Table of Contents
You may have heard how enameled cast iron, just like its bare counterpart, shows amazing performance for searing meat, sauté veggies, fried eggs or even roasting and baking. However, Unlike bare cast, the iron enameled version doesn’t require seasoning, exclusively maintaining by hand or the need to avoid acidic ingredients.
Nevertheless, you may wonder about how exactly to use enameled cast iron for different cooking techniques like meat searing, frying eggs or even deep fry. Moreover, may question if you should preheat enameled cookware or not? How much oil do you need to use? Is this type of cookware is as nonstick as e.g. cast iron?
These were the same questions I had some years ago when I started to use enameled cast iron cookware. However, now after some years of using enamel cast iron, I am ready to give you answers about using enamel cast iron for different frying techniques from my daily cooking experience.
Finally, To bring some of the information to this post, I also gathered the official recommendations about frying with enamel cast iron from 5 big brands including Le Creuset, Staub, Tramontina, Lodge and Cuisinart. I summarized some important points from their enamel cast iron manuals and the info I obtained from their customer services.
At the end, throughout the post, I linked to other topics I wrote about the enamelled cast iron including the maintenance, nonstick tips, and comparison of cooking performance with other utensil types based on my experience. This way you can find many potentially useful links in one place.
Upgrade Your Kitchen While experimenting with best practices to cook with enamel cast iron, some tools can be game changers. A good example can be the Enamel Cast iron maintenance kits like the ones top selling on Amazon.
1. Do you need to oil enamelled cast iron?
Nowadays many of us tend to reduce the amount of oil we use in frying. Moreover, some cookware types like nonstick pans give a great advantage in this (apart from many downsides that come with nonstick cookware).
However, the question is, do you need to oil the cookware like enameled cast iron?
As a general rule, enameled cast iron requires a few millilitres of oil for frying purposes. Based on the manufacturer’s recommendations of most enameled cast iron brands it is recommended to cover the cookware bottom surface fully with either oil, butter or a cooking spray.
To bring a more detailed answer, I have collected the exact recommendations on do you need to apply oil with enamel cast iron from 5 widely used Enameled cookware brands including LE Creuset, Staub, Lodge, Trmontina and Cuisinart.
Moreover, each of the statements in the table below will have the reference link to the cookware manuals of each brand
| Brand | Recommendations | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Lodge | We do not recommend preheating an empty piece of enameled cast iron on the stovetop as it could damage the enamel coating. Instead, make sure the cookware has water or oil inside it to distribute heat evenly, and be sure to start with low heat while the vessel is getting warmed up. | Lodge enamel cast iron manual |
| Staub | Never leave an empty pot/pan on the cook top, and never let it boil dry. This can quickly lead to irreversible damage to the base of the pot/pan or personal injury | Staub enamel cast iron manual |
| Tamontina | The enamel surfaces are not suitable for dry cooking. Add a liquid, butter or oil to the bottom of the cookware prior to heating. | Tramontina enamel cast iron manual |
| Le Creuset | With the exception of Grills, the enamel surface is not ideal for dry cooking. Your choice of liquid, oil, fat or butter should completely cover the base before heating begins | Le creuset enamel cast iron manual |
| Cuisinart | The interior enameled surface must be treated and are not suitable for dry cooking: select either oil, butter or a cooking spray to use and completely cover the pans inside base before heating begins. | Cuisinart enamel cast iron manual |
Lodge official enamel cast iron manual
Staub official enamel cast iron manual
Tramontina official enamel cast iron manual
Le creuset official enamel cast iron manual
Cuisinart cookware official manual
From my personal experience cooking with a few milliliters of oil makes a difference, compared to the empty utensil. In upcoming subheadings about searing meat or frying effs I will share the exact amount of oils I use: Moreover I will show you some experiments with frying eggs with different amounts of oil, so you can see how the oil quantities can affect the frying epformance.
Finally, I would add up that I see one exception from frying with oil/fat. It is the case when I sear the meat that has great inner fat content(e.g. chicken thighs or pork shoulder steak).
In these cases, I do not use any additional oil, and I start cooking by putting the food in the cold pan and start heating it slowly(e.g. 2 out of 6 on the stove). This gives space for food to release its fat, which serves as fat for frying.
