How to prepare a cast iron frying pan before first use: salt, oil, fire

Cast iron frying pans have been popular for decades. They are so reliable that they can be passed down from generation to generation. The performance characteristics are also pleasing - such dishes accumulate heat, thanks to which food remains warm for a long time, and gas or electricity is saved.

An additional advantage is that such a frying pan is suitable for any stove - gas, electric, induction. Let's figure out how to prepare a cast iron frying pan before the first use in order to make its further use as pleasant as possible.

Features of cast iron cookware

Cast iron has been used for cookware since ancient times, thanks to its amazing properties of maintaining the same temperature for a long time. In a cast iron frying pan, any dish turns out tasty and beautiful :

you can fry anything, in any case a crispy and appetizing crust will form;
When stewing, the products do not lose their shape.

But these are not all the advantages of such dishes. There are other advantages :

Durability and strength. Modern specimens are very durable - they cannot be damaged even with a knife, and they will not crack if dropped on the floor. This frying pan will last for decades if you take proper care.
Resistant to prolonged exposure to high temperatures.
High quality food. Food retains its beneficial substances, but does not absorb harmful ones from cast iron. Again - with proper preparation and care.

However, this excellent option has a number of features that you need to be prepared for:

heavy weight - it is necessary to take into account that cast iron cookware weighs much more than its analogues;
it is impossible to store food in such a frying pan - otherwise odors will be absorbed into the dishes;
instability to moisture - cast iron can quickly rust if not properly cared for;
impossibility of washing in the dishwasher - again due to the appearance of rust;
the need for preparation before using for the first time.

Why and why is it necessary to calcinate?

After purchase, any utensils must be washed before first use - everyone knows this. But for a cast iron frying pan, such care will not be enough, because during production it is lubricated with a special anti-corrosion compound, which prevents the dishes from rusting during storage in a warehouse, store or transportation.

Cast iron is a very porous material, so you can’t completely get rid of this anti-corrosion lubricant using dishwashing detergent. In addition, this lubricant has a very unpleasant aroma, which you also want to get rid of.

Thermal treatment of new dishes, namely calcination, or firing, will help with these tasks. Tempering will destroy harmful components and seal the pores of the cast iron, making the pan non-stick.

In addition, such heat treatment will serve as a litmus test that can identify defects or defects in the pan. It is better not to use the cookware if the following appears during heating :

cracks;
chips;
cavities;
violation of homogeneity;
color change.

There are only two changes in the color of cast iron when heated, which are considered normal: to turn slightly brown or gray when heated and to turn black again when cooled.

Calcining a cast iron frying pan at home is a mandatory process before you start using it, because it:

It will create an additional layer that will protect against the effects of alkalis and acids.
It will create a non-stick coating, which will make cleaning your cookware easier.
It will clog pores, destroying harmful substances of the anti-corrosion composition.

How to anneal and harden the cookware should be written in the instructions included with the purchase. Usually preferences are indicated there like:

how to heat the oil,
how long does it take to heat a cast iron frying pan, and so on.

If you don’t have these instructions, it doesn’t matter, since commissioning cast iron cookware is always based on the same principle.

Restoring non-stick properties

It is not always possible to clean a cast iron frying pan with a mild detergent; during cooking, food begins to stick and burn. Such contamination is removed by boiling water with detergent for several minutes. Remains of burnt food are removed with a plastic scraper.

Advice ! Salt is added to boiling water: it delicately cleanses and destroys bacteria.

Such manipulations imply further calcination of the product. Coating with oil before the procedure is the most effective method of restoring the non-stick properties of cast iron. The algorithm of actions is the same as after purchasing a frying pan.

What dishes need to be heated?

The need for processing disappears when we are talking about enameled cast iron cookware. Enamel itself is a non-porous material, and it is not lubricated with an anti-corrosion compound during production.

The exception is black enamel - experienced housewives recommend calcining such pans as well.

All non-enamel cookware must be heated on the stove or in the oven. This includes not only frying pans, but, for example, cauldrons, grill pans, and even saucepans.

What not to do

When our neighbor at the dacha found out about my failure, he laughed for a long time, and then told me that only rare, reliable Soviet frying pans can be baked in an oven, where the temperature reaches very high levels. Modern iron and cast iron can also be cleaned with fire, but much more carefully - exclusively on a fire or, for example, a barbecue. In this case, the dishes need to be turned over from time to time and be sure to monitor their condition.

As for duralumin frying pans, they should never be heated over a fire. The melting point of this metal is only about 650 °C. In a fire, the temperature can reach up to 750 °C, and in a stove - even up to 1050 °C (depending on the type of firewood used). My frying pan, by the way, apparently was made of duralumin.

Preparing for calcination

There are several ways to heat cast iron cookware, but before any of them, the frying pan or cauldron must be prepared. To do this, completely remove the original packaging and wash the dishes with a mild detergent or soap solution. It is better to avoid hard sponges so as not to damage the coating.

After this, the dishes must be wiped dry. If you choose the option of baking in the oven, you must remove the handle.

