cast-ironskillet
I picked up some cast iron cookware from a thrift store. However, there is one piece I am not quite sure what its for. I think its for eggs – or rather a single egg… However, its very shallow compared to the tiny skillets I have seen. Its 5 inches in diameter and .5 inch tall. Is there a specific purpose for it? Its pictured below with a dime to give perspective on height.
Great question - very well put!
Your chef advice is sound. I have been cooking with cast iron skillets for longer than I care to admit (old guy) and at first they can be intimidating but in the end, they become your go to pan especially for searing/cooking hot.
You asked the same question several times, "is the residue safe?" It's as safe as the cooking oil you use to season it and as clean as you were able to get it before storage. A clean oiled cast iron pan in your cupboard is safe. Sometimes, I will wipe the old residue off with a paper towel just before cooking just to get any dusty nasties off of the cooking surface.
Basically, this is how I use my cast iron.
1) Remove from cupboard
2) Take a look - is there any dirt, debris, dust or corrosion. If so, remove. (Corrosion being the most difficult but a little scouring and re-seasoning will do the trick.)
3) Heat pan thoroughly before cooking - again, the heat will kill anything you can't see but don't want to consume.
4) Cook your food.
5) Eat your food (grin).
6) Clean the pan (NO SOAP)
7) Once pan in completely cool, return to cupboard.
Tip - if you were unfortunate enough to leave the braising residue in your pan for a few days and it's a sticky mess, you can try filling it with warm water and putting a couple tablespoons of dish washing crystals (Cascade works best for me) in the pan. These "crystals" contain little enzymes that will "eat" the residue and make cleaning much easier. Don't leave in too long, about an hour or so - repeat if necessary. (Works on other pans too but not recommended for Teflon or non-stick pans.)
Tip 2 - I stack my pans in storage. To prevent metal to metal contact (not good), I put a paper towel between each pan. Be careful that the cast iron is not touching your other pans. Dissimilar metals have a way of talking to each other (causes corrosion on both).
There you have my tried and true method of caring for a cast iron pans. For some reason, I find myself craving some cornbread.
Good Luck!
Gringo Dave
They look like the Dutch "mini pancake" pans... they're used to make poffertjes.
There are nearly identical pans on sale here.
The Wikipedia article talks about them more specifically:
Poffertjes are a traditional Dutch batter treat. Resembling small, fluffy pancakes, they are made with yeast and buckwheat flour. Unlike American pancakes, they have a light, spongy texture. Typically, poffertjes are served with powdered sugar and butter, and sometimes syrup or advocaat.
And an image from a recipe page:
Best Answer
I have seen this kind of skillets in packets with ingredients. Both for brownies and for mini pizza's. Mix the ingredients as per the instructions, put in the little skillet and put in the oven.
It might be a bit big for the 'cook on the table' sets, but it might fit for that.
You can use them for whatever is small enough to fit in and on each kind of heat source that is not going to spill the heat around rather than under them. They do very well in an oven but, being iron, not in a micro wave.
A US based friend told me that around where he lives, this kind of small skillet are used for single eggs, meat patties or two egg omelets.
(I am not sure how widely the 'cook on the table' sets have spread in the world, if they are not known where you are, it is very unlikely to be one. The sets have a heated surface and you cook your food on the table in small pans on that surface, often with a griddle plate as part of the set for grilling meat and other things. I could not find an English name, in Dutch they are known as 'gourmet stel' and the kind of cooking as 'gourmetten' -to gourmet-.)