To achieve great frying performance the good practices of adding external/oil or fat can be important. However, one thing that is really crucial for frying with enamel cast iron is to use a good heat setup with it.
So let’s jump to a few common questions around this topic in the next few chapters. Moreover, jump directly to chapter: “4.Can you preheat enamel cast iron” to find step by step guide on how I fry with Enamel cast iron(From preheating through adding the oil and temperature adjustments
2. Is enameled cast iron good with high heat?
Many recipes and techniques require high temperatures. To do great meat sear, veggies sauté or roast the whole chicken, high heat is an important part of the success.
However, when it comes to enamel cast iron there is always the question of how delicate enamel is to be used at high temperatures, does it gets damaged, or do cookware coloration starts to fade.
In this chapter, I will share with you some of my personal experiences with how high-heat setups I use with my enameled cookware on both stovetops and in the oven. Moreover, I will underline the recommendations of some widely used enameled cast iron brands.
Nevertheless, let’s start with a short answer to the question Is enameled cast iron good with high heat?
Enameled cast iron is good for cooking techniques where high temperatures are required. However, to reach these high temperatures, it is not recommended to heat the cookware fast, but to use the gradual heating up through a low to middle stovetop heating setup. The same gradual heating up is recommended for the ovens.
To demonstrate how hot the enamel can get when using low-heat setups let me give you an example. After preheating my Le Creuset enamel cast iron on an electric stovetop setup 3 out of 6 for just 8 min, I can get 200 C/392F.
So it only takes several minutes to heat your cookware to temperatures used for high-heat cooking techniques such as searing or sauté.
If I would use the heat set up 5 or 6 out of 6 for the mentioned amount of time I will probably reach around 300+C. (I did the experiments with bare cast iron skillets I have). This is something you don’t want to do.
Such a temperature will burn your food almost immediately after it touches the cookware so I would not recommend that.
For frying purposes, I commonly use a stove setup of 3-4 out of 6 (or sometimes lower). Below you will see some of the pictures of the Le Creuset enamel cast iron pan I have used for more than half a year. The idea of these pictures is to demonstrate that such practices haven’t led to any coating damages or discolorations.
Finally, I would like to mention one exceptional case when you would desire to use high stovetop setups with enamel cast iron. This happens when your dish is full of liquid and high heat can be used to accelerate reaching the boiling point and increase the evaporation during cooking. I commonly use this for reducing the liquid in the sauces I make.
Finally, enamel cast iron manufacturers will give similar advice. In the Le Creuset official Enamel cast iron manual they say:
High heat temperatures should only be used for boiling water for vegetables or pasta, or for reducing the consistency of stocks or sauces. High heat should never be used to preheat a pan before lowering the heat for cooking. Cast iron retains heat so efficiently that overheating will cause food to burn or stick
Now let’s answer the same question of whether should you use high heat with enamel cast iron, just in the context of the oven.
2.1 Using high heat with enamel cast iron in the oven
When it comes to oven use each enamel cast iron piece has its maximal oven temperature recommendation.
As an example For the le Creuset cookware that I use, this recommendation is set to 260C/500F(In the first next table you will come to I gathered the temperature limitations provided by several enamel cast iron brands).
However, you may ask if the prolonged exposure of cookware around the maximal recommended temperatures will make a difference.
From my experience, the answer is no. For instance, I frequently expose mentioned Le Creuset cookware to temperatures of 250C/482F. E.g. I make cornbread once a week, and I frequently bake casseroles. Moreover, I haven’t noticed any damages or discolorations till now.(The pictures provided in the previous subchapter about using high heat with enameled cast iron cookware on the stovetop)
However, If I want to reach high temperatures (More than 200C/392F) I usually put the cookware in a cold oven and preheat it to 150C/302F for 5-10min after which I switch to the final temperature(e.g. 200 or 250C/ 392 or 482F).
Finally, as mentioned, each cookware brand has different recommendations for its cast enamel cookware. Moreover, In the following chapter, I share recommended temperature limitations from 5 biggest enamel cast iron producers and references for each.
