Is it safe to use a cast iron skillet over a chimney starter?
I want to pan-fry a burger tonight, but I don't want the smoke or smell in the house (we don't have a range hood, just an anemic exhaust fan that dates from the Truman administration). I considered grilling, but I don't want the trouble of cleaning up the grill.
So, in true mashup form, I figured I could combine the two and heat the cast iron skillet outside on top of my chimney starter.
Is this okay? I've seen people sear tuna above a chimney starter, but I haven't heard of using it like a campfire.
Cooking-wise, I don't care too much about having the heat concentrated in the middle of the pan - I'm more concerned about unwittingly damaging the seasoning on the pan or something.
Best Answer
I don't think you will hurt the pan, cast iron skillets can take a lot of heat. I think the biggest risk is that you are building a kind of dangerous tower. If you were to somehow knock it over you could hurt yourself badly.
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Quick Answer about "Is it safe to use a cast iron skillet over a chimney starter?"
Just like setting a wok on a chimney starter, I like nestling my cast iron skillets right into the coals to get them scorching hot. Cast iron can take the heat of the charcoal with little-to-no ill effects, which makes it great for this type of extreme high-heat cooking.Does fire damage cast iron?
Usually, once the coals are glowing and covered with gray ash, they're dumped out of the chimney starter into the grill kettle and spread out for increased cooking surface area. But if you're looking for concentrated high heat for grilling, you can also cook right over the lit chimney starter itself.Can you cook on a chimney starter?
4 Things You Should Never Cook in Cast Iron:Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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