What is your procedure for cast iron pans?

[~Shanna~]

I'm the proud caretaker of 2 cast iron dutch ovens, and am considering replacing our aluminum calphalon with cast iron. I'm concerned about the procedure for washing the cast iron - the existing cast iron we have seems to take so much care, mostly because we can't just let it soak in the sink or pile up on the counter because it leaves rust spots. I'm wondering if I'm doing more to care for my cast iron than I need to. What are your easy-peasy recomendations for caring for your iron? Wire brush seems to be the easiest perhaps?

[TexasSuz]

I use a stainless steel scrubber and water only. Then I put then on low heat on the stove to dry completely. Then I put them away. Mine are well seasoned though from years of use. I love cooking with them!

[Phantaja]

I clean mine with hot water while the pan is still hot and scrape with a nylon spatula if I need too. I'll use a tiny, *tiny* bit of dish soap if I absolutely have to, then I sit it back on the stove (sometimes still hot) to dry it quickly before I put it away.

I don't know if that's necessarily what you're "supposed" to do, but my eight dollar cast iron is holding up beautifully as a result.

[texmati]

well... feed me garlic, and call me stinky, but this is what I do:

If we are only making 'dry things' like tortillias, rotis, toasting up bread:

1. Use cast iron pan.
2. move to back burner :

I don't even put it away.

If we use it for something like potatoes:

1. use cast iron pan
2. after removing or eating the food, just heat up the pan really high to kind of burn off all the burnt stuff.
3. wipe it down with an oil paper towel while its still hot.
4. put it to back burner.

If I do feel like I have to get it wet, I just wash it off, and then heat it up on the burner and wipe it down with the oily paper towel.

[llamalluv]

Several listed here at my other favorite message boards

"I've been seasoning the pans using a thin coating of Crisco and baking in a 300 degree oven for 4-5 hours at a time. I then leave it in there until it is completely cool. I use it in between seasonings, but have been building up a nice coating by repeating this process once each week. After I cook with a cast iron pan, I wait until it is cool enough to touch and then wipe out the pan with paper towels. When particularly dirty, I will scour the pan with dry salt (which absorbs any excess oil and scrubs it nicely) and then wipe out the salt thoroughly before putting it away."

"Rust can be easily and safely removed w/ steel wool. The pan must then be seasoned to keep food from sticking. One of the easiest ways as it dry the pan, lightly coat it inside and out w/ a neutral oil, like corn or vegetable oil, and place it in a 350 degree oven for an hour. Repeat the seasoning when you notice food sticking. To keep it seasoned, avoid washing the plan w/ soap. Instead, scrub it clean w/ a mixture of salt and vinegar, or even just a stiff brush, and then rinse well and dry thoroughly on the stove over a very low heat. If you use soap, you'll have to reseason."

"To season a new pan, scrub it well with soapy water to remove the residual oil. If its an older pan, scrub with steel wool and soap to remove rust. Rinse well with clean water and dry with a towel. Dry it completely by heating on the stove. While its still warm (but not too hot), rub it inside and out with a paper or cloth towel moistened with vegetable oil. Place in a 350-400 degree oven for around an hour. After use, it can be washed with a mild soap, dried with a towel and on the stove and re-oiled with a little vegetable oil before putting it away. If you scrub it with an abrasive cleanser or steel wool, you will have to reseason it. I always re-oil it before I store it.

You can also season it on the top of the stove. After you first oil the clean pan, put it on the stove and heat until the oil starts to smoke. Re-apply the oil 3 or 2 times and reheat until the metal is black. Re-apply the oil one last time and allow to cool."

"Seasoning Cast Iron
[ Back to Cast Iron Cooking ]

The first step in properly seasoning cast iron cookware is cleaning it. Cast iron usually comes new with a coating of casting oils to prevent rust. Clean your cast iron with hot soapy water then rinse it very well. This will be the only time your cast iron sees soap! Dry your new cookware thoroughly then bake at approximately 200 degrees for about forty five minutes. This first baking will ensure any moisture in the porous metal is cooked out.

Next, remove the iron and set it aside for a moment. Raise the oven temperature to 400 degrees. While the oven comes up to temperature, apply a thin coating of vegetable oil or shortening to the metal cookware. Do not use butter or margarine - they get sticky later down the road. Be sure to cover every exposed spot of metal on the iron.

Seasoning QuickLook
1) Wash & Dry
2) Bake in 200° oven
for 40 minutes.

3) Rub with Corn Oil.

4) Bake in 400° oven
for 90 minutes.

5) Repeat steps
3 & 4 twice.


Once you've coated the entire piece with oil, place it in the oven for 90 minutes. Keep in mind you may get some smoke as the oil cooks. After the 90 minutes take it out and oil it up again while it is still warm. Put it back in the oven and cook it for another 90 minutes. Repeat this process a third time and you'll have a beautifully seasoned piece of cast iron cookware.

A Few Things to Consider...
1. This is a messy process. Use paper towels or a towel that you can toss when you're done. An old washcloth worked well and didn't disintegrate when rubbed on the cast iron over and over.
2. You can do more than one piece of cast iron at a time depending on the capacity of your oven.
3. This is a great thing to do when you have other things to do around the house.
4. You'll need pot holders! Handling heavy hot cast iron is a bit tricky.
5. There's more than one way to do this. We'll be posting two alternative methods sometime soon. Also, some new cast iron cookware comes with seasoning directions.
6. Okay, last point... The method discussed here worked well for us. Take that in the 'for what it's worth' department and have a great time. It is so worth the effort!

