The Care And Feeding Of Cast-Iron Cookware

I really am a lover of cooking with cast-iron cookware. I like the way it grabs and holds the heat, then delivers it in an even manner to the food being cooked. There are a number of recipes that I simply will not try to cook using aluminum or stainless steel. Plus there’s something about the feel of a big ol’ chunk of metal in your hand while cooking!

If you are fortunate, you’ve probably already got some cast-iron that a parent or grandparent has handed down to you. These are like gold, because they are already “seasoned”, having a nice dark patina of carbonized oil that forms a naturally non-stick surface. If you are starting from scratch, however, here’s a few tips to get you off on the right foot.

A brand new cast-iron skillet or pot will either come as bare metal, or “pre-seasoned”. Pre-seasoned cookware already has a thin carbon layer that has been put on during the manufacturing process. These are nice because you can go straight to cooking with them, and the carbon layer will only improve with use. But let’s talk about what to do if your’s is bare metal.

There’s usually a thin layer of protective oil placed on the cookware at the factory to stop it rusting during transportation and during the time it sits on the store shelf waiting to be purchased. We want to wash this off, so use hot water and dish detergent to take care of that. Dry the item thoroughly before continuing. It’s actually best to let it air-dry, or place it in a warm oven for a few minutes.

Working with the skillet cold, coat the item thoroughly and evenly, inside and out and including the handles, with vegetable shortening. Place upside down on the center rack of the oven with a sheet pan on the rack underneath to catch any oil drips, and turn the oven on to 500 degrees. Leave in the oven for about an hour. This is going to create some smoke, so turn on your ventilator fan and perhaps crack a window open.

When the item is ready, it will have turned dark-brown-to-black. Take it out of the oven (carefully, it’s hot!) and cool completely. Rub it with a thin layer of vegetable oil (no more shortening now!) and store until needed. From this point on, you will want to wash it using as little soap as possible. Normally you won’t use any soap at all. I know this sounds counter-intuitive, but the protective layer you have baked on is oil-based, and soap will tend to strip that away. To clean after use, simply rinse in hot water, using a gentle abrasive such as a nylon scrub pad to remove any particles that might adhere to the item. Dry thoroughly as described above, and then coat with a thin layer of vegetable oil and store.

A good, well made and well-cared-for cast iron skillet or pot can easily last 100 years or more. If you do experience a little rust, simply scour the rusty spots with a stainless steel scrub pad, reapply vegetable shortening to the damaged parts, and bake in the oven again as described above.

Be careful! Cast iron is considered “reactive”, meaning it will react with acidic foods. Highly acidic foods therefore should not normally be cooked in cast iron. However, I’ve had decent results even cooking foods using a lot of wine, such as Coq Au Vin, without any negative consequences provided that I remove the food from the pot immediately after cooking and wash and oil the pot right away. If you leave the food sitting in the pot, the acids will tend to eat away your protective coating at the “water line”,  leaving the pot open to getting rusty.

If you haven’t yet given cast iron a try, go out and buy a couple of pieces. It was good enough for your grandmother, and you remember how well she cooked!