CI heating/cooking uneven?

[Joshatdot]

What would be the EZ'est or simplest way to check if my SK #8 cast iron is heating/cooking evenly? I ask because I don't think it is. I was frying some bacon and the strips in the middle area were cooking a little faster then the sides. I didn't think much of it until I poured in my scrambled eggs. After cooking the eggs, there was stuck bits of eggs in a ring near the center.

 

[GB]

I don't think you need any other test. If you have a rind of egg stuck to the center then that spot is hotter than the rest. I find the same thing with my cast iron. I have an electric stove and where the heating element hits is always hotter than the outside edge.

 

[roadfix]

You really need to saturate CI with enough heat before you begin cooking.

 

[Joshatdot]

I haven't used it much since this post. Should I start off saturating the heat on Low and bring it up, or start at High and bring it down?

 

[GB]

Set it to the temp you want to to be. If you will be cooking on high heat then set it to high and let it come up to temp. If you are cooking on med or low then that is where you should set it.

 

[Bigjim68]

Set it to the temp you want to to be. If you will be cooking on high heat then set it to high and let it come up to temp. If you are cooking on med or low then that is where you should set it.

I agree. The key to CI is that it holds heat evenly, not that it heats up evenly. I always heat to the desired temp.

 

[jet]

I agree. The key to CI is that it holds heat evenly, not that it heats up evenly. I always heat to the desired temp.

If you think about it, won't a pan that heats unevenly also retain and distribute heat unevenly, and therefore cook unevenly?

 

[Andy M.]

The heat distribution is slow because of the heat transfer rate for cast iron. The parts directly over the flame or heating element will get hot first then slowly the heat will transfer to the other parts of the pan. Once it's been under constant heat for awhile, the heat distribution evens out. It takes time for it to even out.

 

[Bigjim68]

The heat distribution is slow because of the heat transfer rate for cast iron. The parts directly over the flame or heating element will get hot first then slowly the heat will transfer to the other parts of the pan. Once it's been under constant heat for awhile, the heat distribution evens out. It takes time for it to even out.

Good explanation, Andy