Tips On How To Keep Your Cast Iron In Great Condition

There is truly no better feeling than putting a brand new piece of cookware to use, but once it’s broken in and the maintenance process starts, you’re already wondering how long this one is bound to last. However, there are some great tips out there to help keep your cookware in great condition and lasting longer so you don’t need to constantly look into replacing items!

Let’s focus on the cast iron, a popular household cookware piece. It’s important to remember that different materials require different types of care, which means soap and hot water isn’t always the answer.

1. Tend to the mess sooner than later

Sara Morrow-Harcourt, Consumer Reports Home Editor, emphasizes the importance of cleaning your cast iron immediately after you’re done cooking to prevent damage to the item. “Overall the sooner you tend to the mess, the easier it is to clean however different materials require different types of care,” she says.

In easy cases, rinsing with plain water and drying thoroughly should be enough. But sometimes that’s not always the case.

2. For tougher messes; SCRUB!

Morrow-Harcourt recommends adding water to the pan, letting it simmer for a moment, and then wiping it clean, or scrubbing the pan with a little water and coarse salt, for heavier messes.

3. Keep it as dry as possible

However which way you decide to clean your cast iron, the most important part is that you dry it thoroughly to prevent rust. It’s recommended to rub a little vegetable oil on the cooking surface to ensure the pan is seasoned.

4. Clean as you go for less hassle

Former chef, Kasey Hinckson, has a very important tip for those who love to cook but hate to clean the mess up, especially after all is done.

“I clean as I’m going along that way at the end of the night there’s not a lot of things to clean up and the kitchen is mostly clean. So, when we finish cooking not one person is stuck cleaning up the whole mess,” he says.