A good pot is a plus for cooking. Cast-iron pot cooking is as simple and tasty as a restaurant steak with a charred exterior and a soft, juicy interior, or a Chinese chef’s quick stir-fry of crisp green vegetables. Sometimes you want to try “teppotyaki” for toast. For dessert, an uncoated cast-iron pot is the perfect choice.
Many friends who love camping and picnic activities like to bring heavy cast iron pot, directly put the pot on the fire to cook food, the pot is very thick, cover the cast iron pot, high temperature instantly seal the taste of food, especially delicious. Easy to make casual game and simple taste is the unique characteristics of the cast iron pot.
Cast-iron pots are especially delicious for cookouts.
There is no need to pay too much attention to the skill of cooking with cast iron pot, as long as you master the heat and time, the ingredients are simple but delicious, so many people love it, a collection of all kinds of cast iron pot.
★ Advantages of cast iron pot
Originating in the Middle ages Europe cast iron pot, the main raw material is pig iron, through the blast furnace reduction, separation, smelting, and then poured into the mold forming. The only downside is that they are bulky and require maintenance, but many people still go to the trouble of buying several styles — deep pots, shallow pots, baking sheets, pots, etc. The excellent characteristics of the pot are sought after:
1. You can fry meat
In addition to the pot, there is also a cast-iron roasting pot for grilled fish, eggplant and vegetables, which can be covered with olive oil first and then fried and grilled thoroughly.
Cast iron pot body is very thick, heat conduction is not fast but good heat storage, heat evenly, food water is not easy to lose, heating temperature can be up to 250 degrees Celsius. Due to the thickness of the iron plate, the temperature is higher than that of the ordinary pot. After the pot is preheated completely, there is no need to add oil. The fish fillets, meat pieces and chicken legs with oil are directly put into the pot for dry frying.
If the thickness of the fillet is more than 4cm, cover the pot and braise for about 2 minutes with the heat cycle in the pot. Then switch to medium and small heat and fry the two sides for 2-3 minutes each. If the last flip is browned, turn off the heat 1 minute in advance, cover the pot and stew for 2 minutes, then the delicious dry fried fish fillet is finished.
2. Unique burnt aroma
Unlike other thin pots, cast-iron cooking tends to produce a Maillard reaction, with brown “caramelization” on the surface — the lightly caramelized sweetness of sauteed Onions and vegetables, the crunchy aroma of toast, the crisp icing of caramelized braised braising of pork belly that is seared brown and braised.
The cast iron pot is used to fry the roast meat, which has a unique scorched flavor.
The cast iron pot caramelizes the vegetables at high heat, and this “Tippot-cooked vegetables” is delicious.
3. Non-toxic
Cast-iron pot without enamel coating is thick and durable. It is not resistant to high temperature or empty fire. During cooking, iron is released to supplement the needs of the human body. Usually do a good job of “maintenance” can form a smooth “oil film” similar to the “non-stick pot” effect, do not have to worry about the general non-stick pot will have coating peeling problem.
4. Excellent thermal cycle
The cast iron pot has a strong heat storage capacity, and the heavy lid forms a heat cycle, which can achieve a super water-locking effect and completely retain the original taste of the ingredients. Many people think that the stewed cooking with the cast iron pot is better than the cooking pot, such as braising beef tendon, beef tendon, dark beer pork rib, braised white radish tripe and so on.
Cast iron pot cooking super delicious, add vegetable oil, the ratio of rice to water is about 1:1.1. Let it stand for 30 minutes, turn to medium and small heat for about 5 minutes after boiling, the steam will turn to low heat, cook for about 7 minutes, did not soak the rice, cook for about 9 minutes, then turn off the heat and stew for 15 minutes, open the lid can enjoy “cast iron pot rice”,
★ Use cast-iron pots correctly
1. The carbon content of cast iron pot is 2-4%, the iron plate is hard but very crisp, pay attention to avoid heavy fall, do not cool rapidly, so that it can be used for decades.
2. Heat the pot patiently over medium-low heat before cooking. Due to the low heat conduction speed of the cast iron pot, it takes about 5-10 minutes to heat the pot to achieve uniform high temperature and heat storage efficiency, no matter using the oven to bake, or frying, frying and frying on the gas stove. Check the temperature with a few drops of water, as long as the water droplets roll into one after another, the pot is preheated.
3. When the cast iron pot is still warm, it is very good to rinse it with warm water. You can add some baking soda or salt, and then wash it gently with a sponge brush. If the cast iron pot has been maintained and has an “oil film” coating, it can also be cleaned after cooking with an environmentally friendly neutral dishwashing detergent.
4. If the cast iron pot is soaked in the sink, it is easy to embroider. In addition, the remaining oil after frying food, or the food in the pot can not be placed for too long.
5. The maintenance of the cast iron pot as non-stick pot generally has a protective film, it is best to use wood or heat-resistant silicone spatula instead of metal spoon, will not destroy the oil film and need to be re-maintained.
6. Can savoury and sweet dishes be cooked in the same cast iron pot? Or add acidic ingredients like tomato and lime to the dish? The answer is yes. But the premise is to really do the right maintenance, to keep the cast iron pot in tip-top condition.
Cast iron pot can make a variety of dishes, braising, salt roasting, smoking, etc., taste the delicious cast iron pot dishes, you will feel that it is worth the effort to maintain.
