Cast Iron

These are the pots and pans I will season today. The only one we use on a regular basis is the large pan on the left. This is what Kevin uses to brown meat when he makes chili. It used to belong to my grandmother. My aunt gave it to me. She called it a chicken fryer. We call it the man skillet. The man skillet is not quite as seasoned as I would like it to be. The others are showing some signs of rust, probably because of the leak this summer. None of my cast iron got wet, but there was a lot of moisture in the cabinets. I want to stop the rust before it gets worse. There is a huge debate about how to store cast iron cookware. My mother keeps hers in the drawer under her stove. I have a gas stove so I don't like that idea. Some people place salt in the pans, but salt is corrosive so I don't like that idea either. I just keep mine in the kitchen cabinet and check for rust ever few months or so.

Some people say to never wash cast iron. Water will not hurt it as long as the iron isn't submerged for a long period of time. I washed all of mine last night with hot water and regular dish washing liquid. The water has to be hot so the iron can dry quickly. Cold water doesn't work.

The pot must be clean before it can be sealed. But it can't be wet. That's why I washed every thing last night. While I was at it, I also cleaned out the cabinet. I swept it out and sprayed a fine mist of water and peppermint oil. Peppermint keeps mice away. I haven't had a mouse problem in this house and I don't want one. I made sure the cabinet was dry before I put anything in it. You can also dab peppermint oil on cotton balls and place a ball in each corner of the cabinet. This doesn't last forever, only about 2 weeks or so. If you have a bug problem try lavender or bay leaves. Once ants enter the house they are inclined to stay. Cooking spray, like Pam, will kill them without harmful chemicals. I've heard ants don't like cinnamon, but I haven't had good luck with that.

Once the pot is clean and dry, preheat your oven to its lowest temperature. For me this is 170. I seal my cast iron with Crisco. YOU ONLY NEED A LITTLE BIT. Rub a SMALL amount inside the pot. The pot should shine. You should not see any white. Rub the Crisco in thoroughly. When the inside is completely covered, wipe it lightly with a paper towel to remove any excess. Too much leaves a sticky pan. I only season the inside. I wouldn't do the outside unless it was badly rusted.

Set your kitchen timer for 15 minutes. Place the pan in the oven on a baking sheet. This is just a precaution, in case you left a glob of Crisco somewhere.

After 15 minutes take the cast iron out and let it cool. Your pots should have a nice shine to them. They should be darker. A well seasoned pot with many years of use is BLACK. I mean the blackest black you can think of it. After the pot has cooled, wipe it with a clean, dry dish towel and put it away. That's it. If you want the blackest black, repeat the process.