The Care and Feeding of Cast Iron

[Guest guest]

By Brook andBarbara ElliotThe hallmark of any country kitchen is an old black skillet sittingatop the stove.And there's good reason for that: Whether you're baking biscuits in aDutch oven, flipping pancakes on a griddle over a woodstove orpanfrying chops on a modern electric range, cast iron makes the bestcookware.Cast-iron cookware has been used steadily in America since the 1600s,though over the last half century or so it has been known primarily asan outdoor cookware, used mainly by campers, hunters and livinghistorians. But with more and more people discovering its virtues,there has been a resurgence in the use of cast-iron cookware in the home.When folks think of cast ironware, most tend to think of skillets andfry pans, but the fact is there is an iron pot or kettle designed forjust about any cooking chore. You can bake in Dutch ovens, make stewin a kettle or even do up a stirfry in a cast-iron wok. Then there aregriddles for making flapjacks, specialized pieces for making cornsticks and muffins, baking pans and large pieces designed specificallyfor putting up preserves. Cast iron also provides more even heatdistribution than today's lightweight aluminum pans. It cooks evenly,cleans up easily and holds heat longer (thus requiring less fuel).Moreover, cast iron also has medicinal qualities. In fact, manymedical authorities believe that there are health benefits to cookingin iron since food may absorb and pass onto us traces of the essentialmineral.But in order to live up to its potential, cast-iron cookware must beproperly cured and that cure must be maintained. If done correctly,the iron will not rust, nor will food stick to it and burn.Curing cast iron means filling the pores and voids in the metal withgrease of some sort, which subsequently gets cooked in. This providesa smooth, nonstick surface on both the inside and outside of thepiece. While the curing process is similar whether you start with new,or used cast iron, there are a few important differences. Let's lookat new cookware first.Choosing and Curing IronwareThere are only a handful of sources for new cast ironware. TwoAmerican companies -Wagner and Lodge - still produce it and the restcomes from Asia. Generally you're better off with the finer grainedAmerican-made goods. The imports, though cheaper, have a course grainthat is hard to cure and that requires more attention once it's cured.Also, if you have a choice, avoid designs with self-basting lids.These are either covered with metal nipples or have a series of holeson the inside. They are more difficult to care for, because steamcondenses in the depressions and on the nipples and tends to draw outthe cure. They're also much harder to dry, resulting in rust on theinside of the lid and a metallic taste in the food that comes fromcooking in uncured iron.Wooden handles - more common on imported ironware - are handsome andstay cool to the touch... theoretically. Keep in mind that they arenot appropriate for use on an open fire, and the wooden handlesactually do heat up, thanks largely to the aluminum bolts thatgenerally pass through their middles. Also, because you have a softmetal screw going into a hard metal thread, the bolt eventually wearsdown, causing the handle to loosen.All new iron has a protective coating on it, which must be removed.American companies use a special food-safe wax; imports are coveredwith a water-soluble shellac. In either case, scrub the item with ascouring pad, using soap and the hottest tap water you can stand. Oncethe coating is removed, you should never again let soap touch the iron.Let's repeat that. Do not use soap on cured cast iron. The cure isbased on grease, and soap's job is to remove grease. So if you washyour iron with soap, you'll destroy the very effect you are trying for.Also, make sure to remove all of the protective coating. If not,you'll get a very strange smell as the coating cooks during the curingprocess and this funky aroma will often linger, permeating andcorrupting the flavor of any food later cooked in the pot.When the iron comes clean, immediately dry it and wipe a fairly heavycoating of shortening over all the metal, being sure to include thehandle and any legs or other protuberances. Historically, lard wasused for this purpose. But lard, like all animal fats, has a tendencyto turn rancid, so shortening is a better bet. Never use butter,margarine or any fat containing milk or salt to season cast iron.Heat your oven to 400°F and bake your iron pieces for about an hour.Remove them, blot up any puddles of oil with a paper towel, then letthe iron pieces cool. Do not be alarmed if at this point the cast ironfeels sticky; it'll lose this once the cure is complete.Cast iron makers will tell you that the cookware is now ready forcooking, though most recommend that you use it only for frying thefirst few times. We find that oiling and heating the iron at least onemore time before use effects a hotter initial cure. In this case,grease the piece lightly, and the stickiness should disappear; if not,it will the first time you cook with it.After you've completed the second coating, it's okay to cook in theiron, but be sure to follow the manufacturer' s suggestion and use thepiece for frying only. Your ironware will be slightly discolored atthis stage, but these first few frying jobs will complete the cure,and turn the iron into the rich, black color that is the sign of awell-cured, well-used skillet or pot. Usually, this takes considerabletime. However, there is a way to hasten the process.To achieve a final cure quickly, build a high flamed fire outdoors.While any fuel will serve, it's best to avoid softwoods as they willdeposit creosote on the iron, which is not good for you.Grease the iron on all surfaces fairly heavily and set it in theflames. When a good coating of soot has been deposited on the bottom,turn the piece and brush the sooty surface with more shortening. Besure to use a natural fiber brush for this because synthetics willmelt. When the topside, now facing the flames, has accumulated asufficient layer of soot, turn the piece again and grease the sootysurface. Two or three turnings should complete the job. Remove theiron from the fire and let it cool.Now comes the messy part. Liberally grease paper towels and use themto wipe off the iron. Lots of loose soot will come off, so you'll needplenty of towels. Try not to reapply this loose surface soot to theware. Keep wiping with greased paper towels, periodically shifting toa clean spot, until most of the heavy' soot is removed.Your