7 Must-Have Cast Iron Pieces
These 7 must-have cast iron pieces most of us grew up watching our mothers and grandmothers cooking with these. I can still picture my mom frying bacon and eggs in a cast iron pan. My dad would fry cheese until it was crispy in our small frying pan, that was a delicacy!! I have heard a friend or two complain about how heavy they are to use. I get it. They are heavy, but the benefits outweigh the negative aspects of cast iron.
If you’re worried about seasoning cast iron pieces you don’t need to be concerned. I wrote a post on how to season them and it’s super easy. You can buy cast iron pieces at thrift stores, and with a little elbow grease, you will have some good-looking pans in no time at all. Cleaning Your Pans
Why I LOVE cast iron pans:
- Sturdy
- Won’t warp
- Versatile for inside and outside cooking
- Grandma used them
- Non-stick
- Easy to clean
- Heats evenly
- Use it from stovetop to oven
- Cleaning cast iron is easy
- Lasts a lifetime
7 Cast Iron Pieces
1. Bread Pan
This bread pan is a larger size than the one I use every day. It’s actually the size my mom used when I was growing up. It holds a 1-1/2-pound loaf of bread. Size: L -10.125″, W – 5″, H – 2.75″. When you bake bread in a cast iron pan it is crusty on the outside and fluffy on the inside. Perfection! This pan is perfect for meatloaf too!
2. Small 10.25-InchFrying Pan
I like this pan because it’s easy to move around on my gas stove top. It’s perfect for scrambled eggs, bacon, fried cheese or biscuits.
3. Large Frying Pan
This picture shows the frying pan with a Lodge red silicone handle, they work awesome! I sent one with Mark to Scout Camp this year. You can make hash browns, a larger batch of scrambled eggs, or fry your bacon. Mark made omelets in this one for the Scouts this summer.
4. Flat Pan
I use this one for pancakes, grilled cheese sandwiches, tortillas, crepes, and quesadillas. This pan is used more than any pan in our kitchen.
5. Dutch Oven
This Dutch oven does not have legs, so you can’t stack this one on another Dutch oven. It’s perfect for your stovetop or oven. You can saute your meat and simmer a soup for the day. The lid is a perfect addition used as a second pan. I love it!
6. Pizza Pan
I’m not sure if you remember when I did a post about making a yummy pizza outside on my barbecue using this pizza pan. The crust was perfect! The pizza was fabulous! Here’s a link to the post. Linda’s Homemade Pizza
7. Griddle
I have four griddles at my house. No, I’m not a hoarder, I’m prepared to cook pancakes for the neighborhood if I need to! This is a great addition to any kitchen.
I hope you enjoyed today’s post on 7 must-have cast iron pieces we can all use for cooking inside our home, as well as outside. If you have a firepit, I LOVE it! Thanks for being prepared for the unexpected.
Copyright Pictures:
Cast iron pan: AdobeStock_85203240 by Stevecuk
I have several cast iron pieces but the ones I use most are the 2 large frying pans and the dutch oven. I bake bread in the dutch oven and have made pizza in the frying pans. I rarely use the 2 griddles I have, usually just having the 2 frying pans on the front burners works well enough for family pancake breakfasts. A bread pan is on the list if I ever find one at the thrift shop. I have a special cast iron baking pan for cat shaped muffins too. Big hit with grandkids
Hi, Alice, I bet the grandkids love the cat shaped muffin pan!! Pancakes taste so good cooked on cast iron! Love it! Linda
I have cast Iron for the wood stove. We have been without power for over a week, several times. That means some innovative cooking. We do have a generator for the freezer, but I would rather not use the electric stove and overtax it.
Hi, Janet, oh how I wished I had a wood stove again, they are the best!!! You are so prepared to have a generator for your freezer. No power for a week several times, you totally get it!!! Linda
I have a small frying pan, tortilla cooker (I use this for all manner of “flat” cooking – pancakes, pizza, meat, etc., as well as tortillas!), 2 dutch ovens that can be baked in with coals. I do not have a bread pan, griddle or pizza pan.
I just saw a “Cook-It-All” new cast iron cooking item from Lodge. It looks intriguing but at a price of $130, I think I will stick with what I have.
When I learned how to “cook/bake” with a dutch oven, the guy teaching its use, showed us how to make pizza on the lid of the DO and cover it with the bottom to make it an oven for flat items like pizza. He also showed how you can use the lid as a frying pan and fried eggs, scrambled eggs and even crepes on the lid. He showed how versatile a DO could be.
As for making bread, I opt to make “rustic” bread in my DO rather than loaf bread. I make bread even when I am camping so I do not have a need for a loaf pan at this time.
So, with a frying pan, flat pan and a DO, you can do just about anything, either on the stove or over an open fire.
Hi, Leanne, I saw that $130.00 Lodge “Cook-It-All”, YIKES! It’s a 14-inch skillet, that would be awesome but way too expensive. I love rustic bread. I love going to those cast iron “classes”. Linda
I have everything but the bread pan.
Hi, Sue, you rock! You can cook inside and outside!! Linda
I have used cast iron skillets for many years. I have had really bad luck with Lodge pans, are the any other brands available??
Thanks, Carol
Hi Carol, wow, I have never heard anyone having bad luck with Lodge cast iron pans. I have close to 50 pieces and have never had any issues. I would contact Lodge and find out why you have had bad luck with their pans. I can’t recommend any other company because I have only owned Lodge cast iron pieces. Maybe some readers will give us some ideas. Linda
I keep coconut oil in my Dutch oven for frying corn tortillas to make my own taco shells and chips. Great for consistent temperature. I have a skillet my mother bought at a flea market about 40 years ago. I have the griddle but with an electric stove I have trouble controlling the hot spots.
Hi Joyce, oh my gosh, how are you??? My mouth is watering thinking about frying corn tortillas! That’s a great idea to fry them in a Dutch oven, why didn’t I think of that!!! LOL! Now I want to make tacos for dinner. Great tip!! Linda
Sadly, we got rid of all our wonderful cast iron. Now we keep shopping for them and they are all really rough. Looking for recommendations to find decent cast iron at reasonable prices?
Hi Diane, I just bought a new Lodge 10.25-inch frying pan from Amazon for less than thrift store prices. I wanted one without long handles. I paid $18.00 I think. I watch the sales at hardware stores. Sometimes I stumble upon a store going out of business. I found some on Facebook Marketplace as well. FB Marketplace is on your phone. Keep watching. Just buy one piece at a time or a set sometimes is a good price. Linda