With care, cast-iron can serve for a century

Editor’s note: Don Mauer is taking some time off. This column originally ran May 1, 2019.

It's no secret. I love my 12-inch, beautifully well-seasoned, cast iron skillet. I bought my skillet new and unseasoned so far back I don't remember the year. Today it has a deep black patina and gets used at least once a week, usually more frequently.

You've seen my skillet in many column pictures, including my version of deep-dish pizza.

Recently, I've been working on creating one-pan dinners. The advantage of one-pan cooking is the easy cleanup.

For my reasons, I no longer cook in any Teflon-coated pans. A properly seasoned cast iron skillet can function as well as any Teflon-coated one, without any of the issues.

The right utensil: I use no metal utensils when cooking with my cast iron skillet. No. I use plastic spatulas or plastic or wooden spoons. Any tool that's safe for Teflon is safe for cast iron.

The right scrubbing method: A nylon, nonabrasive scrubber makes it easy to clean my skillet; the same type of scrubber I would use with a Teflon pan.

Dish soap is for dishes: No dish soap comes in contact with my cast iron skillet since I don't want it to lose its seasoning. If something's stuck to my skillet's surface (like cheese), a short soak in warm water always makes removal easy.

A short soak is vital: No iron skillet company recommends letting a cast iron skillet (even well-seasoned) stay wet for long since cast iron isn't stainless steel; it'll rust.

Wipe the cast iron skillet's surface dry (I use a paper towel). And, never let it air dry.

If the surface rusts or loses its seasoning; a cast iron skillet can easily be re-seasoned.

Southern Living's website, southernliving.com, offers the best method:

1. First, scrub the skillet well in hot soapy water.

2. Rinse well, and then thoroughly dry inside and out.

3. Using a one-inch natural bristle paint brush, spread a thin layer of melted coconut oil, or olive oil or flaxseed oil over the inside and outside of the skillet.

4. To catch any oil drips, place a sheet of aluminum foil on your oven's bottom rack. Heat the oven to 375°F. Place the skillet upside down on the upper oven rack.

5. Bake for one hour. Without opening the oven door, let the skillet cool in the oven.

Ta-da, a beautifully seasoned cast iron skillet.

My most treasured cast iron skillet came from Grandma Mauer. It's small; 6.5-inch diameter limits its use. However, if I were to show it to you today, you'd have no idea that it's nearly 100 years old.

One of my favorite one-pan meals to make in my cast iron skillet is Asian Hot Slaw. The notes on the original recipe say it's so good it's addicting.

The original recipe used garlic powder and onion powder. Although I've made it with those, I prefer using fresh minced onion and garlic. That recipe calls for ground beef; I use ground pork for a more Asian flavor profile because you use soy sauce and toasted sesame oil for seasoning.

My version of Asian Hot Slaw requires a little chopping and mincing but, like most Asian stir fry, once I head to my skillet, it all comes together quickly. Can't guarantee you'll be addicted, but I'll bet you'll soon be making it as often as I do.

• Don Mauer welcomes questions, comments and recipe makeover requests. Write to him at don@ theleanwizard.com.

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Don Mauer's Asian Hot Slaw

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium onion, peeled and minced (or 1 tablespoon onion powder)

6 medium garlic cloves, minced (or 1 tablespoon garlic powder)

1 pound 84% lean ground pork (organic preferred)

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon hot sauce (such as Sriracha)

2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

2 tablespoons gluten-free tamari (or soy sauce)

2 packets organic stevia (or any non-artificial sugar substitute)

½ teaspoon sea salt

1½ pounds green cabbage cut into ¾-inch chunks

1 cup julienne or grated carrot

Place a large, well-seasoned iron skillet over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. When hot, add the onion and garlic and sauté until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the ground pork, ground ginger and hot sauce. Cook the pork, breaking it up into small pieces with a spatula's edge, until it loses its pink color. Add and stir in the sesame oil, tamari, stevia, and sea salt. Then add the cabbage, handful by handful, waiting for each addition to start to cook down. Sauté the cabbage until it softens, about 5 minutes. Add and stir in the carrots and cook for 2 minutes more. Cover and remove from the heat. Let sit for 5 minutes. Serve.

Serves 4

Nutrition values per serving: 416 calories (61.8% from fat), 28.6 g fat (7.5 g saturated fat), 17.8 g carbohydrates, 8 g sugars, 5.6 g fiber, 24.5 g protein, 77 mg cholesterol, 890 mg sodium.

SaltSense: Most of the sodium comes from the tamari (soy sauce) and the added salt. Omitting the added salt reduces the sodium per serving to 598 milligrams per serving. Substituting reduced-sodium tamari reduces that even further.

— Don Mauer