Food - Drink
The Benefit Of Cooking Latkes In A Cast Iron Skillet
By ARIANNA ENDICOTT
Latkes are a traditional Hanukkah meal, and while they only contain three ingredients — shredded potatoes, onion, and a binding agent like egg or matzo meal — they pack a seriously delicious punch. Although latkes are pretty hard to mess up, the pan you fry them in can alter the finished product, so it’s best to cook latkes in a cast iron skillet.
The best latkes feature a thick, crispy, golden-brown crust, and the best way to achieve this is to use a cast iron skillet. This type of pan has superior heat retention properties, meaning it will hold onto heat, allowing you to use less time adjusting the flame on your stove and more time focusing on frying up some delicious latkes.
For crispy latkes, it’s recommended that you use an oil with a high smoke point, like vegetable, canola, or safflower, and replenish your pan with a generous amount of oil after frying each batch. The plethora of oil, along with cast iron’s natural nonstick properties, means that you’ll spend less time cleaning up and more time enjoying your perfectly cooked latkes.