I am Cast Iron Man

     I love cast iron.  There, I said it.  I love it.  The way it evenly distributes and maintains heat make it unbeatable for a number of different cooking methods.  The care instructions and price of cast iron cookware can make it a daunting choice for someone who’s not familiar with it, but trust me, its well worth having at least one or two pieces in your kitchen arsenal.  In fact, if I had to shrink my cookware down to only a few pieces, I would still include a Dutch oven or deep skillet made of cast iron.  Now [insert deity]-forbid something should go wrong with your expensive pan, instead of sending it off to landfill heaven, all you need do is take a little time to refinish it.  You’ll have a like-new pan quicker and cheaper than a trip to the store!

     Today, I’m refinishing one of my cast iron Dutch ovens that we use for camping and historic reenactments.  It suffered some damage at a festival this season when it was moved from a spit hanging cozily over the campfire directly into the fire with a pound of bacon inside.  If you were wondering, one pound of bacon and grease at 800 degrees works out poorly for both the pot and anyone within smelling distance.  It certainly added a deeper authenticity to our historic camp, with that 18^th-century-I-haven’t-bathed-this-month-and-oh-by-the-way-something-died bouquet.

     A quick search on the interwebs will turn up many thorough guides to refinishing cast iron, so I’ll be brief here:

  Re-Seasoning Cast Iron

• Scour off old debris, rust, & residue with steel wool and coarse salt
• Rinse
• Dry in a low oven
• Lightly coat with oil
• Cure in 350° oven for an hour

     My goal is to encourage anyone out there who hasn’t tried cooking with cast iron to do so.  If you’re willing to buy used and refinish it yourself, you can pick up old cast ironware for fairly cheap at flea markets, estate sales, or thrift shops.  These pots are wonderfully durable, and can even become heirlooms.  I proudly use one that has been serving our family meals for at least 4 generations.  Just remember, the handles do get hot!