Lately several of my friends have found themselves low in iron and it seems to manifest itself in sluggishness and loss of energy. Iron is a trace mineral that supports growth and development in children, is involved in the production of hemoglobin, and helps to build resistance to disease.
When aluminum and steel became all the rage in cookware it seems that cast iron quickly became a thing of the past and no self respecting housewife would be caught dead with one in her modern kitchen. Very quickly women from all walks of life began to suffer from severe iron deficiencies and the phenomenon occurred so rapidly that doctors everywhere began to search for answers. When the cause was discovered, rather than dusting off the old cast iron pans, a new miracle drug came to the rescue, Carter’s Liver Pills!
So, scour yard sales for old skillets or make friends with your local cast iron restorer (one can be found at all flea markets) and get iron back on the menu.
Caring for cast iron is easy if you understand a few key considerations. First, you can not put cast iron in the dishwasher and soaking isn’t a good idea either but if you season it properly there is not much that will stick to the pan. Second, cast iron warms up and cools down evenly but slowly so be careful not to burn yourself after cooking.
Seasoning begins with a THIN coating of oil on the inside of the pan and placing it in a 300F oven for about an hour. If your pans are rusted you can give them a good going over with steel wool to get rid of the rust and get the pan down to the cast iron. It is much better to do several seasonings with thin coats of oil rather than putting on too much because it’s harder to get rid of than the rust – trust me! When your pan looks black and satiny it’s ready to use. Just add a bit of fat to the pan (I like to use duck fat) before cooking and wipe it out once it cools.
If you need to wash your pan just be sure to reseason it immediately after washing.