iron-pot-care-msg - 8/14/15 Seasoning and caring for iron pots and skillets. NOTE: See also the files: utensils-msg, horn-utn-care-msg, mazers-msg, spoons-msg, pottery-msg, Horn-Spoons-art, wood-utn-care-msg, p-tableware-msg. ************************************************************************ NOTICE - This file is a collection of various messages having a common theme that I have collected from my reading of the various computer networks. Some messages date back to 1989, some may be as recent as yesterday. This file is part of a collection of files called Stefan's Florilegium. These files are available on the Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org I have done a limited amount of editing. Messages having to do with separate topics were sometimes split into different files and sometimes extraneous information was removed. For instance, the message IDs were removed to save space and remove clutter. The comments made in these messages are not necessarily my viewpoints. I make no claims as to the accuracy of the information given by the individual authors. Please respect the time and efforts of those who have written these messages. The copyright status of these messages is unclear at this time. If information is published from these messages, please give credit to the originator(s). Thank you, Mark S. Harris AKA: THLord Stefan li Rous Stefan at florilegium.org ************************************************************************ From: destry at netcom.com (Fellwalker) Subject: Re: "Seasoning" Cast Iron Ware Date: Sat, 20 Jul 1996 03:18:51 GMT On 19 Jul 1996 19:31:07 -0400, Bruce Mills (millsbn at mcmail.cis.McMaster.CA) wrote: : I would be pleased if anyone who has knowledge on the "seasoning" of cast : iron ware in preparation for use in cooking would post a concise treatise : on so doing. I have tried a number of methods, all of which I have found : to be less than satisfactory. The method I use: Wash utensil, rinse and dry. Grease lightly with a SOLID shortening (Crisco works well. What shortening you use will definately affect how well this works). Bake in a 300 degree oven for one hour. Cool, and store. Wash with boiling water and a brush, do not use soap, as it will remove the seasoning. Do not store food in it or allow to sit for long periods after cooking. --Morgan (Max) -- ...with rings on her fingers and bells on her toes... Sleepy Cat Graphis http://emporium.turnpike.net/Z/zen/index.html P.O. Box 608048 - The Church of Zen Fatalism - San Diego, CA 92160 Artful Things Gallery From: drgnlair at nai.net (Bob & Nancy Upson) Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: "Seasoning" Cast Iron Ware Date: 20 Jul 1996 09:38:18 GMT Organization: The Dragons' Lair www/BBS millsbn at mcmail.cis.McMaster.CA (Bruce Mills) says: >I would be pleased if anyone who has knowledge on the "seasoning" of cast >iron ware in preparation for use in cooking would post a concise treatise >on so doing. I have tried a number of methods, all of which I have found >to be less than satisfactory. 1) Scour it thoroughly to remove any rust or packing oils. 2) Coat it with cooking oil, inside and out. 3) Heat it in a 300 degree oven for an hour. 4) Carefully wipe off any oil that remains. 5) Repeat process if necessary. *) To maintain seasoning, re-oil the inside periodically. This can be done by wiping the inside with a tablespoon of cooking oil and heating on a low burner. (I keep my best skillets on the back burner over the oven vent -- just enough heat to help 'set' the oil.) That will get you started, cast iron will continue to season and improve with every use. Be careful of cleaning it with soap -- it will degrade the seasoning. If you must use soap to clean it, scrub it clean and rinse it thoroughly afterwards before re-oiling. Never soak it in soapy water or 'Brillo' unless you're ready to strip it and reseason from scratch! Macsen From: Sam Wise Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: "Seasoning" Cast Iron Ware Date: Sat, 20 Jul 1996 16:33:58 +0000 On 19 Jul 1996, Bruce Mills wrote: > I would be pleased if anyone who has knowledge on the "seasoning" of cast > iron ware in preparation for use in cooking would post a concise treatise > on so doing. I have tried a number of methods, all of which I have found > to be less than satisfactory. step 1. wash very well removing all rust and other buildup step 2. use top of stove to dry. NEVER let cast iron dry by setting it in dish drainer (unless you want a rust red skillet) step 3. preheat oven to as hot as posible. step 4. use cooking oil soaked paper towel to coat entire pot/skillet with cooking oil. (remember you will be eating out of this thing) step 5. cook the pot/skillet for 1/2 hour or so. (if oil starts smoking that's long enough) step 6. cool the pot/skillet step 7. repeat steps 2-6 a couple times. if this is the first time this peice, repeat steps 1-6 at least 3 times. REMEMBER if you use soap to clean your skillet, you MUST re-season it. I usualy use the top burner of my stove to season skillets. just bring the oil to a near burn. (when the oil starts smoking, it's hot enough) At least this is the way I have always done the seasoning for my skillets. And all I ever use is cast iron. I will NEVER go back to aluminum!!!!!!! From: hrjones at uclink.berkeley.edu (Heather Rose Jones) Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: "Seasoning" Cast Iron Ware Date: 20 Jul 1996 20:53:48 GMT Organization: University of California, Berkeley Bruce Mills (millsbn at mcmail.cis.McMaster.CA) wrote: : I would be pleased if anyone who has knowledge on the "seasoning" of cast : iron ware in preparation for use in cooking would post a concise treatise : on so doing. I have tried a number of methods, all of which I have found : to be less than satisfactory. For me, it works best to divide the proper use of cast-iron ware into three aspects: initial seasoning, proper use, and re-seasoning. Others have described adequate methods for the initial seasoning: clean