How To Handle Cast Iron Cookware
Cast iron is a great material for cookware. If you handle it properly it will last you a lifetime (and longer!). The only exception when it’s time to get rid of your cast iron cookware is when it has cracks, but it’s difficult for cast iron to crack, so I think that won’t happen to you (I’ll tell you later what pretty much the one thing is that can make your cast iron cookware crack and how to avoid it).
First step: Seasoning! Now this is what many people dread. The seasoning (also known as curing). Yes, it is a bit of work, but then you’ll have a great piece of cookware for life. I think it’s less work to take good care of your cookware than having to buy a new piece of cookware every couple of years.
Basically what you do is you put oil, grease or shortening in your pan, griddle or dutch oven and spread it all over the inner surface. Then you bake it so that the oil can get inside the tiny pores that are in the cast iron material. Another way to season your cast iron cookware is to put it on the stove, heat it up and then put oil in it while it’s still hot and on the heating stove. Spread the oil all over the surface and let it cool down and lightly wipe of excess oil with a paper towel.
Once it’s properly seasoned you should not boil water in it – because the boiling water might wash off some of the oil particles that are in the surface and thus damage the seasoning.
If the seasoning ever gets damaged, what you have to do is to clean the whole thing thoroughly, wipe it dry and then re-season it. If you don’t do that the cast iron cookware might begin to rust, and you surely don’t want that to happen.
Another big nono is to pour cold water in a hot skilled – the temperature difference might be too much for the iron and might cause it to crack.
Preheat before you cook. The best way to tell if your cast iron cookware is properly preheated is to drop some water inside – if it sizzles and then vaporizes it’s perfect. Otherwise it’s either not hot enough (and the water won’t sizzle and vaporize but simply bubble) or it’s too hot – in which case the water would vaporize right away.
Oh, yes, and one more thing: use potholders! Otherwise you might burn your hands badly.
How To Clean Cast Iron Cookware
It’s best to clean it right away with warm water and soap, just scrape away a bit on it and then wipe it dry and put it on a heated burner so that it’s really dry. You should never soak it in water or leave soapy water in it as this might wear down the seasoning.
How To Store Cast Iron Cookware
It’s always best to make sure it is stored in a dry place. I’d also suggest you take the lid of, cause if air has a high humidity moisture can build up – and moisture means rust. If you want to be totally sure or know you are not going to use your cast iron cookware for a long time just put some paper towels inside or even better some of these salt-packages that absorb moisture.
What To Do When Cast Iron Cookware Rusts?
Usually you don’t need to throw it away – you just have to fix it, which means to scour the rusty areas with steel wool until all traces of rust are gone. Then Wash it throughly, let it dry and reseason it.
If you use too much oil to season your cast iron cookware then it might gum up when heated. What you do then is to scrape of some of the seasoning and then reseason it more carefully.
If your food gets a metallic taste, or turns dark, it either means that your pan has not been well seasoned, or you are leaving food in it well after it is cooked. So, do not store food (particularly acidic food) in cast iron cookware, as the acid in the food will break down the seasoning.
