How To Season Cast Iron Cookware In 10 Easy Steps
There are so many benefits to cooking with cast iron. You'll see as you cook with it. For the most part, it is a safe surface for cooking, supported by a long history of usage dated back to ancient China thousands of years ago. You can rest assured from now on that no undesirable harmful chemicals are seeping precariously through your cookware into your delicious meals. Cast iron doesn't buckle under high heat, as most other cookware does. In fact, the higher the temperature, the better, as cast iron has excellent thermal conductivity and conducts heat evenly, so food gets cooked evenly and efficiently. You will not find food scorched in some areas and undercooked in others. Besides that, it holds heat in well. Chances of your food getting cold before you get to it are slimmer now that you are cooking with cast iron—something especially useful during the rainy season or in cold weather. You don't need much oil to cook with cast iron too. It absorbs the grease and fat from the food you cook and makes it naturally non-stick.
Cast iron cookware is incredibly versatile as well. You can sauté, fry, roast, and even bake with it. It can literally go from the stove into the oven and on to the table. Though it is heavy, it is also a quality that contributes to making it very durable. You can cook outdoors with it as it can withstand some rough handling. Some folks hand down their cast iron cookware to generations after them like an heirloom. That means you can create and pass on some precious family memories with it.
The bottom line is: If we take care of it well, our cast iron cookware will stick by our side (in a 'non-stick' way of course!), and go that extra mile churning out tasty food for us in our entire lifetime. Basically, we take care of it by seasoning it before use and re-seasoning it after use. It's easy. Let me show you how.
WHAT DOES SEASONING ON CAST IRON MEAN?
Seasoning or oil baked into the cast iron gives the cast iron cookware a smooth, shiny finish and makes it naturally non-stick. Cast iron is susceptible to rust when there's moisture on it. Seasoning protects the iron from rusting and separates food from the metal surface. Seasoning is a process you want to go through for both new and old neglected cast iron cookware.
DON’T HAVE AN OVEN?
Turn the stove back on medium-high again after you applied oil on it and heat your cast iron cookware until you see it smoke. Once the cast iron is smoking, turn off the stove. Leave it on the stove to cool off before storing it.
Cast iron is very strong and durable and can last a few lifetimes.
Cast iron has excellent thermal conductivity. It heats evenly, handles high heat very well, and can hold heat in for a longer time.
Cast iron cookware is incredibly versatile, which makes it multifunctional and a great help in the kitchen.
Cast iron cookware cost lesser than enameled cast iron and high-quality stainless steel ones.
A well-seasoned cast iron cookware is easier to clean than a stainless steel one.
There have been reports saying that cooking with cast iron can add iron naturally to your meals.
So this is how I season my cast iron cookware. Hope it’s of some help to you. Let me know how it goes when you season your cast iron. Enjoy the process. That’s Abundant Living too. :)