thoroughly, rub with fat or oil, and heat. I actually prefer to heat the pan first, then rub it all over with the oil, then return it to the heat and repeat several times. Don't use too much oil at one time or it will polymerize into useless sludge. I actually prefer doing the heating over the flame on my stove, but _don't_ do this with an electric burner. When you have what looks like a good initial seasoning, keep in mind that this is something that needs to be maintained -- you can't do it once and forget about it. If you are baking/frying/etc., heat and then oil the pan before puting food in it _every_time_ you use it. Try very hard to avoid burning food onto the pan -- you'll take off the seasoning in the process of cleaning out the crud. Don't use an abrasive cleaning method. If possible, don't use water at all in cleaning. (My griddle never sees water at all.) I personally have not had problems with washing these items with regular soap and water as long as I always reseason after washing: immediately after washing, put the pan back on the heat, when it is dry and warm, re-oil it lightly (and, of course, let it cool before putting it away). It's a constant process, but especially for griddles and frying pans, the result is well worth it. My favorite small frying pan is so smooth and seasoned that I can flip crepes in it! (But I've been using that one for the last twenty years.) One final warning. At the risk of insulting even your closest friends and family, NEVER let anyone else use your cast iron unless you've made sure they know how to treat it properly. (Unless, like me, you are wiling -- for the sake of family harmony -- to grit your teeth and start over when your father brags to you about how well he scrubbed out your dutch oven.) Tangwystyl verch Morgant Glavsryn From: svea at execpc.com (Barb Johannessen) Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: "Seasoning" Cast Iron Ware Date: 21 Jul 1996 13:40:07 GMT Organization: The Great Dark Horde There are several ways of seasoning cast iron: The quick way (if you don't mind smoke in the kitchen and/or can do it outside.) The slower way. And the really slow (or lucky) way. The really slow way is to inherit or buy *old cast iron* that has already been cooked in for five or ten or twenty years. This requires luck, but it will probably be beautifully seasoned. Or buy new cast iron and cook in it for five or ten or twenty years, wiping it out and drying it on medium heat after each meal. (Somehow, I suspect that this is not the method you want to know about ) The not so slow way is to 1. wash it well to remove any packing, or storage coatings. For this, you use the hottest water you can stand, and yes, a Brillo or SOS pad. There's *nothing* on new cast iron you want to keep. 2. Dry it on the stove with the burner turned up *high* (you want to dry it completely, as fast as possible) 3. While it's still hot, pour a small pool of cooking oil (my husband and I are both partial to peanut oil for this) into it, and wipe the oil around it *throroughly*. Do the outside as well. Let it cool. then repeat the heating and oiling. The quick and smoky way is to scrub it clean and heat it as (1) and (2) above, then turn your oven on (someone said as high as possible--this makes for a *very* smoky kitchen-- I've done it at about 150-200 degrees and had very good results) and fill the pan with oil, and let it sit in the oven for several hours. Pour off the hot oil (coffee cans work well as containers), wipe the pan with a couple of paper towels, and let it cool. You should only have to go through this once. The aftercare is not as rigorous as some people I have run into make it sound: Try not to scrub it once you've got it seasoned. (properly seasoned cast iron can stand up to soapy water--just don't let it soak in the soap.) A Scotch-Brite (tm) will clean off most any stuck on crud without removing the seasoning. We take ours camping, and believe me, they get Hot Soapy Water then. Dry it over heat each time you use it and wipe a thin film of oil on it before you put it away. If you use it to fry greasy stuff (bacon, chicken, so on) you may be able to just wipe out most of the residual cooking grease and put it away with a thin film of the oil still on it. (This is why Grandma's cast iron is so beautifully seasoned--that's the way she did it.) What oil you use will affect the flavor of the food you cook in the pan as the seasoning layer builds up. If you've used Fire Oil, or a garlic-y oil to cook with, you'll eant to wash out that flavor and oil with a mild oil. Cast iron is great, once you've gotten it started seasoning! Madrugada From: Hrothgar Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: "Seasoning" Cast Iron Ware Date: Tue, 23 Jul 1996 19:19:16 -0400 Organization: Nant-y-Derwyddon, Meridies Michael Greenstein wrote: > Greetings unto all from Michael Alewright of the Marche... > > Um, why is "seasoning" so important for cast iron cookware? > > I've heard that such cookware is wonderful, but never used it, and might > someday, so I figure this would be useful information! > > Regards, > Michael Alewright of the Marche > Barony Marche of the Debatable Lands > (nearly!) Kingdom of Aethelmearc Seasoning is the period version of Teflon. I still like it better. We have a skillet that has been used 30 years or so [not by me, but in the family]. If someone scrubbed it with detergent and a wire brush, I would instantly reach for sword & board. Regards, Hrothgar From: drgnlair at nai.net (Bob & Nancy Upson) Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: "Seasoning" Cast Iron Ware Date: 23 Jul 1996 19:59:28 GMT Organization: The Dragons' Lair www/BBS zarquon at platinum.nb.net (Michael Greenstein) says: > Um, why is "seasoning" so important for cast iron cookware? 