Your cast iron skillet needs to be well-seasoned in order to prevent sticking with scrambled eggs. You can tell if your pan is well-seasoned if other food you've been cooking has been lifting away nicely, and also by looking at it.
Foods that are highly acidic, such as tomatoes, citrus fruits, and vinegar-based dishes, should be avoided when cooking with cast iron. The acidity can cause the iron to leach into the food, resulting in a metallic taste.
Lightly coat the surface of the pan with a small amount (1t -- 1T) of oil or fat of choice. You don't want too much oil, so wipe any excess oil away with a paper towel. The entire pan should be lightly coated with oil or fat, but not dripping.
Unplug the appliance and scrub the soleplate with the damp rag to get rid of gunk or limescale. Take care not to touch the soleplate with bare hands. Let it dry before using your iron again. If that's not effective, set your iron to the maximum temperature and let it heat up.
Eggs fall into the category of sticky foods that are not ideal for cast iron skillets that haven't built up their seasoning yet. While cast iron can become non-stick with sufficient use over time, a newer skillet will almost certainly cause your eggs to stick to its porous surface.
Common cooking oils like olive oil will gradually produce seasoning, but won't be as effective as grapeseed oil. Canola, other vegetable oils, and shortening are a little better.
All cast iron, whether natural or coated, has a much higher carbon concentration than other popular food-safe metals like stainless steel and aluminum. This means that natural cast iron is more susceptible to corrosion because when carbon combines with oxygen and water, rust forms.
Why do Scrambled Eggs Turn Green In a Cast Iron Skillet? This harmless but unappealing color change is the result of a chemical reaction between iron in the pan and sulfur in egg whites. Why do Boiled Eggs Turn Green?
Cast iron pans are made from heavy-duty iron and are known for their excellent heat retention. Scrambled eggs cook quickly and thoroughly in cast iron with zero unpredictability. Since cast iron retains heat well, the eggs cook through before they lose their fluffiness or moisture.
Use a Well-Seasoned Cast Iron Pan
A well-seasoned cast iron pan will cook up the perfect eggs every. single. time. If you're not sure whether or not your pan is seasoned well, or need to learn how to properly strip and season your cast iron skillet, check out our post.
Oil, especially canola oil (bad, unhealthy oil), should not be used. If a quick oiling (not seasoning) in between is desired, it's best to use a high temperature oil like avocado. A quick rub can do the trick, if your pan looks a bit dry. I have one pan that is about 100 years old!
You should only need to fully re-season your cast-iron cookware one to two times a year, but you may also want to give it some extra seasoning love anytime you cook something that requires a heavy-duty cleaning.
With proper care cast iron cookware can withstand a lifetime of use. Actually several lifetimes as these cast iron pans and dutch ovens are often passed down from generation to generation. Taking care of cast iron cookware is as easy as 1 – 2 – 3.
In many cases, you should avoid cooking acidic ingredients such as tomatoes, lemon juice, wine, and vinegar in your cast-iron skillet.
Occasionally food may stick to your cast iron cookware. This can happen for a variety of reasons, such as not using enough fat or oil when cooking, using cookware that isn't well seasoned, or when breaking in new cookware that hasn't built up additional layers of seasoning.
Add enough oil to the pan before adding food. You'll want to use enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Foods that are prone to sticking, like eggs, may require a bit more oil, while fatty foods, like chicken thighs, don't need quite as much oil to keep from sticking.