Cleaning and Seasoning your Cast Iron Cookware

Iron skillet’s is all about hot - sizzling - in the oven or stove top - bake , fry or slow cook cooking. Seasoning Cast Iron is the Key!

So versatile this is why we want to keep it in good shape. When you are out doing a little yard sale shopping and you see that old iron skillet sitting all rusty and sad. Pick it up and buy it.




I have so many I have a large dutch oven a small dutch oven I have a iron skillet that will cook one egg. So tiny. It took me along time to gather the skillets most belonging to my Grama and were handed down from my daddy. For along time I let them sit in the garage. Two years yup two years. Hey I did visit them from time to time. Some sat on the work bench some in cupboards but all in all I think I was scared of them. Also my superior brain told me that how could I cook with something so rusty and that rust will never come off.

Huh was I wrong!

I found a few different way’s that people clean their Iron Ware and so I am going to let you look and make your own decision. I tried all three and a few more. I found they are a lot work but worth it and it takes pure elbow grease but like I said it is WORTH IT!

Apartment Therapy  has a good article on how they use a potato to clean it. This is good and works but some skillets need a bit more than a potato. I used this process for the little egg skillet. This way I did not waste to many potatoes and I was able to try the process. 

I found a site called Life Hacker and it had a good way to clean I used this idea with my big giant dutch oven. That pot is so big I could not imagine holding it to clean and scrub with a potato it would have taken a bag of them. I would rather eat them. This process used 50/50 vinegar and water and letting it soak. It could take up to six hours but worth it. Hey mine sat in the garage for two years so this sitting was worth it. It worked well.


 
BUT .....  Wait



 

This is your go to site Cooking in America this article was packed with so much great information and I was delighted. It talked about cleaning, caring, cooking I was on the site for hours. All the links are at the bottom of this lesson.

But without to much interweb hunting here is what I did. No fumes no oven no nonsense. First if it is so rusty and dirty you can not see the cast iron. Put it on your BBQ grill. Turn on your grill get it good and hot and then put your cast iron on the grill upside down cover and let it cook for 5 minutes.   Once done let it cool and scrub the excess off then move on to our next step.

Here is what you need to Clean Cast Iron Ware

White Vinegar
Abrasive Pad
Lard
Elbow Grease Sissy's need not try! 




Make a mixture of 50/50 vinegar to water. Let you pan soak for 1 to 5 hours no longer or it may eat the pan. (really) If it is only the inside just fill the pan inside. If it is all over soak it in a sink or large bucket.






Now take your pan out dry it and start scrubbing. It will take a lot of scrubbing depends upon the amount of stuff stuck on. The soak should have made it easier.  This is the elbow grease part. Just scrub you big baby. You will season later so there is no damage to be done no matter how hard you scrub. 
 

Ok let us season those babies. * Turn your oven on to 275 and put a layer of aluminum or cookie sheet in your oven below where you will place your pan so as to not drip on the oven and cause a smoky mess. Turn on any ceiling fans and turn off the smoke detector's.

Grab your lard once you have finished scrubbing and dry thoroughly. 

I use a paper towel to coat my pans.  You can do the inside as well as the outside. Do not over coat it it is just to coat the pan. Less is more 










  Now place you pan/pans inside the oven upside down on the rack and cook at 275 for 15 minutes. 




Once that is done crank up to 475 and let it cook for one hour. Let the pan cool overnight or up to 12 hours. 


 


If needed give it one very light coating of corn oil or lard after each cooking or cleaning and let it soak in and store. You can always put it in the oven on low then store.


 
Added note : Do Not Wash your Cast Iron  Just add a little corn oil and coarse sea salt to a still warm pan. Scrub with a paper towel then tip the pan to get everything out and store it.


Here are the links for you to check out different options Potato Method go to Apartment Therapy OR LifeHacker is a great way to clean and I did use this one. BUT here is your GO TO SITE Cooking in America.. Wait one more Wiki How I told you there are as many sites as way's. xoxo