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How To Rejuvenate and Reseason a Cast Iron Skillet
www.wrightsvillebeachmagazine.com WBM
Cast iron is known both for
its ability to withstand high
temperatures and its ability to
hold heat for longer periods
than standard cookware. This
means it’s easier to prepare
dishes similar to what’s served
at favorite restaurants, whether
cooking beef, poultry, fish, veg-etables
or cakes.
The biggest difference between
cast iron and other metals is its
heat capacity, heat emissivity, and
conducting properties. Depending
on what’s being prepared, some
suggest preheating cast iron cook-ware
by starting at low tempera-tures,
giving more heat control
when gradually raising it.
With every use, the pan’s
surface is renewed and even
reinvented through the ritual of
seasoning. Seasoning transforms
the cold, porous iron into a lus-trous
black surface that imparts
complex flavors and becomes
naturally non-stick.
Lodge and a few other new
manufacturers make cast iron
skillets that come pre-seasoned.
Vintage cast iron pans, even
though they might have pre-pared
thousands of meals, need
to be reseasoned regularly.
Flaxseed oil is the most recom-mended
these days, while veg-etable
oil and shortening are also
common.
Left: The Wagner Manufacturing Company made cast iron cookware from its plant in Sidney, Ohio
(pictured in 1913) beginning in 1891. Right: The Lodge Manufacturing Company, which has been in
business since 1896, still forges cookware at its foundry in Tennessee.
Scrape the pan with steel wool until there are no more rust spots.
Wash the cookware with warm, soapy water.
Dry the pan well with a cloth to keep new rust spots from
appearing.
Soak paper towels with flaxseed oil and coat
the inside of your cookware with a thin
layer of oil.
Place the pan on the top rack of the
oven face down at 350 degrees. Put
a piece of aluminum foil on the
bottom rack to catch dripping oil.
Leave the pan in the oven for one
hour.
Remove from the oven and let it
cool. It’s now ready to use.
Reseason your pan frequently. This
process creates a non-stick layer. The
more you use your pan, the better the
layer of seasoning will work.
Before storing your pan, wipe it down
with a light coating of oil.