4 ms·

Soap is fine on a cast-iron pan. Despite what people always say about non-stick, I don't find cast-iron and teflon to be really comparable. The reason I'd use

Soap is fine on a cast-iron pan. Despite what people always say about non-stick, I don't find cast-iron and teflon to be really comparable. The reason I'd use cast-iron is because I want steady, even heating, want to develop a fond (which is difficult in teflon), etc. But no matter how good the seasoning I put on cast iron it's always going to suck for eggs unless I use a ton of oil.

js2 5y ago
I have no trouble with fried eggs or an omelet in my cast iron. I use a tiny bit of ghee, but a small pat of butter would work fine too. We also make a Spanish tortilla in our cast iron. That sticks just a little bit at the end.
- zeckalpha 5y ago
  I learned recently that adding a tablespoon of water and covering the egg has helped immensely. The water lifts up the egg, steams under the cover and heats from all sides of the egg quick enough to avoid the egg adhering.
SECProto 5y ago
You don't need a tonne of oil, you need to make sure you don't add the oil until the pan is good and hot. Maybe a tbsp. And if you flip your eggs, you'll have to add a bit more oil before doing so. Other (non-mandatory) egg-in-cast-iron advice: use a stainless steel fish flipper (very thin and flexible). For me, if I want the top a bit more cooked, I do the tbsp water + lid trick to finish it off.
- sleightofmind 5y ago
  When I was a young man, nearly 50 years ago, I worked as a trainee with a cook who did something somewhat similar. He would cook one side of the eggs in a small egg pan, and then slide them onto a large dark leaf of lettuce (romaine?) placed on the grill (a flat smooth affair, not a grate). The egg and the lettuce were then covered with a cheap pie tin -- the type one gets when buying a pie to take home from the restaurant. I suspect the goal was to stop the bottom from over cooking (insulate it) and perhaps generate a bit of steam to help with setting the top of the eggs slightly. The goal was perfect sunny-side up eggs as best I recall. Seems like it would work just as well with all steps done in a cast iron pan?
  - SECProto 5y ago
    Interesting - should certainly work just as well in cast iron! Was the lettuce served with the egg as well, or just discarded? I could see either - as you say, providing just a bit of insulation and moisture to finish cooking the top without overcooking the bottom.
    - sleightofmind 5y ago
      He just discarded it. It wasn't a fancy restaurant, though some of the cooks had fine dining experience.
yumraj 5y ago
Use butter not oil for eggs. It won’t stick.
throaway46546 5y ago
Add butter to pan, let pan heat up, add eggs, turn off flame. Perfect eggs every time and it never sticks.

js2 5y ago

I have no trouble with fried eggs or an omelet in my cast iron. I use a tiny bit of ghee, but a small pat of butter would work fine too. We also make a Spanish tortilla in our cast iron. That sticks just a little bit at the end.

zeckalpha 5y ago
I learned recently that adding a tablespoon of water and covering the egg has helped immensely. The water lifts up the egg, steams under the cover and heats from all sides of the egg quick enough to avoid the egg adhering.

SECProto 5y ago

You don't need a tonne of oil, you need to make sure you don't add the oil until the pan is good and hot. Maybe a tbsp. And if you flip your eggs, you'll have to add a bit more oil before doing so. Other (non-mandatory) egg-in-cast-iron advice: use a stainless steel fish flipper (very thin and flexible). For me, if I want the top a bit more cooked, I do the tbsp water + lid trick to finish it off.

sleightofmind 5y ago
When I was a young man, nearly 50 years ago, I worked as a trainee with a cook who did something somewhat similar. He would cook one side of the eggs in a small egg pan, and then slide them onto a large dark leaf of lettuce (romaine?) placed on the grill (a flat smooth affair, not a grate). The egg and the lettuce were then covered with a cheap pie tin -- the type one gets when buying a pie to take home from the restaurant. I suspect the goal was to stop the bottom from over cooking (insulate it) and perhaps generate a bit of steam to help with setting the top of the eggs slightly. The goal was perfect sunny-side up eggs as best I recall. Seems like it would work just as well with all steps done in a cast iron pan?
- SECProto 5y ago
  Interesting - should certainly work just as well in cast iron! Was the lettuce served with the egg as well, or just discarded? I could see either - as you say, providing just a bit of insulation and moisture to finish cooking the top without overcooking the bottom.
  - sleightofmind 5y ago
    He just discarded it. It wasn't a fancy restaurant, though some of the cooks had fine dining experience.

yumraj 5y ago

Use butter not oil for eggs. It won’t stick.

throaway46546 5y ago

Add butter to pan, let pan heat up, add eggs, turn off flame. Perfect eggs every time and it never sticks.