cast iron fry pan?

[mikefde]

my father just gave me a really old cast iron fry pan. i have heard there are ways to cure the pan. some people have told me to bake it for a few minuets others just say to oil them? what is the best way to take care of a cast iron pan?
thanks mike

[troy1]

ive always oiled them lightly and baked them at 350 for a while, about 20-30 min. never, ever wash them with soap. you will ruin the pan and it is a chore to re-season it.

[Shotgun]

I have had cast iron frying pans for years and use them all the time. I ALWAYS wash mine with soap. :confused: I've heard the bit about not using soap, but I like 'em clean. I can't see where it's a problem. Season it well with cooking oil, and then I guess it's do whatever tickles your fancy. Have fun.

[Salmonsmoker]

Mikefde,

I use cast iron cookware almost exclusively, over the camp fire, in my Stone Pit Oven, and in the kitchen. The instructions from "Lodge" - a top rated manufacturer of USA made cast iron ware - is to not use soap.

The curing porcess is much like the "baked-on" spots that appear on the kitchen stove if cooking oil is spilled and cooked on. To cure or restore a cast iron item, clean it thoroughly (either to remove the factory coating used to keep it from rusting, or to remove any rust on older items) then lightly coat it with solid shortening (for flavor, I prefer unsalted pork fat rubbed on heated cast iron.) Then heat the cookware and pour off any excess fat as it can pool and cause a not-cured place in the cookwear. After that, bake it at 350 degrees for an hour - or until the layer of fat has been baked on.

The cookware is then ready to use - however, it is recommended that you cook only non-acid foods and foods fried in oils, for the first few times to increase the cure. Acid foods will remove the new cure. Also, soap or detergents will remove the cure. If you have a well-cured item, soap may not be a problem. However, with newly cured cookware, the protective coating is very thin and can easily be etched away by soaps.

Well-cured cast iron cookware is the original non-stick type of cooking. However, when doing things like steak & onions or even burgers, some of the liquid from the food may dry and stick to the surface. To clean, put some water in the cookware, then place it on the burner and bring to a boil - then gently scrape the inside surface with a plastic spoon or other not-too-hard item (I purchased a plastic cast iron cookware cleaning tool for $3.95 at Bobs Gun & Tackle in Hastings. It has various angles and surfaces for getting into the corners of any size pot or skillett.) Once all food residu is removed, pour out the water, and heat the cookware to open the metal pours and completely dry it. Then coat with solid shortening, (oil works but can leave a sticky surface when the oil has dried) or pork fat. Then wipe with a paper towel and let cool. Do not cover the cookware until it has cooled because condensation can form on the inside and may cause rust. Once it has cooled, it is ready to store or re-use.

Hope this helps.

Salmonsmoker

[Sarge]

shotgun, I know what you mean and I've tried both ways. If you don't use the pan regularly, I too would use soap. What you want from a seasoned pan is the natural non-stick that comes from years of seasoning, and the rusty cast iron taste not to get in the food.

Washing thoroughly with very hot water is sufficient if the pan doesn't have time to sit and gain active bacteria. The types of bacteria that gather on any surface are not the same ones that come from rotted food and are neither very harmful or resistant to heat. Therefore the next time you cook with the pan the preheating process kills all the germs. If the pan seems to carry "greasy" feel there are different bacteria and they are more harmful and more resistant to heat. Getting the pan "hot enough" will still kill them.

A compromise many people use is the one that folks used way back when. They used a non-detergent soap, which was still able to cut grease and kill bacteria, without leaving detergent deposits in all of the pores of the pan.

Our cast iron pan gets washed in very hot water and we use dish cloths or whatever to dislodge food particles but we don't use any soap. It is always very clean and never puts that old iron or rust flavor into the food. Most importantly, it doesn't leave that faint "dish soap" taste in gravies that I've gotten in the past.

[mikefde]

thanks everyone very useful information. i will be using it tonight to cook up some morals and venison steaks!!! YUM

[benji]

mikefde, Those shrooms this years? cause I've been looking and haven't found any yet. Sure sound good. Got the butter in the fridge just a waiting...

[mikefde]

Yeah i found a handful of really small ones about a week ago. i think i was lucky cause i have been looking in my hot spots since and found nothing. i found them small ones after that night last week it was 70.

[jpollman]

I've got a nice 10" cast iron skillet that I just LOVE. I did the solid shortening and bake @ 350 for an hour thing. It did work and I started to get a good season on it. I used it for a while but shortly after that I came back in from working outside and my wife had SCRUBBED IT CLEAN !!! I hit the ceiling. I told her to NOT WASH MY SKILLET, and that I'd take care of it. It's been a couple of years now and it's seasoned very well. Whenever I use it I just allow it to cool down and then I wipe it out with a paper towel before it's completely cool. Then just put it back in the cupboard until its next use. I'm not worried about the bacteria because it will be killed next time I preheat it. That is one of my favorite pans. It is surprizingly non-stick.

[Salmonsmoker]

Cast Iron cookware is what I use in all of my outdoor cooking. It is excellent with hot coals from the campfire, charcoal, in my stone-pit oven, and on the girll. It is also excellent for use inside when I need a hot skillet to sear or brown meat, for panfried steak and onions, and even for eggs. My cast iron griddle is excellent for pancakes and other group breakfasts. For years, I have used either pork fat or rendered lard to season and/or clean my Cast Iron. Animal fat gives the cure a better flavor, and it provides the best non-stick surface.