If the handle is made of plastic or wood and cannot be removed, then only the method of hardening the pan on the stove will do. The stove can be any - gas, electric or induction.

How to choose the appropriate method

The solution to this issue depends on the model of the purchased product and some other nuances:

Absence/presence of a handle. The method you use to process a frying pan in the oven directly depends on this factor. If there is no removable handle, you should forget about this method. The stove is suitable only in one case. It is convenient to harden models with handles made of wood and glass ceramics.
Condition of the frying pan. In this case, it is worth assessing the degree of preservation of the old utensils and the capabilities of using new utensils. A recently purchased product from a trusted manufacturer can be calcined in any convenient way.
Kitchen equipment. You may not have a hood at home, which is worth remembering if you want to treat a cast-iron frying pan with unrefined oil and salt.

During the calcination process, you will need to ensure high-quality ventilation in the kitchen; for this, turn on the hood.

Types of calcination

The essence of preparing a cast iron skillet for “work” is to heat it under the influence of other chemical elements. Most often, these chemical elements are:

salt - it perfectly adsorbs the grease remaining in the pores of the pan;
oil/fat - it dissolves harmful impurities and washes them out of the pores.

Another characteristic by which the incandescence process can be divided into several types is the method itself:

on the stove;
in the oven.

The second option is also called calcination for the lazy, since it really requires less action from the housewife. However, this does not reduce its effectiveness. But this method is only suitable for those pans whose handles are either removable or can be baked in the oven, for example, those made of metal.

There are also more traditional, but now slightly outdated, ways to “start” a cast iron frying pan and make it non-stick. For example, heat a frying pan in the oven, and then throw it into a snowdrift. This is also an effective method, but requires more physical and time investment.

Now let's take a look at each option step by step and separately. All of them are accompanied by the active formation of smoke, so you should ensure the supply of fresh air and leave the kitchen for a while.

On oil

Heat treatment can be carried out not only with sunflower oil, although this is one of the most popular options. There are other ways :

on pork lard - no smell, burns out slowly. The principle of use is simple - attach a piece of lard to a fork and wipe the surface with it;
goose or pork fat - a perfect thin layer is formed;
margarine - smokes less than others;
refined vegetable oil - smokes a lot, but is easy to apply in a thin layer using a silicone brush.

The essence of any fat is that, when heated, it creates a protective film on the cast iron. The type of fat itself does not affect future performance characteristics, so you can use what is “at hand”.

Recently, processing with olive and linseed oil has become increasingly popular. It is these types that are believed to create the most stable film. But in operation this is difficult to notice.

This method is suitable not only for preparing the pan for the first use, but also for processing so that food does not stick. That is, you can repeat this procedure once a year or even every six months if the dishes are used frequently.

What should be done?

We list the main stages of hardening a cast iron frying pan:

Wash and dry the dishes.
Put on fire, wait for smoke to appear.
Remove from heat, wipe with paper towels.
Grease with a thin layer of oil or fat.
Put it back on the fire, heat until the oil evaporates.
Remove the burnt layer of oil with a cotton cloth or napkin.
Repeat the procedure about five times.
Wash the pan thoroughly after frying with a mild detergent, then dry with a towel.

Yes, the procedure will take a lot of time, but it is considered the most effective. The result of this process should be a shiny surface that looks as if it has been varnished. It is this layer that will ensure that the food does not burn.

Salt

This is one of the oldest methods of calcining cast iron. Salt is an excellent adsorbent, so it absorbs the remains of oil-based anti-corrosion lubricant. Its melting point is much higher than that of cast iron - 800 degrees versus 680.

Salt is an excellent thermostat because it can retain heat for a very long time. According to some people, it helps to get rid of damage.

For calcination, you will need ordinary rock salt, which can be found in any grocery store. It needs to fill the bottom of the pan with a layer of about one centimeter. After this, the frying pan is placed on the stove, heated and calcined for 15–20 minutes. A more accurate definition of the end of the procedure can be called a change in the color of the salt - it will become grayish.

The main disadvantage of such calcination is the possibility of getting burned. After processing, you need to let the salt cool completely in the pan. For example, if you pour it immediately into a plastic bucket, it can melt and the paper can even catch fire.

It is also undesirable to pour salt into cold water, since there is a risk of getting burned in the process. Another disadvantage of this method is the appearance of an unpleasant odor in the kitchen, so you should open the window or turn on the hood in advance.

After the salt has cooled, it must be thrown out, grease the frying pan with vegetable or animal fat, hold for 20 minutes over high heat, and then rinse and dry the frying pan.

Cast iron frying pan Biol, preparation for first use Overview pan 24cm Biol

On the stove

Any hob or stove is suitable for this procedure. This method is ideal for dishes with non-removable handles made of wood, plastic, Teflon or silicone.

The heat treatment process involves heating cast iron to such a state that it begins to change color to brown or gray. A similar effect occurs due to the burnout of the lubricant used in production.

After heating, the dishes must be immersed in a large container of hot water. Simply placing it under a stream of ice water is not recommended, since a large amount of steam can scald a person or damage furniture and trim and even the wiring above the sink.

