Thread: Cast Iron Care

I was digging through my cupboards the other day, to see which of my Cast pans needed re-seasoned & it dawned on me that even after five years of telling Dear Hubby to not put SOAP in my pans, that he has some sort of moral objection to not SCRUBBING MY PANS WITH HOT SOAPY SCRUBBERs! Eek! :please no:

JIC anyone doesn't know this: Cast Iron is the most low maintenance cookware you will EVER own!

You only swish it out with warm water as soon as you're done using it. You don't even dry it - you set it back on the warm burner and let it air dry. When it starts looking light or dry-ish, a dollop or dribble of your favorite cooking oil/grease spread across it will re-season it while it is warm on the used burner... That's it!

The germ-phobia that DH has is unfounded, because the food you cooked was warmed to a temperature that destroyed any germies; and if you remove the food debris while the pan is still warm, it doesn't get the chance to cultivate any further germies. AND you'll be heating it back up again, so it will again be disinfected... Soap is not necessary.

IF for some reason there is food STUCK-stuck to your pan: It needs re-seasoned. Scrub it as hard and as thoroughly as you'd like to (this time!) with hot, soapy water. You can even us a Brillo Pad if you want... because you're going to re-season it anyway! Warm it on a burner to dry it thoroughly - slather it lightly inside and out with your favorite oil/grease (I love coconut oil!) and place it in your oven up-side-down so the oil won't pool inside it. A layer of aluminum foil under the rack will catch any drippings. Oven to 350-400 for an hour or so... and let them cool inside the closed oven. They'll be ready again for another five years or so of abuse! LOL!

I had no idea what to do with them. My little one was given to me by my mom. I use it and wash it then oil and air dry,every time. Lol I do have one copper pan that I absolutely LOVE! It still doesn't do best for everything so I have quite the collection and use each for whatever they do best.

Originally Posted by cali~jenn

I had no idea what to do with them. My little one was given to me by my mom. I use it and wash it then oil and air dry,every time. Lol I do have one copper pan that I absolutely LOVE! It still doesn't do best for everything so I have quite the collection and use each for whatever they do best.

I have other things, too... shiny pots and pans... but use CI the most! I just found it ridiculous the amount of Cast that is stashed in my cupboards! LOL!