How to use and look after Cast Iron

There are a number of advantages to cooking with a cast iron pan:

• naturally non-stick (once you season them) – they don’t have the bad stuff that Nonstick pans are coated with
• cost-effective as virtually indestructible
• last a lifetime – reducing waste
• lovely to cook with and versatile

To make sure that your cast iron pan lasts a long time, you just need to follow these easy steps…

Cast Iron Cleaning Method

3 Easy Steps

Wash – Dry – Oil

Wash

Wash your cast iron cookware by hand. If needed, use a dish brush/scrubber for stuck-on food. For stubborn stuck-on food, simmer a little water for 3-5 minutes, then use the scraper after the pan has cooled.

Dry

Dry thoroughly with a Black tea towel or paper towel. If you notice a little black residue on your cloth, it’s just seasoning and is perfectly normal.

Oil

Rub a light layer of cooking oil onto the surface of your cookware. Use a paper towel to wipe the surface until no oil residue remains.

How To Season Your Cast-Iron Skillet

Hard-earned seasoning can come off if a cast iron pan over time or if you cook a lot of tomato based dishes.

• Preheat oven to 190ºC
• Scrub your pan well in hot soapy water.
• Dry thoroughly.
• Spread a thin layer of melted shortening or a good quality vegetable oil over the pan.
• Place the pan upside down on the oven’s centre rack. Pop a sheet of aluminium foil underneath to catch any drips.
• Bake 1 hour; let cool in the oven.

Additional Cleaning Tips

Clean it immediately each after use – Once your pan has cooled down enough to handle it safely you should give it a rinse and a scrub if needed. This will prevent food from hardening and sticking to the pan. You can add a cup of hot water to the pan while you wait for it to cool down, as this will help loosen any food stuck on.

Don’t let it soak for too long – Although it is tempting to immerse the pan in warm, soapy water while you eat, this should be avoided. Cast iron is not rust proof, so you should always aim to minimise the amount of contact it has with water (never clean a cast iron pan in the dishwasher).

Use hot water and soap if you need to – people may tell you not to use soap to clean your cast iron pan, as they think it will remove the seasoning. However, in a properly seasoned pan, the oil has broken down into a resilient, plastic-like coating that has bonded to the surface of the metal. You can use soap briefly and occasionally, this should not drastically affect this coating – even if soap does slightly strip away the coating/seasoning, cast iron is re-seasoned every time you cook with it, so this really shouldn’t be a problem.

WHY CAST IRON INSTEAD OF NONSTICK

My Number one reason for switching to cast iron is that it doesn’t have all the bad stuff. Nonstick pans are coated with a carcinogenic chemical called perfluorooctanoic acid. Not only does it leech into the food when cooked at high temperatures, but also produces toxic fumes in the air. Not cool…