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When it comes to cooking with cast iron, there&#;s no better cookware. Whether a Dutch oven, skillet, pot or pan, cast iron is always what I reach for. And enameled cast iron comes with some great benefits. Let&#;s dive deeper into what makes enameled cast iron so great and why you might want to invest in these generational pieces for yourself (and your future family).
Why I Love Enameled Cast Iron
I have a piece of enameled cast iron that&#;s almost as old as I am (pictured above). No need to know how old that is! Though that pot has been well-loved, it still has at least one more generation of use.
Though I love my Stargazer cast iron skillet (it lives on the stove because I use it so often), I do love my enameled pieces because of the benefits they have in the kitchen.
Check out these posts if you want to learn more about how to choose the best traditional cast iron, stripping and re-seasoning a cast iron pan, how to properly clean and maintain the seasoning of a cast iron pan, and even how to cook scrambled eggs in a cast iron pan (so they don&#;t stick).
But if you&#;re reading this post, you&#;re probably in the market for enameled cast iron. So let&#;s get right into the benefits&#;
What Is Enameled Cast Iron?
Simply put, enameled cast iron is cast iron that&#;s been coated with a thin layer of enamel. This glass-like enamel surface creates a smooth, non-porous and non-reactive cooking surface.
Five Benefits of Enameled Cast Iron
1. Doesn&#;t Require Seasoning
This is perhaps one of the biggest benefits of enameled cast iron. Seasoning cast iron can be time-consuming; if you mess up the seasoning, stripping and re-seasoning is a hassle.
The enamel coating on the inside of the pot (and lid) acts like a seasoning that lasts generations. There are exceptions, but check out my tips below on properly caring for and cooking in enameled cast iron.
2. Cook Acidic and Alkaline Foods
Because of the enamel coating on the inside of the pot, you can cook virtually anything. No need to worry about damaging your seasoning with long-simmering acidic foods or tomato-based products.
3. Will Not Rust
Unlike traditional cast iron, enameled cast iron will not rust! (Be sure to read the one caveat below.)
Furthermore, you can soak an enameled pot or pan in hot soapy water without fear of ruining the precious seasoning. This makes cleaning off any stuck-on food much easier.
4. Extremely Versatile
Enameled cast iron comes in so many shapes, sizes and colors to choose from. Furthermore, you can bake, boil, broil, saute, marinate, roast, and even refrigerate foods.
5. Will Last Generations
As mentioned, I&#;ve had one enameled Dutch oven for decades. It&#;s well-loved, and the enamel coating doesn&#;t look quite as pretty anymore, but the years of use and love give it incredible charm and character.
Enameled Cast Iron vs. Cast Iron
Though there are many benefits to enameled cast iron pans, there are some features that make traditional cast iron pans more appealing, and vice-versa.
Seasoning
Cast iron pans do need to be seasoned prior to use (even those that come &#;pre-seasoned&#; usually need additional seasoning to make them truly non-stick). However, once a cast iron pan is well seasoned, it&#;s virtually non-stick and can cook foods with ease.
Enameled cast iron does not require any seasoning at all!
Non-Stick
Traditional cast iron can become extremely non-stick once properly seasoned. Enameled cast iron, however, is not non-stick, and you will need to grease or oil it to avoid sticking.
Some food may stick to the pan if you cook on it without oil or cook at high heat. Therefore, traditional cast iron pans work better for foods that need to be cooked at higher heat.
Dishwasher Safe
Enameled cast iron is listed as dishwasher safe. Though I don&#;t use the dishwasher myself and wouldn&#;t recommend it, it is worth mentioning as a difference.
If you&#;ve ever had your traditional cast iron accidentally go through the dishwasher, you know what a rusty mess comes out on the other side. This won&#;t happen if your enameled pans accidentally get run through the dishwasher.
Damage
Unlike traditional cast iron pans, enameled cast iron can be damaged. Make sure you don&#;t drop them or bang them together, as the enamel coating can chip. This exposes the cast iron below which can then rust. Also, be careful when stacking pots or pans together.
