Le Creuset Iron Skillet Pans

The Le Creuset Skillet pan is one of our best-selling pans in the store. As you know, at Claudia&Julia we have historically been great specialists in iron utensils, and we want to answer the most common questions about one of the most iconic pieces from Le Creuset, the skillet pan. In addition, we hope to convey to you why we are great lovers of this frying pan, which is as versatile as it is beautiful and durable.

In this post you will see:

1. What is a skillet pan
2. Benefits of the skillet pan
3. What can you cook in a skillet
4. How to cook with the skillet pan
5. How to clean the skillet pan and how to maintain it
6. Recipes in skillets

1. What is a skillet pan

The Le Creuset skillet is a cast iron skillet , made in one piece and vitrified. Thus, it is a purely iron pan, it is a pan without non-stick and 100% natural.

Its most characteristic peculiarity, its shape: it is not completely round, but its sides draw spouts that make it very characteristic (and help you pour sauces or liquids when you are interested).

Another essential feature, and something that you won't be able to say about other frying pans, is that it has a lifetime guarantee -yes, a skillet will last you a lifetime in the kitchen.

Being made of cast iron, it is both suitable for the fire and the oven (in fact, you can even put it on the barbecue or fireplace if you want), which makes it a most versatile piece.

Its interior vitrification (thousands of glass particles injected into the cast iron) provides the skillet pan with two great benefits:

• Protects it from oxidation (unlike other iron pans, the skillet does not rust).
• Helps prevent food from sticking as it happens in an unglazed iron or steel pan, without the need for curing.

The skillet, a unique piece

It is a frying pan made of cast iron. What does that mean? The iron in a liquid state and with the precise amount of iron , is poured into a unique sand mold that has the shape that we want to give the pan, and is allowed to cool. Once cold, the mold is destroyed, thus obtaining the skillet.

It is a process that requires working in a foundry, at temperatures that reach more than 1000 ºC, and really delicate handling. A skillet is a piece resulting from a unique mold - whoever has a skillet has a unique piece, which makes skillets a special and valuable tool.

The traditional skillet and the high skillet

Following the success and spread of the traditional skillet pan, Le Creuset launched the tall skillet pan . The only difference between the standard skillet (the one of a lifetime) and the high skillet is the height of the walls. Nothing else changes (and the weight, given that with the same diameter pan, the high one is somewhat heavier), and some uses that you can give it: in a high skillet you can also make biscuits (in a low skillet only brownies) , since you will have height for it, or it is more advisable for risottos and rice dishes, since you will appreciate the height to add the broth or water.

2. Benefits of the skillet pan

By its nature, purely vitrified iron, and thanks to its shape and thickness, the skillet pan offers us great benefits, both for the kitchen and for our pocket and our health:

• It is a 100% natural pan , without non-stick.
• Being purely iron, the cooking result is 100% natural, you get the most authentic and pure flavors in all your recipes.
• You roast, you don't boil: the iron reaches such a high temperature that it evaporates the juices released by the food, and you can really roast (in a non-stick frying pan, due to its materials, you will never reach that temperature that the iron reaches, and the juices remain in the pan, which makes the meat boiled, not seared or roasted).
• It does not scratch and it is perfect to take to the table: being made of vitrified iron, you can cut what you have prepared directly on it, and it is so pretty that it looks beautiful on the table.
• No more renewing pans: a skillet is a great investment , because by always lasting unalterable, and by not having non-stick coatings that could lose qualities, it is a piece that will pass from generation to generation. There's nothing about it you can mess up, so you won't be buying a frying pan every once in a while: you buy it once and you have it for life.
• Due to its thickness it does not deform , and also due to its thick construction, it distributes the temperature very well and maintains it -your recipes cook evenly and once finished they remain hot for a long time after turning off the heat or taking them to the table .
• As iron is such a good conductor of heat, you need less energy to cook, with the consequent energy savings.
• It does not rust and does not require curing: thanks to its vitrification, and unlike pans that are made from iron plates, skillets do not rust*, they do not require curing (vitrification already provides them and is easier cook in them than in other iron or stainless steel pans, because it gives them a certain non-stick capacity.
• Vitrifying helps prevent food from acquiring an iron flavor and we can cook with acidic foods such as wine or tomato (or even let it marinate), which will not rust (things that can happen in pans made from iron).
• It is an all-rounder: you can use it both on the stove and in the oven, as you can cook over the coals, in the fireplace or on the barbecue. It is a piece of iron, you need more than 1000ºC to melt it again, so you can rest assured that you can cook on it normally at home or outside.
• It is most versatile: from sautéing vegetables to grilling, preparing rice, frying, using it for your meats or baked vegetables, baking pizza or dumplings without oil, baking cookies or making bread. It is a piece with which to cook over low heat or put it at maximum power for a perfect sear.

