Cast iron is great to cook with, but it's only ever as good as how well you take care of it. Here's our guide for taking care of all your cast iron cookware.
Initial Seasoning (out of the box)
- Quickly rinse with hot water to remove any dust and/or packaging materials.
- On low to medium heat, add approximately 100ml of vegetable oil into the pan.
- Slowly swirl the oil around the pan to evenly coat the entire surface.
- Using a wadded up ball of paper towel, wipe down sides of the pan.
- Discard vegetable oil and wipe off any excess on pan with paper towel.
- Return to low heat. This time, use one heaping tablespoon of coconut oil and repeat steps 3 and 4.
- Discard any excess oil. Wipe down with paper towel. Store in a clean and dry space.
Day-to-Day
- Allow your pan to heat thoroughly on low-medium before adding oil and food. Once the handle is hot to the touch, lower heat and add cooking oil. This allows oil to soak into the pan before food touches the surface and helps protect the cast iron.
- After use, scrub the pan under hot water using a non-abrasive scrub brush, such as our Kamenoko Tawashi brushes.
- Store clean and oiled for next use.
Don't:
- use anything too abrasive (ie. steel wool, rotary polisher, etc.) to scrub your cookware
- use any industrial cleaners (ie. acetone, varsol, etc.) as this can remain on the surface of your pan and contaminate your food
- store wet
- put in a dishwasher, ever!
Do:
- oil after every use (coconut oil works best)
- wash with hot water
- use soap if needed - we feel that a small drop of dish detergent helps in sanitizing your pan and preventing cross contamination
- store clean and dry
With the proper care and seasoning, good cast iron cookware, like Oigen, will last a lifetime.
Happy cooking!
Thanks for reading, EO