How to ignite a cast iron pan?

Not everyone knows that before starting to prepare most dishes, the pan should be ignited. And many do not attach much importance to this. Professional chefs never miss this important process, but understanding the essence will require a deeper look at this issue.

No matter how much you want, you cannot immediately put a new cast iron pan on the stove and start cooking in it. The calcination process has been used since the time of the existence of Ancient Russia, only then its main task was to create a natural non-stick coating. Today there are many other reasons why it is required to process the metal with high quality before starting its operation.

Before you start to ignite the pan, you will need to prepare for use, namely, first clean it. To speed up the removal of rust marks, a metal scraper or a hard sponge is ideal. After that, the dishes are washed well under running water with a dish detergent. Now you need to wipe the cast-iron pan dry.

The calcining process is necessary for several reasons. With its help, it is possible to achieve certain results.

• Remove from the dishes the grease that was applied in production during the manufacture of the product. Everyone should know that it is harmful to humans, but you simply cannot do without such a lubricant, since its absence will not allow you to easily remove the pan from under the press.
• The metal is often covered with a sealant, which protects against corrosion during storage. Most products are designed to give the finished product an attractive sheen.Any of them is harmful, can lead not only to the appearance of an allergic reaction, but also to serious poisoning. You can understand that there is a harmful film on the dishes by the pungent smell, as well as the bad taste of the products being cooked. But it is better not to experiment like this, as it can be harmful to health.
• Calcining helps to find out if there is a manufacturing defect in the pan. If it is present, then during the heating process, small cracks and deformations will become visible. If the product is unsuitable for subsequent use, then it can be safely returned to the seller.
• Annealing helps to create a natural non-stick layer on the surface of cast iron cookware, which is essential in the manufacture of pancakes and pancakes. Despite the fact that cast iron is a metal, it has a porous structure, so food gets into its pores, which then begins to smell unpleasant due to the fact that it burns. Calcining prevents this process.
• Over time, carbon deposits will accumulate in the pan, it is harmful to human health, so it must be removed. Calcining greatly simplifies the process.
• In addition, long-term heating of the pan allows you to increase the service life of the product, since then the likelihood of rusting is significantly reduced.

After the pan has cooled, the pores will close, but the oil will remain in them, creating a protective layer. If the cast iron frying pan is covered with an enamel layer, then there is no need to heat it. Before using them for the first time after purchase, simply wash them with a cleaning agent.

There are many ways you can prepare a cast iron skillet before using it for the first time. All of them are simple and accessible to every housewife.

In this case, you will need to take not an iodized product, but coarse salt. Inside the pan, it is poured onto the bottom so that it covers it with a thickness of one centimeter.

Turn on the burner over medium heat and place the dishes. The holding time is from 10 to 20 minutes, this is quite enough. In each case, it is worth relying more on the size of the heated pan and the intensity of the flame.

An unpleasant smell may appear, this is not surprising, as factory grease comes out of the pores of the cast iron. The white salt will soon change its color and turn yellow, even closer to brown, and sometimes even black, which indicates a large amount of harmful substance on the surface.

The pan is removed from the heat and left to cool until the salt is cold. It can no longer be used for food, so it is thrown away without regret, and the dishes are washed under a tap with a cleaning agent, then wiped dry and rubbed with sunflower oil.

This was not the end of the calcination process. The pan is again put on fire and heated, but now the intensity of the flame should be minimal. In order for the oil to get into the pores of the cast iron, five minutes on the fire is enough. If a gray color appears, then it indicates that the cookware is warmed up with good quality. Now you can rinse again gently in cold water and rub with salt.

There are several ways you can properly temper cast iron cookware at home using only vegetable oil.

In the first case, you will need to put the container on fire and keep it there for five minutes. Only after the metal has warmed up well, oil is carefully poured in a thin stream. There should be enough of it so that it completely covers the bottom of the pan.

Some housewives do not know which product is best to use for roasting. Experienced chefs agree that refined oil is ideal for this because it does not emit as much smoke and fumes as unrefined oil. Olive is not cheap, so you can use inexpensive sunflower as well. It is even allowed to simply grease the surface with lard.

The cast iron should sit on low heat on the stove for thirty minutes. After they allow the dishes to cool, with the help of a potholder they take the handle and drain off all excess oil. Now the pan is placed under running cold water and the whole process is repeated again. Three times is enough to properly heat the dishes.

The last time, rinsing off the oil under cold water, wipe the bottom and walls with a cloth, but do not use a cleaning agent. The natural non-stick coating will help protect the dishes during storage.

