"loaf pans are great to cook in!"

Before I started really cooking, I never saw any need to have a loaf pan; After all, I could buy bread from the store-- why would I need it?

And one day it was suggested to me, whether you plan to make bread or not, "Loaf pans are great to cook in!"

I've talked about using loaf pans in my blog before. I use them for making bread and meatloaf, of course.

I've also used them for precooked frozen turkey loaf, and answered a question about how many pounds of beef fit in a loaf pan.

So besides that, why else are they great to cook in?

It's all about thinking outside the box. You can use them to make side dishes and desserts too.

Anything that can be cooked in a small pot, can be cooked in a loaf pan.

I made cobbler in mine:

Mix 1 cup bisquick with 1/2 cup of milk (more if needed),1/2 cup of sugar, and 2 tbsp melted butter.

Put your fruit in the pan first, then pour the mixture over the fruit. Into the oven at 375.

Lodge had discontinued their loaf pans for a few years, but now they're back by popular demand.

Since it's cast iron, you can use it on the stovetop as well as in the oven.

Old Mountain makes a loaf pan, but the ends are slightly beveled, not straight like a traditional loaf pan.

My first loaf pan was a Sante Cabin because I couldn't get a Lodge one. I kept that one, but sold the Old Mountain one.

yet another use for the cast iron loaf pan

I discovered yet another use for the cast iron loaf pan.

Have you ever had a frozen boneless turkey roast? The kind that comes in an aluminum loaf pan, and cooks in its own gravy.

It's recommended you put it on a baking sheet, so the gravy doesn't spill over in the oven.

Last night I found that it slips right into a cast iron loaf pan, like a glove.

Not to mention because of the heat retention, it will cook slightly faster that way.

Neat!

How many pounds of beef in a loaf pan?

Another search term that led to this blog was, how many pounds of beef can fit in a Lodge cast iron loaf pan?

When I make meatloaf, I use approximately a pound and a half of ground beef.

So I would say, up to two pounds, depending on what you're making.

Tips for a crispier meatloaf

I've been experimenting over the past year, to figure out the ingredients for the perfect meatloaf.

I like my meatloaf crispy, and here's some things I've found by trial and error:

1. Use the leanest ground beef available. 93% if you can get it.

2. Cook the chopped onions in a skillet before mixing in, to remove some moisture.

3. Use one egg instead of two.

4. Use ketchup instead of tomato soup, tomato sauce, or V8.

5. Use packaged bread crumbs, or cracker crumbs, instead of bread.*

*Plain or Italian bread crumbs, up to you. Some people use oats.

6. Use dried minced garlic instead of fresh.

7. Use cast iron. If you don't have a cast iron loaf pan, a skillet will do.

8. Bake at 400 degrees instead of 350.

Now how about my recipe?

Mix lean ground beef, cooked chopped onions, ketchup, bread crumbs, worcestershire sauce, dried minced garlic. Cilantro optional.

Add onion powder, garlic powder, and black pepper. Top with bread crumbs. Bake.

From bread machine, to cast iron baked bread

I have a bread machine, which vastly simplifies the bread making process. It kneads, rises and bakes it all for you!

But, I had always heard that cast iron baked bread is wonderful. So how do I make the transition? Will it be a hassle? I would find out today.

Bread machines usually have a "dough cycle", which mixes the dough for you, and then you bake. But I wasn't sure if I'd have to let the dough rise on my own, or if it would be a hassle to transfer from the machine to the cast iron loaf pan.

My particular machine's dough cycle, however, has a timer that beeps after the appropriate rising time, which eliminated the guesswork. I have a West Bend model 41300, and am very happy with it.

I simply took the pan out of the bread machine, dumped the dough right into a cast iron loaf pan (sprayed generously with Pam), shaped it a little. No problem at all.

Then into the oven at 375, for 35 minutes. I was afraid the loaf would stick to the pan, but it just popped right out onto the cooling rack. No sticking!

The recipe I used was from the cookbook "Cast Iron Cuisine: From Breakfast to Dessert", called All Purpose City Bread.

This recipe yields 2 loaves, so I halved it, and used bread flour instead of all-purpose:

3 1/4 cups bread flour, 1 cup lukewarm water, 1 tbsp sugar, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tbsp yeast, 1/8 cup olive oil. All ingredients into the bread machine, set machine to dough cycle, and push the button.

How about my recipe for wonderful meatloaf?

Very lean ground beef (has to be the leanest available), egg, bread crumbs (plain or italian), chopped onions, minced garlic, ketchup or V8, worcestershire sauce, onion powder, garlic powder. Mix all ingredients together.* Bake at 350.

*I saw another recipe that included fresh cilantro. I bet that would be great in meatloaf.

Unfortunately, Lodge no longer makes loaf pans*, but occasionally one will be listed on Ebay. Sante Cabin and Old Mountain still make them.

*You can order them from the Lodge Factory Store in Sevierville, TN.