Kitchen: Cast-iron

For those of us that use cast iron cookware it’s unimaginable to switch back to copper bottom frying pans and Teflon coated cookware, aluminum is simply out of the question.

My cast waffle iron consistently produces perfectly formed and cohesive waffles with so little effort that switching to a Teflon waffle iron would be a clear sign of mental illness.

Cast iron offers an even distribution of heat throughout the cooking surface and sides, non-stick properties, durability, and lightening fast clean up when it’s cured correctly and properly cleaned.

Purchasing:

When purchasing new cast iron cost does not always equal quality, “pre-cured” on the label does not qualify an extra $25-80 on the price tag since you will have to cure the cooking surface anyway despite manufacturers claims. Make sure that any flash left over from casting is minimal and won’t snag fingers or grab cloth. Most of my cast iron was purchased individually in prices ranging from $2 (thrift store) to $20 (camping outlet store) and a few in sets such as my skillets 3 for $17.95 (camping outlet store). Do not buy new or used cast iron with flaky surfaces or that bear “oatmeal spots” (where the surface of the metal looks like water drops, boiling bubbles or burned on oatmeal), oatmeal spots indicate that the iron was contaminated, or may be a miscast.

Curing cast iron, although very simple, isn’t usually taught in home economics or written about in cook books. There are two basic elements: grease and heat.

New cast iron should be washed in HOT SOAPY WATER to remove any oils and residues from being cast. This is the ONLY time that you should actually use soap on the cast iron surface. If there’s a bit of flash, go ahead and smooth it down with a file.

If you have some uncured (or improperly cured) cast iron that you’ve already tried cooking in and gave up because of the ferrious action (rust) or mottled discolorations, you can give it a quick scrub with unsoaped steel wool, some very warm salt water and start fresh (some of the discoloration will remain but it’s only cosmetic, it won’t effect the quality of your food or the taste and after a few uses it cure to a nice black.) Even if the surface on thrift store cast iron looks good I strip it with steel wool and soap and start over. Dry with an old clean towel (some dark residue will stain the towel, don’t freak out, it’s normal.)

Directions for Cast Iron without plastic or enamel handles:

Preheat oven to 200°F

Unwrap a stick of lard, tallow, or butter (do not use margerine); set the stick aside and rub the greasy (or buttery) side of the paper all over the pan: top, bottom, handle, inside and out. Apply more grease and keep rubbing until the surface of the pan is entirely covered and a bit shiny to look at but not floating in the grease (this takes about 3 minutes.) If there’s too much grease on the surface use a little dry salt to rub it off. Put the pan in the oven cooking side down (over a bit of alumninum foil to catch drips) and let it heat for 10 minutes, at ten minutes turn the heat up to 350°F and let sit for another 20 minutes. After the timer rings, go ahead and turn off the oven and allow the pan to cool to room temperature (depending on the thickness of the cast this could take between 20-50 minutes.)

Vegan directions are the same except that they should use a high quality almond (or other high temperature) oil, NOT a vegetable shortening, and the process (all but the initial washing) should be repeated 3-5 times to build up the dressing.

The first couple of uses should be exclusively greasy or oily cooking, for most people this is bacon, hamburger or sausage. Vegans can do a nice vegetable stir fry (no noodles, they’ll stick.)

Directions for Cast Iron with plastic or enamel handles:

Same as above but using a low setting on the stove top (or preferably an outdoor gas grill) for the first ten minutes, and a medium low setting for the next 20 minutes. Pour a small amount of oil onto the cooking surface and spread with a spatula. Do not drip oil on the cooking surface.

Depending on the dishes that you cook in your cast iron, you may notice that the food is picking up a dark color from the cookware, this is normal– it’s not dangerous, but it’s annoying. Thankfully it only happens the first couple of times after curing the cooking surface but for those first couple of times use a small amount of oil and a tiny piece of test food (whatever you are planning on cooking). If there’s no discoloration GREAT. Otherwise turn off the heat and allow the pan to cool so that it can be safely handled, swish some cooking oil over the surface with a bit of salt (you can use your fingertips or a wok brush) and rinse with very hot water, pat dry and try again.

Now that the surface is dressed, it will be no problem to clean the cast iron after cooking. While the pan is still hot give any errant sticky food bits a couple of quick scraps with the side of a fork or a nylon spatula. Let cool, enjoy your food, and go back to wash. Use very warm to hot water, and a bit of salt (as an abrasive) and rub the salt with your finger tips or a bamboo wok brush (found in gourmet shops or asian specialty stores) over the cooking surface to remove any food bits– this will eventually become completely unnecessary as food will refuse to stick to a properly dressed surface. Then swish with very hot water, pat dry with a towel and put on low heat over stove top or in oven for a few minutes to kill any would-be germs.

After fully dressed (when even dry oil sucking foods like biscuits or eggs will not stick to surface), simply use a piece of soft clean bread to wipe away excess oils and food particles and “dry” using low heat over stove top or oven.

Waffle Irons

Waffle Irons are cured the same way– heat up the waffle iron, apply oil or grease (use a basting brush and take care not to burn your fingers) and “tamp” with a slice of dry bread. Each time before using the waffle iron, butter a slice of bread and press into preheated surface, apply oil or butter between waffles as needed, and each time after use a dry piece of bread to wipe the surface clean of excess oil.

Storage Between Uses

Clean cast iron be hung from large sturdy hooks to display culinary saavy and preserve the surface. Otherwise stack neatly using potholders or thick dry washcloths between pieces. For long term storage spray a light coat of cooking oil over dry towels and wrap each piece individually, and keep in dry place: Rinse well before use.

If there are any discolorations after storage simply use 1/2 of a large tomato and a little salt to rub the spots, rinse well, and apply some grease or oil directly to the surface, then heat normally.

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