Your First Iron Frying Pan: How Do You Use It?

There are countless frying pans out there, each designed for ease of use.
Among them, the iron frying pan is one product that has been cherished from long ago right up to today.
A frying pan applies heat to ingredients to bring out their best flavor.
Being made of iron only enhances that deliciousness even further.

Just as there was once an age known as the Iron Age,
iron has long been known as one of the materials indispensable to daily life.
It may bring to mind images of something heavy, prone to rust, and black and cold…
but in fact, changing its shape and color, iron products can be found in many aspects of modern life.
Iron frying pans, too, have played their part as a simple, humble cooking tool.

■The Heat of a Frying Pan

Compared to aluminum pans, iron frying pans take longer for heat to spread through them,
but on the other hand, they have a characteristic of retaining heat well, allowing you to sear food quickly even over low heat,
and to cook food thoroughly all the way through.

When you want to bring out the flavor of thick cuts of meat or fish that take longer to cook through,
when you want to cook something like fried eggs or pancakes with a crisp surface
and a soft, fluffy interior,
or when you want to bring the pan straight to the table still piping hot,
an iron frying pan is perfectly suited to these kinds of situations.

In its unused state, an iron frying pan
has almost always been coated with a rust-preventive finish.
When this coating is applied, the surface often has a glossy sheen,
and depending on the product, it may appear silver in color.
As you use the pan over heat, it gradually darkens to black—
this is a characteristic of iron frying pans.
The photo above shows a pan that has been used for a full year.
It has taken on a matte texture compared to its original state,
developing the substantial, weighty feel unique to iron.
Through repeated seasoning over the flame,
the pan gradually becomes less prone to sticking.

Incidentally, among the frying pans handled by ZUTTO,
there are steel pans in addition to iron ones.
Steel refers to an alloy of iron containing other elements such as carbon and silicon.
The carbon content affects the strength of the material,
but in general, steel is durable and, like iron, is prone to rusting as well.

■What Kinds of Dishes Can You Cook?

One of the great things about an iron frying pan is that it isn't picky about what you cook in it.
This is because iron frying pans can withstand high heat.
Subjecting frying pans made of other materials to high heat
can cause deterioration or make food stick to the surface.

Iron frying pans, with their high durability, can handle high heat with confidence.
Besides high-heat stir-fries like fried rice,
a deeper pan can also be used for deep-frying with plenty of oil.
Taking advantage of their excellent heat retention, they're also ideal for steaming gyoza to a fluffy finish.

■About Seasoning

Frying pans from turk and de Buyer have a rust-preventive
oil coating applied to their surface.
Before using the pan for the first time, you first need to remove this coating,
then season it to help oil take to the surface better
and make the pan less prone to sticking.

▽Steps for Seasoning

*While heating the frying pan, please do not leave it unattended.
If the handle is also made of iron, it will become extremely hot, so please use a cloth or mitt when handling the pan.

*The seasoning method may differ depending on the type of frying pan.
Please read the product's instruction manual carefully before use.

■Cleaning and Storage

After cooking, wash the pan right away using a scrub brush or sponge.
For stubborn grime, pour in hot water, let it sit for a while, then scrub it off with a brush.
Afterward, wipe away the moisture and heat the pan briefly on the stove with no ingredients in it;
once all the moisture has fully evaporated, rub cooking oil into both the inside and outside of the pan.

To prevent rust and corrosion, choose a well-ventilated place for storage.
Wrapping the pan in newspaper is also a good idea.
If you're using the pan again after a long period of time, pour in hot water to remove the surface oil,
then season it again before cooking.


■About Rust

Since the pan is made of iron, rust is an unavoidable phenomenon.
Especially with items imported from overseas, a good deal of time may have passed since manufacturing,
and rust may already be present even while the pan is still in its unused, packaged state.
Rust can also form if the pan goes unused for a long period of time.

Please rest assured that rust poses no problem for use.
It can also be removed by scrubbing with sandpaper.
If it still bothers you, try frying vegetable scraps in a generous amount of oil—
this will help the rust blend into the surface and become less noticeable.

The frying pan is one of the indispensable tools for cooking.
Caring for it takes a bit of effort, but
once you've used one, you won't be able to give it up—
that's how delicious the food it makes can be.
Why not pick up an iron frying pan and experience for yourself
the charm that no other material can replicate?