Monday, February 04, 2008 7:56 PM
How do I season cast iron cookware?
Clean. Oil. Heat. That's all it takes to “season” bare cast iron to protect it from rusting. The heating/cooling process also bonds the oil to the metal to create a natural and, over time, non-stick barrier between the cast iron and your food. (Note: Some new cast iron is pre-seasoned, like Pro-Logic by Lodge. If you have enameled/porcelain cast iron, you don’t have to season it.)
With so many questions flying around about the safety of non-stick coated cookware, a lot of foodies I know are turning back to old-school cast iron. I love it because it maintains and conducts heat more evenly than most cookware, and it caramelizes/browns food better than any skillet I own. Plus, it’s heavy duty—as in, your great grandkids’ kids will be using it.
To season:
1. Scrub the cookware with steel wool or a scouring pad until the shiny, gunmetal surface shows.
New, bare cast iron often has a waxy protective coating that must be scrubbed off, but it shouldn’t require too much effort. Old cast iron (pictured: cleaned, left; uncleaned, right)—the kind you find at flea markets and yard sales—requires a lot more elbow grease to remove the layers of rust and cooked-on gunk.
2. Heat the cleaned, bare cookware for 5 minutes in an oven pre-heated to 450*F.
“Cooking” the un-oiled cast iron will darken the piece from gunmetal grey to an all-over burnished, brown/black.
3. Remove the cookware and let it cool for a minute--just enough so you can sweep it with oil without scorching your hand.
4. Swipe the cookware—top, bottom, inside and out—with a light coat of Crisco.
Use an old, clean cloth (think: sock, t-shirt, rag) wrapped around your hand, and use a very small amount of Crisco—less than 1 tbsp. for a large skillet. A little goes a long way. Use a cotton swab to get into any small nooks and crannies.
5. Lower the temperature to 400*F and move the oven racks to the bottom two slots. Place a piece of tinfoil
on the bottom rack (to catch oil drips) and set the cookware upside down on the
upper rack.“Bake” the cookware for 30 minutes.
6. At 30 minutes, turn off the oven and let the cast iron cool completely in the oven.
A good cast iron skillet or grill pan is the perfect cookware for Turkey & Brie Panini or a tapas-style Potato, Chorizo and Vegetable omelet.
But let's be honest...cast iron was invented for fried chicken. I know some WC Nesties have awesome fried chicken recipes on their blogs. Link 'em here!
blue-eyedwife's Fried Chicken