I grew up in what I call a cast iron family. All the pans were cast iron, we had a few enamel pots for pasta, and one beat up copper bottomed pan for boxed mac and cheese. My mom cooked most days and when she didn’t, it was mac and cheese or pasta because we weren’t allowed to cook with her pans unless she was there.
Cast iron has some mixed reviews, some (me), swear by it and some, think it’s difficult and impossible to cook with…and they’re right to a degree (get it, degree, cooking, farenheit, celcius…sorry), if you don’t know how to care for cast iron, it’s a hassle and a mess. That’s what this post is for though!
Seasoning
Seasoning is the term used to treat and clean cast iron. Even when you buy a new “pre-seasoned” pan, you’re going to want to season it yourself. A major benefit of cooking with cast iron is that it retains flavor, and makes its own seasoning for your food…like magic!
Step 1: Clean your pan with HOT water and a scouring brush, rough side of a sponge, or steel wool. Nothing else…just water and something rough.
Step 2: Dry it completely with paper towels, and then place it on a lit stovetop burner for a minute or so to make sure it’s completely dry.
Step 3: While the pan is warm, probably 10-20 minutes after you remove from stove, (because it retains heat like no one’s business, and I don’t want you to burn yourself) pour some oil* into the pan and spread it around, completely coating the inside. Wipe off excess.
Step 4: Place in the oven set to 200º F, Upside Down for 2 hours
BOOM! Your pan is seasoned and ready to cook with.
*But Barber, what kind of oil? That’s mostly up to you, but canola is the classic standard (vegetable oil) but I use olive oil or canola, depending on what I used last. You can use any vegetable oil you want, whether that’s grapeseed, sunflower or flax seed, but there’s no reason to go crazy and buy a “Cast Iron Care Oil” because that’s literally just a marked up bottle of canola…No Lies.
NEVER USE SOAP WHEN CLEANING YOUR CAST IRON,and here’s why…
Soap is great for clothes, and your body, and even your car, but not for Cast Iron. Cast iron is a porous metal, so when you put something in, it absorbs. When you cook with it regularly, and oil it regularly, it creates its own nonstick surface! It’ll absorb the taste of herbs and spices you cook with regularly, and everything gets a mild flavor boost from whatever you cooked in it previously. When you use soap, it removes that surface and flavor; soap can absorb and flavor your food, and no one wants soapy fritatas.
Now, the seasoning steps above are used when you get a new pan, or need to re-season a rusted pan. It’ll restore it like new. But what about cleaning after cooking something tastey?
Cleaning and Upkeep
Step 1: While the pan is still warm, take rock salt and/or a non-metal brush (like the one above that I use) and go crazy scrubbing it.**
Step 2: Rinse with warm water, and dry with a paper towel (I say paper towel, because it’ll actually raise up some iron, and turn your towel black…better use a disposable towel, or risk staining your nice linens) after that, feel free to put on the stove top for a minute to make sure it’s all dry
Step 3: Coat with a little oil, wipe up excess, and store in your oven or broiler.
Special notes: The heat, salt you use to scrub, and iron itself all equal one great big anti-bacterial surface, so no worries about not using soap and feeling like you’ll get salmonella. Because it’s a porous surface, air drying is a no-no. It’ll lead to rust, and then you’ll have to scrub it off and completely re-season it (refer to first seasoning process).
**When you scrub with salt, it starts picking up iron particles and oil. It’ll start turning black and you can keep it in a jar until you’ve got a good amount, bake it on a sheet to dry it, and there you have classic Black Salt! For more banishing oomph, I scald pepper in a fry pan, and add incense ash to the mix.
I’m dreading our cup sale
I’ve had to teach myself to throw pottery for this cup sale and I’m kind of okay with the results, but looking at everyone else’s results mine look like a child made them and I’m afraid that everyone else is going to sell every last cup….and mine won’t at all
Once I get over my ego telling me I’m incompetent, experimenting with and learning about glazes is actually fascinating
Latinoamérica de mi corazón, cuándo vas a ser la tierra con la que sueña tu gente?
if you’re brazilian and LGBT i can help you move to Argentina. its not the best, but its what i can do
everyone share this around for brazilian lgbt people who want to become a refugee in argentina. tell them to contact me (love#3592 on discord) if they need more information.
relacionesinternacionales@lgbt.org.ar 011-4338-4900 int.8106 ó 0800-999-3722
Mandar un mail a: defensoria@lgbt.org.ar
O buscanos en FB y TW: @defensorialgbt
TO MOVE TO ARGENTINA SAY A MEMBER OF ZONA LA PLATA SENT YOU THIS INFO TO BECOME A REFUGEE
Heey, this is sweet, but you don’t need to become a refugee to live legally in Argentina if you’re Brazilian! It’s the easiest country to move to for Brazilians and the whole process to obtain a DNI (the Argentinian national identity) takes 90 days and you get a 2 year visa, which you can later turn into a permanent residency visa without much trouble. It’s very affordable, we don’t even need to translate the documents thanks to a bilateral agreement and you don’t have to prove you have a job lined up for you or anything. Unless Brazil leaves the Mercosur, there’s no need to go so far as to ask for refuge if you choose Argentina as your destination.
thank you so much for your addition! reblog this please
if you plan to do this, id suggest you do it as quickly as possible, because its been said bolsonaro wants to leave mercosur
The Carving Witch 