'Seasoning' is a way of creating a 'no stick' surface by polymerizing vegetable oils onto their surface. You end up with carbon layer that rivals teflon for easy cleaning. Well seasoned iron cleans easily and cooks better than any other container you're ever likely to try. >I've heard that such cookware is wonderful, but never used it, and might >someday, so I figure this would be useful information! Do try it, it's particularly good for camping use (cast iron conducts heat extremely well and helps distribute uneven heat from campfires better than light weight pots and pans). Macsen From: rolf at deltainet.com (Pendraco) Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: "Seasoning" Cast Iron Ware Date: Fri, 26 Jul 1996 22:52:29 GMT On 22 Jul 1996 17:01:29 GMT, zarquon at platinum.nb.net (Michael Greenstein) wrote: > Um, why is "seasoning" so important for cast iron cookware? Seasoning a pan with oil (or shortening or lard or bacon grease, etc.) is a very good way to keep things from sticking, and believe me, I can clean scrambled eggs out of my favorite pan with running water and a paper towel (I re-season or touch up the pan every twelve months or so, barring accidents). The Frugal Gourmet's instructions are a little more complete than those given... Paraphrasing into 1. Put about a tablespoon of oil in the pan, wiping all of the inside surface, and heat on medium burner (or equivalent) until the oil begins to smoke. 2. Turn off the burner, and let it sit until cold. Scum will form on the pan if it has been cleaned with soap of any kind. Blot it from the surface with a paper towel, then pour out the oil. 3. Repeat steps 1 & 2 with fresh oil or shortening. He says to season this way three times total, but if this is a new pan, twice will do (right after you get it home, rinse it out with plain water and season) If this is an old pan, you might have to season it three times and then season it again after each washing for a few months -- it will be "done" when things like rice pilaf don't stick when you're transferring the food out of the pan. >I've heard that such cookware is wonderful, but never used it, and might >someday, so I figure this would be useful information! Cast iron is my favorite type of pan, but I have carpel tunnel in my wrists so I can't lift any but the smallest skillets. I've been using my grandmother's square skillet for about fifteen years (and I got it after my mom used it for twenty years, and my grandmother for who knows how long). It sounds like a lot of work, but it really only takes a few seconds. Some other notes: High acid foods like tomato sauce will erode the oil (especially if you let the pan sit while everyone is eating dinner), so just plan on a touch-up after rinsing it. The pans hold heat much longer and much more evenly than "regular" cookware, especially anything coated with silverstone or teflon. The pan itself will sit on the back of the stove and keep the food warm enough for seconds. (Use an 8" skillet as the most versatile, and borrow a lid that fits from any pan in your collection. I use the lid for my Visions pan) When you first begin to cook with it, take it easy. Bacon, sausage or hamburger are great "testing" foods because they're high in fat and you won't have to reseason every time you burn the burgers, unless they've turned into charcoal. For really sticky things like oh, burnt pancake batter or breaded fish (and worse...) use plain table salt as an abrasive. Pour a small handful in the damp pan and scrub it well with a wet rag. PLEASE use an old rag you don't plan on using for washing dishes, because black stains will not come out of the rag. And, again, plan on re-seasoning the pan. The good news out of all this? You'll have a virtually indestructible pan with only a few dollars investment. The pan will give iron to the food cooked in it, giving you a slight nutritional boost. And for sneaky chefs, rubbing the flat of the skillet with garlic before seasoning it does WONDERFUL things to meat & fish... Best wishes Tatiana VonKeppel / Sarah Williams Barony of Fettburg Kingdom of the West From: wayne at wam.umd.edu (Wayne McCullough) Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: "Seasoning" Cast Iron Ware Date: 31 Jul 1996 12:44:29 GMT Organization: University of Maryland, College Park, MD Pendraco (rolf at deltainet.com) wrote: : Seasoning a pan with oil (or shortening or lard or bacon grease, etc.) ^^^^^^^^^^^^ I have been told that you do not want to season with any form of oil/fat that contains salt. Salt tends to accelerate corrosion of iron. From experiance and what I have heard, you just can't go wrong with standard cooking oil. W From: Vicente Coenca <76025.2514 at CompuServe.COM> Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: "Seasoning" Cast Iron Ware Date: 3 Aug 1996 13:43:48 GMT Organization: rec.org.sca Greetings to all on the Rialto. I subscribe to a cooking magazine, and there was an article several months back on cast iron cooking ware. The sidebar was written by a Lodge Cast Iron Works rep, and gave details on how to season properly. The recommendation was for melted Crisco or other vegetable shortening, melted and generously spread over the interior. Place in a 300F oven for about 30 minutes, occasionally brushing the oil from the bottom up the sides. I did this for a Dutch oven, and oh, did it work well. Had beef stew and roast chicken at this past Lilies War. Seasoning is an ongoing process; keep making greasy food in the thing and cleaning it with boiling hot water and a scrub brush. The bamboo brushes you find in Asian markets work very well. Dry it on the stove, or use a paper towel. Do not use a dishwasher; you'll lose the buildup of carbon and fats on the surface. Spray Pam or wipe a little oil on it each time you store it; it'll keep rust from building up. Eventually a satin-smooth finish should build up, and you'll only need a little oil to keep food from sticking. I know cast iron isn't period, but hey, who cares? Vicente Coenca, Three Rivers, Calontir Date: Fri, 21 Jan 2000 13:16:50 -0500 From: "Jeff Gedney" Subject: Re: SC - a grid? > I've read the directions that came with them, I read the entire > Florilegium file, I've gone through