Though it&#;s not super delicate, you do want to avoid banging or dropping your pans as this can cause damage or chipping. You also should only use wooden, silicone or nylon utensils that won&#;t scratch the enamel coating.
Cooking Heat
Traditional cast iron can be preheated to screaming hot and can cook or sear your food very well. With enameled cast iron, you&#;ll want to avoid high heat on an empty pan or raising the temperature too quickly because this can cause permanent damage.
Types of Enameled Cast Iron Pans
Enameled cast iron comes in all different shapes, sizes and colors for you to choose from. There&#;s virtually a pot or pan for every need in the kitchen. Be sure to choose the right pot or pan for the job for the best results.
Lodge Enameled Cast Iron
Lodge cast iron is inexpensive compared to other brands. They have a nice range of color options and many pieces to choose from.
Lodge is a bit heavier than the fancier, more expensive options, but it&#;s a great solid piece of cooking equipment.
The downside to Lodge is that they&#;re all made in China. You can also find some off-name brands which are made in China, so if you&#;re ordering somewhere like Amazon, do know that the quality can vary quite a bit, so it&#;s my recommendation to keep with the name brands.
Staub and Le Creuset Enameled Cast Iron
The spendier options for enameled cast iron are going to be your Staub and Le Creuset brands. These are made in France but do be prepared that they&#;re much more expensive.
So are they worth the extra cost? In my opinion, you&#;re getting a higher quality product that doesn&#;t weigh quite as much, and you can rest assured you&#;ll get what you pay for.
I have both Lodge and Le Creuset and they both perform extremely well in the kitchen. One does not out-perform the other, so it&#;s my recommendation to purchase what you can afford.
How to Clean Enameled Cast Iron
Everyday Cleaning
Before washing enameled cast iron, make sure it&#;s completely cooled down, then wash it with warm soapy water and dry completely.
Though most enameled cast iron dishes say they&#;re dishwasher safe, I wouldn&#;t recommend using the dishwasher as many detergents are very harsh and could reduce the longevity of the enamel coating.
Avoiding Rust
The benefit of using enameled cast iron is they&#;re less prone to rust. However, the rim of the pot or pan and the rim of the lid can rust. This is why it&#;s extremely important to completely dry your pans after washing to ensure these portions of the cooking vessel don&#;t rust.
Every so often, it&#;s a good idea to oil the rims of the lid and vessel to keep it conditioned and protected.
Cleaning Stuck On Food
If you find that after cooking you have some stuck-on food that&#;s hard to clean, it may be that you cooked at too high of a temperature. To help release the stuck-on food, boil two cups of water and four tablespoons of baking soda in the pot or pan. Use a wooden spatula to help release the stuck-on food, then wash and dry as normal.
Cleaning Stains
After multiple uses you may notice some staining and signs of wear on the enamel. This is completely normal and doesn&#;t affect the performance (and I think it adds a ton of character).
For more Easy Cleaning Enamel Cast Iron Pots And Pansinformation, please contact us. We will provide professional answers.
If you really don&#;t like the look of it, you can use a gentle ceramic cleaner, such as Barkeeper&#;s Friend.
Homesteading Hack: Never use something like a brillo pad or steel wool.
How to Cook with Enameled Cast Iron
As mentioned before, you can broil, boil, bake, cook, saute, braise, and pretty much anything else with your enameled cast iron cookware. They come in various shapes and sizes, from small little saute pans all the way up to large Dutch ovens that you can bake a chicken in.
Pre-Heat Slowly and on Low Heat
Unlike traditional cast iron, you don&#;t want to preheat enamel cast iron too hot, too fast, because this can damage the enamel coating.
Instead, turn the burner or heat source on low to medium-low heat, add cooking oil (if needed) and slowly bring it to temperature.
Enameled cast iron Dutch ovens make an excellent option for baking bread. Since you place the enameled cast iron into the oven when it&#;s cold, the oven slowly heats the pan making it safe to use for bread baking.
