Cast Iron Cookware

What do Chef Brandon Boudet of Dominick's in West Hollywood, celebrity chef Paula Deen and your Grandma Mae have in common? Their love of cast iron skillets.

This cookware is one of the most distinctive symbols of Americana. The pan is so dense it retains heat even with the introduction of cold ingredients and can create products with a great sear or crust.

It used to be essential to season cast-iron cookware. But today, Lodge cookware, one of the largest producers of cast iron pans, makes pre-seasoned skillets.

Whether you have the original or pre-seasoned cookware, be sure not to commit the cardinal sin of cast iron care—washing it in soap and water. Lodge recommends cleaning it with a stiff brush and hot water, toweling dry and applying a coating of vegetable oil while it's warm.

By Charyn Pfeuffer, a writer in Monterey. Calif.

Crispy Iron Skillet Chicken

Sautéeing and then oven-roasting gives this rustic chicken a crunchy glazing on the outside and keeps it moist and succulent inside.

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