A Prepper’s Best Friend! How to Prepare, Season, and Cook with Cast Iron

You know who your best friend is.  It’s the person that you spend all your time with.  It’s the person that you’re careful to guard that relationship, to nurture it.  You do things for your best friend that you wouldn’t do for just anyone.  You buy gifts for that person if you see something that you know they need or like.  Well, a prepper’s best friend is……………cast iron.

Uhuh.  So confession time.  How many pieces of cast iron do you own?  I own 10 not including 2 lids.  We use our cast iron ALL THE TIME.  As a matter of fact, I only own one cooking pan that is NOT cast iron and that’s a 12″ stainless steel family size pan.  If I had something that size that was cast iron, I don’t think I’d be able to lift it.

Three of the pieces that I purchased, I purchased from a second-hand store, and they needed a little TLC.  Do you know how to care for a cast iron pan that came not in the best shape?  It’s really simple! If your pan has any rust or any residue on the pan, the steps below will take care of it

Follow these five steps

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
2. Heat the pan on your STOVE TOP.  Add an oil to it.  I like coconut oil.
3. Sprinkle the pan generously with table salt.  Use several paper towels wadded up and use the salt to scrub against the rust or cooked on gunk.  Add more oil or salt depending on whether you need more scouring power or more oil to lubricate the pan.
4. Once you have the gunk off, or if you need to, rinse off the dirt in order to start again.  Run the hot pan under water.  Yes, it will steam, so BE CAREFUL!  Use a stiff bristle kitchen brush along with the water to clean off any remaining gunk.
5. If the pan is now clean, dry it quickly using a clean drying towel.

The rest of the steps should also be completed.  These steps are called “seasoning” your cast iron and should be done for ALL pieces, whether new or used.

Seasoning Your Cast Iron

1. Put a light coat of oil on your pan.  Open your oven and place a cookie sheet on the lower rack.  Place your cast iron pan upside down on the top rack.  Make sure that the cookie sheet will catch any drips, and bake it for 1 hour.
2. After an hour, turn the oven off and let the pan remain there for another 1-2 hours until the pan is cool.

Cleaning Your Cast Iron Pans After Normal Usage

1. Before I use my cast iron pans, I like to make sure that one side of my sink is clear.  This will allow me to run water over my hot cast iron pan without interference from other pans.
2. Once I’ve finished using the pan, while it’s still hot, I put the pan under a stream of water in my kitchen sink.  It will steam.  BE CAREFUL!  I use my stiff bristle brush to scrub it clean.
3. Once it’s been cleaned, dry it thoroughly.
4. I then rub it down with a small amount of oil.  Again, I like coconut oil.  I keep it on the stove until it’s cooled; then it goes into our cabinet.

Word of Warning

NEVER use dish soap on the cast iron.  It will remove the non-stick properties that you’ve worked so hard to bake in.

What About You?

How many different pieces of cast iron do you have?  Have you been caring for them properly?  What’s your favorite cast iron piece that you own?  I’d love to hear.  Leave a comment below or if you’ve received this in an e-mail, hit reply to send me an e-mail.

Remember, knowledge isn’t just knowing something.  It’s living it!

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