I use these 3 pans nearly every day. They usually just get wiped out after I'm done cooking, but on occasion, they require a hot water soak and some scraping. If done frequently enough, this can negatively affect the seasoning on the cast iron, reducing it's natural non-stick quality. Time to touch up the seasoning!
The first step is to make sure the pans are thoroughly clean and dry (don't use soap, however). Coat them liberally on the inside with a heat stable fat of some kind. I used lard, but you could use olive oil or bacon fat. Pop the pans into a hot oven (mine was set to 450F) and let them heat up until the pans get smoking hot. Allow them to cool for a while, then remove them from the oven. Use as normal.
I placed mine on an old towel to fully cool as I decided to do some baking and take advantage of the preheated oven :) The pans are back to their natural non-stick status and for such a quick fix, it makes a huge difference!
I don't know what it is about a cast iron skillet, but I have no sucess with keeping it clean and seasoned. But I do have a Dutch Oven that is magic as far as I'm concerned. It makes the best pot roast.
ReplyDeleteYour pans sure are beautiful! I usually put mine back on the stovetop, greased up after washing, which sometimes does the trick. But I think the oven works best for sure :) What did you end up baking?
ReplyDelete-Jaime
Interesting! I've been thinking in getting cast iron skillets like that for a while... They say it's good for iron??
ReplyDeletevery helpful, I'm thinking of gettign some secondhand ones, but was trying to figure out how to clean it up/re-season. thanks for this!
ReplyDelete