Can You Cook Acidic Foods In A Cast Iron Skillet?

There are many rules for cooking with a cast iron skillet, but they're still one of the tools every cook should keep on hand. From routine seasoning to make it nonstick to limiting washing your pan with soap, avoiding mistakes you might be making with your cast iron cookware is a true labor of love. On the laundry list of cast iron care, you may have come across a tip saying that you cannot cook acidic foods in a cast iron skillet. Although this is a widespread myth, you can, in fact, cook acidic food in cast iron.

There are a few reasons this belief came to be. Pure, raw iron is a reactive metal, and contact between raw iron and an acid — like lemon juice or tomatoes – can disrupt the atomic structure of the iron. This potentially causes chemical reactions that let off odd, metallic flavors, and it can also make the metal susceptible to rust.

However, if your cast iron cookware is properly seasoned, this should not be a major issue because a seasoned skillet is not raw iron. Seasoning a cast iron skillet is when you build up a protective layer by heating up the skillet with a thin coat of oil, which bonds to the iron. Since there is a protective layer in the skillet, the acid in foods doesn't technically touch the raw iron and cannot chemically react with it. This does not mean you should disregard the logic entirely, but so long as you have a properly seasoned skillet, you do not have to worry about cooking anything acidic in it.

A cast iron skillet has to be seasoned before using it to cook acidic foods (or anything, for that matter). Seasoning pans involves rubbing a thin layer of oil over the entire inner and outer surface and heating the pan for an extended amount of time. This process — called polymerization — causes the fat to bond to the iron, which protects the pure iron and creates a nonstick layer. By regularly using the pan and re-seasoning routinely, the seasoning grows in strength over time.

If you use a well-seasoned skillet to cook your curries, pasta sauces, and lemon butter chicken, your pan will be just fine. However, acidic foods that require a long cooking time could potentially damage the pan — aim for no longer than around 45 minutes. Similarly, it is a good idea not to leave acidic food in a cast iron pan for too long after cooking, which can potentially wear through the coating. So put your leftovers away and wash your cast iron pan soon after you are done cooking.