How to Care for and Clean Cast Iron in Your Kitchen
For many chefs, cooking with cast iron is a labor of love. Some enjoy the rustic, traditional feel of a seasoned cast iron skillet. Others love the long lifespan of properly cared-for cast iron cookware. Still, others maintain that cast iron cookware produces distinct results when cooking with fish, eggs, garlic, onions, ground beef, and pork.
Cast iron cookware offers numerous benefits. Commercial kitchens benefit from long-lasting equipment, as cast iron cookware can last many decades longer than other non-stick cookware. With cast iron, you don’t have to worry about Teflon or other coatings flaking off and getting into the food. That’s important to chefs who have health concerns over modern non-stick products.
Whether you’re cooking up plates of huevos rancheros for breakfast, firing garlic and chilis for shrimp, or reverse searing a cut of meat, cast iron cookware is a popular choice. But cast iron presents chefs with a major challenge: It’s not dishwasher-safe. To keep your cast iron cookware usable and long-lasting, you must know how to carefully maintain and care for it over time.
Cast Iron Initiation: How to Season A Cast Iron for the First Time
Commercial chefs who favor cast iron cookware recommend thoroughly cleaning a cast iron skillet or pot before its first use, then re-season it over time. The idea that you should never use soap on cast iron is slightly misleading. While most chefs believe taking soap to a cast iron surface is a mortal sin, it makes sense in some cases.
If you use soap the first time you clean your cast iron, you can begin building your seasoning using only hot water for each successive cleaning. When you use soap to do a deep clean, you’re stripping your cast iron of its seasoning, so you don’t want to use soap each time you clean your pan. After the first time you clean your cast iron, wipe it completely dry. You can even leave it in the oven or on the stovetop at low heat to ensure all the moisture evaporates.
How to Season a Cast Iron Skillet
- Wash the pan in warm, soapy water and dry it thoroughly.
- Heat the pan on the stove to evaporate any remaining moisture.
- Using a cloth or paper towel, rub a small amount of oil all over the pan, including the handle and bottom. Use an oil with a high smoke point, such as canola oil. Some chefs prefer coconut oil, shortening, butter, or ghee.
- Buff the pan with a clean paper towel until the pan no longer looks greasy. Doing so prevents excess oil from pooling and forming hard droplets during seasoning.
- Place the oiled and buffed cast iron cookware upside down in a 450°F oven and leave it for 30 minutes. The oil may smoke, so do this in a well-ventilated system. The heat causes the oil to polymerize and form a hard coating.
- Take the pan out, let it cool, and repeat the process four more times.
Storing Your Cast Iron Properly
To avoid rust, make sure all cast iron cookware is dry before storage. Humid, moist environments encourage rust, so store pans in a dry, moisture-free environment. Some chefs leave a paper towel in the pan to wick away moisture and keep the cookware extra dry.
Cooking and Cleaning Your Cast Iron for Repeated Use
When ready to use your cast iron cookware, you don’t have to worry about re-oiling the pan. Simply heat it on your stove, grill, or oven, and you're off to the races. As you cook, avoid bringing sharp implements into contact with the pan. Many chefs favor wooden spatulas or utensils that provide a soft touch.
How to Wash a Cast Iron Skillet
Knowing how to clean a cast iron skillet helps prolong its lifespan. While you don’t want to clean the pan when it’s piping hot, it’s best to clean your cast iron when it's still slightly warm. Start by scraping out any large food particles.
Next, add some hot water to your pan and gently scrub away stains using a chainmail scrubbing pad. Some cooks prefer to use coarse salt and a cloth to scrub away food or stuck-on messes. Avoid cleaning chemicals, which can destroy the pan’s seasoning. Once you’ve cleaned your pan, dry it thoroughly, re-season it with oil, and it’s ready for future use.
Cleaning a Cast Iron Grill
If you're a grill master who likes to prepare dishes “a la plancha,” you can clean your cast iron grill using either commercial cleaning products designed for cast iron or use white vinegar as a degreaser. You can also use vinegar with baking soda to remove caked-on debris. Let this mixture dry before scrubbing it off the grill surface later.
Essential Safety Rule
While using brushes and other implements to clean your cast iron grill or pan, it's essential to prevent stray wire strands or other materials from breaking off. These loose ends can stick to cast iron cookware and end up in someone's food. Being vigilant about your cleaning tools — particularly brushes — is, in many ways, the most important recommendation for dealing with cast iron grills and cookware. Replace brushes before they get so old that they’re falling apart, and even with a newer brush, do a quick “finger-test” — run your hand over the brush to see if anything feels loose.
The above tips will help you maintain your cast iron skillets and other cast iron cookware safely and for a long time. At Chefs’ Toys, we are experts on how to run a busy kitchen. Our business is “for chefs, by chefs,” which means our staff has experience working in and managing commercial kitchens. Ask us any questions about how to up your game in the restaurant business, or browse our extensive collection of commercial cookware, kitchen essentials, and professional knives.
