Nessun Dorma

Cast Iron Cookery & Opera 101

Greetings Fren,

It seems that Italy 🇮🇹 won a big soccer tournament over the weekend, and being that Italy is considered (by most) to be the heart of Opera it made sense to do an intro.

But first…

Over the past few weeks it’s become evident that The Jungle has a thriving community of cast iron cooking enthusiasts with lots of specific questions.

Octopod posted a brief thread on basic care and seasoning to get information out quickly to the Denizen community but it was clear questions still remained. This deeper dive should provide more context and help with your cast iron and why

Why Cast Iron?

If I posed this question I would expect a plethora of answers, including some myths. Cutting through all of that, reasons that Cast Iron is a great choice for cooking is that it is tough, resilient, can be relatively non-stick, has high heat capacity, and emissivity.

TLDR: High Heat Capacity = Once it’s hot, it stays hot. Emissivity = radiates a lot of heat from surface during cooking.

Notice I didn’t mention “even heat”, because cast iron is a poor heat conductor which results in hot spots. This is why you should heat your cast iron for at least 10 minutes and rotate it every now and then (no need for obsessive rotating).

Polymerization:

This is the turbo detour we need to briefly discuss. This reaction is why cast iron seasoning can make a relatively non stick surface.

Polymerization occurs when a thin film of oil/fat is applied to the cast iron pan and then heated. The fats then change structure (chemically) and “dry” into a thin and “plastic like” structure that sticks to the cast iron and creates a coating that is brittle and relatively nonstick. To complete the process, the temperature should be brought to above the smoking point of the oil being used resulting in a carbon matrix being formed.

Seasoning:

When you first get a cast iron pan, you want season it. Even if it is labelled “pre-seasoned”.

Seasoning refers to adding layers of fat to make a protective and (largely) nonstick surface for cooking. Remember, bare iron is reactive and rusts easily, so this is why we want to season thoroughly. 

1. To begin seasoning, rinse your cast iron pan thoroughly in warm water. You can also use a mild soap solution at this stage (the Soap Myth will be addressed in the Sub)

2. After your preliminary washing, dry with a towel and then set over medium heat for a few minutes to ensure the pan is completely dry. (Iron is porous, we don’t want no rust!)

3. When the pan is cool enough to handle, wipe the interior and exterior with oil; I use a paper towel to apply. (I don’t use seed oils so for this I suggest peanut or avocado oil; high smoke point and low viscosity). 

4. Invert the pan and place in a 450F oven, and allow to bake for 20-30mins. I recommend putting a baking sheet on the rack underneath to catch any drips. 

5. Remove from oven and allow to cool, until just warm enough to handle. Repeat the process 3 times and you should be on your way to having a great seasoned layer of cast iron to begin cooking with! 

Note: You can do this on the stove, but the oven method allows you to walk away and work on other things. 

Once you have this primary layering established the maintenance and upkeep is pretty basic. 

Most importantly: Do Not Allow Your Cast Iron to soak in water or remain wet. Drying over heat is optimal (as described above).

Uses: 

Searing, Braising, Roasting, Baking, Pan-fry… there’s very few things that cast iron pans aren’t great for. More importantly, the caveat is that I rarely use high acid ingredients in cast iron, as it can cause a metallic taste from the reaction between the cast iron and (for example) tomatoes.

Now, if your pan is perfectly seasoned and your pan is perfectly free from defects, then in theory your seasoning would be an adequate layer of protection to prevent the undesired reaction… but seldom is perfection attained. Hence, my preferred rule of thumb.

Old vs New:

If you go down the rabbit hole much, you’ll find a large debate between cast iron cultists extolling the virtues of antique cast iron and those who say that the new cast iron pans are no different and are “the same”.

So what gives?

Well, as is usually the case… the truth lay somewhere in the middle.

Back in the day, the iron casting process was done differently. This was changed in the 1950’s due to industrialization and efficiency, which also eliminated the final polishing process, which resulted in that smoother finish you notice on antique pieces. So while the iron used 100 years ago, is the same as it is today, the process did change which had some slight effects.