Enameled cast iron will last for generations if you take good care of it and use it well. It will be a wonderful asset in your kitchen, but another option is to use traditional cast iron. Be sure to check out our other resources on the blog posts below.
More Posts You May Enjoy
While good quality enameled cast iron cookware can be an investment for your kitchen, it is unrivaled when it comes to its durability and versatility. I have pieces that I inherited from my Mum nearly twenty years ago that are still going strong. But to get that kind of lifetime, they require an understanding of the best practices for how to care for your enamel cast iron cookware. It&#;s not rocket science, but there are simply some do&#;s (and don&#;ts) that come with owning enameled cast iron cookware.
Ok, so here we go&#;
So first&#; What is enameled cast iron?
Enameled cast iron is a type of cookware that combines the durability of cast iron with the benefits of an enameled surface which is essentially a type of glass finish on the interior and exterior of the pot.
Having an enamel layer has several advantages. By adding the protective layer, the pot becomes resistant to rust and, therefore does not require seasoning like traditional cast iron pans. It also doesn&#;t react to acidity, making it, in some ways a more versatile cookware option.
Five reasons why it&#;s so damn good!
- Even heat distribution. Hot spots no more!
- Heat retention. Quality cast iron cookware retains far more heat than it emits unlike other cookware types (I&#;m looking at you stainless steel!). Basically what this means is that it doesn&#;t need to be on a high heat to get the best result. Let it heat up on low heat for a few minutes before adding your food and you&#;ll be surprised how well it cooks!
- The ability to cook with acidic ingredients &#; one of the downsides of raw cast iron.
- It slow cooks like an absolute dream. Remember that heat retention that I just talked about? With cast iron cookware retaining so much heat it acts like a little oven (within an oven) and breaks down the meat ingredients in slow-cooked dishes like beef stroganoff or Irish lamb stew so that chewy, casserole-friendly meat cuts become heavenly melt-in-your-mouth bites.
- The enamel coating makes cleaning it oh-so-easy. A little warm water and dish soap and you are good to go!
Need more reasons to justify why you need an enameled cast iron pot in your life? Check out this post on how to use a French oven all year round.
First Use Care and Seasoning
The best part about enamel cast iron cookware&#; It doesn&#;t require seasoning! Woohoo! It does however need cleaning and a little care before its first use. Here&#;s how&#;
- Once it&#;s out of the box, make sure you remove ALL the packaging. Don&#;t be that person who bakes on the brand sticker (unless you are going for that look!).
- Thoroughly wash your pan in hot soapy water to remove any dust, dirt, or debris from the manufacturing process.
- Dry with a clean, cloth tea towel.
Cook&#;s tip for maintaining your cookware
Always use utensils suitable for the piece of cookware you are using. As cast iron retains a lot of heat, I generally look for silicon or nylon utensils that can withstand cooking temperatures of 200+ degrees Celsius. Wooden utensils are another great option, however, they are handwash only which doesn&#;t suit this dishwasher-loving girl!
Everyday Cleaning
The first question 95% of my customers ask when they are looking at cookware in my store is &#;Can it go in the dishwasher?&#; It actually depends in the piece of cookware and the brand. Most enamel French / Dutch ovens can go into the dishwasher, however, enamel skillets normally cannot. That&#;s not to say that I haven&#;t tried!
So here&#;s my take on it. Firstly, ask yourself, how much do you love that piece of cookware? And secondly, is time a factor for you? While I LOVE my cookware, if I didn&#;t pop it in the dishwasher occasionally, I wouldn&#;t batch cook. No one wants to handwash all the pots I use on a batch cook Sunday session! For me, it comes down to time and convenience. I also find that my dishwasher can help to remove stubborn stains.
Now obviously there is a downside to using a dishwasher vs handwashing enamel cast iron cookware and that is that dishwashers can be quite abrasive. The exterior enamel color on my Dutch ovens has definitely dulled over the years due to using a dishwasher.
For a more in-depth look at this check out this post on how to clean enameled cast iron.
