Can a cast-iron skillet go in the oven?

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Page last updated: 20/10/2023 | Next review date: 20/10/2025
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In this brief article, we are going to answer the question, “can a cast-iron skillet go in the oven?” and provide you with insights into whether cast iron skillets are safe to use and how you can enhance your cooking skills by using the skillets.

Can a cast-iron skillet go in the oven?

Yes, cast iron skillets can be put in the oven. Cast iron is made by smelting carbon-iron alloys with a carbon content of around 2 percent.

Being an alloy, it has a very high melting point (up to 1500 degrees celsius). Therefore, it is oven safe.

How can you use cast iron skillets?

Cast iron skillets are used to cook and bake all kinds of stuff. It is used in sweets and savory food products.

Oftentimes, it is used in seasoning. For example, if you want to season something before baking it, you need to keep the skillet hot first which is done by baking it in the oven empty.

It is also used for making the infamous pizookie. Putting cookie dough into the pan and then baking it just as you would a cookie. This is considered a big attraction in multiple places.

There are brownies made in a skillet where you heat the skillet in the oven and once you take it out, you pour chocolate ganache on it while it is hot and put a piece of brownie over it with some ice cream.

Cooking savory in a skillet 

You can bake all kinds of savory foods in a cast-iron skillet. These foods include baking parmesan chicken, grilled chicken, beef, and other types of food. 

The cast-iron skillet gives a very earthy aroma and a very rich flavor to the food. Just like charcoal grills enhance the flavor patterns of any type of food, cast-iron pans do the same.

The way to use a cast-iron skillet is to season it before using it. This means you can put some oil and spices in a heated skillet and let them roast for about 20-25 minutes.

How often should we wash the skillet?

The key to keeping a good and durable cast iron skillet and making sure that every meal prepared in it is packed with flavor is to not wash the skillet very often.

Even when making something as simple as omelets in a cast iron pan, it is often noted by some great chefs that one should not wash the pan after cooking.

This way, the flavor of the food remains in the skillet and gets enhanced with every cook. Even if you bake something in it, you can just wipe it off with a paper towel and that is it.

When cooking big steaks, they are often taken from the stove directly to the oven but one should be careful when taking it out because the skillet tends to get very hot.

Since it is an alloy, it absorbs heat and the handle normally does not have a wood or silicon cover on it which is why it needs to be taken out very carefully with thickly layered oven mitts.

Normal ovens have a high temperature of up to 250 degrees celsius. So, it is very normal to use the cast iron skillet in a conventional oven.

Brick ovens, on the other hand, have a relatively higher temperature and a more uneven heat distribution. Despite this, a cast-iron skillet can be used in both oven types.

How long can a cast-iron skillet last?

Research. A cast-iron skillet can last a very long time if taken care of properly. Many families have cast iron skillets that are passed down to generations. 

 A skillet can only be sustainable if it is seasoned and cleaned the way it is supposed to. It needs to not have moisture in it to prevent rusting because the surface of the skillet is porous.

Since the surface is not completely smooth, it can cause water particles to build up in certain areas and cause rust to form in the pan, which reduces the life of the skillet.

The way to preserve a cast iron skillet is to wash it with a wire mesh and a light gentle dish soap and then heat it on the stove to evaporate the moisture from it.

Then, you will need to put a little oil on the hot pan to give the base a little smoothness and wipe it around with a clean paper towel. The oil should be just enough to cover the pan.

After that, you put the skillet in a pre-heated oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for an hour until the oil starts to smoke. 

This will allow the oil to really fill the pores and stick to the pan. Once the pan is nice and hot, you can turn the oven off and wait for it to cool.

You can take the pan out after it is cooled. You can cook something in it or just leave it as is and use it later. 

Just make sure that every time you clean the skillet, you put some oil on it, wipe the excess off, and put it on the stove or upside down in the oven until it smokes up.

Doing all this will make your cast iron skillet last a lifetime.

Conclusion 

In this brief article, we answered the question, “can a cast-iron skillet go in the oven?” and provided you with insights into whether cast iron skillets are safe to use and how you can enhance your cooking skills by using the skillets.

References

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