Hi all!
Here is a short how-to guide to cleaning and seasoning your cast iron cookware so you can use them for years to come. We LOVE ours!!
OKhere is what you'll need to have handy dandy:
-coarse salt
-a whole white potato
-sharp knife
-paper towels
-vegetable oil
-potholder
-a sink with soap and hot water. Some people don't do the soap & water step but we haven't had an issue.
You'll also need to have your stove top nearby with a preheated oven to 250 degrees or a campfire/grill that you can keep hot for about an hour or so.
Wear clothes you don't love too much just in case you get greasy or gunky.
- Brush off any loose dirt or debris. Cut the potato in half. Sprinkle some salt into the pan and use the potato like a scrubber and scrub off any rust or gunk. Wipe out with a paper towel as needed. You can cut the potato some if needed too. Our pans were super gunky with old grease and the potato got covered in gunk so I had to cut slices off as it got really gross. I ended up using the whole potato on our 2 pans. I have read in many places that steel wool or a wire brush is not recommended and can damage the iron surface. Add salt as needed and repeat until all of the surface is de-gunkified.
- OK once you get all of the gunk off it's probably still a mess. Wash with hot water and a small amount of soap. Rinse really well. Dry it off as much as possible with paper towels.
- Immediately place the pan on whatever heat you're using and let it heat up until it's bone dry.
Using a potholder, remove the pan and set it on a heat-proof surface. Using a wadded up paper towel and a teaspoon of oil, wipe the oil all around the inside and outside of the pan. You only want a thin layer of oil but get it all over. - Alrighty, take your pan, use a pot holder if it's still hot of course, place the pan upside down in your pre-heated oven, grill or fire and let it bake for an hour. If the pan is shiny black after an hour, move to the next step. If there are spots that are not shiny black, wipe them with oil and bake for another 30 minutes. Use extreme caution when handling hot cast iron... It will BURN your skin instantly and very badly!
- Ok now that your pan is all shined up, put a very small amount of oil in the pan and wipe only on the inside. Not too much, just enough to protect it. The goal is to keep the metal from coming in contact with air.
If you got your pan nice and shiny then it should be non-stick and will last for many years. No more washing with water and soap is needed. Wipe it out after every time it's used and store it in a dry place. If it gets too cruddy and gross, just go through this process again from step 1. It may take a few times of cooking before it's completely non-stick but it'll happen.
I hope you enjoy your cast iron for many years to come.
For more fun homesteading info check out our website www.thetrippinsaputos.com
