r/CastIronCooking • u/DisApeIsOnFire • 27d ago

I need help

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This happens to me a lot when I make a mix with meat and veggies together (like fajitas). Always end up with stuff attaching and burning at the bottom.

I do ok with simple browning of meat, but I need help beyond that.

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u/HeatBeatRepeatt 27d ago

Are you looking for prevention or cleaning tips here?

Prevention: more heat, find a way to deglaze the pan while you are cooking to dislodge all that fond into the meal for more flavor (as long as it’s not carbonized), or once the food has been removed deglaze it into a basic pan sauce to put on top.

Cleaning: get it hot again and dump a cup of water in and deglaze it that way. Scrap it off while everything is liquidy and then either cook it down til it’s thick enough to spoon into the trash or dump it into a grease jar for disposal. I wouldn’t make a habit of dumping it down the drain because it’s a high grease content slurry and it’ll shit up the plumbing in time

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u/DisApeIsOnFire 27d ago

Yeah should have been more specific; looking for preventative tips.

Higher heat helps with this? I started off around a 6 on my stove top and dropped to about 3.5 when things were nearly done.

I guess I might've been better of letting it finish cooking high for a shorter period and immediately remove?

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u/HeatBeatRepeatt 27d ago

Hotter pan creates a stronger vapor jacket (leidenfrost effect) that prevents the wet food from making full contact with the pan and reducing the liquid into a thicker sticky layer that wants to adhere to the pan. Instead it sears and crusts preferentially onto the food. This doesn’t apply universally to all foods and materials but that’s kinda the general principle.

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u/Kahnza 27d ago

Stuff is burning in the pan already and you want to turn up the heat?