That's about it. If you're into cooking with cast iron - or you have that urge to try it like we did - think about picking up a book or two on the subject.




Copyright © 2000 love2camp.com"

It's quite the treasure trove of minds over there, much like here.

[Denvergirlie]

I try and limit the soap, but the way I cook, it really needs it everytime almost.... Soemtimes can get by with just water and a scratchy, but I always dry with the burner on and add a bit of oil. Most of the time it's coconut oil, but I'll also grab whatever is closest. Use papertowel or excess rage to wipe it around and soak up excess. When the pan is cool I might put it up, but most of the time it's on the stove top.

[His Own]

I usually rinse and scrape the food off as much as I can under hot water, then put a tablespoon or so of water in the pan and add about the same amount of cheap salt. You scrub with this much as you would with scouring powder. This cleans well. I rinse, and if it doesn't look dried out I just hang it back up. If it seems dry I brush on a thin coat of olive oil and heat that on medium for a few minutes. Then let cool, wipe off the excess oil if needed, leaving it a bit greasy, then hang it back up. Works great.

[chantald]

Use
Wash with soap (yes.. every time)
Rub with oil if needed
Dry

Reseason rarely..

I guess mine are SO old that soapy water does not strip the season from them.. they work great every time. We use the tiny one daily for breakfast.. it's washed with soap every day..

[~Shanna~]

Thanks for all of the tips - I think I was thinking I had to reapply oil every time, even if I didn't use soap. I think I might go for it. I've been increasingly suspicious of my aluminum cookware, it'll be nice to get rid of it.

[captain crunchy]

I wash mine with soap -- because it needs it a lot -- however, it stays seasoned -- what I do to *refresh* the seasoning is -- after washing it, I dry it, rub a bit of oil into it and heat it up on the stove for a couple of minutes, then let cool.

I am like a pp, I never really put my cast iron pot *away* because I cook so much with it.

[anniegirl]

It's fun to read all the different ways people deal with their cast iron.

The great thing about them is they are impossible to ruin. Do what you want and if it gets rusty or whatnot, just scrub the rust spots with steel wool and re-season.

I never use soap on mine. The main pan we use all the time is really well seasoned (it's smooth from so much use). I just run really hot water in it and whatever food was left in there just falls right off. I use a green scrubby thing to wipe it out. Then dry it and coat it with a little olive oil. I guess I probably don't need to do the oil every time, but it's habit.

[bungalowmama]

I highly recommend the Lodge Logic preseasoned pans. They're easier to start off with and only continue to improve with continued use and seasoning. After we use ours and it cools down, it gets a quick scrub with the scrubby side of the sponge with nothing but hot water. Then I put it on a burner to dry the water off and give the inside a good spray with Pam (just vegetable oil). After that cooks a bit I just put it in my oven on the bottom rack and it stays there (even when baking other things) until I'm ready to use it. I love cast iron!

[Flor]

Originally Posted by Phantaja

I clean mine with hot water while the pan is still hot and scrape with a nylon spatula if I need too. I'll use a tiny, *tiny* bit of dish soap if I absolutely have to, then I sit it back on the stove (sometimes still hot) to dry it quickly before I put it away.

I don't know if that's necessarily what you're "supposed" to do, but my eight dollar cast iron is holding up beautifully as a result.

Thats what I do, too. I don't find them hard to care for. This site is great:
http://whatscookingamerica.net/Infor...stIronPans.htm

[alisonsage]

i switched out all my tephlon for cast iron last year and i loooooooove cooking with them i find them really easy to take care of.

this is my procedure.
scrub with stiff brush and really hot water (no soap as this can remove the seasoning) if you have something really stuck on that won't come off you can always deglaze the pan. this means putting a little water in and heating on the stove. use a cooking implement to scrape the stuff off as it softens.

heat on stove till dry. add a little cooking oil to the pan and rub it in.

that's it!

[lifeguard]

DH - I refuse to touch them. Before that he would leave them forever (he does most of the cooking) & wouldn't know what to do so I finally said "If you wanna cook with them you have to deal with them" & now he does it immediately after cooking.

[A&A]

If I have rust on one, how do I get it off and then re-season it?

[texmati]

oooohh... I feel ashamed now. I'm the only one who doesn't wash her pans!!!!


In my defense-- I would like to add that my mom and her mom and back and back and back use their pan's this way.

[PatchChild]

Depends on the pan. The skillet I wipe clean, or let it cook/burn off remains and then wipe. I also use a ridged pan for cooking fish or meat, and that has to be scrubbed with some soap. It gets oiled after each use and then stuck back on the hot burner to cook the oil into it.

[counterGOPI]

:

[SugarAndSun]

Originally Posted by aquarian

well... feed me garlic, and call me stinky, but this is what I do:

If we are only making 'dry things' like tortillias, rotis, toasting up bread:

1. Use cast iron pan.
2. move to back burner :

I don't even put it away.

If we use it for something like potatoes:

1. use cast iron pan
2. after removing or eating the food, just heat up the pan really high to kind of burn off all the burnt stuff.
3. wipe it down with an oil paper towel while its still hot.
4. put it to back burner.

If I do feel like I have to get it wet, I just wash it off, and then heat it up on the burner and wipe it down with the oily paper towel.

This is the way I do it too. If I use sauce or something I may use a tiny bit of soap to get it off.