Now very often produce various devices, which, according to manufacturers, have previously unheard of advantages. The most interesting thing here is that this progress has reached even ordinary dishes. Today, there are many non-stick pans that are considered much better than their predecessors. Nevertheless, not all people give preference to new dishes. They do not forget about the good old cast-iron pans. In many kitchens, now you can still find such dishes. The thing is that with proper care, cast-iron pans also have a high degree of non-stickness.
Processing before first use
Almost everyone associates such utensils with the Soviet Union, burning and heaviness. Despite this, today it is quite easy to purchase a new cast-iron frying pan in any cookware store and use it quite successfully. To do this, you need to know that the preservation of non-stick properties is possible only with proper processing of utensils after purchase. In this regard, questions often arise about what to do with new dishes or how to calcine a cast-iron frying pan before first use.
So, as we know, cast iron has a porous surface. To get rid of all sorts of pores and cracks, you need to follow these simple steps:
- wash the pan from the factory grease;
- put it on fire and pour a thick layer of salt;
- heat for an hour, often stirring;
- wipe the remaining salt with a paper towel;
- rub a small amount of vegetable oil into the surface of the pan.
If after a while the food burns in a cast-iron pan, this procedure must be repeated.
Daily care
Next, we consider in more detail how to take care of a cast-iron frying pan daily, and not just before the first use. Fortunately, everything is quite simple here, and care for cast-iron utensils is not much different from washing pans from other materials. After each use of the dishes, it is enough to remove food debris, wash off fat and pour boiling water over the surface of the pan. After this, it is necessary to grease the surface again with vegetable oil in order to restore non-stick properties.
If you started your kitchen utensils a little and fat has already stuck on the walls, which is very difficult to wash by hand, you must do the following:
- pour three tablespoons of salt and a little table vinegar into the pan;
- pour it all with water and bring to a boil;
- add four tablespoons of soda, wait for the complete evaporation of water;
- Wash the pan thoroughly.
During this procedure, you need to be very careful, because the solution will emit burning steam, which can be very dangerous for your health.
As we saw, daily care is not at all complicated. The main thing is not to be lazy.
If there is a deposit
Even despite following the above rules, quite often it happens that soot forms on a cast-iron skillet, which causes certain inconvenience when using it. Today, many housewives rely on dishwashers, because they, according to manufacturers, can handle even the most severe pollution. All that is needed is to put the pan in the dishwasher and turn on the appropriate program.
Unfortunately, not every carbon deposit can be removed using a dishwasher. Most often, it is necessary to repeat the cleaning sessions over and over in order to achieve the desired purity.
In connection with the foregoing, many people have a question: how to care for a cast-iron frying pan, if there is no dishwasher? In this case, the cleaning process must be carried out manually using various household chemicals.
Today you can find a large number of all kinds of detergents that will help you cope even with a fairly strong soot. Most often they are applied to the dishes, after which the pan itself is tightly wrapped in polyethylene. Another very interesting fact is that carbon deposits can be removed with the help of anti-blockage in sewage pipes. To do this, place the contaminated skillet in a solution of such a product, then, putting on rubber gloves, thoroughly rinse the soot and the remnants of the chemical so that it does not enter the food.
In case of allergies
Unfortunately, there are times when a person has an allergy, and he can not use certain means of household chemicals. However, this does not mean that he is forced to use a dirty pan. There is a "grandfather" method of removing soot from a cast-iron skillet. It is as follows:
- Take a large container of water and put it on fire.
- Add grated soap and a packet of soda to the water.
- Place the pan in boiling water and “cook” it for two hours.
- Remove the pan, cool it and remove any residual carbon deposits using a hard metal brush.
It should be noted right away: such a solution will smell very unpleasant, but no one promised that it would be easy and pleasant to look after a cast-iron skillet.
Tougher measures
In addition to the above methods, there are even more stringent methods for cleaning a cast-iron skillet. The first of them is suitable for those who want to take a frying pan with them to nature. Further, everything is very simple: you need to put utensils in a bonfire, after which the whole deposit will fall off by itself. The main thing here is not to leave the pan in the fire for a long time, since high temperatures can cause the kitchen utensils to deform.
The same result can be achieved without leaving home. To do this, heat the stove and put on it a cast-iron pan upside down. Under the influence of high temperature, soot begins to fall off from the pan. The remaining pieces can be removed with a knife.
How to remove rust
Very often, when people learn how to care for a cast-iron frying pan, they are concerned about the issue of rust. Like any other metal, cast iron is subject to this negative impact. Therefore, you need to carefully monitor the dishes, because with improper care, the cast-iron frying pan rusts very quickly. If rust has appeared, then you should not panic. It can be removed quite easily from a cast-iron pan using a conventional dishwashing detergent, soda, saline or special chemicals. The choice of option depends on the type of rust.
Conclusion
The basic methods of how to care for a cast-iron skillet have been described above. Summing up all of the above, we can conclude that the care itself is not very complicated or extraordinary. Just a few simple steps will help you keep both imported kitchen utensils and a cast-iron skillet made in Russia in excellent condition and clean.