3 Tips for Cooking Acidic Foods in Cast Iron By: Lodge Cast Iron / May 9, 2023 First, let’s get one thing straight: you can use acidic ingredients with cast iron. A lot of folks will tell you to avoid acidic foods when using cast iron because it can impact the taste of your food or strip away the seasoning on your pan. But if you take a few precautions, we say bring on the tomatoes! E-mail this page Share on Facebook Share on Pinterest Share on Twitter Print this page Choose the right pan Folks are cautious about mixing cast iron and acidic ingredients for good reason. If your pan doesn’t have a good base seasoning, you can run into trouble. To avoid stripping the seasoning, we recommend choosing a well-loved (read: well-seasoned) pan for recipes that call for tomatoes, citrus juices, or wine. If you regularly use your skillet, you should have a nice foundation of seasoning that can handle those ingredients. Foods like cornbread and sautéed veggies are especially great for building up your pan’s seasoning. We created a whole roundup of those types of recipes here. If you have a recipe in mind but don’t have time to build up your own seasoning, pieces from our Blacklock Collection come triple-seasoned and can handle acidic ingredients as soon as you take them home! Find the perfect recipe Cooking time and volume are two of the most important factors to consider when deciding whether to use cast iron for a dish that calls for acidic ingredients. If you need to quickly simmer tomatoes for chicken parmesan or make a lemon butter sauce for your catch, the acidic ingredients won’t be in the pan long enough to impart a metallic flavor to your food or affect the pan’s seasoning. Similarly, deglazing your pan with wine or adding a little lemon juice to your dish shouldn’t cause problems. However, if your recipe calls for an all-day simmer or roast, you’re better off reaching for enameled cast iron. As a general rule, you shouldn’t leave acidic ingredients directly in cast iron for more than about 45 minutes. Don’t wait on cleanup You want to minimize the length of time your cast iron and acidic ingredients are making contact. After you cook and your pan has cooled, give it a good clean. Don’t forget to dry your pan off and add a thin layer of seasoning spray (or oil) to your pan’s surface. This is one of the easiest ways to prevent rust and maintain a well-seasoned pan for your next cooking adventure. Need more cast iron tips and tricks? Cast Iron Cleaning Tools For Any Mess Cast iron care doesn’t have to be complicated. Whether you need advice on everyday cleaning or remedying a tough mess, this guide will help you find the right cleaning tool for your pots and pans. Beginner’s Guide to Cast Iron Cleaning and Care We’re here to help you with your everyday cast iron questions so you can start cooking and making memories—with confidence—today. How to Keep Food From Sticking to Cast Iron There’s nothing worse than putting a lot of effort into a delicious dish or baked good only to realize that it’s creating a sticky mess on your cast iron. Don’t worry, with a few tweaks you can easily prevent food from sticking to your cookware or bakeware. How to Remove Stains from Enameled Cast Iron No need to fear—we’ve developed a handy guide on removing stains from your enameled cast iron. Contributed By: Lodge Cast Iron We hope you enjoy our stories and recipes! Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, and tag your Instagram food photos with #lodgecastiron for a chance to be featured on our feed! Get $10 off any $50+ order!* While you're shopping, become a Pan Fan today and sign up for our newsletter! *Coupon code will be sent to your email after you sign up for our newsletter! New sign ups only. Sign Up By submitting your information, you are agreeing to Lodge Cast Iron’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Please try again.
3 Tips for Cooking Acidic Foods in Cast Iron By: Lodge Cast Iron / May 9, 2023 First, let’s get one thing straight: you can use acidic ingredients with cast iron. A lot of folks will tell you to avoid acidic foods when using cast iron because it can impact the taste of your food or strip away the seasoning on your pan. But if you take a few precautions, we say bring on the tomatoes! E-mail this page Share on Facebook Share on Pinterest Share on Twitter Print this page Choose the right pan Folks are cautious about mixing cast iron and acidic ingredients for good reason. If your pan doesn’t have a good base seasoning, you can run into trouble. To avoid stripping the seasoning, we recommend choosing a well-loved (read: well-seasoned) pan for recipes that call for tomatoes, citrus juices, or wine. If you regularly use your skillet, you should have a nice foundation of seasoning that can handle those ingredients. Foods like cornbread and sautéed veggies are especially great for building up your pan’s seasoning. We created a whole roundup of those types of recipes here. If you have a recipe in mind but don’t have time to build up your own seasoning, pieces from our Blacklock Collection come triple-seasoned and can handle acidic ingredients as soon as you take them home! Find the perfect recipe Cooking time and volume are two of the most important factors to consider when deciding whether to use cast iron for a dish that calls for acidic ingredients. If you need to quickly simmer tomatoes for chicken parmesan or make a lemon butter sauce for your catch, the acidic ingredients won’t be in the pan long enough to impart a metallic flavor to your food or affect the pan’s seasoning. Similarly, deglazing your pan with wine or adding a little lemon juice to your dish shouldn’t cause problems. However, if your recipe calls for an all-day simmer or roast, you’re better off reaching for enameled cast iron. As a general rule, you shouldn’t leave acidic ingredients directly in cast iron for more than about 45 minutes. Don’t wait on cleanup You want to minimize the length of time your cast iron and acidic ingredients are making contact. After you cook and your pan has cooled, give it a good clean. Don’t forget to dry your pan off and add a thin layer of seasoning spray (or oil) to your pan’s surface. This is one of the easiest ways to prevent rust and maintain a well-seasoned pan for your next cooking adventure. Need more cast iron tips and tricks? Cast Iron Cleaning Tools For Any Mess Cast iron care doesn’t have to be complicated. Whether you need advice on everyday cleaning or remedying a tough mess, this guide will help you find the right cleaning tool for your pots and pans. Beginner’s Guide to Cast Iron Cleaning and Care We’re here to help you with your everyday cast iron questions so you can start cooking and making memories—with confidence—today. How to Keep Food From Sticking to Cast Iron There’s nothing worse than putting a lot of effort into a delicious dish or baked good only to realize that it’s creating a sticky mess on your cast iron. Don’t worry, with a few tweaks you can easily prevent food from sticking to your cookware or bakeware. How to Remove Stains from Enameled Cast Iron No need to fear—we’ve developed a handy guide on removing stains from your enameled cast iron. Contributed By: Lodge Cast Iron We hope you enjoy our stories and recipes! Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, and tag your Instagram food photos with #lodgecastiron for a chance to be featured on our feed!
