Despite the title, this is not intended only for students. Everyone is welcome to read this post, and I hope you all take away a new love of cooking and cast iron cookware :)
When the COVID-19 pandemic began, there were a lot of activities I could no longer continue to participate in. I couldn't go bouldering and rock climbing, I kissed skiing goodbye during the winter holidays, and I was not able to maintain my regular fitness routine because I was so reliant on equipment at my campus gym. Through losing all of those activities, there was one thing I still was able to do that I loved, cooking. Being locked up inside really limited what I could continue to do, and since we still need to eat, I decided to try out new cookware and cooking new recipes. One piece of cookware in particular, has recently joined my kitchen collection. During Christmas in 2020, I got a 3-piece cast iron kit, which made me very excited! I had always seen cast irons used on TV cooking shows, at restaurants, and large BBQ events, and I was amazed at how versatile they were for different cooking and baking techniques. Before I started using my cast iron pans for cooking, I did some research on how to maintain them. One of the things I knew about cast irons, before I got them for Christmas, was that you needed to clean and dry them properly or else rust will build up and you could damage the surface of the metal. I began looking up blogs, articles, and YouTube videos explaining why and how a cast iron has to be cleaned before and after it is used.
Can I Start Cooking Immediately With A Brand New Cast Iron?
Quick answer is. No. Not right away at least.
When you get a new cast iron and are excited to start putting together an incredible meal, quickly pause for a second. A highly recommended step to complete before cooking with a new cast iron pan is to season it thoroughly. The process involves covering the pan with a thin layer of oil and baking it at a high temperature in your oven. By baking the oil into the pan, you are protecting it from moisture and rendering it non-stick. To season a new cast iron pan, preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and gently wash it in warm water and dry. Once completely dry, use a paper towel to apply a thin (you don't want a thick layer otherwise your pan will become sticky) layer of vegetable or canola oil (I have used olive oil if I have neither canola or vegetable in the pantry) over the inside and outside of the cast iron.
Once the oil is applied, place the cast iron upside down on the middle rack in the oven. Put a baking tray or sheet of aluminium foil on the bottom shelf to catch any droplets of oil (this will prevent any smoke coming out of your oven). Bake the cast iron for one hour and then turn the oven off and let it cool in there. Once cooled in the oven, you can start cooking!
How Do I Clean My Cast Iron After Cooking?
Quick answer, Not With Soap (at least not all the time)!!
When we wash our dishes, we always fill up a sink with dish soap or fill our washing machines. For a cast iron, you want to avoid using soap as much as possible, and you never want to put it in a dishwasher. The detergents used for dishwashing damage the coating and surface of cast irons, removing flavour-enhancers (food flavourings you have accumulated every time you cook with the cast iron). You only ever want to use soap when you are reviving a rusted, old cast iron, or if you cooked with very smelly food items and want to remove the flavour. Any other time, you want to follow a non-traditional cleaning method.
Right after you finish cooking, you want to let your cast iron cool until it is warm (safe to touch but still warm enough so food remains can easily be cleaned off). You start by rinsing your pan under warm water and gently scraping off large bits of food that are stuck to the surface. Once removed, cover the cooking surface with a layer of salt and use the rough side of your sponge or a poly dish scrubber and scrub the salt into the pan until you see all food bits come off the surface. Rinse the pan under water to remove the salt and then dry the cast iron completely. You want to make sure all moisture is removed to prevent rust from developing. Set your cast iron onto a stove and turn it on until you see all of the water evaporate (when you cast iron starts smoking, that is a sign for you to turn the heat off). Then apply a thin layer of oil over the cast iron, we want to keep that flavouring in and moisture out. Once you have completed all of these steps, you can store it away, ready for your next meal :D
Now I am only provided you all with a crash course version on how to prepare a cast iron for use and how to clean your cast iron after cooking. I plan to, after some more practice, to share some recipes with you all in a future blog post. Below, I have provided you all with sources with similar step by step procedures for cleaning and using a cast iron, including a video from my favourite culinary YouTuber, Binging with Babish. If you guys liked this post, please leave a comment. I could follow-up with a post about some meals I plan to make this summer using my cast iron skillets and pans.
Sources for Cast Iron Care and Maintenance: