Cast Iron Maintenance Care
Basics of cleaning and maintenance of cast iron cookware. I will post several videos on seasoning, removing rust, ect… This is just the basics on how to keep your cast iron looking good and well seasoned. At the end of the video, it cut-off at “What is seasoning” – This is a message I sent to fellow YouTuber, MinhSaChau, explaining the term:
When a cast iron pan is completely bare – with no oil or anything on it – It will be gray in color, like gun metal.
When it is in this unprotected state, any small amout of moisture, humidity or water will cause it to rust… and rust rather quickly.
“Seasoning” means that layers of oil have been allowed to bond to the metal. The more layers of oil, the better the bond is… This is what seasoning is… The more you cook with your pans, the more of these layers of oil/coating will build-up and protect that gray metal.
A pan that is well seasoned will be very black and smooth in color. It will be as good or better than teflon-coating as far as non-stick performance. : )
I have another video that will help show this – what seasoning and non-stick performance of even just a little seasoning can do.
Duration : 0:9:58
[youtube cws9gZUCw9o]
February 19th, 2010 at 4:14 am
I will try the oven …
I will try the oven self cleaning then. Thanks. I will let you know how that turns out
February 19th, 2010 at 4:14 am
If there is just a …
If there is just a little rust staining in the pan after the whole strip-down and salt scrub, that’s fine. Just do the stovetop seasoning procedure as quickly after the salt scrub as possible (heating to dry first, then adding the oil, wiping-out, oil, ect…) the first several wipes will pull a lot of nasty rust on the towel, and then gradually decrease and start taking the seasoning as you go… it’s a project so plan it around a saturday. Very well worth the results, and saving the pan. ; )
February 19th, 2010 at 4:14 am
You can control …
You can control heat on self-clean mode better than hot coals – They can become too hot and crack the pan. You can use an outdoor grille (propane or charcoal) as well. I use self-clean mode. It will ash the pan to gray, but not totally remove the rust, but at least expose all the oxidization. After that, lots of kosher salt and stiff nylon bristle brush, hot water – scrub an entire box of coarse salt into it over hot sink running water. As soon as you’re done, heat on stovetop to dry & reseason.
February 19th, 2010 at 4:14 am
Hello Friend! I …
Hello Friend! I have to tell you that I have really learned so much from you!
I need your opinion on something. I have heard that to remove deeply pitted rust from cast iron, that you can either bury it in hot coals in a fire pit or put it in the oven and turn the self cleaning cycle on and the rust turns to powder as well as stripping off any old seasoning so you can start again. Do you have thoughts on this? I have monster rusty pitted pan awaiting your orders, lol.
February 19th, 2010 at 4:14 am
@MsChopperdog I …
@MsChopperdog I leave pans overnight when guests/dinner runs too late. Never let an acid-based meal sit overnight, like tomato-based sauces or items with a lot of citrus in them (Will eat the patina and leave “blotchy” spots where it’s dissolved your seasoning.). Thanks for subscribing!
February 19th, 2010 at 4:14 am
I bought a new cast …
I bought a new cast iron skillet last weekend. I came here to learn how to care for it , and ended uo watching alot of your videos. Congrats on your engagement. I`ve used the pan 2 times so far and it seem to be doing great ! Thanks for the advise.if you don`t have time to clean it properly I guess its okay to let it sit with the grease in it overnight? The cooking surface is smoothing (loosing the little bumps). I`ll try some eggs this weekend. Thanks, I subed!
February 19th, 2010 at 4:14 am
A lot of people …
A lot of people just wipe-out the pan, but you can’t just let unused food sit in there. Eternal Stew is actually kept at temperature, so the pot never cools or sits idle for long. I have a 4″ egg skillet (that nobody but me is allowed to use : ) – Since it is a single-function skillet, I just wipe it after use and allow it to build that dark, rich patina that can only come from the no-water-ever wiping method. Thanks for the comment! : )
February 19th, 2010 at 4:14 am
I thought one of …
I thought one of the main advantages is not having to clean out the cast iron… every new dish just adds to the flavor. Like an eternal stew.
February 19th, 2010 at 4:14 am
1:04 – yes. . . …
1:04 – yes. . . that is called a turner… a Slotted Turner in fact… Not a Spatula.
February 19th, 2010 at 4:14 am
Yeah, let’s all …
Yeah, let’s all take kitchen advice from a nimrod that calls a spatula a “turner”.
February 19th, 2010 at 4:14 am
Why folks do not …
Why folks do not use the iron is beyond me. Grew upp with it and prefer it over anything else. Thanks for posting. A fav. today! cheers, KtC
February 19th, 2010 at 4:14 am
I just uploaded …
I just uploaded another one, and it was 2 minutes over max time, ugh!
February 19th, 2010 at 4:14 am
You got new videos! …
You got new videos! Awesome!