How to Clean and Season Cast Iron Cookware
https://ift.tt/2UVowni People will tell you all sorts of things about cast iron. Don’t use soap! Don’t cook tomatoes in it! Don’t get it wet or feed it after midnight! Relax. Cast iron care is simple. Here are the two biggest things to remember.
Easy, right? If want to learn about seasoning cast iron, or why cooking tomatoes in a cast iron skillet would even be problematic, keep reading. WHAT IS THIS MYSTERIOUS “SEASONING”?Seasoning is what makes cast iron black. The blacker a skillet, the better it is seasoned. “Seasoning” refers to a finish, and also to the process of applying that finish. Generally speaking, Oil + Metal + Heat = Seasoning. When thinly spread over the cast iron and heated for a long period of time, the fatty acids in oil change chemically, oxidizing and creating a slick layer over the surface of the pan. To the naked eye cast iron looks smooth, but it’s got teeny-tiny nooks and crannies where the oil gets trapped and then bonds with the iron. So, when you season cast iron, you’re making a do-it-yourself nonstick coating. Cool, huh? SEASONING GETS BETTER OVER TIMEThe more you cook with cast iron, the better that coating gets. Cast iron is best suited for people who want an evolving relationship with their cookware. The process is the point. For best results, get in the habit of seasoning your skillet after most uses. Routine seasoning isn’t hard, and it doesn’t take a lot of time. Most new skillets these days come pre-seasoned and ready to use. We’ll get more into seasoning in a bit. HOW TO CLEAN CAST IRONAbout that soap: I occasionally wash my cast iron cookware with dish soap on purpose. It’s fine. It will not ruin your skillet. When your skillet is especially greasy, a little dish soap cuts right through it. But often it’s not necessary to wash cast iron with soap. If you’ve been griddling pancakes, a simple wipe with a paper towel might be all you need. For gunky or saucy foods, keep reading. SCRUB AWAY YOUR WORRIESFor gunky, saucy residue, a wet plastic scrubby or brush gets the job done nine times out of ten. Avoid metal bristles or pads, which can remove the skillet’s seasoning. Once your skillet has cooled off some, fill it with water, scrub-a-dub-dub, rinse, and presto! It’s clean. I save the plastic netting from bags of onions or fruit for single-use scrubbies—they work great, especially for crud like melted cheese or cooked egg residue. Old-time cleaning methods include scouring the skillet with salt or cornmeal. Both of these abrasives are likewise safe and cheap. HOW SHOULD I DRY MY SKILLET?Don’t store your cast iron while it’s still wet because Iron + Water = Rust. How do you dry a skillet? Sounds obvious, but with a towel (cloth or paper). You can let it air-dry, but that could lead to small spots of rust developing if the air circulation is poor. Some people like to dry their skillets on the stove over low heat for half a minute or so. This works, but if you wander away and forget the skillet is on the stove, you can return to a smoking, red-hot skillet. Not like I’ve ever, ever done anything like that. (Note to self and others: set a timer.) WHY CAN’T I PUT CAST IRON IN THE DISHWASHER?I’d always heard dishwashers can strip away the seasoning and make cast iron rust. But I’d never tried it myself, so—with the thrill of rebellion—I did. It’s not a myth: my skillet came out rusty, and I needed to re-season it. HOW TO SEASON CAST IRONI’d be lying if I said I seasoned my cast iron every time I used it. Routine seasoning after most uses is probably good enough. Here’s how to do it: once your skillet is clean, set it on the stove over high heat until it’s dry. Add a small amount of oil—less than a teaspoon—and smear it around well with a paper towel or clean, lint-free rag. Take it off the burner. If it looks especially greasy still, wipe it out again. That’s it! The seasoning on your skillet isn’t permanent. It can ebb and flow, depending on what you cook. Frying and sautéing, which involve heating oil, build the seasoning up. But after simmering liquids in your skillet, the seasoning will be duller and more vulnerable to rust. Dry-searing in your skillet—as well as unintentionally burning food—can also wear down the seasoning. When your skillet isn’t looking like its normal self, give just it some extra love and a good massage with oil as described above. Think of it as its stint at the Skillet Spa. WHAT OIL TO USE FOR SEASONINGLard was once the fat of choice, but do you have lard around? Probably not. Also, animal fats (like lard or bacon grease) can go rancid. As can olive oil. This said, if you use your skillet every single day, then it’s fine to use these fats for seasoning. But in general, you want to use an oil with a high smoke point when you season cast iron, particularly if the cast iron was in bad shape. So-called neutral oils like soybean oil, vegetable oil, and canola oil work fine. For routine seasoning, I’d say don’t get too hung up on the specific kind of oil; it’s better to season with an oil that’s not the top choice than it is to neglect to care for your skillet. HOW TO RESCUE A RUINED SKILLETSo you found an old skillet at a flea market. Or you put one in the dishwasher. Or you accidentally carbonized a block of tofu. In any case, now the skillet looks like something brought up from Titanic wreckage. Can you save it? Probably!
COOKING ACIDIC FOODS IN CAST IRONAcid—things like vinegar and tomato sauce—will react with the iron in the metal as they heat. This can cause a metallic taste. The rule of thumb here is moderation: shorter cook times and mild acids. Reducing a bottle of balsamic vinegar in cast iron is a bad idea; tomato sauce simmered for half an hour or less should be fine. Also, sauces are less likely to pick up metallic tastes from well-seasoned pans. Storing acidic foods in cast iron can also lead to a metallic taste. I noticed this after eating a berry cobbler I’d baked the day before and left in the skillet. You can avoid this by transferring the food to another container once it’s cool. COMMONLY ASKED CAST IRON QUESTIONS!
TRY THESE RECIPES FOR SOME QUALITY TIME WITH YOUR SKILLET!Recipes via Simply Recipes https://ift.tt/2F9fkDA March 26, 2019 at 09:00AM
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The Flat Belly FixThis is the only 21-day rapid weight loss system that allows you to easily lose an average of 1 lb a day for 21 days without feeling hungry or deprived. The unique and brand new techniques used in this System are proven SAFE. And they do not cause the rebound weight gain common to all the other rapid weight loss systems that are not backed by the latest science. The Flat Belly Fix System takes advantage of a recent scientific discovery that proves the effective weight loss power of an ancient spice. Combined with other cutting-edge ingredients in the patent-pending Flat Belly Fix Tea™ — that you can make right in your own kitchen in minutes — this System is the quickest, easiest and most enjoyable way to quickly get the body you desire and deserve. Click HereCategories
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