Comments on: Cast Iron Cookware part 1:How to Season

By: Jen

Jen — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 02:59:42 +0000

The way I clean it after most meals (I have 4 different sizes of cast iron, and a griddle, so I’m always using cast iron!) is I heat it on the stove till it gets really hot, then I run it under water and let the water sizzle and smoke and loosen whatever food stuffs are leftover and scrub it really quick with a plastic brush. Works really well! I rarely have to re-season my pans cleaning them this way, and with cooking with lots of oil every time I use them.

By: josey

josey — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 14:29:17 +0000

i love my cast iron, too! when mine needs seasoned, i scrub it well with hot water and mild soap. dry well, then rub it liberally with a saturated fat–coconut oil, lard or bacon grease from the freezer. i never use a regular vegetable oil or shortening as they’re rancid (or will be after the seasoning!). wipe gently with a paper towel so there’s no pools, then turn upside down in the oven like you showed over a cookie sheet. i only turn my oven to 250, and leave it for about 2 hours.

if after cooking with it i need to wash it with water, i’ll do a mini-reseasoning on the stovetop for a few minutes.

awesome post and series!!!

By: shelley

shelley — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 14:01:35 +0000

I love cast iron. My father once found a large cast iron frying pan that had been in a fire. He brought it home to my mom to see if it could be saved. My mom scrubbed it, seasoned it, and is still using it. It is a wonderful large size that you can’t find that often anymore. horay for cast iron!!

By: donielle

donielle — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 13:31:05 +0000

@Bridget, I use mine about everyday as well! Love it! The best thing to use for anything fried. Though mine isn’t large enough to do sauces. I do heat over the stove after I wash it as well. If it needs to actually be washed that is!

By: donielle

donielle — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 13:28:56 +0000

@Sidnie, Yea, the oil and the heating help with the whole moisture issue we get with using cast iron! I do the same every now and again.

By: donielle

donielle — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 13:23:55 +0000

@Lenetta @ Nettacow, Oh, Lenetta, you must try cast iron! I love mine now. I use it almost everyday. Keep a look out for them at garage sales and thrift stores, as the older ones are better than what they make now a days.

By: Lenetta @ Nettacow

Lenetta @ Nettacow — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 21:31:43 +0000

I so badly want to use cast iron, but I am afraid. :>) One of these days, I’m just going to JUMP RIGHT IN! Thanks for the tips!

By: Bridget

Bridget — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 13:35:33 +0000

I do season differently…since I use my cast iron every single day (no joke) and do have to “wash” them out from time to time when sloppy joe or pasta sauce covers the sides…I reseason each time that I rinse. This also helps disinfect them. I place a newly wiped/hot water “washed” (of course, never soaped) pan on my stovetop and heat at medium/medium low heat for at least 10 minutes. I too use coconut oil but DO NOT crank the heat as it will smoke and turn the pan black for many uses to come (do not ask me how I know either).
Through the process I will wipe the coconut oil around the pan to make sure it is staying evenly coated (instead of running into beads or lines)…I then turn the stovetop off and let it cool in place. I often wipe the pan one more time when semi-cool to work any residual oil into the pan with a dry cloth. Works for me…great post.

By: Sidnie

Sidnie — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 13:22:33 +0000

The only thing I do differently is after I use the pan, I wash and dry it. (Read the word wash loosely, cause really I just rinse well. Sometimes I use soap if it wont come clean.) Then I always re-oil (use just enough to cover the inside of the pan) my pan and bake it or if I’m in a hurry, I turn the stove top on.
I’ve had issues with one of my pans and rust spots. I find that if I use the heat to completely dry it out, I don’t get the rust spots.