Cooking in a cast iron skillet is an old-fashioned way of cooking that is now coming back into vogue. The benefits of cooking in cast iron include the ability to maintain an even temperature, no hot spots and sheer durability. It is not uncommon to have a cast iron skillet passed down from generation to generation. If you are one of the many cooks who has just bought a new one, however, there are some things you must do before you toss it onto the stove and start cooking.
Instructions
1. Wash off the protective coating. Your new cast iron skillet was coated with a non-toxic coating before it left the factory. This was simply to ensure that it did not oxidize or come in contact with any water on its travels. Now that you have it home and are ready to cook with it, it's time to wash that coating off. Put on a pair of rubber gloves. With the rough side of a sponge or scouring pad and soap, scrub the entire pan with scalding hot water. Scrub the pan as hard as you possibly can for at least 10 minutes. Do not simply wash your cast iron pan in the dishwasher. This will not be effective.
2. Dry it thoroughly. Yes, this entire step is devoted to telling you to dry your cast iron pan. Why? Because iron rusts, and a rusty pan is an unusable pan. Dry your cast iron pan completely until not a single bead of water is on it. Otherwise, you will have just ruined your brand new cast iron pan.
3. Season the pan. Coat your cast iron pan with a very light coat of oil. Less is more with the oil. The best oils to use are lighter vegetable oils like canola oil. Lard works as well.
4. Cure the pan. Preheat your oven to 500 F. Put your cast iron skillet inside the oven, face down. Put a pan underneath it to catch any oil that may drip. Leave it in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove the pan, and let it cool down until you can handle it again. Repeat Steps 3 and 4, starting with the oil and moving onto the curing. Do this three or four times. This creates a non-stick surface and will seal the pan so the iron won't oxidize and the pan won't rust. You are now ready to cook with your cast iron skillet!
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