Cast Iron Pans Galore!!

[wombjuice]

I have just acquired a FULL set of old cast iron pans!!!!!!!

Here they are.

I am picking them up today after work. I'm so totally excited, as I've never owned or used cast iron before! Isn't this awesome?? Yeah, only, I have no idea how to get them back to usable shape. I have read so many different ways to clean and season them. Some say in the oven, some say on top of the stove...I have a gas range if that makes any difference. Any ideas?

Also, what should I use to season it with? I am a vegetarian (husband is not, though), so I'd prefer not to use lard...but I am not opposed to butter...oh, I've heard coconut oil...what do you think?

Also, once I get them cleaned and seasoned, what should I cook with them? I've heard people say nothing with tomatoes, and others say sure, cook tomatoes as long as you don't leave them in there too long. Also, people say you can't boil water in cast iron, but can I make vegetable soup? Or does it need to have lots of fat in it, like butter or olive oil?

Thanks so much!! :

[zeldabee]

Coconut oil should be fine to season with. I'd give the pans a good scouring to take off the rust and gunk, then dry them and rub oil inside, and put them in the oven. Wipe them out and put in more oil periodically. Then cook fatty things in them at first, and use salt to clean them afterwards, not soap.

Don't use them for soup, you'll remove the seasoning. A quick deglazing for a sauce is ok, but don't boil liquids.

[quietserena]

One of the used ones I had was so bad that it took oven cleaning spray to get it clean. I sprayed the skilled down (outside too! fumes are bad!) then put it in a bag over night. Came out clean as new.

[Leilalu]

fun. Couldn't see the pic though..

I got a whole set from my mom when I got married. I love them. The one pan she is holding onto is the quiche/cornbread pan. Darn her

I use any fat I am currently cooking with, to season.

[ProudIrishMama]

We used olive oil and baked them in the oven.

[caitryn]

I would have to look at the packaging, but is vegetable shortening vegan/vegetarian friendly? I know that I learned from my mom how to season cast iron and have finally succeeded in making it work right. (We inherited a similar set to yours from my husband's grandmother.)

We preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. We wash the pan to get rid of the rust and dry it completely. After that we would use the shortening to cover the pan, then cover that with flour, and then bake it until black. I think it's about 20 minutes. I normally do that just like I do my cooking: "until it's done."

After it's done, you can use water and scour it to clean it, but don't use soap until after you have cooked with it for the first time. When you clean it the second time, you can use soap, but just remember to rub oil on the pan before storing to make the seasoning last longer. As long as I have remembered to oil the pan after cleaning, I have not had a problem boiling liquids. (Of course, most of my cast iron is close to 100 years old or older, so that may have something to do with it.)

As far as what to cook in it, I have always cooked anything and everything in cast iron. If it can be fried, sauteed, boiled, or baked, it could be could in there. Some of the best cornbread I've had was done with a cast iron skillet in the oven. I've done most forms of hamburger/tuna/chicken helper and similar dishes, fried potatoes, chicken, and goulash.

I would also suggest looking up recipes using dutch ovens since it looked like you had one in the set.

A gas range shouldn't make any difference. The only time I've seen a difference is on those completely flat stovetops that don't get hot to the touch. Don't remember what they are called. They won't heat up cast iron which is why I never plan to get one.

[quietserena]

Oh, forgot to add, saturated fats make the best seasoning. So coconut oil, palm oil, lard or tallow, things like that.

I had the best results with palm oil but people here say they hate it. Tehre are apparently variables.

I'd stay away from hydrogenated stuff like vegetable shortening. Who needs trans fats?

[cristeen]

The first thing to do with them, buying them second hand, is to clean them really well. When I bought mine that meant scrubbing it with salt and lemon, then soap, then salt and lemon, lots of hot water, inside and out. Put it on the stove with some hot water in it, bring it up to a boil, see how much fat is floating on the water, and you'll probably have to scrub it some more... it took several repeats for me to get it completely clean (mine had a rank smell to it).

Then you have to start the seasoning. I use coconut oil, and just do it on the stove top. Since CO has a higher smoke point it won't burn as easily, and since it's solid at room temp it is less likely to turn rancid or sticky. Dry the pan over a low flame once it's clean, then once it's totally dry add about a Tbs of oil, and you can either swirl it (I always make a mess that way), or use a paper towel and tongs, wipe it all over the inside and up the sides. Let it cool before putting it away. Before you use it the first time, be sure to oil it really well, use plenty of fat the first several times you use the pan. Between uses, I just tend to rinse it out, dry it over a low flame, or if it needs it, I have a special wire brush I use to scrub out the crusties, then dry over a low flame, but after I did the first cleaning I never use soap again.

Don't make the mistake of thinking that you can cook something like pancakes in it without fat though, they will stick. Hot pan, cold fat is what tends to work best for preventing sticking.

[caitryn]

Originally Posted by quietserena

I'd stay away from hydrogenated stuff like vegetable shortening. Who needs trans fats?

I just checked my container of vegetable shortening, and it contains 0 trans fats according to the label. It does have hydrogenated soybean oil and hydrogenated cotton seed oil, though.

[Merf]

That means is does have trans fats in it. Legally they can say 0 trans fats if it has up to I think 1/2% per serving. It may be up to 1%.

[henny penny]

Cooks Illustrated says this:

"If you have stuck-on food or you've inherited a pan that is rusty or gummy, scrub it with kosher salt. If the pan is seriously rusty, we recommend first attacking the pan with fine steel wool to get the worst residue off before proceeding with the oil and salt method.

After scrubbing, pour in vegetable oil to a depth of 1/4 inch, then place pan on a stove set to medium-low for 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat and add 1/4 cup kosher salt. Using potholder to grip hot handle, use thick cushion of paper towels to scrub pan. (Warm oil will loosen food or rust, and the kosher salt acts as an abrasive.) Rinse pan under hot running water, dry well, and repeat, if necessary."

I've used this method and end up with slick, shiny, perfectly seasoned pans!!!

[wombjuice]

Awesome!! Thank you so much everyone for such great tips!!