Can we discuss what's really important? BREAKFAST!

[Deleted]

In honor of ESF's sig, as always.

When I was out of town last weekend, I learned something magical. I learned that cast iron skillets make PERFECT over easy eggs. Like holy hell the best over easy I've ever made. All this time, I've been making them in my hard anodized nonstick skillet. But not today. Not today, my friends.

Never again will I have to eat an overcooked egg. I hope we can look past our political differences and realize what a glorious thing this is.

[Daria Morgandorffer]

I inherited my grandmothers 30 year old cast iron mammoth of a pan. It.Is.Amazing.

[emilyj]

My southern husband has been trying to convince me, his Yankee wife, of the merits and awesomeness of cast iron skillets. I keep telling him to buy us some and I'll try them. I'm intrigued by pans that can also go in the oven.

[wawa]

with the caveat that it has to be well seasoned or else you don't stand a chance - yes, yes they do. Cast iron skillets are the secret weapon of all great breakfasts.

ETA: USA style breakfasts anyway. Obviously a skillet isn't really gonna do you much good making a croissant.

[eclaires]

I guess you don't own the G.R.I.T.S book, then. Every Southern girl knows that a cast iron skillet is a must have!*

*I don't cook (seriously - MH does most of it), but I knew we needed a well seasoned cast iron skillet, lol.

[kadams767]

Aug 13, 2012 16:51:58 GMT -5 wawa said:

with the caveat that it has to be well seasoned or else you don't stand a chance - yes, yes they do. Cast iron skillets are the secret weapon of all great breakfasts.

ETA: USA style breakfasts anyway. Obviously a skillet isn't really gonna do you much good making a croissant.

Or a cream cheese and lox bagel, which is the best breakfast in the universe.

[EloiseWeenie]

My cast iron never sees the cabinet because it is used daily.

[druidp]

Aug 13, 2012 16:58:26 GMT -5 EloiseWeenie said:

My cast iron never sees the cabinet because it is used daily.

Yep. We just leave ours either in the oven or on the stove (cleaned after use, of course).

[msmerymac]

I totally disagree! My eggs stick to my iron skillet, unless I use ungodly amounts of oil. So I need to get a non-stick. The cast iron works for everything else.

(yes, it's seasoned, but it could probably be better if I was willing to use lard or something, and I'm not.)

[Deleted]

Aug 13, 2012 16:53:03 GMT -5 eclaires said:

I guess you don't own the G.R.I.T.S book, then. Every Southern girl knows that a cast iron skillet is a must have!*

*I don't cook (seriously - MH does most of it), but I knew we needed a well seasoned cast iron skillet, lol.

I do use my cast iron skillets. I just had never done eggs in them until last weekend. I do make killer sausage gravy in it.

Mine still has a ways to go in the seasoning department since it's newish (for cast iron), so I just rub a little oil into before frying up the eggs. Mmm, eggs.

[CallingAllAngels]

We fry bacon in the skillet and then cook the eggs in the bacon grease. It's delicious. We just started using the cast iron skillet for bacon and eggs this spring. It has changed my life.

[mominatrix]

Cast iron is freaking magic.

Cheap. Non-stick when done right. Cooks amazingly. Doesn't leech all kinds of nastyness into your food.

It's all good.

[Deleted]

Aug 13, 2012 17:18:29 GMT -5 CallingAllAngels said:

We fry bacon in the skillet and then cook the eggs in the bacon grease. It's delicious. We just started using the cast iron skillet for bacon and eggs this spring. It has changed my life.

Yes, I was thinking that I need to do this. But we're out of bacon.

Bonus: maybe cooking my morning eggs in cast iron will enable me to start donating blood again. I'm constantly failing the iron test by miniscule margins.

[wawa]

Aug 13, 2012 17:10:45 GMT -5 msmerymac said:

I totally disagree! My eggs stick to my iron skillet, unless I use ungodly amounts of oil. So I need to get a non-stick. The cast iron works for everything else.

(yes, it's seasoned, but it could probably be better if I was willing to use lard or something, and I'm not.)

shortening should work too. (you're veggie, right?) hydrogenated oils are best IME.

[druidp]

Aug 13, 2012 17:10:45 GMT -5 msmerymac said:

I totally disagree! My eggs stick to my iron skillet, unless I use ungodly amounts of oil. So I need to get a non-stick. The cast iron works for everything else.

(yes, it's seasoned, but it could probably be better if I was willing to use lard or something, and I'm not.)

I know I have the stick problem - DH schooled me on using non-stick spray, then putting in a spoonful of oil, heating that a bit, dabbing a bit of butter in it too. Probably not very healthy, but at least I'm not working with crusts of egg afterward.

[mominatrix]

Bacon is best baked, though.

[Deleted]

Aug 13, 2012 17:21:46 GMT -5 druidp said:

Aug 13, 2012 17:10:45 GMT -5 msmerymac said:

I totally disagree! My eggs stick to my iron skillet, unless I use ungodly amounts of oil. So I need to get a non-stick. The cast iron works for everything else.

