Cooking In Enamel Cast Iron

MDFraley

Member
Following Hilditch's rules I decided to scramble a couple eggs for breakfast in my #5 Enamel Cast Iron fry pan. Burner was set to med/high, waited for temp. to rise, added my butter, butter started sizzling, added the eggs and stirred with my wooden spoon, eggs cooked and surprised to me the whole bottom of the pan had stuck eggs. What went wrong? Have never had eggs stick so badly to any piece of cookware I have.
After breakfast I soaked the pan with Dawn and it took almost 5 min. using a soft sponge to remove the baked on eggs. The surface is smooth and shinny and appears to have never been abused......Help.....
 
Glad you had a top on. Way too much heat! Preheat slowly on low and keep it there for eggs. The butter shouldn't even sizzle if you used enough. Med/Hi - Damn! - I ain't taking the credit for that one!!!

Hilditch
 
Enamel wear has been my defeat in rendering the perfect egg. Same with those al clad skillets. Always stick and seem useless compared to cast iron plain.

But after reading your suggestion I went ahead this very morning to conquer my inability. Slow heat, butter, and sticky enamel made me grab my cast iron for my sanity.
 
Squeaky clean and soap residue in an enameled skillet can be a problem. Put a teaspoon of bacon grease or butter in & heat just until it melts. Swirl it around and let it sit & cool for a few minutes. Wipe most of it out, coating the sides. That will prove to be your buffer between the enamel and the food.

Now, put in 2 tsp or more bg or butter and proceed to cook. It is different from seasoned cast iron and takes some practice. If you are doing multiple batches of eggs one after the other you will notice less sticking as you progress. Shake loose as soon as you can and keep those scrambled eggs moving. Food will absorb your buffer layer if it is in contact too long.

Hilditch
 
I have sided with Mark....The enamel skillet went back on the display rack and will most likely stay there. Most articles I have read on enamel pieces were to make the house wife look pretty while cooking.
They may very well work as you say but my patience wears thin when something sticks for no reason. It may be that the surface is crazed but to the naked eye and touch it looks to be very smooth....Lesson No. 11....Stick to what you know how to cook in and don't worry about looking pretty. Ha ha
 
An enameled CI piece is a different tool, like a tin lined copper pan, and they have their own unique qualities and techniques for success. They are not for everyone. Those that have a desire to master the tool, like any tool, will preserver until satisfied. Once I was really lousy with a screwdriver. Along the way I learned and I’m much better now. Same with a cast iron skillet.

BTW MD, you’re right as crazing has no effect on the tool’s performance.

Hilditch
 
Guys, if you are interested in learning how to cook eggs in an enameled skillet, read on. One morning put your skillet in the car and go to the Waffle House. Sit at the counter where you can see what the cook is doing but within talking range. Order coffee and just watch for a cup or two. When he gets a chance to breath tell him you are there to learn how to cook eggs & what you are having a problem with. Ask for advice. This will be the first time in weeks he has heard anything but complaints. Offer to show him the skillet and away you go. You need help and he will try to help you.

Please don’t brag about how good you are with your other skillets as you are there to learn.

Hilditch
 
Thanks Sharon. I’d prefer to think I was planting seeds as most folks don’t love unsolicited advice and even ‘yes,but’ solicited advice.

Hilditch
 
No "yes, buts" from me....As much as I try to do the best in everything I approach this enamel cooking still has my number. Tried a different piece this morning using the techniques you have suggested and ended up with the same result. I purposely used a bit more oil this time and used low heat to cook with this time and did a fried egg vs the scramble egg and spent 10 min. cleaning the cooking surface afterwards.
When "if ever" I may try it again, it certainly will not be in the near future as I have other more important things to do. I have a family reunion to go to in Kentucky end of this month and will ask some of them what their secret is.
Your advice is good and I always try to follow and or vary to cook my favorite things.
Thanks.......
 
I have several ECI dutch ovens of various shapes and sizes. But I'm not really sure why ECI skillets exist. With scrambled eggs or an omelet, you want a higher heat starting out to "set" the eggs, but then you need to be able to lower the heat quickly so you can finish them without overcooking, something the average CI skillet doesn't do well at all. With eggs, "Done in the pan, overdone on the plate." With the possible exception of sunny side up, I don't necessarily see cast iron as the best tool for the purpose with eggs.

