Cast Iron Cooking

I recently received a cast iron skillet as a birthday gift and have fallen in love!  I have wanted one for awhile and now that I have one I'm not sure how I lived without it.  Below I have outlined a few of the many Eco benefits as well as cooking benefits to using cast iron, I show you the cast iron skillet I purchased and have come to love, and lastly I included a recipe for a roasted organic chicken in a cast iron skillet.
What is your favorite thing about your cast iron cookware?  What is your favorite recipe you make using cast iron?  Do you have any good tips for cooking with or cleaning cast iron?  I would love to hear from you about anything cast iron, I am new to this and am eager to learn and cook as much as possible in my new cast iron skillet!
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Cast-Iron Benefits:

• Naturally Non-Stick - Forget the Teflon and other synthetic materials used to make non-stick pans.  Cast iron is the original non-stick without all the harmful and toxic coatings that can leach into your food.
• Durable - If taken care of properly, a piece of cast iron cookware can last you a lifetime plus!  The best part about cast iron cookware is it gets even better with time.  Even old, worn and/or rusted pieces can be brought back to their original beauty with steel wool and just a little muscle.  Be sure to heat and cool your cast iron cookware gradually to ensure a longer life.
• Multiple Uses -  One cast-iron skillet can replace almost all of your other pans.  You can cook practically anything in your cast iron cookware from chicken to cornbread to soups and stews.  Then add that you can cook with cast iron on the stove top, in the oven, on the grill or over an open fire while camping (never in the microwave) and it becomes the most perfect piece of cookware you can get for your money.
• Simple to Clean - You should NEVER use soap on cast iron or put in the dishwasher.  All you need to clean cast iron is hot water and a sponge or stiff brush.  For really stubborn, stuck on food, just use coarse salt and hot water.  Completely dry the cast iron skillet with a towel or place in the oven over low heat, and then apply a light coating of oil with a paper towel and voila, your done! 
• Retains Heat - One of the best features of using cast iron cookware is that it heats up quickly and retains heat very well, therefore they cook food evenly and uses less energy in order to do so.

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Below is a picture of the 12 inch round (approx. 1 1/2 inch deep) cast iron skillet I recently purchased along with an adorable sign that was posted in the store I bought it from.  The cast iron skillet came already seasoned and cost $38.00.  Considering that it is the primary cooking pan I have used since I got it, I would say it has already paid for itself! 

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RECIPE: Roasted Organic Chicken in the Cast Iron Skillet

Tonight I decided to roast an organic chicken in my cast iron skillet.  It turned out juicy with perfectly crispy skin and was just plain delicious...my husband said it was the best roasted chicken I have ever made!  Below is my recipe for Roasted Organic Chicken in the Cast Iron Skillet:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees
• Lightly oil the bottom of the cast iron skillet and place the whole chicken in the pan
• Place small slabs of butter under the skill of the breasts and legs
• Squeeze a medium lemon (cut in half all over the outside of the chicken (save the lemon halves for the cavity) and season with salt, pepper and paprika
• Stuff the cavity with 4 garlic cloves and the 2 lemon halves you used to squeeze over the outside
• Place in the oven and cook for approx. 45 minutes, until the juices run clear or until the internal temp reaches 160 degrees.
• Remove from the cast iron skillet and let rest for about 10 minutes before carving.

**You can also add a nice variety of root vegetables and potatoes to the pan to roast with the chicken.  I served it with a fresh green salad since that is what I had around the house.
**I always roast the innards when roasting a chicken since I personally find them delicious!  I just season them the same as I season the outside of the bird.
**Be sure to save the carcass to make an easy and delicious chicken stock (recipe HERE) with all the leftover scrapings.  And if you do not like to eat the innards like I do, you still roast them with the chicken and then simmer in your stock for added flavor.

 Enjoy!