ALG's Going Green Tips #4: Cast Iron Pans and How to Season

[amileegirl]

I have an enameled la crueset little dutch oven that I love.  And I have one small skillet enameled on the outside but not the inside (I haven't seasoned or used it yet).    If you don't want to buy any, you can probably find some in a yard sale or knock on great-grandma's door.  She probably has a few.   

Cast iron is a pan for life.     If food is sticking to your pan its because it needs to be seasoned properly.

You don't need an army of pans.  

A large skillet, 10"-14"diameter

a small skillet, 6"-9'"diameter

dutch oven with lid/soup pot,

and muffin/biscuit pan  

          

 

If you are cooking for a large number you might want a cast iron griddle for pancakes or cooking lots of food at once.

If you want to be really economical they have a thing called a "double dutch oven" that has a lid that doubles as a skillet.   And another type that is a skillet, pot, lid, and dutch oven in one.

                 

 

 

If you like to cook tomatoes or tomato based items, I suggest an enameled cast iron pan.  I LOVE mine.  If you haunt TJMaxx you might be abel to find (like I did) a La Crueset on markdown. 

   

 

 

Here is some info I found:

SEASONING A NEW PAN

 

If a pan is not new but  old and rusted, you can use a If  brass wire brush or a wire wheel attached to a drill, elbow grease, or put it into a self cleaning oven.     Clean well with hot soapy water.

If a pan is new and unseasoned  manufacturerers have coated it with a foodgrade wax that must be removed with a scrubbing pad and hot soapy water.  This should be the only time you will use a scouring pad to clean your pan.   

1. Wash new, unseasoned cast iron cookware in warm soapy water to insure a clean surface (a scouring pad works best). Most cast iron that is not pre-seasoned will have a paraffin wax coating to prevent rust from the manufacturer. You want to get all of it off of the pan.

2. Rinse and dry thoroughly.  You may put it on the stove burner to dry it and warm it a bit.

3. Coat the entire surface (inside and out) of the cookware with solid vegetable shortening, coconut oil, or olive oil with a paper towel.  If you use the pan a lot you can use lard or bacon drippings but animal fats tend to go rancid if left to sit for long perios...so don't do so if you use the pan infrequently or need to store it.  DO NOT season with margarine, butter, or salted fat as these will go rancid very quickly.    If the cast iron item has a lid, season it inside and out as well.  (I think raw virgin coconut oil is the best, it is saturated and so has an extremely long shelf life, can be used for cooking, is the best for eating as it does not  promote heart disease despite being saturated because it is  short chained, and it is excellentfor the hair, and the skin.  If you don't use your pans a lot, olive oil may go rancid on you because it is high in monounsaturated fats).

4. Place in a 300-350˚F oven for one hour (you can also use a grill).  Best to put the pans upside down.   This process will cause some smoking and odor for awhile. You might want to place a pan or aluminum foil underneath your cast iron to catch any drippings.

5. Remove from oven and wipe off excess grease with a paper towel.   You may notice that the cast iron has a brown cast.   A well sesoned pan that is completely non-stick will turn to black.   CAUTION: Cookware is HOT, handle with care when removing from the oven.

6. For best results, season the cookware at least two or three times before use (a truly non stick well seasoned pan is black and looks smooth with no pits.  It will take time to develop a very slick no-pit surface, but as long as your pan is black with no rust you are in good shape>  Meat eaters will find that their cast iron gets seasoned faster just by cooking in it.)

7.  Apply a VERY VERY thin coat of solid vegetable shortening , olive oil, vegetable oil, or coconut oil after each time the cookware is used. Improperly seasoned cookware can cause food to stick. A properly seasoned pan is non-stick.  (coconut oil highly recommended by ALG but choose what you like best.)

_____________________________________________________
CARE OF A WELL SEASONED CAST IRON PAN

If your cast iron has a good basecoat of oil (meaning it is all black and has no rust spots) maintenance is fairly simple.

1. Pour whatever you have cooked out.
2. Get the water as hot as you can stand it.
3. Rinse and wipe out with a dishrag until clean.  Try to avoid using soap unless absolutely necessary as it will mess up the seasoned surface.   DO NOT use a scouring pad or you will removed the seasoning.
4. Dry the pot or pan very thoroughly.
5. Take a small amount of oil (about a teaspoon) put it in the middle of the pan and use a rag or paper towel to wipe a thin coat of oil around the inside of the pan, then on the outside.
6. Wipe away and remove any excess with a clean spot on the rag or paper towel. 
7. Place the pot or pan on low to med heat on the stove top for just a minute or two until it appears dry (Do you have a grandma who has a habit of putting all her pots and pans to dry in the oven?  Well this is why.  The habit remains even though the cookware may not be cast iron anymore)
8. Let the pan cool and it is ready to store uncovered. 

