How to Maintain a Cast Iron Skillet
There are many reasons why you’d chose to cook with a cast iron skillet rather than a pan with a non-stick coating. For one, they last for generations; even a full-on rusted over pan can often be saved with some time and elbow grease! You can also get an effective non-stick surface without any harmful chemicals that may be potentially carcinogenic. Lastly, there are some great health benefits, including a very small bit of added iron to your food.
So, there are a lot of reasons why a family might make the switch, but cast iron skillet care and maintenance is a pain, right? No, it’s not too bad! After developing a new cooking/cleaning routine, you’ll have a long-lasting, safe kitchen tool with very little work. Here are our tips on cast iron care: how to season, clean, cook with, remove rust from, and re-season a cast iron pan!
How to Maintain a Cast Iron Skillet infographicHow to Maintain a Cast Iron Skillet
Tips for Cleaning, Cooking With, and Restoring Cast Iron
Seasoning a New Pan
| If it’s pre-seasoned … you should still wash it and go through these steps anyway at least once. |
| Hand-wash Wash the pan inside and out with warm water and a small amount of mild dish soap. |
| Dry immediately Water leads to rust. |
| Cook on the stove Completely remove all moisture. |
| Rub with oil Rub inside and out. Use unsaturated fats: corn, vegetable, flaxseed, grapeseed, or canola oil. Flaxseed is the modern favorite. |
| If your oil layer is too thick … wipe off the excess with a paper towel. |
| Bake upside-down at 350 degrees F for an hour Watch for smoke. |
| Let cool in the oven Then, pat the pan dry, removing the rest of the oil. |
| Repeat 3-4 times Repeat the process for pans that are not pre-seasoned. |
Cooking
| Pre-heat your pan |
| Use oil Put oil or butter in the pan before food. |
| Metal utensils are OK! Just avoid intense scrapes. |
| Avoid cooking highly acidic foods Acidic foods like tomatoes, wine, and citrus can damage the coating. But if you have a good layer of seasoning, a little bit is often fine. |
| Avoid boiling water Don’t attempt to cook pasta; water is the enemy. |
| Cooking will add trace amounts of iron to foods! Enjoy an iron nutritional boost. |
| Remember not to grab the handle while cooking Consider getting a handle grip or mitt. |
Washing
| Hand-wash with warm water right away Don’t let your pan sit around too long. |
| A little soap is OK! A small amount of mild dish soap is fine, contrary to popular belief. |
| Use salt to scrub For persistent, stuck-on food, pour in ½ cup of salt and then rub it away. |
| Don’t use harsh metal scrubbers Use a soft sponge, nylon brush, or scraper. |
| Dry immediately Don’t let it soak in the water! |
| Put back on the stove Cook off the remaining moisture. |
| Rub with oil Carefully add oil to the inside. |
| Cook on the stove until it smokes Then, turn the heat off. Wait before putting the cool pan away. |
Removing Rust
| Scrub off rust Use steel wool and elbow grease. |
| Wash off Use hot water and soap. |
| Dry immediately Cook off excess moisture on the stove if necessary. |
| Re-season using the prior steps Do this once the rust is completely gone. |
| Alternative Method: Salt and a potato Use a raw potato cut in half and scrub the salted pan. |
| Alternative Method: Vinegar This is for extremely damaged pans. Soak the pan in equal parts vinegar and water for a few hours, checking it frequently. Let soak for no more than 8 hours. |
| Alternative Method: Oven-cleaning This is for extremely damaged pans. Use the self-cleaning cycle on a modern oven; this will turn the rust to ash and strip the pan of everything but the iron itself. |
More Maintenance Tips
| Re-season occasionally |
| Use your pan frequently |
| Don’t let it stay wet |
| Never use a dishwasher! |
Sources:
- https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-restore-a-rusty-cast-iron-skillet-cleaning-lessons-from-the-kitchn-203086
- https://www.bonappetit.com/test-kitchen/how-to/article/cast-iron-pan-rust
- https://lifehacker.com/5886819/rescue-your-cast-iron-from-rust-with-vinegar
- https://www.buzzfeed.com/jodyduits/how-to-care-for-cast-iron?utm_term=.dnLn5AW3J#.qbymZ5VoN
- https://lifehacker.com/5845822/remove-rust-from-cast-iron-cookware-in-your-oven
- http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/11/the-truth-about-cast-iron.html
- http://www.lodgemfg.com/use-and-care/cast-iron-lets-cook
The “seasoning” of a pan is layers of polymerized oils and fats baked onto the surface until it eventually becomes a nonstick coating. It is created with love and care over a great deal of time, by cooking on layers of fat in the oven. That’s, in essence, how to season a cast iron pan: rub with oil, bake, rub with oil, bake, and repeat!
There’s lots of advice and strategies on how to season cast iron with the best type of coating. Flaxseed is considered to be the favorite type of oil; it creates that deep dark look and matte-finish surface, though it can be expensive. Other typical options are vegetable oil, corn oil, grapeseed (another more expensive option), canola, or shortening. Olive oil and butter are not ideal for seasoning cast iron; they’re fine for cooking, but doesn’t give a pan the right consistent finish.
Keep in mind that many modern factory-made pans come pre-seasoned. It’s a good idea to wash and season it one more time before use, but it won’t require continuous baking like a non-seasoned skillet, which needs to be oiled and baked a fair amount (at least three or four cycles).
How to Clean Cast Iron Cookware
Contrary to popular belief, you can use a small amount of mild dish soap while cleaning cast iron! You cannot put it in the dishwasher, however! The pan must be hand washed fairly promptly with a non-metal scrubber and needs to be dried almost immediately.
The enemy here is water. Water creates rust in the iron, which can require re-seasoning and intense scrubbing later on. Never let it soak overnight. Many people like to cook off the excess moisture over low heat after washing. Then, carefully, once it’s cooled a little bit, you can add vegetable oil before putting it away.
If you’re in a desperate position where mild dish soap and a scraper won’t quite cut it, here’s how to clean cast iron: Skillets covered in gunk can be easily cleaned with salt and a raw potato. Try it! It works like a charm.
Tricks and Tips for Cast Iron Cooking
Yes, taking care of cast iron takes a little bit more patience and time, but is often worth it. Just check out these amazing cast iron skillet recipes:
- Winter Squash and Apple Ratatouille
- One-Skillet Mediterranean Chicken
- Sweet Potato Kale Frittata
- Cornbread and Beef Skillet Pie
- The Perfect Steak
- Big Skillet Chocolate Chip Cookie
Noted that highly acidic foods like tomato sauce, wine, or sugars can mess with your seasoned coating. A little bit of acid is fine. If it’s properly seasoned, it’s not an issue, and usually, it just needs to be scrubbed and re-seasoned afterward.
How to Remove Rust from Cast Iron
Most cast iron skillets, however rusty, can be saved! It’s simply a matter of scrapping and scrubbing off the rust back down to a smooth iron surface, washing it, and re-seasoning it. Unless the iron has worn down too thin over 40 years and cracks in the process, rescuing and seasoning a cast iron skillet is almost always possible. It just can be a lot of labor to get it back to that point.
There are several strategies on how to re-season cast iron that won’t break your back: the old salt-and-potato method for washing works well here, too, soaking in a vinegar solution often works, and using the oven-cleaning function on a modern oven will turn the rust to ash. This can all be done when the rust is at an extreme point.
Then, once it’s been cleaned of rust and washed, you’re ready to start seasoning again (layering on the oils and baking until you have a nice coating). See! There’s a reason seasoned cast iron pans are passed down in families over generations. With a little bit of maintenance and care, cast iron can be enjoyed by your family too!
