Applying a thin coat of oil to your cast iron after cleaning is an essential step to keeping it pretty and functional. There's nothing wrong with pouring it straight from the bottle, but you can over-pour and, if you don't fully wipe up the excess, end up with sticky residue.

Homemade pizza nerds are a passionate bunch; for a timid novice, the sheer amount of conflicting information available on various pizza-enthusiast boards is anything but encouraging. I'm here to tell you that you don't need to build a backyard brick oven or even buy a stone to make great pizza - in fact, you probably already have everything you need.

It's a pretty popular culinary opinion that everyone should own a cast iron pan, but I am of the opinion that everyone should also own a mini cast iron pan. Like its classic 30cm counterpart, the mini has a myriad of delicious uses from appetisers to dessert.

Video: Seasoning cast iron with flaxseed oil isn't super new -- Sheryl Canter first wrote about it on her blog seven years ago -- but it has some serious fans. Both Cook's Illustrated and The Kitchn are believers, with the former saying it created "a sheer, stick-resistant veneer, that even a run through our commercial dishwasher with a squirt of degreaser left them totally unscathed".

These crispy tortilla pizzas are easy to make, take very little time, and are the perfect snack for any occasion. Here's how to make your own at home.

You've probably heard that it's not a good idea to cook acidic foods like tomato sauces, wine sauces or chillies in cast iron because the iron could leach into the food and add a bitter, metallic taste. Well, America's Test Kitchen put that theory (and some others) to the test, and the bottom line? It's fine.