Some mistakes you need to know with your cast iron cookware

Cast iron cookware is known as multi-functional, durable and affordable. But there is some necessary knowledge should be studied when you cook with cast iron cookware. Here are some habits to avoid when you're daily cooking.

You don’t understand seasoning

You know all that talk about “seasoning” a cast-iron skillet? It’s not just talk. Different with enamel cast iron cookware, seasoning refers to a layer of polymerized oil that has been baked onto the surface. Seasoning makes your skillet release food easily, clean up quickly and remain stain- and rust-free. All of our cast-iron skillets come pre-seasoned. You’ll notice they have a smooth, non-greasy, softly lacquered surface. Those that don’t come pre-seasonsed have a matte gray finish—until you season them, at which point they become shiny and closer to black in color. However, even if your skillet comes pre-seasoned, for best results right out of the box, consider seasoning it yourself before you use it.

You’re not seasoning the skillet right

If you’re just swiping a layer of oil onto the surface of your skillet, you’re not seasoning your cast-iron correctly. Seasoning involves a chemical reaction made possible through heat. In a nutshell, here is how to season your cast-iron skillet:

·Apply a thin coat of any kind of vegetable oil to the entire pan (inside and outside and the handle too)

·Place the pan inverted in an oven preheated to 350 degrees for an hour

·Turn off oven and allow pan to cool inside the oven.

You’re not cleaning it correctly

In a nutshell, this is how to clean your cast-iron skillet:

·Immediately after cooking, rinse in warm water, sprinkle with a bit of baking soda, and scrub gently with a nylon brush. The baking soda neutralizes any flavors and odors from what you’ve just cooked, and has anti-bacterial properties.

·Since water will cause cast-iron to rust, don’t soak your skillet (thanks to seasoning, you shouldn’t need to), and be sure to thoroughly dry it with a dishtowel.

·To help maintain the existing seasoning for as long as possible, apply a thin coating of vegetable oil while the pan is still warm.

You never use soap

Think your cast-iron skillet is a delicate flower that can’t handle soap? Wrong! Cast iron can take almost anything you throw at it, even a little dish soap. Yes, if you take care of your skillet perfectly, you might never need to suds the skillet up. We all make mistakes, though, so sometimes you might need some soap to really clean the skillet well or to help you if it gets rusted. Got a rusty skillet? Learn how to get it looking like new again.

You use harsh chemicals

While soap can be used on cast iron sparingly, there is no need for any harsh chemicals to clean your skillet—even if it’s rusted. Skip the oven cleaner, skip the scouring powder and just rely on baking soda, a towel and, if need be, mild dish soap.

You’re not re-seasoning

Season a cast-iron skillet once, and you’ve got a kitchen workhorse…for a while. Season a cast-iron skillet regularly, and you’ve got a kitchen workhorse for a lifetime. Every time you use your cast-iron skillet, you’re wearing some of the seasoning down, and eventually it won’t function as well. So season it again whenever you see dull spots. Or do what I do: season it whenever it’s out and your oven is on.

You’re not doing enough cast-iron cooking

While seasoning does wear down with use, the more you use your cast-iron cookware, the better it performs. Every time you use it, you’re also adding new molecules of polymerized oil. Over the long haul, your cast-iron will darken and grow shinier.

You’re not preheating

Cast-iron performs best when heated gradually, so give it a few minutes to pre-heat before adding your food.

You’re overheating

Because cast-iron is so efficient at conducting heat, it can get hotter than what you may be used to with other cookware. So start with a lower heat setting as you get used to how incredibly efficient your cast iron skillet actually is. And if it gets too hot (you’ll know, but one sign is that it’s smoking), turn off the heat, let it cool down a bit, and then get back to cooking.

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