How to Season Your Cast Iron Cookware
By Paula on Sep 20, 2007 in Cast Iron Cookware
If you own cast iron cookware then you know that to cook successful meals you need to season your cookware correctly.
Without proper seasoning your food will not only stick to the surface but it will also react with the metal resulting in food that tastes and looks unappetizing.
Here are the steps to seasoning your cast iron cookware:
- Preheat your oven to 300F and place aluminum foil or similar in the bottom of your oven to protect it from oil spills.
- If you have purchased your cast iron cookware as new then you will need to thoroughly wash it with warm water and soap using a scourer to remove any rust proof coatings.
- Dry the cookware thoroughly before proceeding to the next step. You can place it in the oven for a short period in order to do this.
- Coat the pan and the lid evenly with a heavy fat like lard or bacon grease. Many use Crisco for this purpose. The pan should be coated inside and out.
- Place the pan and the lid upside in your oven for about an hour. If you place them right side up then the oil will accumulate in the bottom of the pan.
- For best results repeat steps 4 and 5. Repeating this process once or twice will ensure an optimal non-stick surface to cook on.
Read more about caring for your cast iron cookware…
Read why cast iron is one of the best…. http://www.prweb.com/releases/2008/01/prweb619511.htm
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8 Comment(s)
By Katie on Sep 21, 2007 | Reply
Great site - loads of information!
I’ve started using the enameled cast-iron - for me it’s easier to care for. My mother has to cast iron frying pans that she’s used for everything for years… I just don’t fry that often….
Anyway, I’ll be back!
By Paula on Sep 22, 2007 | Reply
Thanks for visiting Katie. I had a great time reading the posts at your blog. And yes the enameled cast iron is a popular alternative to the regular cast iron. Its easier to clean, doesn’t require seasoning and doesn’t react with acidic type foods like tomatoes. It also looks a lot nicer than the basic cast iron cookware. Still the purists among us would probably say that you can’t beat the bare cast iron but it’s all about preference.
By Dimitrios on Oct 4, 2007 | Reply
How safe is the cast iron cookware?
By Paula on Oct 5, 2007 | Reply
Cast iron cookware is considered quite safe but it should be seasoned correctly before use.
By Maurice on Jan 19, 2008 | Reply
Does a cast iron griddle have to be seasoned on both sides and why?
By Maurice on Jan 19, 2008 | Reply
Hi. It’s Maurice again. One more question. Do I have to season the cast iron grates on my new gas range? Thanks again
By Paula on Jan 19, 2008 | Reply
Hi Maurice - You should season your cookware on both sides because it will prevent rust forming. As for your gas range I think the best thing is to check with the retailer on this one. We aren’t experts on gas ranges.
By Steve on Jun 14, 2008 | Reply
I was given my mother’s old 10 inch cast iron skillet. Becase it was a litle rusty, I let it sit with oven cleaner for about 8 hrs, then washed it a couple of times with Palmolive dish soap. The areas that are not dark grey now have an antique gold look to it. Is it ok to season it now or does it still have oven cleaner in the pores? Each time I dried it after washing, I dried it with paper towel and it seemed to come out clean. Any help would be greatly apprecited.
Regards,
Steve