rec.food.cooking. I understand > the theory (heat instrument, coat in fat, let fat soak in, never scrub > again) but it doesn't seem to "take". Rust shows up all the same; or > food gets stuck to it anyways and I have to scrub and start from > scratch. Every time. > > There. I've said it. I suck. :( Nah, a lot of folk have lost the nack. I do the following. ( my grandfather's technique ) Clean the pot as usual. Start the old Backyard Barbecue grille (this is gonna smoke like crazy!!) Heat the pot or pan very hot without applying oil or fat. A drop of water should dance on the surface without wetting it. Take paper towels, some long tongs, and some crisco. When the skillet is very hot, put some crisco on the paper towel, and using the tongs, quickly rub it all over the insides of the pot ( don't worry about the outsides ). when it is all coated, stand back and wait for the smoking to slow down. Do this again several times. After you have done this, Let it stay on the grille until it almost stops smoking. and remove it from the heat. The idea of seasoning is to first, drive off the water in the iron, ( and yes it is there, and a lot. watch it when you first heat it, it'll sweat visibly. Replacing it with fat to keep it from re-entering the pores of the pan, driving the fat into the surface with heat. then reducing the fat to fill all the pores of the iron with a barrier surface of pure hard carbon. (Grampa used to do this on the stove top, but once the neighbors called the fire dept, cause they thought his house was on fire, from the amount of smoke pouring out of the kitchen window.) ( you'll still see rust, occasionally. No problem. It should cook fine unless you see lots of rust, and not a fine powdery spot of it. A little rust is taken off by rubbing it with oil. ---Instead of cleaning it in the sink, just knock off the bulk of the crud with some oil and a tablespoon of Kosher salt as an abrasive, while the pot is still on the fire. As long as the surface feels smooth to the spoon or spatula it is clean enough. Wipe out the pan with a coule of paper towels and put it away.) Brandu Date: Sun, 18 May 2003 07:40:44 -0400 To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org From: "Phil Troy/ G. Tacitus Adamantius" Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] CAST IRON SKILLET Also sprach Phlip: > Ordinarily, whatever you cook will use oil- it's basicly for fried > foods. While this is true, I think we may need to define "fried", or at least maybe add sauteed, pan-broiled, baked etc. I often use my largest cast-iron skillet for pizza, since I don't have one of those silly oven stone thingies, and it does a truly excellent job for that. > If it does get dirty, you can use a scrubble or whatever to remove the > crusted on stuff, and a bit of clean water to rinse it off, but put it on your > stove to heat dry, then oil it again and put it away. You don't want a lot > of oil on it- you don't want to attract diret and dust- just enough added > while it's still hot to give it a sheen- as it cools, the oil will withdraw > into the pores. Again, true. Think of it like an oil-soaked sponge; there may not be a lot on the surface, but when properly seasoned, it's in there. Another aspect of that porosity (porousness?) is that some of that oil undergoes a chemical change with repeated heating and usage, and what you end up with is those pores being filled, to some extent, with a plasticky substance (note that most plastics are made from petroleum) which is essentially non-stick. I, being a Y-chromosome-bearing life form, give most cast iron pans a brief soak in plain water, maybe a couple of hours at most, to dislodge any crud, and then scrub with a soft scrungy-pad or my wok-brush (which tool I highly recommend for most pans, BTW). Or, since I have a nice wok-brush, I borrow the technique of the cooks in Chinese restaurants and wash the pan with the brush under running hot water immediately, while still hot, so the pan can get back into action in 15 seconds or so. I'm able to do an entire meal of several dishes that way, all using the same pan. Another hint involves the cooking of meats, say, a steak, for example. James Beard used to recommend (and I've found that it works pretty well) a thin dusting of Kosher or other coarse salt in a dry pan for pan-broiling steaks. Basically it keeps the meat from sticking long enough for the fat of the meat itself to begin to flow and lubricate the pan (as well as seasoning the meat at the same time). I'd be interested in how Phillipa's Kosher kitchen and eating habits (at least I _think_ that's the situation) are affected by cast iron cookware, what with the tendency of the pans to absorb fats. I'm assuming that you'd have to have a meat pan and a dairy pan, one impregnated with meat fats and one with butter and oil, both of which should work just fine, and this is probably no different from a similar situation with other cookware. Have I overlooked anything major? Adamantius From: "Heleen Greenwald" To: Date: Sun, 18 May 2003 19:52:21 -0400 Subject: [Sca-cooks] more on the... CAST IRON SKILLET Yes, Master A, you'd have to have a meat skillet and a separate dairy skillet in a kosher home. Phillipa From: "Beth Turner" Date: Tue Jun 17, 2003 1:47:02 PM US/Central To: ansteorra at ansteorra.org Subject: Re: [Ansteorra] Other cookery storage question If you flat can't get the pot to season for some unknown reason, use it to make rose and/or peony beads. If you boil them down in an unseasoned true cast iron pot, you get the loveliest black material with which to make beads. Put rose oil on your fingers when you role them and they even smell good. Nell de Percy From: peerlady at hotmail.com Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: Care and Feeding of Cast Iron Date: 18 May 2004 15:37:21 -0700 > After you wash them, dry them with a towel and then sit them on a warm > burner to dry thoroughly. Make sure it's a *warm* burner, not a hot one. Split one of Grandma's skillets in half