Advocate III
Hey, just ran across this, Cowboy Kent Rollins on how to clean and season cast iron cookware and keep it smooth and perfect, and thought some here might like it:
Overlanding with cast iron skillet
- Thread starter Matt Hixson
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Member I
I can not think of a better way to cook. Cast Iron is naturally non-stick if seasoned correctly & use the right utensils. Cast Iron is easy to clean, nearly indestructible. You get even cooking temperature with cast iron.
Pathfinder I
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We have. Small canvass sacks used for scoffold clips by accident my dutch ovens fit right into them , or old coffee sacks any of the uk members wanting any feel free to contact me i have many ill send foc Bnt
I pack my cast iron pan everywhere but keep it wrapped up in a towel. Love, love cooking with cast iron.
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Enthusiast I
I have several cast iron cookware that I take camping. I got hooked on using cast iron from my many years in the scouts. What I do is boil water in them; while the water is boiling I scrub the skillet with a paper towel. I dump the water then use kosher salt and a dedicated sponge to scrub the skillet. This works wonders and keeps them clean. If i have to brake camp fast I put the pan in a plastic shopping bag after it is cool.
All I use for cooking is cast iron both at home and while at camp. For transport I just line it with paper towel and put it where it fits. When its time to clean it I use a piece of chain mail that is for cleaning cast iron . Scrubs off anything stuck, burnt or baked on and you can scrub away and it don't damage the finish.
I need to get a camp oven, but the weight of cast iron is a turn off. Fortunately there are cast aluminum camp ovens that are much lighter. I know they don't retain heat as well as cast iron does, but they conduct heat much better so you get more even cooking.
Once I pick one up I will report on the results.
Once I pick one up I will report on the results.
So my mom cooled about every third meal on cast iron and I guess I do too now. If one ever showed rust, I was in big trouble (I was the dish doer). She set me straight one day. soap and water with a scrubber and then put it back on the stove on high heat and all the water evaporates off. Your pan is actually clean and rust free and it does not alter the metal seasoning. I just visited her and cooked her a meal in a pan she has used continually for 47 years! Not sure if you are looking for a longer testing period but I have always thought it was cool that something so simple could be a lifetime tool.
Pathfinder II
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World Traveler III
I stick mine (along with my steel comal) in a canvas bag, but not because it's nasty - the bag is pretty well impregnated with cooking oil.
I cook exclusively with cast iron frying/saute pans at home. They get wiped out after being scraped with a spatula. If there is too much gunk because I screwed up and let a sauce cook out or something, put it on the heat (fire or stove) full of water and do some scraping. I keep mine very well seasoned and don't let other people use them (except my wife and sons, who know how), and I clean them - nobody else.
Best way to keep them seasoned is to fry in them sometimes, though cooking cornbread in a pre-heated skillet can serve the same purpose.
If you have new(er) cast iron that has a 'cast iron' texture - if it loses (or never had) a good season - polish the bottom 'til it's smooth instead of grainy. Once seasoned again, you'll love your cast iron more than ever before.
I cook exclusively with cast iron frying/saute pans at home. They get wiped out after being scraped with a spatula. If there is too much gunk because I screwed up and let a sauce cook out or something, put it on the heat (fire or stove) full of water and do some scraping. I keep mine very well seasoned and don't let other people use them (except my wife and sons, who know how), and I clean them - nobody else.
Best way to keep them seasoned is to fry in them sometimes, though cooking cornbread in a pre-heated skillet can serve the same purpose.
If you have new(er) cast iron that has a 'cast iron' texture - if it loses (or never had) a good season - polish the bottom 'til it's smooth instead of grainy. Once seasoned again, you'll love your cast iron more than ever before.
World Traveler III
Member I
If they're rusting then you're leaving water in them for too long. Cast iron loves having a good coating of oil burnt into it every once in a while. Only use steel or wooden spatulas, never plastic or rubber. And never let soap touch it. All it needs is a good scraping and wiping out with a soft cloth and a good dry. The rust will stay away.
Member III
Agree with Matt regarding too much water on it. Had mine for two years and use it a a staple at home and camping. I found that the best thing to do to clean is make sure it's hot and then add hot water to clean. Scrap and clean then heat to evaporate all water, add a touch of oil and wipe it all around, let cool and you should be good to go just as the cowboy says. When camping I heat water in the skillet, not separately like I do at home, and clean the same way. Love the cast iron versatility.
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World Traveler III
Member III
I expect he said that because of the amount of heat cast iron (or steel) can handle. Silicone spatulas are OK, but the plastic ones can melt and actually leave plastic in your cast iron (or on your steel pots). When it happens on enamel, it peels off, when it happens on telflon you've already overheated the teflon and 'rernt' it.
Traveler I
X2 on the chainmail for cleaning if it is really stuck. Seems like the more water I use when cleaning it, the harder it is? Wipe it with a paper towel and go for me 90% of the time.
I use mine at home most days so its pretty well seasoned
I use mine at home most days so its pretty well seasoned
Traveler I
Love my dutchy been using chainmail to clean and some of the lodge kits to clean best food . The extra weight is well worth it , for 2 people a number 10 deep or 12 deep is perfect and maybe a frying pan and thats all you should need on trail/camping and now with the northeast weather coming in its chilli time
Member I
Yes, plastic can melt and/or bits of it come off from stuff stuck to the cast iron if it's really burnt on. I find a steel spatula to be best.
I also have a small chainmail "rag" that is just awesome for cleaning. It'll get a little greasy and at that point I just wad it up and wash it by hand with some dish soap. Remember soap on chainmail is okay, but soap on cast iron is not.
I also have a small chainmail "rag" that is just awesome for cleaning. It'll get a little greasy and at that point I just wad it up and wash it by hand with some dish soap. Remember soap on chainmail is okay, but soap on cast iron is not.
