Here are my "rules" of use for CI:

- NEVER let a CI pan soak in a sink full of water; I have put some hot water inside the pan and let soak briefly (like 5 minutes) to get off stuck on bits, but Iron+Water = Rust!

- Use plastic brushes or scrappers when cleaning CI, metal may scrape and remove the seasoning; DO NOT USE BRILLO PADS or similar cleaning tools.

- You can safely use wood or metal turners/spatulas while cooking with CI; plastic can be used with care also, but take care you don't leave the plastic spatula in the hot pan for long!

- Sometimes acidic foods such as tomatoes/tomato sauce and vinegar/lemon juice/wine will react with the CI resulting in an unpleasant taste in the food

- The only time I preheat the pan on High is if I'm doing a blackened recipe that calls for high heat; most all the time I preheat the pan on medium, then reduce the heat to finish the cooking or simmer on low.

- I always dry my cast iron skillets in a low oven or on a barely-on burner to get them bone dry after cleaning

- Warning: Personal Opinion! When I need to season my pan, I wipe it well with vegetable shortening (lard would be o.k. too) and bake the pan upside down on a baking sheet on a low oven (250F) for about an hour, turn off the oven and let the pan cool inside the oven, then wipe off extra shortening with paper towels. Repeat this several more times as needed to re-season the pan sufficiently. This is what my grandparents did, and I'm using their large skillet that is well over 50 years old. I never recommend using oil to season CI pans.

Teresa

I concur with everything Teresa said, except I still haven't inherited the pans that are coming my way. :)

Cast iron does transfer a little iron to the food, which is good for young women. :) The bad taste with acidic foods Teresa mentioned could be too much iron.

Maintaining the seasoning is easy, but it does take a little labor. ALWAYS dry over heat. When it seems good and dry, apply a thin layer of fat and let that heat until polymerized. I always do that first, and then the rest of the dishes, so that the pan is done by the time I'm done cleaning the kitchen. I also leave the hood on to remind me that it's there. A timer would work if the hood isn't loud.

Cast iron is best for things that you want to have surrounded by gentle (rather than variable) heat. No matter your heat source, it's going to heating up the iron, rather than directly transferring through the pan. (Iron isn't a terrific conductor.) It's the opposite of copper in that way. If you want something similar that's more immediately reactive, try carbon steel. It has to be seasoned and cared for in the same way, but is thin and much more immediately transfers heat directly to the food. I'm not describing this well, but I use thin carbon steel for eggs. I like to start them on medium and then cook them on low. In cast iron, the pan doesn't cool down fast enough.

An old trick for searing on a wimpy range (not sure if your daughter's is in that category), is to heat the pan in the oven at 375ð or 400ð F. then transfer to the burner. Caramelization happens at 350ð. Putting in the meat cools it down a little. If doing batches, like for meatballs, you can put the pan back in the oven to heat back up between rounds, or switch off between two of them.

Sautés aren't easily done in cast iron because of the weight, but if you can manage to start your veg without the actual jumping (i.e., stir instead) it's fine. It's great for searing and cooking meats in general. It does a good job holding a steady heat, so is great for pancakes and similar. It works fine for stews and braises. It's not traditional, but a cast iron frying pan is a great substitute for a paella.

The first thing to cook in cast iron is bacon! I agree with most above. I love cast iron for the crust it gives to food. I do not have to dry mine on heat, just well with a towel, but my climate is extremely dry. I would add to use as little soap as possible (better if none). For some reason I only recently came across these Lodge plastic scrapers when I was researching woks and I have to say, I love them for when I need to some extra action getting tough bits off the pan. They do leave the seasoning intact.

I have heard that the iron can have a chemical reaction with acidic ingredients like tomatoes or wine. I still cook tomato sauces in the pan and have not noticed anything off and honestly have not noticed if I made a wine sauce, but I do that less often.

Here is a link that might be useful: Lodge plastic scrapers on Amazon

There was a thread in last November that covered some of this. I like tishtoshnm's comment about bacon. I usually reseason with bacon grease. Take a look at the link below.

Here is a link that might be useful: Nov thread

I take my hot cast iron pan directly from the burner to under the faucet that is streaming hot water, stick a stiff brush into the cloud of steam, wipe around a few times, then put the pan back onto the burner to dry, after that I put a little oil into the hot pan and wipe it with a wadded up paper towel. I suppose my pan should crack or warp, but it never has.

Besides frying, I use mine for griddle breads like chapatis & pancakes, French toast, bake cornbread in it & also use it for all kinds of sauteed dishes - like fajitas, 'taco' meat, fish filets, turkey tenderloins, for instance.

I never use soap because, besides ruining the finish, cast iron absorbs the soap taste, it seems. I use hot water & a stiff bristled brush, a plastic scrubby sponge & maybe some salt or baking soda to scour any stuck bits. Food doesn't seem to stick much if I don't wait too long to rinse the skillet out. & always dry thoroughly afterwards - never let it 'air dry'.

I also store mine in the oven & give a wipe w/ an oiled paper towel every so often.

I actually have several different sizes & use the small ones for eggs/ omelets a lot.

