What To Cook First In A Cast Iron Pan

For those who love to cook, getting your first cast iron pan is a momentous occasion. With that epic legacy of long wear and endless revival (and a U.S. history dating back to the late 1800s), comes great responsibility — one that pays off in delicious rewards. Like every good relationship, yours with your newly acquired cast iron pan must start with a solid foundation. First, you have to season your cast iron pan (clean, oil, and bake). But once you've done that, deciding what to cook for its maiden voyage is the next conundrum. There is more than one school of thought, but a reasonable amount of fat is going to be involved.

Some culinary experts recommend bathing the pan in maximum fat from bacon, breakfast sausage, hamburgers, or fried chicken. As tempting as that sounds, others (including cast iron manufacturers) caution against this tactic. They suggest that the first run consist of vegetables, in particular those that can take a lot of cooking fat, such as sauteed mushrooms, caramelized onions, potato latkes, roasted vegetables, or stir-fry.

The reason is two-fold: Protein has a greater likelihood of sticking to newly-seasoned cast iron. Veggies don't present this problem and they also spread easily out to cover the entire bottom of the pan yielding more even seasoning. But there is another alternative — cornbread. 

Skillet cornbread makes an excellent contender for your pan's debut. Not only is cast iron one of the very best vessels to cook a hearty cornbread in, but the process lends itself to a hot oil bath and roasting that's sure to lay down another sweet layer of that luscious greasy patina on your pan. The key here is pouring in a good amount of oil and preheating it before adding your cornbread batter. This allows the oil to rise along those sidewalls, helping to thoroughly season them. But if you really want to make your mark on your pan the first meal out — make it a down-home Southern affair. 

While your cornbread is cooling on a rack, fire up that pan again, this time on the stovetop, filling it with your favorite high-smoke point oil (everything from canola, vegetable, and peanut to Crisco and lard will do) and frying up some killer crispy fried chicken. By the end of the cooking session, this golden-hued dynamic duo will not only have you undoing the top button on your pants, it will have you well on your way to creating a long and delicious history of your own with your new favorite friend in the kitchen. 

And the secret to keeping that cast iron pan perfectly seasoned is a simple one: Keep using it. But we do have one caveat, which is to stay away from acidic foods like tomatoes, citrus, even buttermilk until your new pan is well-seasoned.