When I was a child I thought everyone cooked with cast iron. Everyone I knew did. Then I got older and realized that there were a lot more choices out there. Waterless cookware, aluminum, stainless, porcelain covered steel.
I learned to cook in cast iron and I still prefer it today. It’s practically indestructible and if you know how to use it and care for it, it cooks food wonderfully.
When you buy cast iron, be sure to choose the best pans you can afford and look for a very smooth cooking surface. Brands made in the US are best. Southern Living Magazine has a good article about the different brands and how they rank them.
Here is how to season cast iron before using it
Be sure you’ve washed your pan well using soap and a scrubbie like Scotch Brite. A Scrub Mommy works too. Dry your pan with a clean cloth. You can place the pan over a warm eye on the stove to further dry it if you need to. Once it’s dry …..
- Heat your oven to 250* F . Don’t get any higher because the oil will get too hot and pool and ripple in the pan and if you don’t wipe it and spread it around it will harden in those pools and ripples.
- Using a paper towel or lint-free clean cloth, rub about 1 teaspoon of some food grade oil like lard or shortening into the cooking surfaces (including the inner sides) of the pan. You want just a very light coat of oil.
There are other oils that people recommend like high grade organic flax seed oil. This oil leaves a very hard, durable surface. I found it to be difficult to apply the first time I used it but I will say that the finish is really slick and hard, just what you want for cooking.
Peanut oil is a good choice for seasoning cast iron too since it also gives a nice hard, shiny surface after being baked. I prefer to use lard though. Its been the oil of choice for many years to season cast iron and it works very well for me, giving a slick, smooth seasoned surface that is durable through many washings and only requires periodic light seasonings to retain the smooth surface.
What happens when you spread a layer of oil on the pan and heat it, is called polymerization. Fat melts into the pores then bakes to a hard finish. Cooking with a well-seasoned pan is like cooking with a non-stick pan.
3. Next, place the skillet into the oven, close the door and let it bake for about 30 minutes.
4. Take the pan out and rub a tiny bit more oil onto the cooking surfaces and inner sides of the pan. Put the pan back into the oven and let it bake another 30 minutes. Repeat three more times for a total of 2 1/2 hours in the oven at 250* F.
This is the initial seasoning and doesn’t have to be repeated unless your pan gets food burned onto it or is damaged in some way.
After this initial seasoning your pan is ready to use. When you start to use it, be sure to cook some greasy foods at first, its good for your pan. Cook bacon and fry all kinds of things.
Contrary to some opinions, you can use soap to clean your pans each time you use them. I do. Clean your pans immediately after use and they will be easier to clean. The initial seasoning won’t wash off. Don’t wash your pans in the dishwasher though, that’s a different kind of soap and that soap, which is more of a detergent, will definitely wear away the seasoning on the pan.
You can lightly season them each time you use them. Once you get into the habit, its not difficult, or really , even time-consuming.
Here is how to lightly season your pans after washing.
- Turn a stove burner on low.
- Wash and then dry your pan.
- Place the pan on the low burner. Allow it to dry completely. This dries off any moisture that could be lurking in the pores of the pan.
- Next, carefully because the pan is hot, rub about 1/2 teaspoon of oil onto the cooking surface of the pan.
- Put the pan back on the burner for another 10 minutes. Turn off the burner and allow the pan to cool. Its now ready to cook again.
Cooking with cast iron so food won’t stick.
I know a lot of people who won’t use cast iron because they tried once and their food stuck to the pan or the food burns. Here’s how to cook in cast iron.
- heat your pan over medium high heat.
- add any fat that you’re using and allow it to get hot
- once your pan is hot, add your food and any liquids
The main thing to keep in mind when cooking in cast iron is to keep the heat constant. Don’t allow the heat to get too high. Once a cast iron pan is hot, it stays hot for quite a while.
Storing your pans
Cast iron is forgiving and you don’t really need to store it specially except that you must keep it dry. I keep a heavy duty paper towel between the pans but that’s not really necessary.
I have 8 pieces of cast iron right now. My oldest piece is over 200 years old and has been in my family that long. I still cook beans in it and I use it over the fire. My favorite pieces are my skillets that are slick and shiny inside because they have been kept seasoned for over 50 years.
Do you have cast iron? Do you use it?
Rose Red Homestead has a great video about seasoning cast iron.