Pre-seasoned new cast iron cookware are not very good.

The manufacturers pre-season CI to prevent rusting during shipping. The seasoning is kind of thin. Best you do it yourself once more.

dcarch

What everyone else said, plus

NEVER put cold water/other cold liquid into a hot pan. The thermal shock can cause the pan to crack (don't ask me how I know).

I usually boil the kettle as I'm finishing cooking anything messy and pour the boiling water into the pan for a soak while we're eating.

It is basically very durable non stick cookware. Easy to clean with warm soapy water and a plastic scour pad if needed. Sometimes I soak with no problem. Then rinse and wipe dry with a dish towel.

I always cook with olive oil and have never needed to re season after decades of use. I don't do any fancy seasoning for new CI either. Just wash and then start cooking with olive oil.

I use it for tomato sauce frequently and have never had a problem.

Maybe it was Annie on this forum that suggested the best way to start seasoning a new pan or a pan that needed maintenance seasoning: fry up a batch of french fries in the pan - or several batches, while you're at it. The hot oil/lard/shortening will help to seal the pores of the iron pan.

I agree!
Teresa

Go down to your basement, and you will see that the main large sewer pipe that goes out from your house is made of cast iron.

All kinds of "crap", chemicals, detergents, hot and cold stuff, toilet effluent, bath tube, dishwasher, drain cleaning alkali, grease ----- go thru the pipe, day in day out, for over a hundred years without damage.

Don't worry about it, just keep cooking.

dcarch

The more you use it, the more seasoned it will become. Bacon, browning meat, frying, etc will all naturally season it.

Rinsing with hot water is key, don't put cold water in. I put mine in the sink for a quick wash with soap if necessary, but it doesn't happen often. A quick scrub with a green scrubby and hot water usually removes everything.

Once it's well seasoned you won't need to scour much, but at most use a plastic brush or scrubber. Lacking that, use some coarse salt and a paper towel.

If it isn't seasoned and some stuff has stuck, here's what I find usually works: put water in the pan to cover the stuck stuff. Bring it to boil, then turn it off. Let it soak a little while you clean up the rest of the kitchen. Then use salt or a plastic scrubber to dislodge the stuck stuff.

Once clean, rinse out with hot water, paper towel it dry then put back on the burner on low for a minute or so to drive the remaining moisture out of the pores of the iron. While the pan is warm, put a tiny amount of oil (I use grapeseed) and use a paper towel to rub it into the inside of the pan. You don't want it really greasy, it'll attract dust.

Oh, and if your cast iron piece has a lid and you live in a humid climate, don't store it with the lid snug or the inside will rust. You can fold up a paper towel and put it on the rim, then put the lid on to allow air to circulate within the pot.

I don't use soap in my CI skillet. Once DH did (we use dawn which is a total grease cutter) and then I had to re-season the pan. I only use water on the pan if I've made a real mess and even then I keep it to a minimum and use a plastic to scrub it out. I dry it very well and then I stack them with paper towel in between each pan so there's no metal on metal

To clean them, I put maybe a tablespoon of kosher salt and rub it around the pan with a paper towel. The towel and the salt absorb the excess fat, the salt is an abrasive and scrubs up the little bits, but leaves all the seasoning in tact. I then wipe it out with a fresh dry paper towel and it's clean, ready for next time.

I too don't use tomato based or acid products in the pan due to flavor transfer and the acids will eat at the finish.

Oh, and nothing works better on an induction cooktop than cast iron.

Confession time. I have a 6" I have used for cornbread since I was 17, and I just don't wash it. Mom told me not to, so I (almost) never have. Just flip out the bread and wipe it out with a clean paper towel. Seems gross, but 30++ years later, I'm still alive. I preheat it every time with bacon grease. Other than that, I don't use cast iron. I have induction now, tho, so I probably should.

MizLizzie, if space would allow, I would have 2 pans set aside exclusively for cornbread and would treat them exactly the way you do. The only exception is that I melt butter in mine before adding the cornbread batter. Dh would probably protest to 2 pans for just that purpose though.

MizLizzie, I think generations of unwashed cast iron pans specifically for cornbread can be found across the nation. My little 6" pan that Ann_T sent me in a swap is my go to pan for cornbread for just one or two.

tishtoshnm, does your DH have only 1 fishing fly lure, or only 1 hunting gun, or only a single golf club? I think not.
;o)

Teresa

A well seasoned cast iron pan is like black glass on the inside. A little washing is not going to hurt it. I wash all of mine and I have enough that if it was all hung on a wall, it would pull the house down. (I used to have over 100 pieces.) I have been cooking in cast iron for 50 years...inherited a lot from my mother, grandmother and older sister. I never wipe oil in them to store them. I would run someone out of the house if they even looked like spraying Pam in one of them. The main thing is make sure they are dry when you put them away, and use them. I dry mine on top of the stove. If I need to, I will take a SOS pad to them. It won't hurt a well seasoned pan one bit.

Thanks to all who replied to my request. I will pass this information on to my daughter and hope she enjoys her "new" CI skillet!

Liz