Archive for the ‘Cast Iron Cookware’ Category
Cleaning Cast Iron Cookware
Good cast iron will last a long time.Image via Wikipedia
Cleaning cast iron cookware can be a tough job if you don’t know a few tricks. It’s hard to get this through to some, but soap should never be used when cleaning cast iron. Soap gets into the pores of the cast iron and ruins the seasoning. It also can leech into the food while cooking and ruin the taste. There are much easier ways to clean that pan that are so much easier.
For the toughest cleanup, just a heated pan with a wire brush is all that is required to remove remnants of food. Even burnt food will come off of the pan with this method. Once the food is hot, the wire brush will easily scub it off. After this, follow the instructions for seasoning cast iron. This method will put oil into the pores of the cast iron. This will improve the taste of the dishes cooked and keep the cast iron from rusting.
One major danger when cleaning heavy cast iron is that your hands will become slippery and it’s easy to drop a hot, slick, and heavy pan. This could hurt your feet and a big impact can break cast iron. Be careful! Try to keep the pan in the sink when scrubbing with a wire brush and hot water or on the stove top when seasoning. Just let the pan sit and cool before removing from the oven or the stove top.
Seasoning a Cast Iron Skillet
Image via Wikipedia
There’s some myths and half-truths about cast iron skillets, but I am certain that seasoning the skillet changes the taste of the food. If done right, it definitely changes taste for the better and makes the cast iron skillet easier to clean.
The basic premise to seasoning a cast iron skillet is that you’re trying to get oil into the pores of the cast iron. One of cast iron’s properties is that it is a porous metal. This is what allows it to hold an even temperature for so long. Those pores hold heat. To change the level of the heat, it takes time. Minor fluctuations in the heat source will not effect the cooking temperature. Those same pores will hold anything that comes in contact with them. Use soap on it, there’s going to be soap in the pores, so don’t use soap on cast iron! When heated, the pores of cast iron open up. If you put oil and seasoning into the pan while it’s hot, it’s going to hold them in the pores. The right seasoning, like bacon grease, will release a light bacon flavor into the food being cooked
Here’s a video showing how to season a cast iron skillet.
This same method can be used on any other cast iron cookware like Dutch ovens, baking pans, or serving pots.
Chasseur Cookware
Chasseur cookware, also known as Le Chasseur, is an enamel coated cast iron cookware that’s been used in commercial and institutional cookware for many years. Made in France for over 70 years, this high quality cast iron cookware with a double coating of enamel is made to last. It’s suitable for all conventional types of cooking as well as induction cooking and it’s dishwasher safe.
This is great cookware way to get the benefits of cast iron while reducing the difficulty in cleaning. Many chefs that demand the qualities of cast iron’s cooking properties rate Chasseur cast iron cookware
Cooking with cast iron is popular because it has heating properties that are far different than other materials. Cast iron distributes heat evenly and retains that heat for a long time. If their are variations in the heat source, cast iron does not allow these minor changes to effect it’s constant heat level. This creates an excellent heat surface that allows an experienced chef to gauge perfect timing with to cook any dish to the desired level and they know that the heat will be spread evenly. For example, with souffles and other dishes, it’s not uncommon to have difficulty getting the center of the dish done at the same time as the outer edges. This problem is much easier to manage with cast iron cookware as the heat radiates in a more even and intense amount over a larger area. Be careful if you try this, but place your hand over a heated stainless steel pot, then over a cast iron pot. You’ll find that you feel the heat from a further distance and over a larger area with a cast iron pot.
Cast iron is not without it’s problems. The first is that it’s difficult to clean without a slow process. With enameled cast iron cookware, there is no problem. It’s as easy to clean as glass cookware. The added enamel does add to the already very heavy cast iron though. Cast iron also rusts, another problem solved with an enamel coating. Cast iron also requires occasional seasoning. Some cooks like to add to the test of the food with their seasoning process. This is not possible with enamel, but the enamel coating eliminates the need for seasoning.
There are a small number of people that are sensitive to iron. With all cast iron pans, some iron does leech into the food during cooking. For most, a little iron is actually good, but to a few, it can make them ill. In a commercial cooking operation, it’s an added benefit to have the enamel coating remove this risk, even if it is a small risk. Some can also just be sensitive to the taste of the iron in their food. If an all cast iron pan hasn’t been seasoned in a while, the taste can easily be detected, but this doesn’t happen with the enamel coating.
Chasseur makes several different types off cookware including:
- Dutch Ovens
- Grills
- Frying Pans
- Baking Dishes
- Cooking pots
If you’ve tired of the inconveniences of standard cast iron, but love the way it cooks. Give Chasseur a try.