If your cast iron is in bad shape with rust spots, or discoloration, start from scratch and re-season it like a brand new pan.    If you don't use your cast iron for a while (months for example), you may have rancidity problems (though if you use coconut oil you probably won't find that this is the case, unless its been an extremely long time.)    In the case of long term storage,  you may want to wash it in some very mild soap, dry it thoroughly, and store it in a cool dry place (do a quick season before the next use).  Alternately,  you can have a "cast iron seasoning day" once a year to maintain all the pans.



DON'T
Store food in your pan
Let it soak in soapy water
Put it in the dishwaster
Use it for boiling water
Use it for cooking tomatoes, tomato sauces, or acidic foods*
Put a hot pan in cold water!
Scour it

*Note:   Cooking something quick like fried green tomatoes, or some lemon wheels with fish won't destroy the seasoning or harm the pan.  You just don't want a lot of acidic elements cooking in the pan for a long period of time -- use an enameled cast iron pan for those kinds of things.

[singedwingangel]

Jul. 1, 2008 at 3:44 PM I LOVE LOVE LOVE my cast iron skillets, I have the new ones and some that were my memaws that I cherish, she made the world's best gravy that I have not yet mastered.Fried green tomatoes that would make your tongue slap your brains out they were so good. Cornbread that just fell out of the pan after cooking, Man I am getting hungry lol

[wearygram]

Jul. 1, 2008 at 3:47 PM Cast iron rocks, it is all I have used most of my life. My pans are 60 yrs. old and passed on to me by my Gramma, they will last forever.

[SxdUpAngel]

Jul. 1, 2008 at 9:41 PM So...  I can't make fried green tomato?  No FGT?!?!?!  I've been tossing back and forth about going cast iron because I hate my walmart teflon crap that was all we could afford a year ago.  It cuts me if I'm not careful.  HATE IT.  This was the main thing stopping me, though, I didn't know what to do with it.  I knew there were special ways to take care of it but I didn't know what they were...  Now, there's only the price stopping me.  : D

[amileegirl]

Jul. 2, 2008 at 1:30 PM

You can probably do FGT.  I wouldn't do spaghetti sauce though :)       Just be sure to season the pan after and don't leave them in longer than necessary.

(Original Poster)

[merrybee]

Jul. 9, 2008 at 11:36 AM i love my cast iron! and i do put tomato-based stuff in it from time to time. i just make sure to not let food sit in them once we're done with the meal.

[merrybee]

Jul. 9, 2008 at 11:38 AM just as a side note, i don't think i've ever cooked fresh tomotoes in it, but i've done canned and jarred tomato sauce.

[Enamorada85]

Jul. 22, 2008 at 3:24 PM

I have Cast Iron and Glass and love them. I Also just obtained some really amazing ones that I can cook with in with no oil or water! Since I got them that is all I use, They are a form of stainless steel that is not pourous and their heat conductions is one of the best benefits. It conducts heat all around so as to cook the food from the top as well, you can even use their flat lids and stack up to four from big to small and cook a whole dinner in one burner! saving a lot of electricity. Simply put they are a must in any kitchen, I would recommend them to anyone. If you would like to know more, just PM me and we can talk they are amazing.

If anyone wants to look at them you can check out their website. I had a home presentation done to me and I can give the code that I received to see the prices online. The website is www.carico.com and the code is 603562

 

[llansky]

Sep. 3, 2008 at 12:22 AM

my MIL is pretty much obsessed with le crueset, so we've got pretty much a kitchen full of red ceramic and cast iron cookware, machines and dishes! lol somehow she can always find the best bargains. thanks for this post! i've been "cleaning" my skillet all wrong :( tomorrow i'm gonna season it... yay!

[melinbean]

Sep. 4, 2008 at 12:10 AM

Thanks for this! I love my dutch ovens but my skillet, everything stuck to it. Now I know it's because I didn't "season" it. I'm like llansky's MIL. I love the le cruset. You wouldn't happen to know how to use an iron panini press? =o) Thanks again!