once when I underestimated the heat of the burner. Or you can put it in a warm oven to dry. -- Signy Date: Sat, 16 Apr 2005 21:24:26 -0400 From: "Phlip" Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] "virgin" cast-iron cookware - help, please. To: "Cooks within the SCA" sca-cooks at ansteorra.org> > I have not tried lard, but I have tried both vegetable oil and solid > vegetable shortening (ie Cisco). I definitely prefer the Crisco. It is less > messy and I think it gives a better result. > > Also, whatever you use, it may take more than one treatment to get a > good seasoned surface. > > Cynara Actually, you spend your wqhole life trying toget a perfectly seasoned surface ;-) Seasoning cast iron is not one of those things that you can do and be done with- rather it's a process that's ongoing throughout your ownership of your pot or pan. Following the instructions here will give you a goo start towards proper seasoning, but it will take years of usage to get it to the proper point where you can do something wrong (NOT including using soap, or dropping the pot) and the seasoning will ignore it, or fix it for you. Saint Phlip, CoD Date: Wed, 27 Apr 2005 10:57:19 -0400 From: "Phlip" Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Not so Virgin Cast Iron Question To: "Cooks within the SCA" > My brother just gave me a nice size cast iron kettle. Now I happen to love > cast iron for use around the mundane house. The problem is that this > particular pot was used to cover something outside and only recently > rescued. The interior bottom is badly pitted and rough. The question is: > Is it worth putting the scrubbing and possibly sanding with a disc sander > into this? Should I use it as a planter? > > Regina Rather than sanding it, and taking away even more metal, in this case, I'd use the Powers of Electricity to clean it up. First thing you need is a large plastic container, in which you can totally submerse the pot. You need to fill the plastic container with water, then put salt in the water until it will not absorb any salt- you can get a higher salt content by making the water hot. Then install the pot, with the cathode (positive connection) onto the pot, and the negative contact into the water, attached to a piece of metal that you don't mind getting messed up. The piece of electrical equipment that you use for all this is just a (car) battery charger, set on trickle. In a few hours, your pot should be perfectly clean, or at least as perfectly clean as it's going to be. This method is inexpensive, easier than it sounds, and you can borrow most of what you need to do it- all it will cost you is some salt and some electricity- it's what I use to clean up metal. Note- If the metal in the water stays clean, and the pot appears MORE corroded, you've hooked up the electricity in the wrong direction- just switch the contacts. Another method will be more expensive, and difficult to find someone to do it for you. You need to find a shop that does sandblasting, using walnut shells (first choice) or powdered glass as the blasting media- neither of these will eat up the metal. Once you've done this, you'll be able to season your pot as usual, and return it to cooking- unless it's VERY bad (as in, so corroded that it's likely to break any way) it should be fine for cooking. Saint Phlip, CoD Date: Thu, 28 Apr 2005 09:21:22 -0400 From: "Jeff Gedney" Subject: RE: [Sca-cooks] Not so Virgin Cast Iron Question To: Cooks within the SCA Phosphoric acid does a very good job of removing rust... It actually pulls oxygen from the iron. Try scrubbing it with steel wool and Coca Cola. It has worked for me in the past... Capt Elias -Renaissance Geek of the Cyber Seas Date: Sat, 18 Jun 2005 08:50:54 -0400 From: "Phlip" Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Seasoning a Potjie To: "Cooks within the SCA" > I just got a cast-iron three-legged potjie (Thanks to Master Guntram) and I > was wondering what is the best way to go about seasoning it. I suspect this > woll require open fire, won't it? it certainly won't fit on my range. > > Giano Will it fit in your oven? If so, oiling it down, and putting it in the oven at 500 for an hour will do it. Make sure you have plenty of ventilation. If you must use a lower temp, increase the time accordingly- you'd do 350 for about 3 hours. The idea is to get a layer of carbon burned onto it. Alternative fire sources work quite well, too- I just used my forge for the cast iron pan I rescued from the scrap yatd, although it didn't need much- I just thoroughly cleaned it (baking soda scrub, then vinegar boil), applied a light layer of peanut oil (vegetable oil is best for seasoning) and used it as a lid over the forge when I was done smithing. Saint Phlip, CoD Date: Sat, 18 Jun 2005 12:18:55 -0400 From: "Phil Troy / G. Tacitus Adamantius" Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Seasoning a Potjie To: Cooks within the SCA > I just got a cast-iron three-legged potjie (Thanks to Master Guntram) and I > was wondering what is the best way to go about seasoning it. I suspect this > will require open fire, won't it? it certainly won't fit on my range. > > Giano Mordonna the Cook replied: > Never tried that one. How about a large barbecue grill? Phlip's > forge sounds good. Problem with almost any thing that applies heat > in a limited area (like the paint stripper) won't get an even season. That's true. But my suspicion is that this could still be true of almost any method used. Gee, I didn't catch where in the country the original poster is, but if it's someplace that gets hot and sunny, they might think about rubbing the pot down with oil and leaving it out in the sun for several hours to start the process. If nothing else, it would probably provide relatively even heating. That might conceivably provide enough of a minimal seasoning to think about finishing the process through actual use with a cooked product designed not to stick too badly, like a thinnish but slightly fatty stew, maybe