If you have been lucky to be born in a generation of great cooks in your family, then you know how important Grandma’s cast iron frying pan was and how everyone wanted it when she passed. Do you think I’m fooling you? Seriously, cast iron frying pans are passed down to generations. You can’t beat the seasoning factor that adds to your food when you cook with cast iron. It’s too bad we can’t duplicate this in a seasoning because it’s that good. So, now that I have explained how greedy some of us can be when it comes to fighting over Grandma’s cast iron frying pan, here is a brief history on cast iron cooking.
Cast Iron cookery goes back to the 18th Century. It was a major industry for England before the industrial revolution. In fact even George Washington’s mother thought so highly of her cast iron that she put it in her will. By the 19th century manufacturers came on board like Wagner, Lodge, Griswold, and John Wright. Some of these manufactures exist still today. It was the first non sticking cookery.
As I mentioned above, it’s all about the seasoning factor of cast iron that people love. And because of this, you never want to use soap on it. If you did this to an old pan, you would take out the seasoning and frankly, in my opinion, it would ruin the quality of an old cast iron pan. That would be heresy in my family.
The way we cleaned our cast iron pans was to wipe it with a clean hot rag and then wipe it dry immediately so it would not rust. If we had sticky stuff on it, we used hot water with a stiff brush. I will also clean it with salt by heating up some oil in the pan and rubbing Kosher salt around the inside of the pan. The salt is an abrasive and will clean it well. Another method is to use a teaspoon of baking soda to a quart of water and cook it in the pan for about one or two hours. However, if you happened to do a faux pas and used soap, then make sure there is no soap film. You can re-season it by putting it in a 350 degree oven after wiping vegetable oil inside and outside the pan. Bake it for an hour. Now, you will see many methods out there, however that is the basic way to re-season the pan. So remember, for a new pan, you won’t go to the electric chair if you used soap; however, never put soap in an old cast iron pan that has been handed down, or it will be off with your head!
Here are some benefits to cooking with cast iron that you may not be aware of:
Cast iron is actually a way to go green. You can actually save energy because it takes less heat to cook than other pots or pans.
It is known to be a dietary source of iron especially when you are cooking with high acid foods like tomatoes. However, if you are taking a high dosage of iron supplements check with your doctor to see if there is any concern so you are not overdosing with iron.
If you fry or saute your foods or love to bake foods like corn bread, there is nothing better than cast iron to get the best crust on your food. Once you get use to this type of cooking, you would not want any other pan. Cast iron is extremely durable and can be put into the oven from the stove. You do want to preheat it before frying or sautéing. Then to check if it is ready to use, drip a few drops of water to see if it bounces off. That’s the best way besides touching it. Now, speaking about touching it, do be careful when touching the handle because the whole pan will get hot and you can get a nasty burn if you forget.
Cast iron cookery will give you the biggest bang for your buck. It is the least expensive cookware that will give you the best even cooking out there. And if you don’t like to cook, well it makes a great weapon.