The other thing to think about is enamel is non-reactive, but it's not necessarily non-stick. And we don't season it, we scrub it clean every time. I think if you want success with eggs in your ECI skillet, you need to use a generous amount of butter.
 
Thanks Doug/Hilditch.....Still going to hold off on eggs in a ECI for now. Just have one additional question. As you know...I recently posted a thread regarding a BSR 8 sectional cornbread skillet. It has arrived and that was one reason I tried cooking in ECI to start with. I am wondering if I should use my same procedures for making cornbread (pre-heat & temp) or change that procedure because it's ECI?
Thanks in advance.
 
Your ECI 8CBS might have to be treated more like a baking pan and be greased beforehand. Of course, that's not something done to a preheated pan. If you proceed as you normally would with a bare CI version, you'll just have to see if the oil in the batter is enough to get both crispy and a good release.
 
For cornbread in any skillet one should grease it, pre-heat it to almost smoking and then add the batter. There needs to be enough grease for the batter to sizzle when added. Then, do not remove the pan from the oven or heat until you can see a space between the cornbread & the skillet which means the cornbread has been released. If there is not enough grease in the skillet or the batter it may not let go and may stick there for ever and ever.

The higher heat Doug mentioned for eggs is true but remember your skillet will get to about 400° on low given enough time which is too hot to cook eggs. The eggs will calm that down. Another important success idea is to use warm eggs as they set faster. If they are not room temp put them in a bowl of warm water when you turn the stove on to preheat the skillet and they will warm up together.

Hilditch
 
Guys, if you are interested in learning how to cook eggs in an enameled skillet, read on. One morning put your skillet in the car and go to the Waffle House. Sit at the counter where you can see what the cook is doing but within talking range. Order coffee and just watch for a cup or two. When he gets a chance to breath tell him you are there to learn how to cook eggs & what you are having a problem with. Ask for advice. This will be the first time in weeks he has heard anything but complaints. Offer to show him the skillet and away you go. You need help and he will try to help you.

Please don’t brag about how good you are with your other skillets as you are there to learn.

Hilditch

Having lived in SC for nearly 60 years, I've been in more than one or two Waffle Houses. I've never seen a piece of enameled CI in a WH and have never seen a WH cook use a piece of enameled CI for anything. I have seen them use a small CI skillet for making scrambled eggs with cheese, but it wasn't enameled. For "normal" fried eggs (sunny side up, over easy, over medium, etc.), they use an aluminum skillet. Most WH cooks do eggs pretty well, but the truth is some of them suck at it. What I'm saying is, if you're gonna ask a WH cook for advice on cooking eggs, try his eggs first since the coffee always seems to be good.
 
Kevin, I've never seen them use an enameled skillet either. However, a bare aluminum skillet and an enameled surface have very similar cooking characteristics which require the same techniques to avoid sticking. Especially the ones right out of the dishwasher.

I'd like to eat the eggs cooked in my skillet, not his. i recommended watching first for a reason.

Hilditch
 
Kevin, I've never seen them use an enameled skillet either. However, a bare aluminum skillet and an enameled surface have very similar cooking characteristics which require the same techniques to avoid sticking.
Hilditch

That seems like an important bit of information that you didn't mention until now. I have zero experience cooking in enameled cast iron, very limited experience in cooking in enameled steel, and most of the things I cook in aluminum consist of deep fried turkey, steamed/boiled seafood, boiled peanuts, soups, veggies, etc. So what are these similar cooking characteristics? Maybe you could put them in a list? Inquiring minds want to know.
 
To understand the techniques and similarities involved, some experience is essential. First one learns how to get the food to stick to various surfaces (which I have done very well) and then how to keep it from sticking. I decided it would be helpful to hear the second half from a cook at the Waffle House who pulls it off more times in a week than we could in a year. Surface descriptions, heat control, timing, lubrication, food temperature and technique can’t be put in a fits all list.

Hilditch
 
To understand the techniques and similarities involved, some experience is essential. First one learns how to get the food to stick to various surfaces (which I have done very well) and then how to keep it from sticking
Hilditch

I agree with this comment 1000%.. i just stripped cleaned and seasoned a WW Sidney -0- #5 skillet. The first thing i cooked in it was eggs. the middle stuck a little. Knowing that, I used it again this morning for perfect no stick eggs.

Knowing how and when something will stick is very easy to avoid when you have previous practical knowledge.
 
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