something like lamb or veal breast. After all, it's probably true that in the end, what you do to keep a well-seasoned pot maintained is at least as important as the original seasoning, since proper use increases the seasoning on the pot. Adamantius, who doesn't have a whacking great iron pot, but who owns and uses a lot of cast iron and carbon steel pans... Date: Sun, 19 Jun 2005 14:08:32 -0400 From: "Phlip" Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Seasoning a Potjie To: "Cooks within the SCA" > If we can arrange this, I think the best thing would be to have a big > fire there, season the pot for a few hours while digging the garden, then try > bake a roast in clay in the embers and use the potjie for a veggie stew and/ > or bread to go with it. Sounds like the perfect way to spend a > Saturday. > > Giano Caution- you don't want flame while you're seasoning- it'll just burn up the oil. Make a bed of coals, add the pot, then you can add more wood to the fire area, and scrape coals towards the pot as the wood becomes coals. Also, just because the pot is black doesn't mean it has cooled. Either plan on leaving the potjie there until the fire is dead out, or arrange some way to move it without you touching it- a bar that can go through the bail, and lift it, with one of you on each end, for example. You do NOT want to cool the thing suddenly, or it will crack or break- cast iron is pretty fragile. I know, I've broken it ;-) And once it's broken, it's pretty worthless. There are ways to weld it, but it's never as good as it was before it broke, and it can't readily be remelted and reformed. Saint Phlip, CoD Date: Thu, 08 Sep 2005 12:31:42 +0000 From: ekoogler1 at comcast.net Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Re: Dutch Ovens To: Cooks within the SCA One small tip to add to what was said: salt works really well to get out things that are cooked on. Mix a little with oil and use it to scour the stubborn spot. I can't begin to emphasize the idea that you don't want soap used on your pot unless you want to go back and re-season it! Kiri Date: Mon, 1 May 2006 14:27:08 -0400 From: "marilyn traber 011221" Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Rust removal To: Cooks within the SCA > I wrote: >> I really hate having to bring out the wire brushes for my cookware! > > Which reminded me: what do the members of this august company > prefer for rust removal from cast iron? My mother just gave me her > old ableskiver pan and it's awfully rusty. This is going to be > difficult. I'm hesitant to dive in with chemical rust removers > because then the trick is to remove the remover before using the pan > for actual food without chemicals. You see the quandry. > > In the meantime, I'm going out to get a wire brush that will attach > to my power drill, that may save some elbow grease anyway. > > Selene Colfox Don't waste your time with a wire brush- they're pretty dangerous anyway, when one of the wires comes loose, if you aren't wearing a leather apron. A guy just managed to impale his left testicle through his jeans a few days ago. And, never mind, using a wire brush tends to drive the rust deeper, so your food will taste like rust for a while. Instead, get a battery charger. You should have one, if not, you need one ;-) Put one contact on the metal you're cleaning, attach the other to a piece of scrap metal- iron or steel- and immerse the pieces in salt water in a plastic container, separated a bit. Turn the charger on to "trickle" and go away for a while. If when you come back, the piece of metal has rust attached to it, you're doing it the right way- if not, you need to switch the clamps, so the polarity goes the other way (I can never remember which way it goes, and for Heaven's Sakes, turn the thing OFF when you switch the clamps). It's completely the easiest way to remove rust I know of, and doesn't risk driving nasty stuff into your cast iron, and, depending on how much rust you have, shouldn't take more than a few hours to accomplish. Phlip Date: Mon, 1 May 2006 13:27:12 -0700 (PDT) From: Carole Smith Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Rust removal To: Cooks within the SCA One thing that gets off a thin layer of rust from cast iron is a little Crisco and a paper towel. Not as exciting a remedy without use of power tools, but it works for me. Cordelia Date: Mon, 1 May 2006 16:53:10 -0400 From: "marilyn traber 011221" Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Rust removal To: Cooks within the SCA > This is not a "thin layer" but I think it frightens me less than > Phlip's battery charter method. I live alone and probably nobody > would find me for days... eeep. > > Selene C. Battery charger method is quite safe ;-) It's also incredibly easy. It's certainly considerably safer than putting a wire brush on the end of a power tool- THAT can get you seriously hurt. And, the residue from the charger method (the water) can simply be flushed down the toilet or the sink (you don't want to pour it on your garden because of the salt in the water). It works very well, too- it's how I've been cleaning up the cast iron pieces my favorite scrapyard's been giving me. Phlip Date: Mon, 1 May 2006 17:28:02 -0400 From: "grizly" Subject: RE: [Sca-cooks] Rust removal To: "Cooks within the SCA" STUPENDOUS! I did a google search for rust removal and Mr. Wizard . . . . found this website from a guy who does the same thing with old tools. http://workshop.tjmahaffey.com/workshop/electrolysis.php The negative (black) goes to the "keeper" piece and the positive (red) goes to the sacrificial scrap piece. He added some baking soda as a catalyst to speed up his electrolysis. The following link has a better description; both have pictures. This one uses "washing soda" which you can find in most markets. Arm and Hammer is usually unscented and plain. https://home.comcast.net/~rexmill/planes101/electrolysis/electrolysis.htm Use salt water, washing soda (sodium carbonate . . . NOT baking soda) and a piece of wrinkled