iron should new have a deep black finish, which normally onlycomes with months of use. What you've done is fill in all of the poresand voids in the iron, creating a smooth nonstick surface. The blackfinish will now help to absorb and hold beat evenly.You can use the iron right away or clean it to remove any additionalsurface soot. We usually clean ours, so as not to transfer any soot tothe kitchen stove. But should you choose to skip this step, the firstcooking job will finish the cure, and no additional loose soot willappear unless you use the piece on an open fire.Proper cleaning of cast iron is the secret to maintaining the cure. Solet's repeat once more: Do not use soap on cured cast iron. Ever! Allyou need is hot water (the hotter the better) and a scrub brush.Once again, use straight hot water from the tap or water you've heatedin camp. If outdoors, pour a small amount (a cup or two is all ittakes) in the iron and use the scrub brush to vigorously scour allsurfaces. Rinse the surface with more hot water. Indoors, merely letthe hot water flow over the iron as you scrub it with the brush. Ifyou are concerned about sterilization, pour boiling water into andover the iron after you have brushed it. But frankly, we don'tconsider this necessary: If the iron has been cured properly, it willnot harbor pathogens.There's a cast-iron piece for most any cooking jobImmediately dry the iron, then coat it with a thin film of shortening.This replaces any you have lost through cooking and cleaning andfurther assures there will be no rusting.Iron that's been used on an open fire will always have loose soot onthe outside. Rather than dirtying the scrub brush, we use one of thoseplastic scouring pads instead. We keep a few reserved solely for thispurpose, to avoid transferring soot to other cleaning products. And wefirst wipe the ironware with greasy paper towels to remove most of theloose soot.Depending on what it's used for, cast iron often doesn't have to becleaned at all. We have friends who reserve one skillet strictly formaking corn bread. When the skillet comes out of the oven, they turnthe bread onto a rack to cool. The skillet is merely given a wipe witha paper towel, and a new film of shortening is applied. Very often,you can use the same approach even for foods cooked on the top of therange. The idea is to make sure nothing but a thin film of grease isleft behind.Buy Used, but BewareUsed cast iron requires a different approach. Depending on where youacquire it, you are likely to find it coated with everything frompaint to crusted-on old food to a thick coating of burned lard.Much of this can simply be burned off by leaving the iron in a veryhot fire. There's also the old-time solution of soaking the iron in amild acid bath (using a very diluted mix of water and battery acid orlye). But given the inherent and very serious dangers of this method(both agents are extremely caustic), it's host left to professionalpaint strippers, who have the goggles, rubber aprons, respirators,high boots, long gloves - and medical insurance - to work withcaustics safely and responsibly.Less hazardous to the lungs, eyes, skin and environment is to wash theiron in hot soapy water to remove any loose crud, then treat the ironwith one of the new benign paint strippers, followed by a putty knife,wire brush, steel wool and some elbow grease. After the iron is clean,merely follow the directions for a new iron. One caveat: Paint can bevery messy, so if it's a factor, you may want to work outside.Some old iron pieces will, after a soapy water wash, look like new.Others will have stains that won't come out no matter how hard youscrub. Don't worry about these; the cure will later hide them. Oncethe iron is clean, oil and cure as usual.You're likely to find a greater selection of styles, sizes and designsin used ware than what is available new. You can find cast iron atflea markets and antique malls, garage sales and farm auctions. But besure you know what you're buying before plunking your money down.Cast iron has become hugely popular as a collectible, causing pricesto skyrocket. You can easily pay several hundred dollars these daysfor just about anything that says "Grizwold" on it. Problem is, manypieces of no particular collector value, when found in malls and fleamarkets, carry inflated prices. A common, everyday corn stick mold,for example, sells new for about $15 just about anywhere. Yet, we'veseen them in antique stalls for as much as $35.Examine used iron very carefully. Much of it is warped or has cracksand pinholes from misuse. This doesn't much matter if an item isdestined to be a wall hanger, but you won't want to cook in it. Beespecially wary of any piece that has been painted. Unscrupulousdealers often "repair" holes and cracks with epoxy compounds, then useblack paint to hide their handiwork. A good welding shop can repairthese holes, but it's hardly worth the cost.Cooking TipsWhen cooking with cast iron, heat the piece slowly. Cast iron worksbest when there is an even heat source spanning the piece's bottom.Old-fashioned wood- and coal-burning stoves are ideal for this (see"Cooking With Wood" ), but very rarely does a modern gas or electricrange provide this type of heat. The solution is to set your burner onvery low and allow the cast iron to gradually warm up. You can thenturn up the heat to medium or medium-high, as necessary. There is noreason ever to use the highest settings with cast iron, as it collectsand conducts heat so readily.Alternatively, you can evenly heat your ironware by popping it into anoven set on low. Once it's heated, simply transfer it to the range topand cook as usual.Be particularly careful when cooking with an electric range, becausethe burners create hot spots that can warp cast iron or even cause itto crack. Be sure to preheat the iron very slowly when using anelectric range and keep the settings to medium or even medium-low.Preheating is not a problem when baking or oven roasting, since theiron will heat evenly in the oven. However, you may find that you donot have to cook the food quite as long as the recipe calls for,because of iron's heat-retaining property.Finally, be sure to use the appropriate iron for the task at hand. Athree-legged Dutch oven is not the right choice for an indoor stove.Nor should a large baking dish be used on top of the range, unless youcan perfectly balance the heat from the two burners it sits across.Pick the right iron, treat it to the proper cure, dig out yourfavorite recipes and soon you'll understand why grandma spent so muchtime in the kitchen.