3. What happens if you overheat enameled cast iron?
As a general rule, overheating the enamel cast iron leads to potential enamel chipping and discoloration. Different brands have their recommendation regarding the maximal temperatures used and these indices should be followed.
As stated by one of the big enamel cookware manufacturers Tramontina after I asked this question to their customer service:
High heat can permanently discolour and damage the cookware and void the warranty
In the table below I gathered the heat limitation recommendations from the 5 biggest Enamel cast iron Brands and the references.
| Brand | Recommendations | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Lodge | Our enamelled cast iron cookware can be used on all kitchen stovetops, and it's oven safe to 500 degrees F. | Lodge enamel cast iron manual |
| Staub | Oven safe up to 900°F / 482°C without lid (Not for a product with a wood handle). Lids are oven safe up to 500°F/ 260°C | Staub enamel cast iron manual |
| Tamontina | The cookware is oven-safe at temperatures up to 450°F (232°C). | Tramontina enamel cast iron manual |
| Le Creuset | Products with integral cast iron handles or stainless steel knobs are safe for use in a conventional oven up to 260°C. The black phenolic lid knobs on our Signature range of enamelled cast iron are heat-resistant to 480°F / 250°C. The black phenolic lid knobs on our Classic range of enamelled cast iron are heat-resistant to 390°F / 200°C. Pans with wooden handles or knobs must not be placed in the oven. | Le creuset enamel cast iron manual |
Find the links to Manufacturer enamel cast iron manuals here
It happened to me a few times that I overheated my enamel cast iron skillets, but I haven’t observed any damage after this. I commonly use an IC thermometer to measure the cookware(like this one on Amazon) and I observed that I heated up unintentionally the enameled skillet to 300-330C/572-626F.
. Usually, in these cases, I would have left them on the wooden board for a few minutes before adding oil and starting to fry.
However, even I haven’t seen problems with my cookware, I believe that preheated preheating will make damage like the recommendations say. Moreover, the resistance of enameled cookware may depend from brand to brand. In my upcoming article here, you will be able to find my impressions about the Le Creuset enameled cookware and the results of testing I performed with it.
4. Can you Preheat enamelled cast iron?
Preheating metal cookware like carbon steel or cast iron is common practice. However, the common question appears when it comes to enamel cast iron. Can it be Preheated and what is the best way to do it?
As a general rule, enamel cast iron can be preheated for up to several minutes on low or medium heat before adding food. On the opposite, preheating the enamel cookware empty on high heating setups can lead to enamel damage and chipping, as it is stated by most manufacturers.
In the following text, I will share the manufacturer’s recommendations regarding preheating, which I will follow with my personal experiences with enamel cast iron preheating. Finally, I will provide you step by step guide on how I fry with Enamel cast iron(From preheating through adding the oil and temperature adjusting)
Manufacturer recommendations
| Brand | Recommendations | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Lodge | We do not recommend preheating an empty piece of enamelled cast iron on the stovetop as it could damage the enamel coating. Instead, make sure the cookware has water or oil inside it to distribute heat evenly and be sure to start with low heat while the vessel is getting warmed up. It is perfectly safe to preheat empty enamelled cast iron in the oven since the heat will be more consistently distributed across the entire cooking vessel. | Lodge enamel cast iron manual |
| Staub | We recommend pre-heating at a low temperature and then heating up gradually to your ideal cooking temperature | Staub enamel cast iron manual |
| Tamontina | You can preheat your dutch oven as long as there is oil in it. If there is no oil it can burn the bottom of your dutch oven and when there is dry cooking this can discolour your pot as well. | Direct communication with Tamontina customer service |
| Le Creuset | When using Le Creuset enamelled cast iron, the pan needs to preheat on medium heat for about 5 minutes before adding your food. Just be sure not to leave the pan unattended during preheating, and we don't recommend preheating an empty pot or pan for longer than 5 minutes because it could crack the enamel | Le creuset enamel cast iron manual |
Find the links to Manufacturer enamel cast iron manuals below the first table in the post.
As you can see from the manufacturer’s recommendations, most of the brands recommend preheating the enamel cast iron on a low or medium stovetop setup for several minutes. However, most of them do not recommend preheating the empty pan but instead adding a bit of oil.
