How to cook with & look after your cast iron pans

How to use & look after your cast iron pans…

I recently a story on my Instagram account about using cast iron and I got a flood of questions in my private messages about this, so I decided to answer them all and more in this blog.

Why buy cast iron?

• They won’t leach toxic chemicals into your food like ALL non-stick/Teflon/aluminium pans do.
• They will last you your whole lifetime, so they are actually MUCH cheaper overall that buying alternatives.  And, they aren’t actually that expensive to start with, as you don’t need to buy any fancy-ass branded one’s, any that are pure cast iron or cast iron coated ceramic are fine.
• They can be used on the stove and in the oven.
• They cook more evenly and get hotter than most alternatives.
• They can add iron to your food, making it a little more nutrient dense.
• They are easy to clean and look after.
• They are beautiful, rustic, and charming!
• They can be used as weapons if needed! Ha

How to cook with your cast iron…

• Make sure your cast iron pans are always well seasoned, otherwise things will stick.  See below about how to season.
• Always pre-heat your pan, then add your oil and then once the oil is hot add your food.  If you add oil or food before the pan is hot your food will likely stick.

How to look after your cast iron…

• Season well, applying oil to your pan and heating it lightly (without using it for cooking).  When you next use it for cooking you’ll have a nonstick surface.  You may need to season it several times before using it if it’s an old or dull pan.
• Olive oil works well for seasoning and animal-based fats for cooking to reduce sticking.
• Wash with hot water and only a little soap and dry thoroughly straight away to prevent rusting.
• If you are cooking a lot of acidic foods, you may need to season it more regularly.
• Never put cold water into a hot pan or a hot pan into cold water, this can warp or even crack it.