Cast Iron Skillet care

[KYHeirloomer]

For what it's worth, here is an article on the care and feeding of cast iron that I wrote for Mother Earth News several years back:

The Care and Feeding of Cast Iron

[Cook Chatty Cathy]

NO SOAP EVER EVER EVER AGAIN!!!

Thanks everyone for the great input I need just one more question answered, my cast iron skillet is like you mentioned non-stick; except when it comes to frying bacon I assumed it was the sugar in the bacon that causes it to stick somewhat, is that correct? I have now been doing my bacon on a flat cookie sheet size non-stick pancake griddle and it works beautifully and prevents me from having to wash my cast iron as often.

And I will now go read the article KYH refered us to.......

[KYHeirloomer]

I've never heard of that before, Cathy.

Are you preheating the skillet? If not, that might have something to do with it.

[Cook Chatty Cathy]

I do not preheat, I will try that. It happens every single time, maybe my cure is not quite as good as I thought!

[Mama Mangia]

I disagree with the soap thing - I wash my cast iron (and I have many pieces) with hot soapy water, rinse well, dry immediately and place on the burner and re-season.

Been doing it that way for years - so did my mom - so did my gram.

Yes I know all about detergent destroying the seasoning. I've heard it all - everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

I know you can add hot water to a dirty pan and boil it, scraping the bottom. And I still use hot soapy water to clean my cast iron.

As soon as whatever I am cooking in the cast iron is done - it is removed to a serving dish and the pan is immediately washed and dried. My cast iron never sits in water.

That's the way we've done it for years. Ain't stoppin' now.

[chubbyalaskagriz]

I am very familiar with the conditions that Cathy describes- not only from bacon, but also from some sweet-cured ham. Both at home in cookware and in commercial kitchens as when using the griddle/grill/flat-top (whatever cooks call it, wherever they are) to cook bacon or ham sometimes the sugars, honey, corn syrups, maple syurps and other things used in the products sludges-up the pores of the cooking surface and makes it all gummy and sticky. I see it often, in fact.

In restaurants, some meat products were so bad I used to hate grilling them for sandwiches, breakfast & such and always kept a vinegar or lemon-juice mister nearby to immediately spray and razor-blade that area of the griddle right after cooking the product so that spot wouldn't continue to caramelize and burn and get all gross and goopy.

Also, Cathy- I NEVER cook bacon on the stove-top at home anymore. I cook it in one of only two ways- 1.) the fastest and easiest for lovely CRISP bacon if that's how you prefer it, is actually placing on a paper-towel-lined plate (even paper-plates work) , then covering top of lined strips of bacon w/ paper-towel also, and zapping in the nucro-wave. Fool-proof. And 2.) If you have a larger amount of bacon to cook line a half-sheet pan (some call it a jelly-roll pan or rimmed cookie sheet) with parchment or foil and bake bacon in the oven at 400 degrees until desried crispness.

I ain't fried bacon on the stove-top in nearly 20 years and won't... the popping grease all over hell ain't worth it for me. I'd go without bacon if I had to wipe down that spattery mess everyday. That's just me, though. I have this weird mental-thing with spattery messes on my stove-top... have it at home and even had it at work. I can't even watch a pot of marinara bubbling and spattering all over the place... makes me pace like a penned-up horse and walk in circles like a drunken banshee! Ha!

[Cook Chatty Cathy]

By Chubbyalaskagriz: {I ain't fried bacon on the stove-top in nearly 20 years and won't... the popping grease all over hell ain't worth it for me. I'd go without bacon if I had to wipe down that spattery mess everyday. That's just me, though. I have this weird mental-thing with spattery messes on my stove-top... have it at home and even had it at work. I can't even watch a pot of marinara bubbling and spattering all over the place... makes me pace like a penned-up horse and walk in circles like a drunken banshee! Ha!}

CAG,

I am exactly the same way, are we neat freaks or what!!! But as you mentioned the oven for "frying" bacon that way is what I meant when I said I place it on the non-stcik griddle (I failed to mention in the oven) and you are so right it is 100% better that way & crunchy too - I never cared if the oven got dirty, just not the stove-top that I can see

Thanks for posting, Cathy

[jglass]

I always make bacon in the oven.
I hate frying it on top of the stove.

[KYHeirloomer]

No particular reason, but I've never made bacon in the oven.

Wonder if I've been missing a bet all these years.

I usually skillet fry it because I'll be following up with something I want the grease for. For a quick couple of slices, paper towels and the nuke do just fine.

And, not to sound rash, how many pieces of bacon in a rasher?

[chubbyalaskagriz]

Brook, in restaurants we used to cook bacon on full-sheet pans in the oven, then remove said bacon w/ tongs and then toss quartered baby red spuds around in the bacon-grease by-product, season and roast on same pan. Also cornbread and quiche-squares done this way in the bacon-greased pans works well. One pan- two uses!