Entries Tagged as 'Cookware'

Seasoning Your Cast Iron Cookware

July 8th, 2008 18 Comments

Dear Home-Ec 101,

I got this set of cast iron pans last year for my birthday and I know that you have to do something with them before you can use them. I “googled” it but I find soooo many different things I don’t even know where to start.

I figured you ladies would be a good place to start.

Signed,

The Cast Iron N00b

Ivy says:

As you all know, I am no cook- Mr. Ivy is a fantastic chef, so he does all the cooking and I do all the cleaning up. When Mr. Ivy and I first started living together, he brought with him his cast iron skillet that had been seasoned for years. Now I, being no cook, took one look at that crusty old thing and thought, “Eww.” So I set to cleaning it, scoured the absolute snot out of it, and got all the black “funk” off of the pan. I was pretty proud of myself. I dried it and put it in the cabinet.

When Mr. Ivy next decided to cook with his beloved cast iron skillet, he got a surprise. “Um, Ivy? Could you come here for a sec,” he said. I trotted into the kitchen and he was holding his cast iron skillet with the look of a destroyed man. “What did you do to my cast iron skillet?”

“I washed it,” I told him. “Doesn’t it look nice now?”

He then explained that that black crustiness was NOT funk, it was seasoning. And it made his pan nonstick, made food taste fabulous, and solved world poverty all at once. Well, I didn’t know.

So, yes. I know how to season and care for cast iron cookware. And I learned the hard way so you don’t have to. The crust is a GOOD thing. Don’t scrub it off.

Seasoning goes like this. First, wash your cast iron cookware carefully with soap and water. New cast iron usually comes with a protective coating like wax, so you will want to scour all that off. Then dry your pan thoroughly and get the oven to preheating at about 350 degrees.

Then (and make absolutely sure that your pan is completely dry) just coat the pan with a thin layer of oil that is high in saturated fats. Mr. Ivy thinks lard is the very best thing to use, but lard really grosses me out. If you’re like me, you can also use canola oil, vegetable oil, or even peanut oil.

Then put your pan upside down on a baking sheet to catch any drips in your preheated oven for about an hour. You can then turn the oven off, open the door a bit, and let it cool down. Then your skillet will be ready to use.

To clean your cast iron cookware, wash it in hot water. Some people say it is okay to use soap, some people say absolutely not. I will occasionally use a bit of soap to get any stuck on food bits, but I don’t do this regularly. Don’t ever let your pan sit with water in it- that will ruin your seasoning and you’ll have to start all over again. I always just try to get the pan clean as soon as it’s cool enough to touch. Make sure the water is really hot- leftover grease in your pan can become rancid and that’s not a good thing.

Never, ever, ever put your cast iron cookware in the dishwasher. Again, it’ll ruin the seasoning. If it does find its way into the dishwasher, scrub it well and then start the seasoning process all over again. It takes years to get the absolute perfect seasoning for your cast iron cookware, so try to avoid that.

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Let’s Talk Teflon

May 6th, 2008 Comments Off

Dear Home Ec 101,

My popover pan that has been with me through thick and thin (and one husband and a couple of boyfriends!) has suddenly started misbehaving. Where before I could simply tip the pan over and golden fabulous popovers will pop right out.. Now when I pull the pan out of the oven, all my popovers STICK TO THE PAN.

I never grease the cups (the recipe I used never called for that). It’s one of those black Teflon ones.

What could be causing this?

Love,

Hellz (and Popovers) NOT a’poppin

Heather says:

Teflon has a limited lifespan. There are several things you can do to ensure your pans meet their expected use, but the nonstick properties will only last a finite amount of time even following all instructions to the letter. Since your pan was used for popovers, which are cooked at high heat, I’m surprised it lasted as long as it did.

Eventually, even with perfect care the nonstick coating will lose its effectiveness. At normal cooking temperatures Teflon is inert. This simply means it is nonreactive. However, at high temperatures (572F) the PTFE (polytetrafluoethylene, the chemical name of the nonstick coating) will break down, releasing fumes that can cause flu-like symptoms that is fatal to birds. The bird owning community suggests that it can happen at lower temperatures, but I have only seen anecdotal evidence.

Here are five tips for ensuring your Teflon meets its expected lifespan.

  1. Never, ever, ever, ever (did I make that clear?) use metal utensils. Do not use them to stir, to cut, or to scrape your Teflon cookware. Seriously, put the fork down and use a nylon, rubber, or wooden utensil. I mean it.
  2. Keep the cookware out of the dishwasher. Most detergents are too harsh for the coating and will cause it to wear out prematurely. Hand wash with dish soap and use either nylon scrubbers or scrapers for particles that don’t wipe off easily.
  3. Carefully store your pans. If you must stack them due to space limitations, use a dish towel between pieces to prevent unintentional dings or chips.
  4. Do not use Teflon pans with acidic foods. Nonstick cookware is best used for foods such as eggs, baking, or foods that are pan fried. Avoid vinegar or tomato based sauces. Never use your nonstick cookware to store foods. Remember, it’s called cookware.
  5. Finally, avoid temperature extremes or sudden changes in temperature. If you have a hot pan, do not place it in cool water, these temperature extremes stress the coating.

If you are worried about cooking with Teflon, seasoned cast iron is a fabulous, if heavy alternative.

Submit your questions to helpme@home-ec101.com.

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Did I Stain My Stainless?

March 28th, 2008 4 Comments

Dear Home Ec 101,

I have a stainless steel pan that has acquired a brownish/bronzish color all over the bottom of the inside of the pan. What is this, is it bad, and can it be gotten rid of? I like shiny things.

