At Home with GCH: Cooking and Caring for Cast Iron

I must admit that I until I met my husband, I never used cast iron; nor did I like it!  It was heavy, awkward, and everything I cooked in it was burnt to a crisp!  It was hard for me to clean afterward, too.  I’m definitely no expert in cooking with, or cleaning cast iron, but I have learned a few things over the years from my husband, who I call the Cast Iron Guru! 🙂

After a few lessons in the proper way to cook in and care for cast iron, I have to say today that it’s one of my favorite pieces of cookware!  So I would like to share some tips about cast iron that I have learned along the way!  You can find many other tips on the Internet, but these tips are just a few that I practice in my own kitchen.

•  Cast iron needs to be seasoned before you used it.  The best way to season cast iron is with canola oil, and then bake it in a warm oven—around 300 degrees, for 2 hours.  Put the cast iron cookware in the oven and let it heat up – with the oven.  To season, you will rub canola oil all over the pan, both inside and out.  Place it upside down on a cookie sheet, and place in the oven.  Once you remove it from the oven, wipe the inside of the pan out once again, using paper towels.  BE CAREFUL! It will be HOT once it comes out of the oven!  A properly seasoned cast iron will develop a non-stick surface, and make cooking in cast iron so much more enjoyable!
• To remove light rust from cast iron, rub a combination of salt and oil over the areas of rust until the rust is gone.  Once the rust is removed, you will need to re-season your cast iron.  If the rust is pretty set in and deep into the cast iron, you will want to begin by scraping the rust off with a stiff wire brush.  Scrape off all of the loose rust— anything that will come off of the pan.  (You can also use a cordless drill with a wire brush attachment to remove the rust if it is really bad!)  Next, put your cast iron in another container that will allow the cast iron to fit flat in the bottom of the container.  Cover it with a 1:1 solution of water and white vinegar.  Make sure you cover your mouth and nose when doing this step, or do this step outside.  The vinegar will help remove the rust the rest of the way.  Then you will season the cast iron as you directed above. (Some people suggest you use an oven cleaner for a deeply rusted cast iron.  I DO NOT recommend using harsh chemicals on cast iron. All natural products are the only way to go, in my opinion!)
•  When cleaning cast iron, never use soap, an SOS pad, or stainless steel.  Always use a strong-bristle brush and water.  As soon as cast iron is cleaned, put the skillet on the stove burner, and heat it up in order to evaporate the moisture.  As soon as the water has evaporated, once again, rub the inside of the cast iron with canola oil to season.
• Never try to cool your cast iron by putting it in cold water; doing so could cause the cast iron to crack!
• Never cook any acidic ingredients, like tomatoes or tomato sauce, in cast iron.  It can damage the seasoned surface, and cause a metallic taste in your food.
• Never start cooking with cast iron on a high-heat.  Start with low heat, and gradually increase as needed. If you are going to bake with cast iron, use an older piece of cast iron cookware, and keep the newer cast iron for frying and sautéing.
• Sometimes cast iron will get a gunky, sticky feel to it.  The best way to remove this gunky, sticky mess is to put the cast iron cookware on the stove,; adding a couple of quarts of water.  Bring to a boil.  Wash in hot water, using a strong nylon brush.  Once you have washed the cast iron, you will heat it up again on the stove until the moisture has evaporated.  Remove from the stove and with a thick glove on, season with canola oil, once again.

Cast iron can be great cookware to cook with.  It does take some extra special care, but once you get the hang of it, you won’t want to use any other kind of cookware; take good care of it and it will stick around for years!  My father actually still has the cast iron skillet that his mother used to cook with.  It’s 60+ years old!!  It’s thinned down over the years, but he’s still able to cook with it!!

So, don’t be afraid to try cast iron.  It’s not only a great piece of cookware; it’s a great workout tool, too, because of its weight!! LOL

Now that your cast iron is all seasoned and nice and clean, it’s time to make a batch of cornbread in it!! 🙂  I LOVE Cornbread made in my cast iron skillet!  I just use a box of Jiffy Cornbread mix.  Mix milk and eggs into the cornbread mix, and pour it into the cast iron skillet, and follow directions on the package for baking!  Oh Yummmm….

Enjoy!

Christi Wilson

If you are interested in sending Christi a private email, you may email her at: Christi@girlfriendscoffeehour.com

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