Cast Iron:

Last night was an especially cold one, here in Chicago. Conveniently I had no where to go, a good friend helping in the kitchen and a sick boy to take care of. All of these things added up to a pot of chili and cornbread for dinner. One problem, I didn't have a cast iron skillet for the cornbread. I know, you're wondering how any serious cook (let alone a Texas girl) can live without a cast iron skillet. To be honest, I was hopelessly holding out to be gifted a well loved (and subsequently well seasoned) skillet as a hand-me-down from a certain family member.
Well, it turns out, my loving Auntie isn't willing to part with her precious collection of skillets any time soon, and so after years of waiting, I finally went out and purchased my first cast iron skillet. It needed to be done, a fact that I finally came to grips with when I heart brokenly removed my corn bread from the oven last night to find that it lacked the essential hard, golden crust that is characteristic of a well-made cornbread.

So now I am faced with the exciting task of seasoning my first skillet! (Please don't take the italics and exclamation point as sarcasm, this really is a big moment in my life.) Below is the ten step process of seasoning a new cast iron skillet:

1. Acquire some lard, or rendered bacon fat.
2. Wash your skillet using a soft surfaced material (i.e. wash cloth or paper towel, keep all scour pads and sponges away), hot water and a mild detergent. You need to only do this to a new skillet, to remove any anti rust coating that the company may have applied.
3. Dry the skillet by placing it on your cooking surface over medium heat, once dry, turn off heat and cool.
4. Preheat oven to 200 degrees F.
5. Once the pan has been cooled, scoop a disgustingly large amount of lard or bacon fat into the pan and use a paper towel to distribute the fat all over the inside, on the handle and around the outside of the pan (down to the edge). Basically, every inch should be covered, save for the bottom, if you grease that too then the fat will burn once it's placed in the oven on the rack.
6. Once the pan is coated, liberally, place it into the 200 degree oven and leave it there for three hours. As the pan heats, the pores in the cast iron will open up and the liquified fat to seep in.
7. At three hours, turn the oven off and allow the skillet to cool.
8. Once it's cooled, wipe most of the lard away with a paper towel, leaving just a thin layer.
9. One hour later, wipe it once more.
10. Allow one more hour for the pan to sit and then the pan is seasoned, ready to be used.

A well seasoned pan should never be put into a dishwasher and should only ever be cleaned with a mild soap and hot water, if that. A quick wipe with a paper towel after use will usually suffice. Try to cook something really fatty or greasy every few cooking sessions, it will help keep it seasoned. And repeat the seasoning process every two years or so to keep your skillet in tip-top shape.

As for your first recipe to make in your new baby, I suggest this delicious Custard Topped Quinoa and Corn Skillet Bread from Heidy Swanson at 101 Cookbooks. It's the perfectly paired with most any Southern inspired dish, my favorite is to top it with Shredded BBQ Beef and serve it with a glass of Sweet Tea. And as an added benefit, you can even count on your new cast iron skillet to help get those blood iron levels up to a healthy level.

(Note: As far as chili and cornbread goes, check out this fabulous lunch idea from The Kitchn. How darling!)