CARE AND CLEANING OF YOUR CAST IRON COOKWARE

CLEANING YOUR CAST IRON COOKWARE

Cooking in cast iron is both fun and tasty. Shying away due to weight or cleaning concerns means missing out on the great capabilities of this tremendous cookware.

Normal cleaning is no different than cleaning any other good pot or pan. Avoid the dishwasher as the abrasiveness of dishwashing tablets and powders can damage any good cookware and cast iron is no exception. That being said, a quick cleaning ( Don't let them soak) in hot water with a mild liquid detergent, a good rinse, and drying thoroughly should suffice for day to day use. For baked on food, use a stiff nylon brush or a sponge with a nylon pad to remove cooking residue. Paper towels are good for drying, and placing on a low burner for a few minutes will make sure it’s thoroughly dry. We give ours a quick shot of cooking spray before putting them away to help protect the surface.

Commercial cleaning products are also available. See below.

Cast Iron Scrubber
	Lodge Cast Iron Scrubber Brush

Enamel Cast Iron Cleaner
	Le Creuset 12-Ounce Enameled Cast-Iron Cleaner (See all Dutch Ovens)

SEASONING

Manufacturers of cast iron cookware pre-season it as part of the manufacturing process. Cast iron is porous by nature and subject to rust so the cookware gets a spray coating of some form of vegetable oil and baked at a high temperature for a period of time allowing the oil to penetrate the surface sealing it against moisture. This process gives the cookware a virtualy non-stick surface that's as hard as nails.

After a lot of use, it may become necessary to give your pan a thorough cleaning and re-seasoning. Lodge recommends re-seasoning if the food sticks to the pot or it attains a dull grey color. Our 10 year old pot (at top) gained a lot of baked on residue requiring a bit more than the usual re-seasoning and a lot of good old fashioned scraping and brushing to remove it.

Once cleaned, the cookware requires a thin layer of oil over the entire surface prior to heating. While there are a number of choices ranging from shortening, vegetable oil, and animal fat, we prefer using a non-stick vegetable spray as it coats the pan well and doesn't smoke during the heating process. After coatinting it goes into a 350 degree oven upside down with a catctch pan directly beneath for at least an hour. After cooling check the surface and repeat seasoning if necessary.

Cleaning - Elbow Grease to Seasoned Pot

TEMPERATURE

As the Titanic Builders discovered, albeit a bit late, cast iron isn’t fond of cold temperatures or rapid shifts in temperature. Cast Iron tends to be brittle at low temperatures so storing it in the fridge is never a good idea. If it does happen to get cold, let it warm to room temperature first before putting it on the stove.

While your pot probably won’t be floating in frigid water or run into an iceberg, pouring cold fluid into a hot pan can cause the pot or pan to crack, rendering it useless as it can’t be repaired. So, if your adding stock, broth or other fluid, reduce the heat and let the fluid come to room temperature first (Note: this also makes sense with other types of cookware).

Range tops can attain a very high heat in a very short time. It’s best to start the pot or skillet on low for a few minutes gradually increasing to medium for cooking. Cast iron holds it heat extremely well so blasting it on high shouldn’t be necessary.

SAFETY

On the subject of temperature, a lot of cast iron cookware, especially the black iron variety, comes with no protective handles. A good set of gloves is a necessity when moving a pot or skillet on the range or in the oven. Due to the weight factor it’s best to have a set of gloves or sturdy pot holders as it may require two hands to move the cookware.

An advantage of the weight, of course is that it’s much more stable on the range top and less likely to shift causing spills, and less likely to be pulled off the stove by little hands. Taking a bath in hot boiling liquid can be a disaster.

Oven Mit
	Lodge Max Temp Oven Mitt

Skillet Handle Mit
	Lodge Max Temp Handle Mitt, Black