Note: The skillet is a thick, cast-iron skillet, making it a heavy skillet . If it is for an older person or with little strength in their hands, it will not be the most recommended pan (especially in the larger sizes, since the larger the diameter, the more weight).

3. What can you cook in a skillet pan

An iron frying pan is a great investment, not only because it will last you forever in the kitchen, but also because it is truly versatile: you can cook over low heat as well as grill or roast at maximum power, and you can cook on the stove or in the oven. Some ideas for you to see how versatile it is:

3.1. Ideas for cooking with the skillet on the fire:

• To sauté vegetables
• To fry (it is perfect for this, since the iron gets very hot)
• To grill: you will get a perfect sear of your juiciest meats, and you will see that grilling a piece of iron has no equal. Also for grilling salmon, tuna and other oily fish, or for making prawns, the result is spectacular.
• For rice: be it paellas or risottos (ideally in the high skillet), you can make the most natural and delicious rice dishes.
• To make melted cheese in no time, flavored with herbs... And for bread!
• To caramelize nuts or make fresh fruit coulis
• To prepare sauces.

3.2. Ideas for using the skillet in the oven:

• To roast meat and fish in the oven: arrange your meat in the skillet, season with salt and pepper, pour a good jet of oil and let the oven do all the work. Like cooking en cocotte, roasting in the skillet offers excellent results.
• To make grilled meat, as a barbecue: you can put your sausages, chicken, your pieces of beef and others in the skillet and put it on the grill, in the oven. Without using oil, you will be getting delicious results.
• To roast vegetables: from carrots to asparagus or potatoes, arrange your whole or cut vegetables in the skillet and in the oven, accompanying meat and fish or alone. They are delicious!
• To make baked eggs (without any oil and with the sauce or accompaniment that you want the most).
• For fritattas: prepare the mixture and pour it into the skillet to curdle it. You will have a result of ten and an unbeatable presentation at the table.
• Bake puff pastries and shortcrust pastries: whether they are savory or sweet tarts, arrange the dough in the pan (with or without parchment paper, depending on your preferences), apply the filling of your choice and bake.
• To make pizza: arrange the dough and season to your liking. Whether it is a vegetable dough pizza (such as cauliflower dough) or bread dough, you will get excellent baking from your dough.
• To gratin: whether you have lasagna, cannelloni, vegetables or cod fillets in it, you can put it in the oven to gratin your recipes.
• To make XL cookies or traditional cookies.
• For brownies and biscuits (the latter, in the high skillet).

