Tips on Cleaning cast iron and TO SEASON THE PAN

[April B.]

Cleaning cast iron

YOU'VE COME ACROSS GRANDMA'S old cast iron skillet in the attic, and
it nearly breaks your heart. Hard to believe that old, rusted thing
was once the star of Sunday dinner, turning out golden fried chicken
and country fried steak. Now it's coated with greasy, black goo on
the bottom and rust all over the inside.

The secret to caring for cast iron is in the seasoning. Properly
seasoned and cared, for cast iron will last literally forever. So
what is seasoning? It is a process of coating the surface with oil,
fat or grease to create a barrier between the metal and the
environment. Because of the porous nature of cast iron, you need to
melt oil into every pore to keep moisture out. It's this moisture
that is cast iron's worst enemy.



IF YOU HAVE A RUSTED RELIC from the past, you have two choices on
the path to salvation — fire or elbow grease. For a really bad case,
it may take a little of both.

For the elbow grease method, steel wool is your best friend, along
with some rubber gloves. A detergent pad such as SOS Brand will work
wonders on rust and baked on gunk. For really bad cases, baptism by
fire may be necessary. Place the skillet or cookware upside down
over a roaring fire in a fireplace until it is EXTREMELY HOT. This
will remove most, if not all, of the rust and other accumulated crud
on the piece. Remove it from the fire using long-handled pliers. You
may need to use some fine steel wool to remove stubborn patches of
crud. If you don't have a fireplace, a self-cleaning oven or an
outdoor gas grill will also do a fine job.

If you have a new cast iron piece, before using it, wash it in hot,
soapy water and dry it well with paper towel. This is the last time
soap should ever touch the pan.



TO SEASON THE PAN, YOU USE ONE of two methods; oven or stove top.
For the oven method, heat the oven to 250 to 300 degrees. Coat the
pan with a solid vegetable shortening. Don't use a liquid vegetable
oil because it will leave a sticky surface and the pan will not be
properly seasoned. Put the pan in the oven. In 15 minutes, remove
the pan and pour out any excess grease. Place the pan back in the
oven and bake for 2 hours. Repeat this process several times before
using the pan as it will help create a stronger "seasoning" bond.

To season the pan on the stove top, heat it on high until it's quite
hot, then CAREFULLY rub the inside with several thicknesses of paper
towel soaked in mineral oil. Let cool and repeat several times
before first use.

Clean the cookware while it is still hot by rinsing with hot water
and scraping when necessary. Do not use a scouring pad or soap
(detergent) as they will break down the pan's seasoning. If you need
to scrub, a little coarse salt works well. When the piece is clean,
put it back on the burner on medium high heat, dry any remaining
water, pour in a small amount of mineral oil or shortening, and use
a paper towel to lightly coat the inner surface. Turn off the heat
and allow the piece to cool.

Follow these tips and you'll have a lifetime of service out of your
cast iron cookware. Now, where's that chicken...

[April B.]

Message: 1
Date: Mon, 5 Apr 2004 16:59:27 -0500
From: "Bonilyn"
Subject: Re: Re: Cleaning cast iron

I have used cast iron skillets all my adult life, as did my mother and
grandmother. Some of the ones I am using now belonged to my
grandmother. The only method we ever used for cleaning the outside was to burn
the "gunk" off. We did that by putting the skillets in a fire that we
built to burn yard cleanings. Of course you will have to reseason the
skillet, but that is no biggie. We do wash our skillets, but only the
inside with hot water, no soap, and wipe with damp towel, and dry in the
oven, or on top of the stove. Never had a problem with them this way.
Bonnie


I met a woman who didn't wash the outside of her cast iron skillets and
one
day the one on the stove caught fire and both her hands and arms were
severely burned. She threw the skillets away! We have used our
mother's
and grandmother's cast iron skillets all our lives and we are now in
our
late 70s. BUT we wash our skillets after every use and very
occasionally
reseason them.

Cathy

[April B.]

Cleaning Cast Iron "Gunk"

Cast Iron Pans
If you have cast iron pans, or a wood stove that has collected "gunk"
from
being used over and over, remove the crusting with a paste made of
cream of
tartar and vinegar, it will make cleaning a breeze.