ALL THE BEST SLOW-COOK DINNERS
Easy Dutch Oven Recipes
These are the warm the cockles of your heart, melt in your mouth, slow-cooked suppers. Make sure you&#;ve got a bottle of red handy!
Explore
Storing Your Enameled Cast Iron
Here&#;s a few tips on proper storage
- Never stack enamel pots and pans on top of each other without using a pot protector. Cast iron is quite heavy in nature so a small knock can chip the enamel.
- Avoid using your oven as storage. Should you forget it&#;s in there and turn your oven on a high heat, you will damage the enamel coating.
- After washing up your Dutch oven, dry it with either a tea towel or a paper towel. Make sure the lid is either slightly ajar or off and stored separately. Allow your cast iron to breathe! While this sounds a little crazy, if any moisture is trapped inside, it can lead to odors and in some cases, moldy pots.
Dealing with Chips and Cracks
With proper care, and if you use your enamel cast iron cookware correctly, chips and cracks will be minimal if not non-existent and you&#;ll get years (and years) of use. Over time, with regular use, you may find that you get &#;spider web&#; lines in the base of your pan. Normally this occurs if your pan is heated on a high heat or metal utensils are used during cooking. Firstly, check with the cookware brand website to see if they recommend certain specialty cleaning products. If they don&#;t specify, I find that Le Creuset&#;s Pots and Pans Cleaner works a treat as does the Barkeeper&#;s Friend Cookware Cleaner. Please avoid salt and lemons people! I&#;ve seen this all over the web and it&#;s false information. All it will do is damage your pot / pan further.
Large interior chips and cracks in the enamel are a sign that you may have damaged your cookware beyond repair. We&#;ve all been there! All I can say is better luck next time and it may be time to bid farewell!
Commonly asked questions
Will my enamel cast iron cookware rust?
No. Given that 99.9% of each pan is covered with the enamel, it won&#;t rust. Should your enamel chip or crack there is the possibility that rust will occur and steps should be taken to stop the rust from forming e.g. Seasoning with oil.
Is cooking in a Dutch oven easy?
Yes!!!! As long as you follow a few simple steps to make sure you are using your cookware correctly, cast iron cooking is a breeze. Like anything, new cookware can take some getting used to, so it may take a few tries to perfect slow cooking.
Help! I have stuck on food. What do I do?
To remove stuck-on food, firstly soak overnight with some warm soapy water. If it still won&#;t come off, pop the pan with a few cups of water onto the stovetop. Turn the heat on to a low heat and using a wooden spoon, gently try and remove the stubborn bits once the water gets hot. For best results, a gentle simmer should do it!
What is &#;thermal shock&#; and why should we avoid it
The biggest risk to damaging your enamel cast iron cookware is what&#;s called thermal shock. It&#;s when
your cookware is heated on a high heat or there is a rapid change of temperature which causes the enamel to crack or chip. In really severe cases, the enamel will pop off like a blister. Enameled cast iron pots and pans are for low to medium heat only.
There are different types of enameled surfaces (for example, Le Creuset has two), which should both be treated differently to each other. For example&#;
Le Creuset has a different type of enamel on their cast iron French/Dutch ovens and their skillets. One is cream in color, the other black. The cream-enameled cookware should always have oil in it before popping on/into any heat source. While neither enameled pot is suitable for direct high temperatures, The black enamel can go to higher heat, making it a perfect choice for steaks and grilling. Instead of oiling the pan, you&#;ll get a better result if you oil the foods you are cooking instead. For example, oil your steak before placing it in the pan, don&#;t oil the pan.
You can also damage your pot by plunging a hot pan into cold water or a cold pan into hot water. Always let your enamel cookware cool down before cleaning to reduce the possibility of damage.
Want to give Dutch oven cooking a go? Here are a few recipes to get you started
When it comes to cooking in enamel cast iron cookware, I truly believe that by knowing know to use it correctly will make you a better cook. For more, check out my complete guide to cooking with cast iron. It will arm you with everything you need to know to cook like a pro in cast iron.
As always, if you have any questions, drop them in the comments!
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