Best way to clean and maintain cast iron skillets?!


Question: I have a couple of cast iron skillets I use all the time. One is actually newer and it was preseasoned. Before use I washed it as suggested, dried it over fire, THEN coated it and baked it for over an hour at 350. Used it twice and it seems to be ok except I have a few spots where the patina has worn off and does not seem to want to reseason. Will this develop over time? Also, as far as keeping them clean, I currently wait for them to cool, use water and a brush to clean them, then i dry them on the stove, once dry and hot put a little bit of lard in them, coat and dump the excess, wait to dry and wipe clean with a paper towel. Is there a better way?


Answers: I have a couple of cast iron skillets I use all the time. One is actually newer and it was preseasoned. Before use I washed it as suggested, dried it over fire, THEN coated it and baked it for over an hour at 350. Used it twice and it seems to be ok except I have a few spots where the patina has worn off and does not seem to want to reseason. Will this develop over time? Also, as far as keeping them clean, I currently wait for them to cool, use water and a brush to clean them, then i dry them on the stove, once dry and hot put a little bit of lard in them, coat and dump the excess, wait to dry and wipe clean with a paper towel. Is there a better way?

Cook's Illustrated tackled this problem a while ago and I swear by their method. Here are their basics (pretty much taken directly from their magazine...I typed it in to a document so I would never be without!)

"TAKING CARE OF CAST IRON
Routine Maintenance
If you buy a preseasoned pan (and you should), you can use the pan with little fuss.
? Don't wash the pan
with soap or leave it in the sink to soak. Rinse it out under hot running water, scrubbing with a brush to remove
traces of food. (This is easiest if done while the pan is still warm.)
? (Dry the pan thoroughly and put it back on the
burner on low heat until all traces of moisture disappear (this keeps rusting at bay). Put a few drops of vegetable oil
in the warm, dry pan and wipe the interior with a wad of paper towels until it is lightly covered with oil. Then, using
fresh paper towels, rub more firmly to burnish the surface and remove all excess oil. The pan shouldn't look or feel
oily to the touch. Turn off the heat and allow the pan to cool before putting it away.

Heavy-Duty Cleaning
If you have stuck-on food or you've inherited a pan that is rusty or gummy, scrub it with kosher salt.
? Pour in
vegetable oil to a depth of 1/4 inch, then place the pan on a stove set to medium-low for 5 minutes. Remove pan
from heat and add 1/4 cup kosher salt. Using potholder to grip hot handle, use thick cushion of paper towels to
scrub pan. Warm oil will loosen food or rust, and kosher salt will have abrading effect. Rinse pan under hot running
water, dry well, and repeat, if necessary.

Reseasoning
If cooking acidic foods or improper cleaning has removed the seasoning from your pan, it will look dull, patchy, and
dry instead of a smooth, rich black. You need to restore the seasoning. We have found this stovetop method (rather
than the usual oven method) to be the most effective way to season a cast-iron pan.
? Heat pan over
medium-high heat until drop of water evaporates on contact. Wipe inside with wad of paper towels dipped in
vegetable oil (hold towels with tongs to protect yourself). Wipe out excess oil and repeat as needed until pan is
slick."

My only variance is when I have a bunch of stuff leftover in the pan after cooking I'll fill it about 2/3 with water, put it on the stove, and bring it to a boil so I can scrape off the junk easier.

I use salt to clean mine and a towel. The one spot you have should get better over time with using oil. I had the same problem . After I clean it with the salt, I do a quick rinse and heat it up on the stove to dry it, then coat it with some oil either cooking with it or adding oil and wiping.

. Also what I do is after cooking I make sure while the pan is still warm clean it up as much as I can, scraping food off etc. I have stored it with oil in it, in my oven, its gas and always stays warm.

Cleaning: Drying on stove or in oven is correct. You can use any oil, doesn't have to be lard. When I'm in a hurry, I use Pam! You just want to seal the metal so water cannot get to it and rust it. Or, just pour a dab of oil in there, rub it around w/ a paper towel, then store.

Cast Iron pots should n't have paint on them. What they may have is a build-up of cooking grease, esp on the outside. No big whoop. If that chips off, just treat the spot w/ more oil/grease. If it rusts, scrub it clean w/ a brillo pad and then oil it down. You may consider doing this next time you have the oven on, baking something else... oil up the pot and toss it in.

They clean better hot. Use the hottest water you can and a scrub brush. Use as little soap as possible, if at all. It depends on what was in them. Put on a burner to dry, add a thin coat of oil turn off heat and leave on burner. This will keep it seasoned.





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