(yes, it's seasoned, but it could probably be better if I was willing to use lard or something, and I'm not.)

I know I have the stick problem - DH schooled me on using non-stick spray, then putting in a spoonful of oil, heating that a bit, dabbing a bit of butter in it too. Probably not very healthy, but at least I'm not working with crusts of egg afterward.

The very edges of my egg whites stuck. But once the pan cooled, they just scraped right out.

[msmerymac]

Aug 13, 2012 17:21:24 GMT -5 wawa said:

Aug 13, 2012 17:10:45 GMT -5 msmerymac said:

I totally disagree! My eggs stick to my iron skillet, unless I use ungodly amounts of oil. So I need to get a non-stick. The cast iron works for everything else.

(yes, it's seasoned, but it could probably be better if I was willing to use lard or something, and I'm not.)

shortening should work too. (you're veggie, right?) hydrogenated oils are best IME.

Actually, that is true. I used crisco to fry something once and it made one of my pans amazingly smooth.

[LoveTrains]

I love breakfast.

[Deleted]

Aug 13, 2012 17:41:15 GMT -5 LoveTrains said:

I love breakfast.

You know what should be more socially acceptable to drink with breakfast? Whiskey. I need to work on coming up with a whiskey breakfast cocktail.

[ChillyMcFreeze]

I use my cast iron at least twice a week. I'm a recent convert despite growing up in the South. They're outstanding.

Mmmm breakfast. I have a Pinterest recipe for homemade gravlax but I've been too chicken to actually try it.

[wawa]

Aug 13, 2012 18:12:02 GMT -5 ChillyMcFreeze said:

I use my cast iron at least twice a week. I'm a recent convert despite growing up in the South. They're outstanding.

Mmmm breakfast. I have a Pinterest recipe for homemade gravlax but I've been too chicken to actually try it.

i've done it. We also did a more loxish smoked salmon. the smoked came out much better. we left the gravlax on the cure for too long and it got a little leathery and too salty. It did really well whizzed in the food processor and turned into a dip though.

Wait. Shit. Can pregnant people eat cold-smoked salmon? Or is it in the same category as sushi and/or lunch meat? SHIT. I keep thinking of all these things I'm not supposed to be eating and of course they're all fucking delicious. This baby had better be cute.

[WOT?*]

Aug 13, 2012 17:18:29 GMT -5 CallingAllAngels said:

We fry bacon in the skillet and then cook the eggs in the bacon grease. It's delicious. We just started using the cast iron skillet for bacon and eggs this spring. It has changed my life.

:-( :-( :-(
Eggs cooked in bacon leavings is off my menu now. Shoot, I think even bacon for the most part is off my menu now.
:-( :-( :-(

[Deleted]

Breakfast Is my fave meal of the day. I like to do a 3-egg veggie omelette, rye toast and sliced tomato when I have the time.

If I'm in a restaurant, waffles. Mmmmm.

[dirtyred]

Aug 13, 2012 17:10:45 GMT -5 msmerymac said:

I totally disagree! My eggs stick to my iron skillet, unless I use ungodly amounts of oil. So I need to get a non-stick. The cast iron works for everything else.

(yes, it's seasoned, but it could probably be better if I was willing to use lard or something, and I'm not.)

Do you wash your skillet in water? If so, that ruins the non-stick you get with a seasoned skillet. I clean mine with salt and a rag--water has rarely, if ever, touched this pan in its 80+ years.

[Deleted]

I don't have a cast iron skillet My mom's was/is awesome though....she got it when they got married, almost 40 years ago, so it is some "miles" on it so to speak. I love it.

[EloiseWeenie]

Aug 14, 2012 6:39:24 GMT -5 @mrsbecky07 said:

I don't have a cast iron skillet My mom's was/is awesome though....she got it when they got married, almost 40 years ago, so it is some "miles" on it so to speak. I love it.

Old cast iron is always the best. I got mine when the mother of a family friend died. She had her own set, so she asked my mom if I wanted them.

[bigt1]

Aug 13, 2012 17:42:36 GMT -5 @angryharpy said:

Aug 13, 2012 17:41:15 GMT -5 LoveTrains said:

I love breakfast.

You know what should be more socially acceptable to drink with breakfast? Whiskey. I need to work on coming up with a whiskey breakfast cocktail.

It's not a whiskey drink but we do Mai Tais with breakfast - has Orange Juice, good to go

[Deleted]

I just got into the cast iron thing a few years ago. We use it for everything now. I fried chicken in it (Alton Brown's recipes in case anyone is interested) and also make a great pork tenderloin in it--sear in the pan and transfer to oven for the rest of cooking. :Y:

[LoveTrains]

Aug 13, 2012 17:42:36 GMT -5 @angryharpy said:

Aug 13, 2012 17:41:15 GMT -5 LoveTrains said:

I love breakfast.

You know what should be more socially acceptable to drink with breakfast? Whiskey. I need to work on coming up with a whiskey breakfast cocktail.

What about something with whiskey and maple syrup? I think it could work.