The second method can be used, but it will require a lot more oil, so there is a possibility that it could flash suddenly. You need to monitor the pan and not leave for a minute.

Before putting the dishes on the fire, oil is poured inside until the middle. The fire on the stove should be medium, the procedure time is 30 minutes. After the pan becomes cold, the product is drained, the metal is wiped off and stored.

It doesn't matter if you use a gas or electric stove, this method is very popular, although it consists of six stages. First, you need to turn on the hotplate to the maximum. If this is an electric stove, then you need to warm it up well.

It is possible to determine whether the dishes are properly calcined by the gray tint that appears. At the second stage, they take it by the handle with a potholder and dip it into cold water. A sharp change in temperature can increase the strength of the product. Without wiping the pan, it is sent back to the fire, a small amount of salt is poured in, which should absorb not only moisture, but also harmful grease.

The step-by-step process of using the oven looks very simple and accessible. With a more detailed study of the issue, any housewife can cope with the calcination of cast iron, even if she did not have experience before.

When using the oven, you will need to turn the container upside down. First, you need to grease the product well on all sides with oil. If there is a wooden or plastic handle, it will need to be removed. In the case when it is not removable, it is not advised to touch it, but it is better to use any other method.

The temperature inside must be at least 180 C. The pan fits inside for an hour. In the process, smoke can form, so do not be afraid, it is better to open windows or turn on the hood. After the specified time, the oven turns off, but the dishes remain inside until they cool down.

Ducklings, cauldrons and other cast-iron dishes are inconvenient to calcine using all of the above methods. There is another way, although it takes more time, allows you to achieve the desired result. Firing in this way is not always convenient, but sometimes this is the only way to increase the service life of the product.

The hostess will need to grease the bottom and walls with oil, make a fire on the site and put the container directly on the fire. There should not be any wooden or plastic elements on it, and this method is available only to those who have their own private home.

Annealing provides durability to cast iron containers, but they still need to be cared for if you want them to last really long. It is advised to wash such dishes immediately after the cooking process is over. This is done under cool water, since the oil does not need to be washed out from time to time.

Do not clean cast iron in a dishwasher or store food inside.

During cleaning, do not use coarse brushes, abrasive substances and metal scrapers, as they remove the protective layer. If a cleaning agent is used, then after it the cast iron is again lubricated and calcined for half an hour. If you need to remove burnt food, then you need to boil a small amount of water in a pan with the addition of two tablespoons of salt and soda.

The storage place for cast iron utensils must be well ventilated, otherwise mold and an unpleasant odor appear. It is stored with the lid open, absolutely dry. Even with infrequent use, it is advised to periodically grease the dishes with grease or oil.

Some housewives have to deal with the process of roasting cast iron for the first time, others have already processed utensils more than once, therefore give their advice on how you can do it quickly and easily.

• It is best to do the roasting of cast iron at a time when no one will be at home. When the factory protective layer evaporates, a lot of smoke is formed, there is an unpleasant odor in the apartment. To prevent the room from smelling, you need to open the windows even before the ignition begins.
• Oil plays an important role in the process, so a refined product is the ideal solution. Olive is more suitable than vegetable, but it also costs more. Can be replaced with fat, including lamb, goose, interior or pork.
• If the hostess forgets to remove the fusible parts from the pan, the product will be irrevocably damaged. It also happens that it is not possible to remove the handle, therefore, such a pan can be ignited exclusively on the stove, but it is strictly forbidden to use an open fire or an oven.
• Sometimes cast iron is hardened before calcining. To do this, he is put on a burner that works at maximum. When the surface color changes from black to gray, the metal is quickly immersed in cold water. If cracks and other deformations appear on the bottom or walls, this indicates that the cast iron is of poor quality.

It is very important not to forget about safety precautions. Never touch the handle of a hot pan with bare hands, but use an oven mitt, towel or gloves. The product standing on the fire must be supervised, there are cases when the oil has ignited. Failure to comply with safety measures increases the likelihood of a fire in the apartment.

In conclusion, it should be said that cast iron pans have a lot of advantages, especially when preparing the traditional Russian dish - pancakes. In such dishes, they turn out to be incredibly tasty, since they bake well and do not burn, however, during the first use, you can feel an unpleasant smell and even taste. In order not to spoil the food, any cast-iron pan must first be ignited and only then can you cook on it.

If everything is done correctly, then the hostess will have in her arsenal an irreplaceable assistant for many years, with which she will be able to cook delicious steaks, cutlets, fried fish and other delicious dishes.

For information on how to prepare a cast iron frying pan for use, see the video below.