aluminum foil to clean silver pieces. Immerse all and put silver in touch with the foil . . . no electrodes needed. Silver Plate isn't so helpful, but sterling cleans with zero effort. nioccolo difrancesco Date: Mon, 01 May 2006 19:17:09 -0400 From: Robin Carroll-Mann Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Rust removal To: Cooks within the SCA Carole Smith wrote: > One thing that gets off a thin layer of rust from cast iron is a > little Crisco and a paper towel. Not as exciting a remedy without > use of power tools, but it works for me. > > Cordelia Add some kosher salt. It gives some abrasive scrubbing power without damaging the metal or imparting a strange taste. Crisco/cooking oil and kosher salt is also good for scrubbing food residue from cast iron without removing the seasoning. -- Brighid ni Chiarain Barony of Settmour Swamp, East Kingdom Date: Wed, 31 May 2006 18:08:52 -0400 From: "Saint Phlip" Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Cast Iron pots?? To: "Cooks within the SCA" On 5/31/06, Marcus Loidolt wrote: > cousins and friends all, I have a question...having no clue to the answer, > can cast iron be recycled? I have one that has a sizable crack in it...it > won't hold water.... > can a metal worker use this for remaking something or just pitch it/ > change its use? > > Abot Johann Well, I _can_ be welded, but that doesn't work very well for any object that goes through heating and cooling cycles like a cook pot does, as the welding filler is usually a nickel alloy, and heats and shrinks at a different rate. I have heard of some of the folks doing smelting throwing some cast iron in with the ore for a smelt with some success- in an anaerobic, reducing environment, cast iron will lose much of its carbon and go back to being a ductile version of steel, but there just aren't that many who smelt in SCA. Best bet, if you want to recycle it is to use it as a flower pot holder, if it's arractive enough, or just send it to the scrapyard. Commercial smelters can deal with it, unlike most hobbyists. -- Saint Phlip Date: Fri, 29 Aug 2008 23:01:51 -0400 From: "Saint Phlip" Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] OOP but not OT-seeking advice on a cast-iron hibachi To: "Cooks within the SCA" Well, for starters, rather than elbow grease, clean it up the easy way ;-) If you have a battery charger (for cars), place the hibachi in salty water, with one electrode attached to the hibachi, and the other electrode attached to another piece of steel (not stainless) or iron (which is also in the salt water, but not touching). Turn the charger on to trickle charge, and leave it alone for a few hours. When you come back, there should be rust on the sacrificial piece of metal, and less rust on the hibachi. If not, swap electrodes (I can never remember which one is which- I think the ground goes on the hibachi, and the positive on the metal, but don't quote me on that). Once you have it cleaned up, treat it like any other cast iron- wipe it down with your favorite edible oil and season it. You can season the outside by starting a charcoal fire in it after the outside is wiped down with oil, and you can season the inside by putting the whole thing in/over a small campfire's coals, or, if it will fit, oil the whole thing down and put it in the oven at 350 or so for a couple of hours. Just remember to take any wooden or plastic pieces off of it before you do ;-) On Fri, Aug 29, 2008 at 11:41 PM, Daniel & Elizabeth Phelps wrote: I loaned the hibachi to some friends to take to Gulf Wars a while back-I believe it was the Gulf Wars that got rained out, and they returned it to me rusty. I was entirely unenthused with this, one of the many reasons those individuals are not friends any more. It's only surface rust as I recall, and it's been in storage ever since, as I really wasn't sure what to do with it. I can figure out how to clean it, steel wool/wire brush/wire brush on a drill, that's not too hard to figure out, just a lot of elbow grease and some very colorful language speculating on the ancestry and hobbies of said former friends, but then what? Do I use soap and water with the steel wool and wire brushes, or do I just use them dry? And how do I keep it from rusting again? I though of stove polish, but googling this topic seems to indicate this would just not be suitable. Would cast iron stove paint be appropriate? It's a charcoal-burning hibachi, not a wood stove, so I assume the operating temperatures would be higher. Or do I clean it off and just use it naked? ( The stove, not me...) Isabella de la Gryffin Barony of Oldenfeld, Trimaris Tallahassee, Florida -- Saint Phlip Date: Sat, 30 Aug 2008 13:15:26 -0500 From: "Terry Decker" Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Another cast iron question To: "Cooks within the SCA" Two points. You don't season cast iron tea kettles. They are going to rust. Since there is no particular virtue in boiling water in an iron tea kettle, I use a stainless steel teapot and an old timey blue enameled coffee pot. Tetsubin are strictly for making tea, not for boiling water, so I'm assuming one of the full size cast iron tea kettles like my grandmother had. For maintenance after you get it clean the first time, don't let water sit in the kettle. Use it and pour the water out. Take the lid off and return it to the heat to cook off any excess moisture. Wipe the kettle down with a dry soft cloth to remove any particulate matter. When it rust to the point you want to clean it, scour the inside with a little damp sand, rinse and put on the heat to cook off the moisture. Yeah, it's a pain, another reason to not boil water in cast iron. Bear <<< I've been cleaning and caring for decades, but this one has me stumped. My daughter (the brunette who acts ditzy, not the blonde who acts intelligent) knows I love to cook with cast iron when camping. So, when she saw an antique cast iron teapot at a yard sale, she bought it for me. It must have been a true yard sale, because