The Ultimate Guide To Oven-Baking Eggs In A Cast Iron Pan

Oven-baked eggs are a simple and delicious breakfast option. Using a cast iron pan, you can easily bake eggs with your choice of toppings and ingredients. The key to baking eggs in a cast iron pan is maintaining the right temperature and ensuring the pan is properly seasoned. You can add vegetables, meats, herbs, and cheeses to create a variety of flavours and make your breakfast as elegant or as simple as you like.

Preheat the pan without oil

Preheating your cast iron pan is an essential step in the cooking process. It is one of the fundamental things in cooking, and it can make the difference between a delicious meal and a burnt one.

Firstly, it is important to know your pan. Understanding how your pan performs is crucial to cooking eggs successfully. Cast iron pans take a while to heat up, but they hold onto that heat for a long time. This means that you should preheat your pan for around 10 minutes. You can carefully hover your hand over the pan to feel when it is hot enough and ready to go.

Secondly, you should always preheat your cast iron pan without oil. Adding oil to a preheated pan is advantageous because the heated pan and the oil work together to quickly and evenly transfer heat to the food. This prevents the food from sticking to the pan. If you add oil to a cold pan, it will pool around the edges due to the difference in surface tension between the hotter center and cooler perimeter of the pan. This leaves the center of the pan vulnerable to sticking.

Finally, preheating your pan without oil will also help to preserve the oil. As oil is heated, it breaks down, leading to flavour degradation and the release of toxic chemicals. Minimizing the time that oil spends in the pan will help to prevent this.

Add fat, then eggs

Once your cast iron pan is hot, it's time to add some fat. You can use butter, bacon fat, avocado oil, coconut oil, vegetable oil, or canola oil. Butter and bacon fat are just the right consistency to evenly coat the pan and stay in place. If you're using olive oil, you might want to combine it with butter to prevent it from burning. Other oils will also work, but make sure to give them an extra swirl around the skillet before adding the eggs.

Add enough fat to coat the cooking surface, but not so much that your eggs are swimming in grease. Adding fat to a well-seasoned cast iron pan will help you take advantage of its non-stick surface.

After adding the fat, give it a few seconds to heat up before adding the eggs. You can add a little cream to the eggs for extra richness and sprinkle over some toppings. Popular additions include finely chopped chives or scallions, bacon bits, crumbled blue cheese, shaved parmesan, herbs, and freshly cracked black pepper.

Cook at a low temperature

When cooking eggs in a cast-iron pan, the key is to maintain the right temperature. As eggs cook at a relatively low temperature, you don't need to worry about smoke points. In fact, low smoke point fats like olive oil and butter are some of the most popular choices for cooking eggs.

Before you start, make sure your pan or skillet is properly seasoned. You should also ensure you use the right amount of fat—enough to coat the cooking surface, but not so much that your eggs are swimming in grease.

If you're cooking on a stovetop, warm up your pan over low to medium heat before adding oil or butter, and let that come up to temperature before you add your eggs. If you're making fried eggs or an omelette, the heat should be low enough that there's no sizzle when you add the eggs.

Egg whites should gradually turn cloudy, then opaque, rather than turning white as soon as they hit the cooking surface. For scrambled eggs, cast-iron cookware should be kept on low heat to prevent burning the bottom of the eggs before the tops are cooked.

When baking eggs in a cast-iron skillet, first heat your pan to medium heat and add your oil or butter. Crack in your eggs—we recommend at least two per person. Add a little cream for extra richness, and sprinkle over some toppings like finely chopped chives or scallions, bacon bits, crumbled blue cheese, or shaved Parmesan.

When everything's set, bake in a medium-heat oven for about three minutes. You want the whites to be cooked through but not rubbery, and the yolks to be slightly runny. If you can't eat runny eggs, leave them in the oven for five minutes and they should be cooked through.

Add vegetables, meat, and seasoning

There are endless combinations of vegetables, meat, and seasoning that you can add to your oven-baked eggs. Here are some ideas to get you started:

Vegetables

• Bell peppers (red, orange, yellow, or green)
• Onions (red or white)
• Mushrooms
• Tomatoes
• Spinach
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Zucchini
• Sweet potatoes

Meat

• Cooked ground beef
• Chorizo or Italian sausage
• Bacon
• Ham
• Chicken

Seasoning

• Salt and pepper
• Za'atar
• Cumin
• Aleppo pepper
• Italian seasoning
• Cayenne pepper
• Chipotle chilli powder
• Garlic powder
• Paprika
• Chilli flakes
• Parsley
• Oregano
• Red wine vinegar

You can also add some extra flavour to your eggs with a splash of milk or cream, and a sprinkle of cheese—cheddar, mozzarella, gruyere, parmesan, or feta.

Suggested Combinations

For a Mediterranean twist, try seasoning your eggs with za'atar, cumin, and Aleppo pepper. Serve with a sprinkle of feta and a squeeze of lemon juice.

If you like smoky flavours, use smoked paprika with salt and pepper. Or, for a Moroccan twist, try harissa spice blend and a pinch of turmeric.

For a spicy kick, cook some chorizo with your vegetables, or add crawfish and Cajun spice.

Bake until whites are cooked, but yolks are still runny

When it comes to baking eggs in a cast-iron pan, timing is everything. You want to make sure the whites are cooked and no longer runny, but the yolks are still nice and soft. Depending on your oven, this should take around 10-12 minutes at 375°F (190°C).

To achieve this, you'll need to keep a close eye on the eggs as they bake. You're aiming for the egg whites to turn opaque and be fully cooked, while the yolks should still be soft to the touch and runny when cut into. It's a delicate balance, and it can be tricky to get it just right. If you prefer your eggs a little more well-done, you can leave them in the oven for a couple of minutes longer.

If you're baking multiple eggs in a cast-iron skillet, it's important to space them out evenly. This ensures that the eggs cook at a consistent rate. You can also add a splash of cream to help the whites set while keeping the yolks runny.

Additionally, the temperature of the cast-iron pan itself plays a crucial role. Cast iron retains heat very well, so it's important to give the pan time to heat up properly before adding the eggs. A properly heated pan will help cook the whites more evenly while keeping the yolks runny.

Remember, the key to success is timing and temperature control. With a bit of practice, you'll be able to consistently bake delicious eggs with perfectly runny yolks.

Frequently asked questions