I have used several brands of enamel cast iron during the last few years(currently I use Le Creuset in most cases). However, I practice preheating the cookware empty, and then ad dan oil for frying purposes.
The reason I do that is that Oil Is losing its nutritious value when heating up in an empty pan, about which I was writing more in detail In My post about using vegetable oil for frying with stainless steel. In that post, provided the example of frying with olive oil and a summary of scientific studies on olive oil’s nutritional value loss due to high heat.
In the following lines, you will find the exact steps on how I preheat the enamel cast iron skillets when I use them for searing meat, and tofu, sauteing veggies or frying eggs.
Moreover, I use these practices for years in the past and never had the problems of chipping or damaging enamel in any of my enamel cast iron cookware(both in cases of black mantle enamel cookware or one with light color enamel surfaces)
The step-by-step process for frying with enamel cast iron
1. Preheeating-I preheated enamel cast iron cookware on middle or middle high heat(4 out of 6) for 5-7min when it reaches around 160-200C(320-392) degrees on an electric or glass stovetop(I commonly measure the temperature of cookware with IC thermometer and mentioned temperature would be an average that I obtain with mentioned setup and preheating time)
2. Adding oil– After preheating, I add a bit of oil (olive or sunflower) and the food right after. I found that applying 5-6g of vegetable oil on a 10-inch skillet is perfect to get great nonstick performance (fry/sear meat, veggies, tofu, mushrooms etc.). For 12-inch pans, I usually use 7-9g of oils. Finally, having food prepared for adding right after the oil is essential, otherwise, oil starts to some and burn(polymerize) quickly.
3. Adjusting the temperature– Finally, after adding food, I differentiate 3 scenarios
-Frying the meat cuts or tofy- In this case, I keep the stovetops temperature set up on 3 or 4 out of 6 for 5-10min if I prepare food without moving it(e.g. larger cuts of the meat) after which I flip the food.
-Sauté veggies or mushrooms– I increase the heating setup to 4 o 5 of 6. This doesn’t cause the burning since during the sauté food is moved constantly, and it is usually cooked for a short amount of time. Additionally, for this, I prefer high smoking point oils like sunflower one
–Making eggs-After initially preheating the cookware on 3-4 out of 6 I reduce the stovetop heating setup to 2-3 out of 6. Regardless of the way I prepare eggs(scrambled or sunny side up), they are delicate and can get burned easily so reducing the temperature can be a good practice.
*If I add a liquid to a food so the whole bottom of the cookware is covered with the liquid I sometimes turn the stove heating setup to 6 out of 6 if I want to evaporate the water in a fast manner.
*In my upcoming Article about How to keep enamel cast iron nonstick find some extra tips on how to keep different dishes(both from oven or stovetop) out of sticking to enamel
5. What can you cook in enameled cast iron?
Enamel cast iron is great for most frying techniques including searing different types of meat, sauté non-starchy veggies, shallow fry eggs or deep fry most of the ingredients. Additionally, because it is compatible with a high-temperature range in the oven it can be used for roasting or baking and it is ideal for dishes that start on the stove and finishes in the oven.
From my personal experiences, I would say that enamel cast iron is one of the most universal cookware you can use in terms of dishes and cooking techniques to which it can be applied.
Here are some of the pictures from my daily cooking routines with enamel cast iron
Making pasta and risottos
Making the dishes that start on the stovetop and finish in the oven.
The crisp mushrooms/veggies prepared in enamel or meat sear flavour are something amazing. Moreover, the inertness of enamel allows preparing many sauces regardless if they are acidic or not (without the issue of mental leaking )
If there is one technique that I enjoy with enamel cast iron, it is braising.
Such a technique requires a good sear of meat at the beginning followed by adding water and a long cooking process, Such long exposure to the water would be hardly possible with bare cast iron or carbon steel which are prone to rust.
Even these are just some of the examples of food I love to cook with enamel cast iron in the following chapters you will find about my experience of making enamel cast iron eggs or baking pizza.
Finally, in the last chapter, I will bring some dishes that I won’t recommend preparing in enamel cast iron.