the thing was covered with mud, and rust, and other nasty things. I've got it nice and clean now, and I've seasoned it. It's a beautiful shiny black, again. But, ya know what? I cannot for the life of me figure out how to use it to boil water without getting the water either oily or rusty. Anyone have suggestions or solutions? Lady Anne du Bosc Known as Mordonna The Cook >>> Date: Sat, 30 Aug 2008 15:21:01 -0500 From: "Terry Decker" Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Another cast iron question To: "Cooks within the SCA" Those kettles weren't so much for humidification, but for instant hot water for the sink before gas ranges and water heaters. A well pump at the kitchen sink and hot water on the stove were modern conveniences in the first half of this century. Gas replaced the wood stove at my grandmother's around the time I was born, but the pump at the kitchen sink lasted until it was replaced by city water in the late 1950's or early '60's. Bear Date: Sun, 31 Aug 2008 11:01:28 -0500 From: "Betsy Marshall" Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Another cast iron question To: "'Cooks within the SCA'" When my mom needed to de-rust a cast iron skillet, she would leave it in the oven through a "clean" cycle, wash off the powdered remains, then re-season as usual. Betsy Date: Tue, 02 Sep 2008 12:03:51 -0700 From: Dragon Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Another cast iron question To: Cooks within the SCA Daniel & Elizabeth Phelps did speak thusly: <<< But I have another question about using edible oils to season the hibachi-it's not huge, I think it would probably fit in the oven, but what would keep the oil from going rancid? I don't think we'd be using it more than half a dozen times a year, outside of hurricane season and local SCA events. >>> You don't just wipe the oil on, you heat it to the point it polymerizes. That is what is happening to create that black sheen of the season on the surface. Rancidity occurs because of oxidation of the oil, this is just not possible with the polymerized fat because all of the weak molecular bonds that would normally oxidize have been cross-linked to other fat molecules and now form a very large network that is difficult to react with oxygen. <<< So, still playing devil's advocate and asking questions, why would cast iron stove paint not be appropriate? It seems to me the usage of a cast iron hibachi is closer to a cast iron woodburning stove than a pan that you use every day. >>> My hibachi is painted. It came that way from the factory and it has remained well coated. I don't use it a lot and it really has not rusted in the 18 months or so I have had it. I think it is a much better solution than seasoning if you get a paint that is designed for such temperatures (like the stove paint you mention or other "engine" paints). The problem with seasoning is that you will burn it off fairly quickly anywhere the burning charcoal is near the iron. It cannot withstand the temperatures of the direct contact. Dragon From: Hugh Prescott Date: May 31, 2010 5:59:24 PM CDT To: CALONTIR@listserv.unl.edu Subject: Re: [CALONTIR] Rust Removal For fine rust on iron and steel I use 3M Scotch pads and WD-40 or lite oil and just scrub a lot. Saved a nice 12 inch metal lathe that sat for years in a barn unused. Lite rust on not precision surfaces and deep rust I use abrasive wheel grinder then treat with phosphoric acid to convert any remaining rust into black iron. Wash well after a day in the acid. Dry well and protect with a clear lacquer or prim and paint. phosphoric acid does not attack steel or iron only oxides of iron. phosphoric acid is a great metal prep for any type of painted finish as it etches the steel for better adhesion. I get it at auto supply stores that carry automotive paint and refinishing products. Current project is a 48 inch John Deere mower deck that has been rode hard and put away with wet grass stuck to it. Rust everywhere. Sand blaster then treated with phosphoric acid, welded up the cracks and primed now ready for yellow paint. Deere wanted $1,089.00 for just one new part, (I paid $800 for the tractor and deck used) I will have a completely restored and usable deck for about $150 plus some bearings that need to be replaced. Hugh Amanda wrote: <<< I have an older loom which has metal parts which have some rust in them. This is one of my looms which is still disassembled so I can work the pieces separately. How do I remove rust without using a chemical or washing? Can i just use a fine steel wool? I dont want it do go back to mint condition, just not so rusty it stains my fingers brown. Once I have removed the rust to my liking how do I keep it from rusting? Lightly oiling? what kind of oil? Amanda. >>> From the Facebook "ABTF-Above the Fire, Cooking for re-enactors" group Diana Shell Wertz 1:16pm Nov 7 As for cleaning the rust I was told this method by an old timer at an antique gathering of sellers,......He said it will get rid of THE WORST rust,...and it DOES. TOTALLY non-chemically/safe,.....and totally FREE. He said to go ahead and set the rusty pan in a pan of water,...it'll help soften the rust,...and soak a broken brick piece (not as heavy to handle as a whole one,...) and in about 30 minutes,...start scrubbing at the rust with the brick,.....the brick will NOT scratch the pan like a metal brush will,...the water acts as a lubricant and both brick dust and rust will just flow off into the water, so you aren't breathing airborn brick and rust dust,.... When all the visable rust is gone,...rinse the pan in some clear water (and maybe a bit of dishwashing soap) and then towel dry, and leave in the sunshine to finish drying,....or set it over a low flame/heat until it's totally dry,......then lightly coat it with oil,.(I actually use mineral oil, as it's not inclined to gum.. leave a few minutes, then wipe it down with a paper towel and warm a few minutes more,...and put away Edited by Mark S. Harris iron-pot-care-msg Page 20 of 20