Lodge Cast Iron 7-Stick Cornstick Pan

Frankly, when I am lazy, I whip up a batch of cornbread (yeah, yellow cornmeal, so sue me you Southerners, and I even use those cheap mixes when really pressed for time.) And I pour it into any handy square or round cake pan and cut it up for meals.

But...let's say you are serving guests and want some cornsticks to go with that chili. If you season this pan according to directions, and even throw out the first batch of sticks, (give them to the dog, he won't mind)you will eventually get a pan that lets you make lovely, brown, tasty cornsticks that look very nice served with a simple meal. Don't skimp on the oil or melted butter in the batter, and watch the sugar--it causes them to brown too fast if you overdo it.

Set these out in a nice basket and you won't feel so bad about serving chili from a can or the soup you threw together in a panic to get that hot meal on the table. Whew!

I have always liked Lodge cast iron pans and this one is no exeption. This is a heavy well made pan that with proper care will last for generations.

The key to using a cast iron pan is to properly season it and keep it seasoned. For this pan, I rubbed it with melted Crisco and baked it for an hour at 400, then let it cool slowly in the oven. This should create a beautiful glossy black finish; if not, do it a second time and again whenever the seasoning has worn off. Always hand dry a pan like this, never let it air dry or it will rust.

I have never had a problem with cornbread sticking. I preheat the pan and then pour the batter into it. I use a small ladle for this and leave the pan right on the oven rack. When the cornbread is done you just flip it right out onto a plate. The only drawback I have had is that I usually have to make a few pansful of cornbreads sticks for them to last through dinner.

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I come from a long line of Texas cast-iron users. Both my grandmother and my mother had these little cornbread cookers. Both my grandmother and mother could get their cornbread sticks out (with the exception of one stuck stick each time, don't ask me why........), but I never could.

Having said that, their PREFERRED mode of cornbread baking was in the small, cast-iron skillet ----and I agree.

The cornbread sticks are cute, though.

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You'll need two to make enough for company. You'll eat the first batch.

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Cornbread is a staple where I'm from in Louisiana, so you can imagine how IRKED people get when I say I'm not really that nuts about it.I have to clarify my position, though: I'm not really that nuts about cornbread unless it's baked in a corn stick (or pone, as we call em) pan.

Cornbread cooked in a skillet or baking pan is soft; even cakey if you use enough white cornmeal and sugar.But corn pones are crispy... they fracture in the most wonderful way when you bite into them and have the BEST texture.I make a big batch of them and keep them in a sealed container on the counter for a day or two, and then refrigerate the unlikely few that may survive after that.They're also perfect for throwing into lunch bags, too.

Be sure to season your pan (rub with vegetable or corn oil, bake for an hour, then let cool overnight) or you WILL have problems with sticking.Also be sure to oil your pan before each use, especially at first.The more you use cast iron, the more non-stick it becomes, but proper oiling is critical at first.My current pan is decades old, but I still brush the wells with a little bacon grease before each use and preheat it along with the oven while I make my batter. (We rarely eat bacon but I "bank" the drippings specifically for making cornbread.)The cooked pones practically fall out of the pan, and the hint of bacon in the crust is insanely delicious.

Another user said that she found filling the individual corn-shaped wells tedious; I use a large serving spoon to pinch off just enough batter to fill each well.The bowl of the spoon I use is big and long; its shape matches really well with the width of the pan so the patter pours perfectly into the wells.It's a snap, and it's CERTAINLY worth the flavor and texture of corn pones!