Black as night

There is a very vital tool to have in your kitchen, at home or at the restaurant. I keep one on my stove at all times, it seems to be the best place for it. At work, I keep one close at hand just in case we need it for whatever reason. Any idea what I'm talking about?

Cast Iron.

A good cast iron pan is something to be proud of. Some people like to have an entire set from the baby all the way to the grand daddy. I find that all I really need is a large (8 inch diameter or larger) and a small (4 inch diameter). With these two cast iron skillets, I've always managed to get done what I need to get done.

A piece of cast iron is a remarkable tool. It is an excellent heat conductor and transfers heat more consistently and evenly than anything else in the kitchen. The cast iron also holds the heat for a while which is also a nice bonus to using it. I've heard that cooking in a cast iron pan can help with iron absorption in the body, though I haven't been able to find solid proof. It can't hurt though.

Cleanliness.

Now, this is where some folks out there like to get away from the common food safety standards. Ask anyone how to clean a cast iron skillet. Most people will tell you "Never Use Soap!"
Me? I say "ALWAYS USE SOAP!" Now, this doesn't mean getting out the heavy scouring pads and steel wool scrubbies. It does mean however to get out the dish soap, a dish rag, and get that thing clean! Give it a good rinse and put it on low heat on the stove. After you see the last bit of water evaporate, turn it off and put a very very thin layer of oil on it. Done.

What's that? You have an old cast piece of cast iron that's rusted? You just bought a piece of cast iron that is not yet seasoned? Funny you should ask I was just about to talk about that!

Seasoning/Restoring

First things first. You need to get rid of the rust. This can be a serious health issue if you just decide to leave it. You need to get some emery cloth, sand paper, steel wool, anything to get the rust off. All of it. Simply using a dish scrubby is not going to cut it. Yes, it may look like the rust just magically disappeared, but it didn't. You now simply have wet, soapy rust.
O.k. You got all the rust out. Now, I take some Kosher salt, a bit of oil, and a rag that I don't mind throwing away. I put the oil and salt in the pan and use the rag to scrub this mix around. The salt is a good abrasive and the oil is what is actually seasoning the pan. I do this until my salt is broken down all the way or until no more brown stuff is coming off of the pan.
Pour out the oil and salt, discard. Wipe out your pan leaving a good layer of oil on it.
Lastly, I place the cast iron in the oven, UPSIDE DOWN with a cookie sheet under it to catch the oil and let it go for an hour at 350 degrees.
Once you remove the pan, just put it back on top of your oven. It's ready to go!

That's it for now. I"ll follow up with another installment of cast iron 101 soon.
Eat Well,
J.G.