Since my collection of Cast Iron has grown to where some pieces get used for only specific purposes, I have found that - over time in storage - some of the pieces, when used after long storage, tended to have a rancid smell. In such cases, boiling water in the utensel, then drying it on the stove, and reapplying lard while it is hot solved the problem.

I was discussing this with a long-time participant in the Mt. Man Rondevoux's (sp?) that I go to. This 'ol timer' has been cooking in cast iron over a fire on a regular basis, for a lot of years. His solution: for pieces of Cast Iron that get regular use, treat them with lard because it gives a better flavor and cures better. For pieces that get occasional use, treat them with solid vegetable shortening. Over time such shortening may develop a tacky feel and need to be recured, but it will not turn rancid.

[jdt]

salmonsmoker has it right,properly seasoned cast iron frying pans
are like teflon with even heating!

[benji]

Hi all. Long time since last I was here, hope all are well. Still got my cast iron hot and the wife got me some new for christmas. Got to love that, because it is something that will last forever (Like my love for her) . I'm 47 years old and have some cast iron that I bought 29 years ago and some that I inherited from my great grand mother. Man that stuff must be 100+ years old and I can flip a soft fried egg with out hardly using a spatula, then slid it right out onto the plate without breaking the yoke. Wouldn't use anything else for my frying needs.
When you get a well seasoned piece of cast iron that you just have to (scrub) the best thing to do is warm untill almost hot, add a little olive oil -2or3 Tbs- and a small hand full of salt. SALT !!!! Ya, Ya, I know salt will make iron rust. However salt will not disolve in oil. Makes a great scrubbing agent and when you are done rinse clean with HOT water, heat till dry, reoil and throw it in the oven till needed.
Thought about it today, 100 DAYS AND THERE SHOULD BE MORRELS IN THAT SKILLET. Got some venison tenderloin saved for that day. Makes my mouth water thinking about it.
Till then Gills and perch will have to do. :D. See Ya. Benji.

[Salmonsmoker]

Benji,

There is always good stuff to be cooked in black iron. And black iron is the best way to cook good stuff. Right now my stone-pit oven is frozen shut. I'm looking forward to the spring thaw so that I can get back to burying my Dutch Oven in there, and then digging up a delicious dinner a few hours later.

Morrels and Venison Tenderloin - an excellent dish.

[Shad]

I let a buddy borrow mine and he didn't clean it. It rusted, and I threw it out. Didn't what to take the chance of getting lockjaw or something. At least he bought me another one. Season w/ oil at 350 for 1/2hr. I clean it putting water and liquid soap in the pan and boil it. Rinse well and dry it over heat. When the water has evaporated, pour a small amount of cooking oil in the pan and rub all over the whole inside. My Dads had his for over 60yrs.

[Salmonsmoker]

Shad,

First, let me say that I am glad to see that you use Black Iron Cookware. It is the best way to cook food that has been invented yet. I have been cooking with Black Iron for over 30 years. Some of my collection started as new items, but many pieces were from garage sales - they were very rusted. They are excellent candidates (depending on the quality of the iron used in the manufacturing) for reseasoning. Just use some steel wool and clean it thoroughly, wash with hot water and soap, rinse thoroughly, dry thoroughly, then reseason (similar to the process of seasoning a new item).

As for seasoning - most oil's will leave a stick surface over time, and will turn rancid if you do not use the cookware on a regular basis. This will leave a bad smell in the pan (thus a bad flavor to the food cooked in the pan). Lard bakes on very hard, dry, and gives an excellent flavor to the pan, but will also turn rancid over time. Crisco will not turn rancid, and gives a farily good surface - but will eventually get sticky. For peices that I use regualrly, I use lard. For items that get occassional use, I use Crisco.

Generally, I warm (100 degrees) the item to be cured, then add a light coating of lard/Crisco, and bake at 350 for 1 to 2 hours, and then turn off the oven and let the item cool in the oven. Then I repeat that process so that the cure is thickened and hardened. Over time, the cure will become shiny black with an excellent flavor and foods will not stick when they are cooked in it.

As for mixing liquid soap in the cleaning water - with a very thin cure in the pan, that may work OK - however, if you look at the curing instructins for a new pan, they recommend NEVER using soap in the cleaning process. In the best cured iron, the cure is built up over time. Using soap in the cleaning water will leave a soapy flavor in the cure. It will also remove some of the cure that you are trying to build up - keeping it thin. My cleaning process - put in a little water and bring to a boil. If any food items do not wipe off with a paper towl, I use a plastic spoon-edge and lightly scrape it. Then remove the water, and dry over direct heat. Once it is dry and very hot, brush on a coating of lard/crisco (depending on the regularity of use for that item). As needed, I reseason all my cookware on a regular basis.

Hope this helps.

[Shad]

Thanks SS. I guess I jumped the gun when I tossed it in the garbage. Although I was pretty pissed off. my dad has a nice big pan. It takes two hands when filled with something to carry it. We take it up to Deer camp every year. I've been cleaning it for over 30yrs. Thank you for your input. Shad...... If you were just curious;(Yes , this is my real name. My dad named me after a fish. )

[Salmonsmoker]

Making current for question on dutch Ovens