In the oven

If the frying pan does not have a handle, is removable, or is also cast iron, then it will be much easier to heat such dishes in the oven.

To do this, the oven must be emptied by removing all unnecessary items.
The new frying pan is thoroughly washed, dried and wiped with a cotton cloth soaked in oil. Synthetics are not suitable for this purpose. The piece of fabric should be large - completely cover the bottom of the dish.
To prevent oil from dripping onto the bottom of the oven, you can create a protective tier using a baking sheet lined with foil.
The frying pan is placed bottom up, covered with an oiled cloth, and sent to the oven, heated to 180 degrees. The pan will “bake” for 20–30 minutes - this depends on the thickness of the pan.
After this time, the oven must be turned off, but the door must not be opened for another hour.
After this, you need to check whether the dishes are warm. It should be stored in the oven until completely cool.
The last step is to thoroughly wash the pan with a mild dishwashing detergent.

The advantage of this option is that virtually no smoke is generated, and the process itself is almost autonomous - little is required from the housewife.

On an open fire

If by new cast-iron cookware we mean not a frying pan, but a cauldron or a roasting pan, then perhaps it will be more convenient to heat them over an open fire. You can also use this option for a frying pan. Its main advantage is that the smoke dissolves immediately in the air without filling the entire apartment.

The operating principle is as follows:

rinse and dry the dishes;
set on open fire and wait for the color of cast iron to change from black to gray;
pour cold water over it or tip it into a snowdrift - this should be done carefully, as there will be a lot of steam;
wipe dry;
brush with oil and return to heat;
calcinate, rinse, dry;
repeat twice.

This option is time-consuming and labor-intensive, but you won’t have to get rid of the burnt smell in the kitchen. Instead of open fire, you can also use country stoves, where there are holes in the heating surface.

Article on the topic: Kitchen with a stove in a private house. Design and styling

Combined options

Based on the listed methods of how to heat a frying pan, housewives are coming up with more and more new options for preparing a cast-iron frying pan for the first use. Here are some of such know-how :

“bake” a frying pan filled with salt in the oven - this way the cooling process will last even longer and will take at least two hours;
First, heat the pan on the stove, then do it with oil, rinse and also use salt, warming the dishes again.

Some people consider these methods to be the most effective. But do not forget that the performance characteristics are affected not only by the method of calcining the frying pan, but also by subsequent care for it.

In what other cases is it necessary to calcinate

Calcination is required not only for a new frying pan, but also for the sake of prevention and even getting rid of problems that have appeared on old ones.

Cast iron frying pans often form carbon deposits - burnt oil. This is harmful to health, so you should not cook on such a surface. In this case, calcination will help, since it can destroy the accumulated carbon deposits, after which it will be easy to wash. Usually the question of how to properly burn a frying pan from soot is asked before cooking pancakes. This way the pan is cleared of old oil - even the first pancake will not be lumpy.
If cast iron cookware begins to rust, then it must be properly treated to remove rust. First of all, it is necessary to clean the damaged areas. This can be done with a special product or a simple cleaning powder. After this, they are additionally sanded with fine-grain sandpaper. The cookware can then be baked to create a new protective coating to prevent future rust.

Caring for a cast iron frying pan

There are several “golden” rules that will help pass on a cast iron frying pan to the next generation in excellent condition:

Use only mild detergents.
Hand wash only.
Try to remove carbon deposits at their inception using natural remedies - mustard, soda or vinegar.
Do not use metal jaws.
Do not leave food in cast iron cookware.
Soak stubborn stains in hot water.
If there is a thick grease deposit, you can boil water in a frying pan for easier cleaning.
Ensure that the dishes are stored in an oiled cloth.
Always preheat the pan before adding food to it.
After washing, immediately wipe the dishes with a towel, since cast iron should not remain wet.
Wipe food with a paper towel to remove excess moisture.

These simple tips will help you maintain the performance properties of your cookware at the best level, making your food as tasty and healthy as possible.

Prevention measures

The most common problems with cast iron cookware are carbon deposits and traces of rust on the walls. Let's look at how to care for a frying pan to prevent such defects.

Rust

To avoid rust, you must:

remove cast iron cookware for storage in a completely dry condition;
After washing, dry the pans with cloth or paper towels, not allowing drops of water to remain until dry;
to renew the oil coating when it becomes thinner - heat the pan with oil once every few months;
Immediately after cooking, empty cast iron cookware - do not store food.

If rust does appear, it can be removed with a metal mesh or vinegar solution, and the dishes can be hardened again with vegetable oil.

Nagara

The appearance of soot is a natural process; splashes of fat harden on the inside and outside of the walls. How to reduce the rate of carbon growth:

do not pour too much oil when cooking;
do not keep the frying pan on the stove when it is not being cooked, and splashes of fat are flying from other dishes;
Constantly maintain the non-stick layer to prevent food from burning.

When washing, do not use strong chemicals, which will destroy the protective oil layer on the pan.