6. Can you deep fry in an enamel cast iron?
Enamel cast iron can be used for deep fry if pot shape utensils are used. In addition, it is important to fulfil the cookware, not more than 1/3 of the depth with frying oil, and have the appropriate lid to prevent oil from flaming in case it happens.
One of the key elements is to choose utensils that are big enough. If the utensil can hold a volume of oil sufficient for what you are frying when it is fulfilled to one-third of height, then you have the right utensil,. Enamel cast iron Dutch ovens of 6-7Qt are usually enough.
Finally, regardless of the utensil you use, it is important to choose the right oil. Canola, peanut or grapeseed oils are popular options for this.
Finally, as it is recommended by some of the enamel cast iron manufacturers it is great to have a thermometer used for deep fry to keep the temperature at the desired level.
Bellow, you will be able to some of the recommendations for deep fry in Enamel cast iron by Le Creuset, one of the biggest enamel cast iron producers in the world:
For deep frying, the maximum oil level must not exceed 1/3 full. This depth allows sufficient height above the oil for it to rise once foods are added. An oil frying thermometer should be used for safety, and a lid should be readily available in case of overheating or flaring
7. How do you cook an egg in enameled cast iron?
Cooking eggs in enamel cast iron requires a few minutes of preheating at the middle stovetop heating setup, followed by adding several millilitres of oil and frying eggs for 3-4min. Additionally, to reduce the chance of sticking it is useful to leave the cast iron for 5-10min to cool down before taking the eggs out.
From my personal experience with enamel cat iron skillets and electric/ceramic stovetops, 5-7min of preheating is a sweet spot, followed by several minutes of frying(3-4min) on reduced heat(2-3 out of 6)
It will be important to mention that the heating-up performance can vary based on the stovetop model as well as the cookware piece. However, this preheating timing and stovetop heating setup can be a good poit to start.
Finally, I find adding several millilitres of oil a crucial factor for avoiding problems with egg ticking. For most of the food including eggs, I use around 5-7g of oil for 10-inch pans or 8-10ml for 12-inch ones.
Finally to justify the amounts of the oil I use and its contribution to non-sticking of the food I have performed an experiment. I cooked sunny-side-up eggs with several different oil amounts and observed the extent of the eggs sticking.
Apart from varying the amount of oil in each experiment, all other conditions were the same.
I have used Le Creuset 10inch enamel cast iron skillet(you will find my in-depth revive about it soon here) preheated to 200C/392F (after around 6min of preheating on an electric stove hating setup 4 out of 6). As a next step, I added the oil and eggs right after(eggs have been kept at room temperature before frying). Finally, I would fry the eggs for 3 minutes on slightly reduced heat(3 out of 6)
After frying, I would remove the skillet to a wooden bar and remove the eggs from the pan in less than a minute from moving the skillet(I was using a wooden spatula).
The pictures below demonstrate results(sticking about the amount of oil used)
Finally, In my upcoming post, I will share additional tips on how to make your enamelled cast iron nonstick in context of different cooking methods and dishes(from frying to baking and roasting)
8. Can you sear in enameled cast iron?
Enamel cast iron is one of the best-performing utensils for searing different types of meat. It has high heat storage capacity and it releases it rapidly in contact with food. This allows intensive browning reactions which bring great meat seating results.
When I do meat searing I follow the exact heating setup and timing explained in my enamel step-by-step guide from the end of subheading 4.
Many people love to use bare cast iron for meat sear, however, when it is not enameled the cast iron required seasoning and a more complicated maintenance process. This is one of the reasons I prefer to use Enamel cast iron for food searing in most of the recipes.
I apply it for searing everything from chicken breast and tofu to different types of steaks. Moreover, I love to do braises in enamel cast iron cookware, since thy also start with meat searing followed by adding water or broth and a long cooking process. (Bare cast iron is not the ideal choice for braises because it is prone for rust)
Finally, To demonstrate the great capacity of cast iron in general (both enamelled and non-enamelled) to sear(brown) meat I would compare it to full-clad stainless steel, which is also commonly used for this process.
