A Mess when Cooking

[Mike_M]

Have a question for those cooking with cast iron skillets. How do you keep from making a greasy mess in the kitchen when using a skillet? Last nite, I heated up the skillet with some oil in it. Once warm, I added some butter. As soon as I added the butter, I was getting splatter everywhere, it would hit my arms, floor, everywhere. Actually stung a little when hit with it. I turned heat down and added a piece of salmon to cook but did not help. No matter what I did or how low the heat was, couldn't keep the the splatter at bay. Is there any tricks I am missing?

[Doug D.]

Likely the water content of the butter in the already hot, oiled skillet. If you want to cook in a butter/oil mix, add both to the pan cold. The water in the butter will evaporate as the pan heats up and not turn to steam and burst in the hot oil.

[CJ Lucas]

Use a splatter screen.

[Mike_M]

Originally Posted by Doug D.

Likely the water content of the butter in the already hot, oiled skillet. If you want to cook in a butter/oil mix, add both to the pan cold. The water in the butter will evaporate as the pan heats up and not turn to steam and burst in the hot oil.

Thanks, will give that a try

[EricC]

Assuming we're not preheating in an oven, just on a stovetop, the reason I do not add butter/oil while the pan is still cold is I'm concerned with the timing, that the oil will overheat before the pan is properly heated all the way through. With butter in particular I'd be worried about scorching it.

I think it's fine to preheat your pans, but your problem was you had already heated up the oil before you added the butter. I agree with the advice that you should add them at the same time; that's what I do. I typically drop the butter in then pour over the oil but IDK if the exact order makes a difference as long as it's at the same time.

IIRC Julia Child often cooked with a 50/50 mix of butter and olive oil and that's how she'd do it, but I'm going off of memory so I could be wrong.

Have a good one.

[SeanD]

I try to use a Chicken Fryer when possible. The extra deep skillets limit the mess with hamburgers and the like.