Great Gloves!

I was using Playtex HandSaver gloves to clean my cast iron. I bought them at Wal-Mart (XL size I think). The gloves worked in that they protected my hands from the lye used to clean the cast iron but that is all they were good for. Playtex gloves are not good for protecting hands from hot water and they don't allow for very good grip very slippery. They fit quite tight are are difficult to put on and take off. The one positive is that they are fairly cheap. 

I would probably still be using the Playtex gloves had they not changed the size.  The gloves were made smaller so I could no longer get them on at all. So I cleaned my cast iron for a little while without gloves making my hands extremely sore and raw from the lye. Then I discovered these great gloves made by Towa online.

The GO GREENS™ LP (Liquid Proof) - ActivGrip™ Nitrile Coated 12" Utility Gloves with MicroFinish™ Grip by TOWA Glove are perfect in my opinion. Again I use the XL size and they are easy to put on and take off. These gloves are lined so I can use the hottest water out of my tap and my hands are protected, no more burning. They have a grip surface so they are not slippery at all. Besides these great features, the gloves protect me from the lye and are said to last five times longer than regular rubber gloves.

I have been using the Towa Nitrile gloves for quite a while now and they do seem to last a lot longer than the Playtex gloves. I probably would have gone through 2 or 3 pairs of Playtex gloves by now and the Towa's are still going strong. If there is such a thing as love for a pair of gloves then I think I'm in love. As you can see these have been well used! Here is a link to the gloves on Go Gloves Online where you can get great deals buying multiple pairs. http://www.gloves-online.com/proddetail.php?prod=LCR-566

New Cleaning Tool for Cast Iron

I have found a great new tool for cleaning my cast iron. A brush! Not just any brush but a Lysol Flexi Brush. I found this brush at Wal-Mart for around $3 in the cleaning supplies section. The brush is meant for the bathroom but who cares, if it works for other applications why not use it. This simple brush has gotten my #10 Lodge skillet from my posts "Why Cast Iron Cookware?" and "Why Older Cast Iron Cookware?" the cleanest it has been in quite some time without hurting the seasoning, the grease and cooked on stuff is gone.

This brush is far superior to the Lodge or Williams-Sonoma brush for cast iron. First of all the Lysol brush is made of plastic not wood like the other brushes so when I want to clean it I can just pop it into the dish washer. The Lysol brush has much stiffer bristles then the Lodge or Williams-Sonoma brushes and will even work on rust. The Lysol brush doesn't have a wooden handle that will break off.

The Lysol Flexi Brush is plastic without a handle, you grip it around the brush. There are slots in the sides of the brush that squeeze together when you grip it, hence the flexi. I have found this flexi system much easier and more comfortable to use than any other brush. I didn't get any hand cramping as I normally do with the other brushes.

I was going to add a link to the brush somewhere on the web but I can't find one. Go to your local Wal-Mart or other retailer that sells Lysol products and get yourself one of these brushes because you won't be disappointed.

Seasoning Cast Iron - My Way UPDATE

Seasoning Cast Iron - My Way UPDATE

In my studies of seasoning and cleaning cast iron I have some new information to impart here about what I've learned with a little closer scrutiny of my techniques.

1. I said in my earlier post that you could probably use less time for seasoning than I was using and the answer is yes indeed you can use less time as I'm now down to one hour and getting the same results.

2. If you leave the Crisco on the stove top to melt for too long then you will get a sticky seasoning when you are done and this is not the desirable results at all. So keep the melting temperature of the Crisco low and take it off the burner as soon as it is melted.

3. Do not leave the cast iron for more than 5 minutes before wiping off the excess Crisco as this will cause streaking and again this is not an ideal look for the finished product.

Hope these new suggestions improve your finished showpiece cast iron cookware.

Seasoning Cast Iron - My Way!

After cast iron cookware is cleaned (I'll go into cleaning in a future blog) it is time to season it. I have tried numerous methods I have found online and none of them worked properly until I discovered my method by accident! When I say they didn't work properly the seasoning failed regularly (wasn't non-stick) and/or it was that sickly brown color.

How I discovered this method is that I bought a dutch oven at a yard sale, it looked relatively well seasoned although it was that ugly brown seasoned color. I cleaned it up with soap and water then dried it up nicely. I bought the dutch oven to make Bittman's no knead bread and the dutch oven I had, Le Creuset was too big and the knob on top won't withstand the 500 degree temperature required by the recipe. I made my dough, coated the inside of the dutch oven with olive oil and cooked away. When the bread was done the inside of the dutch oven was the most beautiful black color.


Enough of the history, here is my method. I warm the cast iron in the oven at 350 degrees for about 5 minutes. Then take the pan out of the oven and coat it with melted Crisco using a basting brush so I don't get too much Crisco on the pan. Put the pan back in the oven at 350 degrees for another 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and wipe it down with a cloth. Put the pan back in the oven at 500 degrees for an hour and a half (you probably could use less time). When time is up turn off the oven and leave the pan in there to cool down. I double season each pan using this method. The final results should be a nice dry not sticky black color, the appearance will be dull black.

Visit my store and you can actually buy the dutch oven for $39.95 that made the no knead bread and helped me discover the proper way to season cast iron. 

Basics of Cast Iron Care

Basic cast iron care


Storage of Cast Iron

The best place to store cast iron is in the oven although that isn't really practical - upside down with the lid off. Most people want to display their cast iron because it is so beautiful which means with the lid on. If storing with the lid on place a paper towel inside to absorb moisture and prevent rust.

Another rust preventive measure is to use a light coating of mineral oil on your cast iron - this also prevents the seasoning from going rancid and smelling bad. Coat once or twice a year with a light coating and wash off with a stiff nylon brush before use.

Cleaning Cast Iron is Generally Considered Easy

Do not place cast iron in the dishwasher as this will remove the seasoning.

Do not immerse cast iron in cold water or place cold water in cast iron when it is hot as it may crack.

Purists insist that cast iron should never be cleaned with a detergent or soap. This is utter nonsense as many commercial kitchens use cast iron and by law have to clean it with soap or detergent. Use a little soap or detergent and clean pan with a stiff nylon brush, this will not ruin the seasoning, simply dry pan over low heat on stovetop and give it a light coating of vegetable oil.

Cleaning stuck-on food - allow pan to cool and rub stuck-on food with salt and a paper towel. Another method of cleaning stuck-on food is to put water in pan and heat it over low heat on stovetop until stuck-on food can be scrubbed off easily with a stiff nylon brush, again dry over low heat and give it a light coating of vegetable oil.

Cooking Precautions When Using Cast Iron


Care should be used when cooking with acids as they can remove the seasoning and possibly pit the pan. Acids include such things as tomatoes, vinegar, pineapple and orange juice. I cook with tomatoes a lot and have found that with proper seasoning I don't have much trouble, I don't let the acids sit in the pan long. I rinse the pan as soon as it cools down or wipe it with a paper towel when still hot and then rinse when it cools. I have met a guy who just leaves his spaghetti sauce in the pan and claims no problems with the seasoning, he has a Griswold and says it seasons right back up for any use he has.

Cast iron cookware gets hot and stays hot for a long time. You will find that you can cook at lower temperatures on the stove top than you would with other cookware. As the saying goes; never use more heat than you necessary.

Cooking utensils should be of plastic or wood so that the cast iron cooking surface does not get damaged.