You can find cast iron pans and pots almost in every kitchen which are older than a decade. People use them for generations because cast iron has a higher life span. As a matter of fact, they are not easy to destroy. They can hold heat for longer than any other material and that’s why you can keep your food warm with these pans for a couple of hours. Now that we agree on how invincible a cast iron pan or pot is, the question arises if this is oven-safe? By logic, such a tough material must tolerate high heat fluctuations but let’s discuss in detail with facts.
Can you put your cast iron pan and pot in the oven?
Yes, absolutely you can put cast iron pots and pans inside the oven. Cast iron pans and pots are perfectly safe for any cooking appliance be it a gas stove or microwave oven. Your cast-iron skillet is always suitable for everything, you just need to take care of the seasoning part. Make sure you keep your cast iron pans and pots well seasoned with some oil or fat every time you are using them. Without seasoning, you run the risk of ruining the pot inside the oven. So even if they are oven-proof, I will not use them without seasoning inside the oven.
How long can a cast-iron skillet go in the oven?
As you know your cast iron skillet has the ability to function at very high heat as well and therefore when it comes to a question that for how long you can put your cast iron skillet in the oven? you need to consider few things. First, what is the temperature of your oven and are there any intervals or not in your recipe. Secondly what mode you are using. Besides everything on average, you can put your cast iron skillet for one or two hours in the oven.
Can you put a cast iron pan with a wooden handle in the oven?
Any pan with a wooden handle is not safe for the oven. Even though your pan is made from cast iron material you should not put it in the oven if the handles are of wooden material. Wood in the oven will not catch fire directly but slowly it can release some smoke and dangerous gas which can harm your oven and the food as well. Wood is a very sensitive material with higher temperatures as you know it can easily attract fire so you must avoid wood in the oven.
Can you put enamel cast iron in the oven?
Enamel cast iron pans or pots are nothing but just cast iron pan or pots that have a vitreous enamel layer on the surface. They are easy to clean and easy to manage and they are oven-safe as well. The enamel layer has no harmful effect or reaction in the oven. You just need to be a little more careful than normal cast iron pans and pots.
You need to check the suitable temperature and handles description from the manufacturer’s side on the packaging. Never put an empty enamel cast iron in the oven always put it with some oil on the surface or food. And lastly never let your pan go through extreme temperature changes frequently as it can cause major damage to your enamel cast iron pans and pots.
