Cast Iron

Cast Iron

---

---

What are your experiances using/buying a cast iron skillet?

I am thinking of buying one but i haven't had very good experience with cast iron kitchen utensils?

Mine always seem to rust. Is it really true that you need to condition them?>

What is so specially about the cast iron?
Doesn't the food get stuck to the skillet?
ALso i have a nephew in the house that is learning to walk and i am afraid that if i turn my back he may touch the skillet, is there a fast, safe way to cool it down?

Remove all packaging and adhesives from a new unseasoned cast iron skillet. Some modern cast iron cookware is preseasoned at the factory, but it won't hurt to season it again. Make sure all paper and pricing stickers are completely removed. Use a sponge and light, soapy water to quickly remove any remaining surface dirt and dry the pan thoroughly with paper towels or by air drying. This is the only time water should ever be used to clean the inside of a cast iron skillet. Future cleaning should be done with dry paper towels and salt only, to prevent damage from rust. Once the cast iron pan is completely dry, find a supply of cooking oil, shortening, bacon grease or animal lard.

Preheat the oven and prepare the skillet. Different people will tell you different temperatures for proper seasoning, ranging from 250 to 500 degrees Fahrenheit. Since the main point of seasoning is to bake the oil or grease into the pores of the skillet, a preheating temperature of 350 degrees or higher seems reasonable. As the oven heats, wipe a generous amount of your chosen oil or grease around the inside of the skillet. Wipe out any obvious excesses, but remain generous with the coating.

Place the cast iron skillet upside down on the top rack of the hot oven. To prevent the grease or oil from dripping onto the bottom burners, place a cookie sheet or other oven-proof tray on the lowest rack. Allow the pan to remain in the oven for at least an hour. Do not be alarmed if you see or smell smoke -- this is a normal part of the seasoning process. The oil or grease is filling up all of the pores of the cast iron, creating fewer crevices for food to become trapped.

After an hour or more has elapsed, use oven mitts to remove the cast iron skillet from the oven. Place on a heat-resistant surface (right side up) and allow the skillet to cool. The cast iron skillet is now seasoned, but some foods such as eggs may still stick to the bottom without additional oils or grease. The seasoning process needs to be repeated several times before a sufficient layer of charring has built up in the bottom of the pan. Ideally, a cast iron skillet should be wiped out completely after cooking, and then put through the seasoning process again. It may take several years for a cast iron skillet to reach the non-stick level of your Grandmother's prized frying pan, but the results should be worth the effort.

Cast Iron Skillets.... Their Back in Style! and Very Collectible

With all the latest gadgets on the market today, it is amazing that the cast iron skillet has survived the test of time. Nothing seems to last as long in the kitchen as that old iron skillet.

Cast Iron cookware is a heat conductor, which means it heats evenly and consistently, it is affordable and will last a lifetime or two! It is the old fashioned way to cook "fat free"

A cast iron skillet can go from stove to oven, and you don't need any special utensils to cook with it (unlike teflon style pans) they don't warp, and they clean up well.

All our grandmothers had cast iron skillets and stove top griddles. They were quite often passed down to the next generation. You simply cleaned them with soap and water, or a stiff brush and then "seasoned" them to prevent rusting etc, .

How to season:

Seasoning is when you add a protective layer to your cast iron skillet, or cookware, to prevent rusting and to provide a non stick surface for cooking. Once seasons properly, a cast iron skillet will last for generations.

Seasoning is a three step process, you need to clean the skillet or pan and then apply a layer of animal fat or vegetable oil, and then heat the cookware to bond the fat to the metal.

If you have an older pan, then it has naturally become seasoned over time from years of cooking, and you simple have to clean with soap and water.

You could buy a new one, but why not check the local flea markets, second hand stores and the internet?.. These are great places to start, and cast iron skillets have become collectables, as they are a part of history and have stood the test of time.

Some people are actually making a business of buying and selling old cookware, such as the trusty cast iron skillets and griddles, and therefore are a good investment. You can't break them or wear them out, they are heavy and have been known to make a good weapon in a pinch!
find your cast iron skillets online now

About the Author

find your cast iron skillets online now Article and website by Diane Palmer

How to Season and Clean Cast Iron