For the love of the skillet

Are you cleaning your cast iron skillet correctly? Honestly, until a couple of years ago, I treated my cast iron skillet just as if it were another Teflon/stainless one. While washing dishes one evening, my husband and his wealth of useless knowledge corrected me as I began to wash my cast iron skillet (with soap and water), I obviously became a bit miffed with him!! What does a man know about washing dishes that I don’t, right? WRONG!! My husband spent some time in culinary school and evidently this is one lesson he paid attention to. Still a bit miffed, I took it upon myself to do a bit a research to see if he was right or wrong, I mean what wife doesn’t want to prove her husband wrong, LOL!!

Turns out, I was WRONG!! Ashamed to know I had been ruining my cast iron skillets for years! I had always wondered why the skillet would rust and everything would stick and I was pretty sure I observed mom and my grandma wash them the same way as well but turns out, I was doing it all wrong!

Cast iron skillet are wonderful and a handy tool in the kitchen. Many people including myself have heirloom cast iron skillets that have been passed down from generation to generation. They are not only handy in the kitchen but they can even be utilized over a camp fire and make great decorative pieces! The use of cast iron utensils can be dated back to over 2,000 years ago in China! WOW!! As cast iron began to spread in popularity worldwide, the Netherlands were actually the first that begin making cast iron skillets and the popular “Dutch Oven”. Cast iron skillets and cookware have proven to be versatile, durable and have stood the test of time.

So the question is, how to properly clean and preserve your cast iron skillet??? There are 3 different methods and each of them are to be used depending on how soiled your skillet maybe…..

1. For a regular cleaning, which is used for minor soiling meaning nothing has burnt or is stuck to the skillet. Simple pour some oil (doesn’t matter what type of oil) in the skillet and with a paper towel or an old rag (not a good one cause it will ruin it) rub the skillet until it is clean. This method serves 2 purposes, it clean and seasons.

2. For a more soiled skillet, such as if you have scrambled eggs or baked a cake and you had some residue from the food left in the skillet. Sprinkle salt (you can use Iodized or Sea salt) then take a paper towel or rag and scrape and scrub the skillet until clean. The course texture of salt helps clean the residue without harming your skillet. Then season as usual.

3. The third and final method. Use steel wool or if you care concerned with scratching your skillet you can use a non-scratching scrub pad. This method is used for when you accidently burn the cornbread or the other 2 methods just aren’t getting your skillet clean. Put a small amount of hot water in the pan, NO DISH SOAP (that will ruin and cause your cast iron to rust) then scrub with the steel wool or non-scratching scrubber until clean. Also, make sure when the skillet is clean that you pat is dry or you can stick it on the stove on high for a couple of minutes to dry it out.

Once your skillet is clean using which ever method necessary ALWAYS make sure you season it afterwards! Seasoning is a process by which a layer of animal fat or vegetable oil is applied and cooked onto cast iron. The proper seasoning of the cast iron skillets serves many functions, it protects the cookware from rusting, provides a non-stick surface for cooking, and prevents food from interacting with the iron of the pan.

So the next time you want a delicious cobbler, cornbread, or a moist cake (pineapple upside down is my personal favorite using cast iron), grab your cast iron skillet and enjoy cooking like the pioneers of yesterday!!

Until next time, HAVE A BEAUTIFUL DAY. Follow me on FACEBOOK at https://www.facebook.com/aBeautifullifewithHeather/