Care of Cast Iron Cookware

Caring for cast iron is pretty simple once you get the hang of it. Your cast iron pan wants to remain seasoned, which means using it often, drying it thoroughly after each use (with stove heat), and lightly oiling it while it is hot before cool-down.

Here are the basics of cast iron care:

Routine Clean-up
Wash your pan with hot water and a non-abrasive sponge or pad (Dobie brand works best, shown at right, no scotch pads!). If you have encountered sticking while cooking (this is tough to avoid in the early years of your pan with scrambled eggs), it is perfectly acceptable to soak the pan for a few hours. Do NOT soak it overnight or it will rust. The more you use your pan, the more non-stick it will get—and clean-up will get easier and easier.

Applying soap to a well-seasoned pan isn't the end of the world, but this course of action is generally frowned upon for cast iron. Because soap can contribute off flavors at high heat, adds unsavory chemicals to your culinary projects, and is almost always unnecessary, I'd stay away from it when cleaning cast iron.

Once cleaned with hot water and some scrubbing, place your cast iron on the stovetop on low heat, or in the oven on 250 F or so. Once your cast iron pan has dried completely (generally just a few minutes on the stovetop, or 10 minutes in the oven), lightly oil it with some canola or other essentially flavorless oil using a paper towel or rag. Leave it on the burner or in the oven until it cools... and put it away with its light coating of oil.

If your cast iron pan gets too hot during cooking or drying and loses that sheen of oil, simply remove it from heat, and re-oil it until the oil stays shiny and unblemished (no longer burns off or mottles). This heating and re-oiling helps contribute to the ongoing seasoning of the pan... so feel free to do this from time to time for the sheer sake of your pan's seasoning development.

To take this an extra step (not a bad idea periodically), follow the directions for seasoning cast iron to help bring your pan ahead of its peers, and a step closer to heirloom status.