Signed,

~Maggie Magpie

Heather says:

I love my stainless steel, the only downside is they occasionally need a little more love than a nonstick pan.  The brownish stain you are seeing is really just a thin layer of cooked oils or the propellant from a cooking spray such as Pam.  Once heated to high temperatures oils can become quite sticky, in fact plastic can be made from vegetable oils. The properties that will give us this greener alternative to petroleum are the same ones that make it a bear to clean off your cookware.

Some will recommend baking powder applied as a paste.  This technique may require some elbow grease.

As usual I am recommending Bar Keepers Friend, the active ingredient is oxalic acid which is commonly found in foods.  The acidic properties helps loosen the crud (yes, my technical term of the day).  Wet the pan, sprinkle the powder, and use a damp rag to scrub.  Follow up by washing as usual.  This product can be found in most big box stores near the abrasive cleaners, it isn’t quite as flashy as the well known brands so look carefully to be sure it isn’t hiding on the top or bottom shelf.

If you don’t have Bar Keepers Friend on hand, try heating a solution of soapy water over medium heat and then using a nylon scraper or a scouring pad to remove the residue. Salt also makes a great abbrasive in a pinch.
Good luck!

Submit your questions to helpme@home-ec101.com 

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The Sugary Pizza Debacle: Cleaning The Stoneware Aftermath

February 5th, 2008 9 Comments

Dear Home-Ec 101,

I am a new reader of your site and am convinced that you may be the only ones able to help me. I am pregnant and because of morning sickness and the fact that my husband does not think vomit adds to his dinner, I’ve had to leave him to his own devices as far as his supper goes.
He’s been doing remarkably well, until last weekend. He tried to make himself a pizza and rolled out the dough on powdered sugar instead of flour. When he put it on the pizza stone it burned horribly. After an inspired stream of expletives, he decided to try again. And did the same thing.
He did save some of the pizza to show me in the morning. As amused as I am about his pizza troubles, my baking stone is covered in a stinky black burnt mess. I scraped it clear, soaked it in hot soapy water, and scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed. The surface was still spotted black, but there were no bits stuck to it anymore. The brochure that came with the stone
said discoloration was normal.
My mother in law was on her way over for a surprise visit so I hid the offensive stone in the oven and thought I’d tackle it again with another hot soapy bath later.
That night, my husband pre-heated the oven with the stone in it. It obviously wasn’t clean enough. In addition to spreading a horrible burnt smell around the house, it also smelled like a burning pine forest thanks to the holiday scented dish soap I had used to clean it, and it steamed up the whole oven and set off the smoke detectors. That wasn’t enough to inspire him to pull the stone from the oven, or to use the other oven, so now the baked on burnt sugar pizza mess has been soaked and baked again. Of course, another hot bath did not make any noticeable improvement.

I’m worried it is hopeless and the stone is a complete loss (aside from the entertainment value of the two sugar pizzas).
Any tips you have about getting this crud out of my baking stone would be great!
Thanks,
Sugar and Spice

retrochick.JPGIvy says:

I hope you’ll forgive me for nearly falling off my chair laughing at your husband’s misfortune. If it makes you feel any better, I would totally do something like accidentally roll pizza dough in powdered sugar. Now, I’m not going to say your stone is definitely okay, but I lean toward it being okay.

The first thing you should know about stoneware is that you cannot use soap on it. It is a porous material and the soap sinks into the stoneware, possibly making your food taste like soap. So, if you’ve been using soap on it regularly, stop. The proper way to clean stoneware is to use a nylon scrubby or a plastic scraper and rinse it with very hot water. The hot water kills all the bacteria, so there is no need to use soap.

But every once in awhile your stone will need a deep cleaning. This is one of those times, haha. To deep clean your stoneware, make a paste of baking soda, salt and hot water. It should be about the consistency of toothpaste. Spread it thickly over your stoneware, lay a hot damp washcloth over it and let it sit overnight. The next morning, take hot water and use the paste to scrub your stoneware. That should take care of any smell and should cut down on any grease.

I hope it works out for ya, I adore my stoneware!

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Cleaning those dirty (pan) bottoms

March 7th, 2007 1 Comment

Dear Home-ec 101,

I hang pans up above the stove and cruddy looking, stained bottoms look bad.

I bought two new shiny ones and the smaller one looks like heck after
just one run through the dishwasher. The packaging did NOT say to avoid
the dishwasher so what happened? It said it was “professional grade”
with non-stick coating and 3004 aluminium alloy bottoms with cast
stainless stel handles. Any suggestion on how to restore that shiny look?

A buddy suggested I just hang them with the non-stick surface showing.

Chapped in Charleston

Heather says:

Unfortunately some pans require handwashing. Aluminum alloys will oxidize and eventually pit. This can be a big problem if you use a smooth top stove as it will reduce the contact surface and create uneven heating.

Thanks for the photo, Chapped! As far as returning the shine, you had me stumped at first and then I thought to ask my husband who is a bit of a car nut. (He likes shiny things.) According to him, the answer is surprisingly easy. Find some jeweler’s rouge and mineral oil. Crumble a tablespoon or two of the jeweler’s rouge and mix with enough mineral oil to give the consistency of dish soap. Wipe onto the pan with a clean rag, wait until it turns black, then remove with a soft lint free cloth. You may have to apply a second coat, but this should restore the shine to your pans. And dear, don’t chuck those pans into the dishwasher again.

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