Fake vs Original:

Will not go into the weeds here, but if you get the itch to hunt down some legit antique cast iron, be aware that there are a fair number of fakers pushing product on ebay/craigslist and to a lesser extent antique shops.

Subtle differences on symbol placement, branded number variation, etc all can be differentiators between a legit piece of history and a newer pan that someone roughed up and put an etching on.

DYOR, Google is your best friend… and you’ll be good to go.

Octopod Rec’s:

There are a ton of brand options and taking my extensive usage in cast iron cooking, here is a list of recs depending on budget.

Lodge: Solid quality, affordable. Great “starter” cast iron that will last forever if you take care of it

Butter Pat Industries: If you want a premium/artisan experience, definitely checkout what the guys at Butter Pat are doing. Hand cast, cast iron pans with the old school smooth finish… they are straight “luxe”. I own a few and love them. Highly recommend. They run some sales around the holidays if you want to put on a wish list. And they’re aesthetic AF.

Enameled: 

This is another subsection of Cast Iron. The iron is treated with an enamel coating (glaze) which makes the cast iron rust proof and virtually “no-maintenance”.

There are a ton of options to choose from (Amazon, Culinary Supply Stores, etc) and after using a number of different brands, the predictable answer is “you get what you pay for”.

In this case your go-to options are Le Creuset & Staub.

Lower price point brands (like a certain red headed chef famous for Italian cookery), are truly awful and scorch like a mo-fo. Avoid and save for a quality enameled pan/pot.

This should be a solid foundation to reference for your cast iron cooking needs

Nessun Dorma: Opera Intro

“Nessun Dorma” is the famous aria (solo) from the opera “Turandot” composed by Puccini. Meaning “let no one sleep”, Luciano Pavarotti became so synonymous in the lead part (Calif) that he sang this many times for the Italian national team, and I believe at the Italian hosted World Cup, which brought this to mind given the soccer events over the past weekend.

I got into Opera “later” in life. I grew up in a musical home that appreciated The Arts, but Opera was not in the rotation.

So why should you consider a forray into the world of Opera?

I believe that True Art is timeless and relevant, irrespective of cultural shifts and trends… which positions Opera uniquely. When you experience Opera you can expect to encounter Love, Betrayal, Passion & Death.

In addition, Opera is a unique form of Art. It is seen, heard and felt. For me, Opera is therapeutic. Some of the most beautiful music ever written has been operatic: notable composers like Wagner, Verdi & Puccini have all written music that you have most likely heard in some form in advertising or marketing campaigns.

So where to start?

Before you get confused with aria’s, coloratura, leit motifs & libretto’s… lets keep it simple!

Remember that each Opera is a story, that is expressed musically, in a visual performance. For that reason, I would suggest starting with a simple and classic Opera, like “Rigoletto”. A perfect intro to the Opera world.

The Decca recording from 1971 feat. Pavarotti, Sutherland, Milnes; conducted by Bonynge would be a Gold Standard choice. The all star cast and recording quality come close to perfection (Available on Spotify).

Find the Libretto online; this is the Script of the story which is sang, complete with translation and stage cues. Rigoletto is an Italian Opera, hence, sung in the native language.

I got into opera by first selecting the Opera, reading the Libretto, finding an online synopsis, and then listening to the Opera while reading along with the Libretto. Only after that point did I search out for productions to watch, and this method worked immensely well for me as I started with Rigoletto, then moved to some other Verdi operas, then to Puccini, Donizetti, Mozart, Wagner and more.

If you are looking for other alternative to start, I would also suggest “La Traviata” (Verdi) and “Madame Butterfly” (Puccini) as excellent starting points to gauge your interest in Opera.

There’s much more to discuss such as Singers, Conductors, Recordings (studio vs live), historical eras, etc….

But for now, I urge you to give this underrated expression of Art a shot… even if it’s not your jam, it’s hard not to appreciate the talent and skill required.

Until next time Frens!!! 🏝