and sear seitan and make chickn fried tofu, and...well you get the idea. The point is that I think all kitchens should have one. And if you have shunned the possibility because you were, like me, afraid of the heavy, black, hard to clean, "what if it leaves particles on my food", potential weapon of opportunity, I am here to tell you that will not regret that you did. treat it with a thin layer of oil after each cleaning and watch it become your favorite nearly-non-stick surface.


My beautiful cast iron skillet.



Oh yeah and I used mine last for sauteed mushrooms. Yay fungus!!



-Ty