Used Western Saddles

Cast Iron

How do you effectively clean cast iron?

My great grandmother just sent over a few old cast iron skillets and a kettle - and a good number of them have old grease and rust on them. They also have some worn off over time - is there any effective method to clean them? We want to keep them in the best condition possible, any information is helpful.

Initial cleaning with (soapless) steel wool and cooking oil (do NOT use oven cleaner, WD40, or any solvent/oil you're not willing to eat!) to remove all rust. (Alternately, you can burn the pans, as others have suggested, but if you don't have a location for a bonfire, steel wool is the way to go.) Rinse under HOT water if needed. If you really must, you can use soap at this stage, just to get the skillet clean. However, never, never, use soap or detergent on your skillets after you get them cleaned and seasoned. It damages the coating of oil you're trying to build up, and the taste of soap tends to "stick" to a seasoned pan... which doesn't make your food taste very good.

Dry thoroughly and heat on low heat over burner to make sure no water remains.

Season skillets by coating lightly (ALL surfaces, inside and out) with oil or lard (don't use butter for this). Place the pans, upside down, in a 350 degree oven for an hour (I'd put a baking sheet on the rack right below, just in case you get drips), then turn heat down to 200 and leave for several hours. Let cool. You might want to repeat this step 2-3 times to speed up the seasoning process.

For the first month or so of use, cook only low-acid, high-fat foods in the skillets. Preferably bacon. Lots of grease and low sticking potential.

Subsequent Cleaning: Unless food is stuck to the skillet, don't try to wash it. Just wipe it out with a clean cloth or paper towel. Add a light coating of oil or lard and hang back up.

If a skillet has something stuck to it, scrape gently with a plastic scraper or scrub under hot water with a nylon-bristled brush. Do NOT scrub with steel wool, unless you want to go back and reseason the thing from the beginning. If you wash the skillet, use only hot water, no soap or detergent. Dry thoroughly and heat on low heat over burner to make sure no water remains. Once dry, but while still warm, coat skillet with a thin layer of oil or lard and hang back up.

If food burns to the skillet (which may happen once in a while), while the skillet is HOT, pour BOILING water in and scrape the bottom gently with a plastic or wooden spatula until the food releases. Whatever you do, never, never put COLD water in a HOT skillet-- and don't scoop a hot cast iron pan off the stove and drop it in a sink of cold water! The iron can, and will, shatter.

With so many first time buyers entering the exciting world of home buying at this time, there are many people who are looking at stocking a whole home instead of just their portion of a shared residence. One of the most important areas to stock in your new home is the kitchen; a poorly set up kitchen is a struggle to cook in and you will spend more in take out in a short time than you would have spent in just buying what you need to comfortably cook with.

No matter what kind of cooking you actually do, there are some general basics that are useful for any kitchen; and even if you have some of these items already, it's nice to have new things for your new house, especially if you've been using the castoffs that your family donated to you when you moved out.

One of the nicest things that you can treat yourself to when you buy a new house is a new set of dishes; buy at least a set of four place settings in a style and colour that you like and you think would go nicely with your dining area. If you don't have a decently complete set of cutlery, buy one of these too; no one likes having to share the one teaspoon in the house with everyone else.

For actual kitchen work, get at minimum one frying pan; a good sized cast iron one is a great value and pretty inexpensive. You will also probably need one large pot that you can boil pasta in; a Dutch oven is a good size for pasta and doubles for making stew or soup as well. Add to this combination one medium and one small sauce pan, all with lids.

For food preparation you will need a good paring knife, one larger utility knife, and a serrated bread knife. This variety of knife sizes will let you prepare just about anything. A sharpening steel is a good idea to keep your knives sharp but if you aren't that adept at sharpening knives by hand consider buying "stay sharp" knives. To accompany your new knives, invest in a good sized wooden cutting board; wooden cutting boards prohibit bacterial growth and don't dull your kitchen knives.

Whether you bake or not, invest in a good sized cookie sheet; you can cook a variety of things in the oven on one, ranging from baking actual cookies to toasting frozen things. Also handy, even if you don't know how to bake—yet—are measuring spoons & cups and some basic baking pans. A small cake pan is handy for baking small meals in and a loaf pan is great for making meatloaf in.

Don't forget those vital gadgets that make everyday cooking easier as well; it can be frustrating to be all ready to cook your first meal in a new place and realise that you're missing a can opener or a cork screw. A basic selection of cooking utensils will help round out your kitchen tools as well.

These items should make basic cooking quite workable in your new home; if you are a more advanced cook then you will likely want to add some more specialized items to your list as well. There are many small kitchen appliances that can also make cooking in your new kitchen easier as well including: coffee makers, mixers, toasters, and food processors. Add to your collection slowly and truly consider what kinds of cooking that you do to determine what your needs are before buying a lot of gadgetry. The purchase of a new home can be an ideal opportunity to start putting together a quality kitchen set up!

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Seasoning A Cast-Iron Pan

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