Thistle Dew Books

Cast Iron Cookware: Still the best choice ©

By: Victoria Rumble

Cast-iron was quality cookware in the Colonial kitchen, on the pioneer trails, and any self-respecting 19^th century cook had at least a heavy cast-iron pot, if not a wider selection of frying-pans, bake ovens, soup kettles, sauce pans, etc. all in top notch order.

Cast-iron skillets make the most mouth-watering, perfectly browned Southern cornbread just as they have for generations, and cast-iron pots turn out tasty beans or greens to go with it. Why is that?

Cast iron conducts heat and distributes it evenly resulting in uniform browning whether baking cornbread or frying chicken. It doesn’t require special utensils as do most non-stick pans, and although older pieces will crack and break if not used properly, with any reasonable care it’s practically indestructible.

Rarely is a piece of old cast-iron cookware abused badly enough it isn’t salvageable, with the exception of cracked pieces. Rust can be removed, the piece seasoned, and it’s as good as new. Personally, I think the older pieces are better quality than some of the newer pieces. Even in the 19^th century they knew the more a piece was used the smoother the surface got and some articles stated a used piece was preferred to a new one.

Seasoning is a must with cast-iron to achieve that desirable smooth non-stick finish. A new piece will be gray in color and won’t take on that familiar black color until it has been properly seasoned. It must first be washed to remove any protective coating applied in the factory. All new pieces have this material applied to keep the pot from rusting between the factory and the store shelf. Use steel wool, detergent, and hot water to remove it.

To season a piece, warm it slightly to make sure there is no moisture lingering in the crevices, rub it with a light coating of lard or shortening, and place it onto a cookie sheet in a preheated oven at around 300 degrees for approximately an hour. Leave it in the oven until it cools completely, then examine it, and if it isn’t quite the non-stick wonder your grandmother treasured, repeat the process.

Never use oil to season cast-iron. It contains an additive which will become sticky and gummy with time requiring you to start over from step one after exerting a great deal of labor removing the gummy residue.

For safety’s sake don’t use large amounts of fat, and don’t leave the oven unattended. The process can be done outdoors on a grill or at the edge of a fire pit if preferred.

There are countless sources for good quality cast-iron pans other than the department store shelf. Some are ebay, flea markets, antique stores, thrift stores, bulk supply stores such as overstock.com, and even garage sales.

There was once a widely held belief that cast-iron cookware should never be washed with soap or detergent. Today, not so much. Professional chefs must meet health codes, and inspectors expect scrupulously clean pans and utensils.

Over time the oils can go rancid tainting the taste of the food prepared in the pieces so I, therefore, adopt a middle of the road stance and use detergent very sparingly with lots of hot water, first soaking for a minute to remove any food that may have stuck to the surface.

Dry thoroughly before storing away pieces, and store with the lids off, otherwise the oils may go rancid, especially if not used often. Never put cast-iron in the dishwasher. It will remove all the seasoning and the piece will rust almost immediately.

Never pour cold water into a hot piece of cast-iron. Doing so may cause it to crack or break.

Food that has been cooked in cast-iron should be removed to a serving piece when the cooking process is finished to prevent it taking on an unattractive, though harmless, color.

To achieve nice browning of the food, pieces should be pre-heated with a little oil or fat before putting in the food except in the case of sweating onions and celery when the desired effect is to soften the vegetables.

Cast-iron was so versatile and durable it was used to make tea kettles, griddles, and even items such as charcoal braziers throughout the 18^th and 19^th centuries.

Acidic foods, like tomato, often come out darker and less attractive when cooked in cast-iron. For some, less attractive means less appreciation for food, and the discoloration should be avoided.

For those who appreciate the even cooking surface of cast-iron, but want to eliminate the discoloration or possible metallic taste with acidic foods, pieces lined on the inside such as La Cruset are ideal.

Lining of the interior of cast-iron pots began ca. 1850 but the enameling was not very durable, often chipping off, and it contained lead which could leach into the food if left in the vessel for any length of time. This technology was refined, however, and evolved into the colorful lined pots like the one in the photo above.

The bake oven below is made with dog-ears on each side where the handle attaches, as were those through the 19^th century. Every size pot from small bake ovens such as this one to giant wash pots were made in that fashion. The handle on this pot is detachable. Not all kettles or cauldrons came with handles attached to them. One pot lifter could be used on multiple pots and stored by the side of the fireplace when not in use.

When cook stoves became the norm and cooks finally gave up their fireplaces, pots no longer needed the sturdy three legs on which to sit over the coals on a flat hearth. With the loss of the pot legs, came a revamping of the pot lids which no longer needed the lip around the edge to hold hot coals on top either. Companies such as Lodge still make reproductions though the handle attachment is not correct for period cookware.