CARE AND USE OF CAST IRON COOKWARE

Cleaning Your New Cookware:

When you bring home your Cast Iron for the first time you must wash the utensil in hot soapy water using a steel scouring pad to remove coating used for protection in shipping. This will be the last time you will be using a steel scouring pad except if you experience rust spots. After washing, dry completely with cloth or paper towel. Never allow cookware to drip dry, or wash in dishwasher. Now you are ready to begin the seasoning process.

Seasoning:

1) With a dry soft cloth, apply a light coating of vegetable oil or melted vegetable shortening (such as Crisco) to the surface of the cookware. Do not use salted fat (butter or margarine). Be sure to coat all cooking surfaces. Note: Do not use olive oil to season because it will smoke and burn.

2) Place the greased utensil in an oven at 300° for 1 hour.

3) Remove the cookware from the oven while it is still hot; allow it to cool to room temperature, and wipe away any excess oil from the surface.

*Note: In order to achieve best results with cast iron, the cookware must be cleaned properly before its first use, and it must be seasoned properly per the above instructions.

 Preserving The Seasoned Finish:

With proper care, a well seasoned cast iron cookware will only get better over time. A well seasoned cookware is one that has been coated many times with vegetable oil, vegetable shortening, or fat. To enhance your seasoning, it is recommended that you cook with foods for the first few times that have a high fat and grease content such as bacon. After use, do not wash the cookware, just drain off the grease, rinse with scalding water and wipe dry.

*Cooking soups, stews, etc. (foods with high moisture and acid content) may have a tendency to remove the seasoning, therefore we suggest at first to avoid cooking these types of dishes, or be aware that you may have to re-season your pan after use.

Common Problems:

Rust spots:

If your Cast Iron cookware get rust spots, simply scour rust areas with steel wool (SOS Pad) until rust has been totally removed, wash, dry and of course repeat the seasoning process. Do not store Cast Iron with lid on, as the least bit of moisture trapped inside could cause rust.

Metallic Taste:

If your food turns black or gets a metallic taste it means you are leaving food in the pot too long after cooking or you have not properly seasoned your cookware. You are not to use cast iron pots for the storage of food. We suggest you remove food from the pan as soon as possible after cooking. However if you want to bring the cookware to the table we suggest keeping your food simmering in the pan until ready to take to the table. As soon as possible, remove food, wash the cookware, dry and prepare for storing.

Using Bakeware:

If your bakeware (corn mold, muffin pan, etc.) is seasoned properly you shouldn't experience food sticking. Before using the bakeware, grease well or heavily spray with Pam or similar shortening.

Also preheat the cookware before using, and preheat the oven for best results.

Best Temperatures To Cook With:

The beauty of cast iron is that you need less heat as cast iron distributes heat evenly. If your utensil is too hot it can cause food to burn. When searing, use medium–high heat. For slow cooking heat must be lowered.

Food Sticking To Surface:

If food is sticking to the surface of your cast iron, fill the cookware with water, place the pan on the stovetop and bring the water to a boil, drain the boiling water and scrub with a steel scouring pad. After this process you will need to re-season your cookware. The most common cause of this problem is that the cookware is not seasoned properly.