Cast iron skillets are one of the most versatile kitchen tools. The key to a well-seasoned cast iron is establishing lots of layers of seasoning that will make it smooth, shiny, and non-stick. Using oil with a high smoke point in this process, like grapeseed or safflower, is key. First, use a paper towel to evenly coat the bottom of the pan with the oil. The goal of using a thin layer of oil is to polymerize the fat to the pan—using too much oil will cause a bumpy, uneven, and sticky surface.

Once the pan is well-coated, crank your burner up all the way, and turn your hood vent on. You want the pan to smoke for a couple of minutes before shutting the heat off. Repeat this process as needed to achieve an even non-stick surface.

Sometimes all you need to clean your pan is a quick and easy wipe. Some situations call for a bit more elbow grease. Even though some people will debate this, using a mild soap to wash your cast iron is perfectly fine. Just be sure to dry it out on the stove once you’re done and finish with a wipe of oil as needed. Well-cared-for cast irons can last lifetimes!

Get the what you need to cover nearly any recipe in the kitchen. Designed tocover Fin, Fowl, Forage, and Fur these spices will step up your game in thekitchen with nearly any critter you bring home.

A featured piece in the kitchen of Chef Kevin Gillespie, the Braiser has broad functionality from freezer to oven to table. 

"I use my Staub dutch oven more than any other cookware during the winter for creating delicious braised wild game recipes." - Danielle Prewett

The definitive guide to cooking wild game, including fish and fowl, featuring more than 100 new recipes.

The arrival of spring comes with a long list of to-dos in order to get garden beds in shape for the upcoming growing season. One of those tasks is pruning herbs to stimulate growth and cut out anything dead. This annual cutting yields an abundance of herbs that can’t possibly be used fresh before going bad. Here are six different ways to preserve herbs so you can cook with them all year long. Dry I dry the bulk of my herbs and refill my pantry...

If you want a golden-brown crust on a thick fillet of fish, pan roasting is the best way to achieve it. Pan roasting fish is a simple technique. As the name implies, it combines two cooking methods: pan searing and oven roasting. By combining these two techniques you can create an evenly cooked protein with superior texture and complex flavor. The basic idea is to first sear the fish in a pan and then move the pan with the fish into a preheated...

Crab boils are always a great time to sit down with friends and family. Knocking out the meat from a tough crab shell can be work, but it pays off when you get to dip that tender piece of crab into freshly melted butter. Cooking crab legs is not a daunting thing—it’s actually rather easy. If you are eager to cook crab at home but do not know which ones to get, most grocery stores usually carry two varieties. The first and most common are snow...