Chef Lance McGinnis is known in Tallahassee as the chef behind the Old Skool Gritz N Greenz food truck as well as the awesome food demonstrations at The Prepared Table Kitchen Shop. This week, I had the great pleasure of interviewing Chef Lance for my upcoming book, Skilletheads. As if that weren’t enough, I also got to play sous chef for that night’s demonstration, chopping up veggies, whipping cream, and plating plates. The meal was delicious—of course—and Chef Lance generously agreed to contribute the recipes to Skilletheads (yay!). So, while you weren’t able to attend the food demo with me, you’ll still reap the benefit of Chef Lance’s expertise and yummy recipes.
In the following video, Chef Lance explains
— why he uses cast iron as often as he can
— why he doesn’t use cast iron for made-to-order meals in his food truck
— how he cleans and seasons his pans, and
— which brand cast iron is his current favorite.
In cast you miss it, here are some cast iron cooking tips from Chef Lance:
— When making cornbread, preheat your cast iron in the oven first. Then add plenty of butter to the hot skillet so that it sizzles. Add your cornbread mix and bake as usual.
— When seasoning your cast iron, avoid vegetable and seed-based oils, which tend to be unhealthy. Chef Lance prefers seasoning with coconut oil, avocado oil, or even bacon grease (if he’s going to use the pan again soon).
— When seasoning a pan, Chef Lance heats the oil until it starts smoking, then turns off the heat. He lets the pan cool a bit, wipes a small amount of oil onto the warm pan, and heats it again, just enough to warm up the oil. Then he wipes away any residue and lets the pan cool before storing it in his stove.
I hope you enjoyed this insightful interview with Chef Lance. Check out his Facebook page to see where the Old Skool bus will be located this week, and check out The Prepared Table’s list of upcoming events if you’re in the area.
Be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel for more interviews with Skilletheads (aka the pros who know cast iron). If you’re looking for the book, Skilletheads, it should be released in the Fall of 2022 (Red Lightning Books). In the meantime, subscribe to my monthly newsletter below for behind-the-scenes info, cast iron tips, and inspiration.
See Related Posts
Skillethead Interview with Cast Iron Steve
How to Clean & Season Your Cast-Iron Skillet
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