4. How to cook in a skillet Le Creuset

1. The skillet pan does not require any curing , so when you receive it at home you only have to wash it with a soft sponge and soap, dry it and it is ready to cook.
2. It is advisable to always heat it over low heat (like all pans), to allow the iron to distribute the heat well (if you set the heat to maximum, you will be heating up the central part of the pan a lot, but the sides will be cold). Give her time to warm up all of her. Once hot, if what you want is to grill or cook something over a higher heat, you can raise the heat.
3. The iron gets very hot, so maintaining a low or medium temperature is usually enough: if you have the skillet with direct fire at maximum, you will easily burn the food on the outside, without being able to do it in the center.
4. You can increase the heat to the maximum when you introduce the food to grill or fry (to raise the temperature of the pan to the maximum that interests us for this type of culinary techniques, since when putting the food the temperature inevitably drops); but remember to lower the heat again when you see that you have already raised the temperature.
5. Apply a little more oil than usual in the first uses, it will help you not to stick foods that may tend to do so.
6. With use and cooking oils, the pores that may be invisible to the naked eye that may be on the surface of the pan fill up, generating a patina that helps make it easier to cook in it.
7. Introduce food at room temperature; In case of cooking any food that you have in the fridge, let it warm up for half an hour before cooking it. Thus, you will not lower the temperature of the skillet so much and the heat will reach the center of the food more quickly, being better cooked.
8. To cook meat, oily fish or grilled prawns , the ideal is to heat the pan at a medium temperature. When it's already hot, raise the temperature until you reach the optimal point. Apply a few drops of oil, cook the meat back and forth or to the taste of each one. It is advisable that you put the salt at the end (and preferably flake salt).
9. Remember when grilling meat that the iron first grabs and then releases: if you are grilling and you are going to turn the meat but you see that it is very stuck, it is because it is not done on that side yet, it is not sealed. Don't force it because you'll tear the meat: wait a couple more minutes and try again. When the meat is seared on one side, you can easily turn it over with tongs, and then grill the second side.
10. If you are going to cook cake or cookie doughs , simply apply a little butter with kitchen paper or release spray on the entire interior surface. If you prefer or if you don't even want to have to clean the pan afterwards, you can instead place a baking paper on it and arrange the dough inside. After cooking, you will see that the skillet is flawless.
11. The skillet gets very hot. Always handle it with a cloth or protectors, and if it is hot, place it on the table with a trivet so as not to burn the tablecloth.
12. You can safely use it in the oven , up to 300ºC if you want and more, nothing will happen to it.
13. Nothing like a skillet to induce in induction vitros : Be careful! do not put it at maximum power on induction because it will get very hot and you will burn the food.
14. You can cut meats and biscuits or others directly on it, you will not damage it.

5. How to clean a skillet pan and how to maintain it

In general, you can clean the skillet with a sponge and dish soap. Always do it by hand and taking into account the following:

• Let cool a few minutes before washing the pan. Keep in mind that sudden changes in temperature can damage the enamel layer, so never immerse a hot product in cold water.
• Clean with a sponge and a little soap.
• Once clean, dry with a cotton cloth and store until next use.
• In case there are food remains that resist, leave the pan with hot soapy water to soak for a few minutes - you'll see how you clean them without problems. In case you need to "scratch", always do it with a soft sponge (the blue or green ones, not with an aluminum lullaby).
• If residue remains on the surface, fill with hot water and a few drops of soap, and leave to soak for 15-20 minutes. Then, clean it with a sponge (they are impeccable and it is not necessary to scratch with any scouring pad).
• If you have had the food on the fire for too long or at too much intensity, and burnt remains have remained very attached to the Skillet , we recommend that you fill it halfway with water, add a little soap and heat it over medium-low heat. You will see how all the burnt-on remains come off and you can recover the pan without problems, cleaning it later with soap and water. If necessary, add a few drops of vingre.
• To maintain a flawless shine or if you want to clean encrusted debris, you can use Le Creuset Pots&Pans Skillet and Cocotte Cleaner . Eliminates small black and white spots resulting from some juices, and highlights the shine of the enamel.
• The only part susceptible to a speck of rust is on the top flange (the top perimeter line). It is rare that it happens, or it is not appreciated, but in case you need to clean it, you will achieve it simply by passing a kitchen paper with a little oil on it. If not, passing the scouring pad along the edge you will see that it also goes away.

6. Skillet Recipes

For a long, long time we have been making recipes in the skillet pan to show you its many uses. Here you will find more than 80 skillet recipes from our blog.

Some of the most successful recipes have always been:

1. Baked eggs with ratatouille
2. rice with lamb
3. Artichoke and ham fritatta
4. tuscany salmon
5. Pork tenderloin with orange glaze
6. Pizza with tomatoes, anchovies, idiazabal cheese, parmesan and rocket
7. the provoletta
8. Cantonese chicken
9. Strawberry and Rhubarb Cobbler
10. Nutella Brownies

As you can see, we have a wide variety of recipes, and many more that you can make in your skillet!

I hope you find all these tips useful and that you enjoy your Skillet pan very much, one of the best investments in any kitchen.