Cast iron is not just one of the oldest substances used for cookware, it continues to fill an important niche in the kitchen even today. While on first sight you may expect to see a cast iron kettle hanging on a tripod over a fire in a movie Western, or on a stage set for a play based in the Victorian era, cast iron utensils from those times could easily still be in use today. The stuff is amazingly sturdy and will last essentially forever if properly cared for.

“Properly cared for” is indeed the rub. The procedures required are entirely different from, and may cause shock and horror in those accustomed to, the ones required by common chemical-based nonstick coatings.  The rules are at least not complicated: A scrubbing device (plastic pad, sturdy brush or even steel wool) and water are essential, and soap is forbidden. That’s it. As simple as “no metal in the microwave, ever.”

The worst problems with cast iron comes from not using it. Iron will rust no matter how careful one is to store it in the dryest possible site: we live on a high-oxygen planet after all, and iron+oxygen=rust (Moisture or even high humidity just speeds up the process). If you have some which has become rusty, the steel wool becomes mandatory. Scrape and scrub until the rust is gone. Cloth gardening-type gloves are a good idea to spare your fingers from bits of steel wool that break off. Get every bit of the rust off or, like fungus, it will speed up the return of the problem.

Newly purchased modern cast iron comes already seasoned, but many people prefer to give it another treatment once they get it home, and of course it is essential for an older one which has been neglected. If the pan is just plain filthy, soap is unavoidable this one time. There are those who say the prohibition against soap dates back to the days when soap was made from lye and animal fat, and that modern “dish detergents”  are relatively harmless, but remember this is a one-time event in any case.

Get the pan as hot as you can stand to handle it, and use the hottest water you can manage. Get it perfectly clean inside and out, including lid if the utensil has one. Dry thoroughly, then put it in an oven on low heat to both dry the rest of the way and warm back up. Coat thoroughly with oil. Your choices are vegetable oil, animal fat (bacon grease is classic) or mineral oil, and we have seen arguments for and against all of them. They all work and none of them will poison you, so use what you have to hand.

Spread some newspaper in an out-0f-the-way place and put the cast iron on it, upside down, to drain for a couple of days. Line the oven rack with foil to catch any remaining drips and put the pieces, still upside-down, in to cook. Now comes your last decision: high heat for a short time, or somewhat lower for longer. Some recommend 500 degrees for an hour, but admit that the process fills the kitchen with smoke. We suggest a more moderate path, 350 to at most 400 degrees, and a longer time, perhaps 3-5 hours. Smoke is still likely, so crank the vent fan up as high as you can and tough it out. Console yourself that at least you can do all this with the flip of a switch rather than having to cut wood and build a fire to heat up your cookware.

Popularity of cast iron for casual kitchen use rises and falls over time. One generation sniffs at it as “old fashioned”  and worships at the altar of high-techitude coatings, copper bottoms and the like. Or it is considered acceptable only if coated in porcelain, given fancy brand names and a high price.  But the real thing never goes away, and of late has been making a bit of a comeback. Lodge Manufacturing is far and away the best known brand (available at great prices at Amazon–see left sidebar.)

One person may start out buying a griddle for pancakes, the sort that goes over two burners on a stove. Another may buy a corn-muffin baker whose receses are in the shape of ears of corn simply because it’s cute, then discover what a terrific job it does. Someone else may dig out a pot used only on camping trips and try it in a “real” kitchen just for fun. We use ours almost daily and find it well worth the occasional bother of maintenance. In fact, the more we have gotten into cooking for pleasure and more elaborate recipes, the more we have come to appreciate the virtues of this indestructable cookware.