[Guest guest]

I'm glad you enjoyed it, Barbara, I enjoyed it too! :-)

 

I think most CI experiences fail because of improper seasoning. My mother had a cast iron skillet, and I never had any problems using it. Then I got one of my own and hated it, lol. Now I know why...and I want to try again! I was looking at the Lodge website this morning being tempted, lol.

 

Cyndi

 

In a message dated 2/11/2007 2:46:41 P.M. Pacific Standard Time, barbara3 writes:

 

That was very interesting reading, Cyndi....Many years ago I tried one frying pan, but it was a failure although I don't remember why. Never tried them again.

 

Barbara

 

 

[Guest guest]

That was very interesting reading, Cyndi....Many years ago I tried one frying pan, but it was a failure although I don't remember why. Never tried them again.

 

Barbara

 

 

 

 

 

By Brook andBarbara ElliotThe hallmark of any country kitchen is an old black skillet sittingatop the stove.

[Guest guest]

Cyndi...THANK YOU! That information is invaluable. I have printed it out and will keep it in mind when I make my purchases as well as when I am seasoning them. <smiles>

 

--Cee--

 

 

[Guest guest]

Check out Lodge.com. Their prices are pretty decent. I'm thinking about ordering one or two pieces.

 

cyndi

 

In a message dated 2/12/2007 4:10:52 A.M. Pacific Standard Time, cbrowne writes:

 

Cyndi...THANK YOU! That information is invaluable. I have printed it out and will keep it in mind when I make my purchases as well as when I am seasoning them. <smiles>

 

--Cee--