In the picture below you will find the comparison images of the meat cut fried in fully clad stainless steel(Misen 12-inch skillet) and enamel cast iron(Le Creuset 10-inch skillet). To demonstrate this comparison I seared meat cuts of the same weight, shape, number and position in the pan. Moreover, I followed the same heating setup and timing in both pans. This was the procedure:
1.I preheated the pans till 200C(Measured by the Infrared thermometer)
2.I added the same amount of sunflower oil relative to the size of the pan bottom. It was 6g of oil for 10inc Le Creuset and 8g for a 12-inch Misen pan.
3. I added the meat straight from the fridge(temperature 6C) and fry it for 5min on one side and 6min on another (for both pans I have been using an electric stove on heat setup 4 out of 6 during both preheating and frying process)
As It was demonstrated, the Enamel cast iron gave a much better sear when the same frying conditions were applied. One of the reasons is mentioned the ability of cast iron to collect more heat(compared to thinner pans like full-clad stainless steel) and release it rapidly in contact with food.
Finally, In my upcoming article about the comparison of SS and Enamel , you will be able to see an in-depth comparison of the two cookware types in the context of performance, maintenance and more.
9. Can I cook pizza in enameled cast iron?
You may hear that Pizza from Cast iron is especially delicious because of its golden crust. However, the question is if the same applies to enamelled cast iron.
From my experience, bare cast iron gives a bit better crust compared to enameled version. However, Enamel cast iron is still a great option for baking this famous Italian dish and still gives better results compared to the baking sheet.
Moreover, I have performed an experiment where I made two pizzas from exactly the same ingredients and their amounts. In addition, I was using exactly the same baking procedure including timing and temperature. The only difference was that the pizza on a baking sheet was baked first and the skillet pizza just after.
Finally, even If I could not capture any significant differences with the camera, the skillet-baked pizza had a better, more crispy crust. At least this was my impression(but don’t hesitate to try experimenting by yourself, it is quite interesting to do such comparisons :).
Bellow find the simple steps I use to make skillet pizza(Regardless of the enamel cast iron skillet brand you have)
Procedure
- When I make pizza in an enamel cast iron I usually oil a skillet with a few millilitres of oil(I love olive oil for this) and I add the dough.
- . As a next step, I start adding the ingredients to the dough that is inside the skillet.
- Finally, I put the skilled in the cold oven, and start heating it at 150C/302F for 5min.(I avoid putting the enameled cookware in preheated oven to avoid damage) Right after I increase the temperature to 250C/482F and 15-20 min after that point pizza is usually ready(The crust starts to get golden brown color)
Finally, the great thing about enamel cast iron(And cast iron in general) is that it keeps dishes hot for some time after cooking. It does not keep the temperature for an hour as you may hear, but rather up to a half hour or hour (Depending on the dish you make)
In the experiment, I did by comparing pizza from an enamel cast iron skillet and the baking sheet I was also measuring the speed of cooling down the pizza in both cases using an Infrared thermometer.
I observed that around half-hour after moving the pizza with an enamel cast iron skillet from the 250C/482F oven to a wooden board(no room temperature around 22C/72F) the surface of the pizza was at 40C/104F(still quite warm). For the pizza, I moved from a baking sheet to a wooden board(Just the pizza without a baking sheet) the temperature dropped to 40C/104F at around 6min.
9. What Cannot be cooked in enamelled cast iron?
Even the enamel cast iron is quite universal, there are some dishes for which I would not choose it as a cookware of choice.
In general, enameled cast iron is heavy and it is not easy to use for cooking techniques that require moving the pan around a lot. Examples can be tossing the food when sauteing veggies or flipping the food in the air like in the case of pancakes(crepes). These are the cases when I avoid these utensils.
However, In practice, it is possible to sauté the veggies in an enamel cast iron where you would constantly move the pieces of food with a spatula instead of tossing them. Additionally, when it comes to pancakes(crepes) it is always possible to turn them with a spatula and hands instead of flipping them in the air.
It is just my personal preference not to use the enamel cast iron in these cases but to go to some lighter cookie options like full-clad cookware.
As a bottom line, I would say that enamel cast iron is one of the most universal cookware pieces in the kitchen and that It Is an excellent choice for many dishes. Bellow, there are a few more pictures for different techniques where I use enamel in my daily cooking
