by Elizabeth Ducie

Created on: November 21, 2009

Cast iron cookware makes cooking relatively easy, although you need strong wrists to lift some of the utensils, especially when they are full. Typical cookware includes frying pans, stew pots and casseroles.

We have cast iron frying pans in a variety of sizes, since it's always best to use a pan of the correct size. If it's too big, you waste oil and energy heating up more metal than you need. If it's too small, the food won't cook evenly.

For most effective use, the cookware needs to be seasoned before use. The reasons for this are:

It prevents the pan from rusting

It makes the pan non-stick

It allows you to cook with less oil when frying (and that's always the healthier option).

There are just a few steps to effective coating of a cast iron pan, casserole or stew pot:

Firstly coat the bottom of the pan in a layer of salt. It should be just a few millimetres deep.

Next, put the pan on the stove and heat to a medium heat. It needs to be hot enough to heat the metal completely, but not so hot that you are going to burn yourself when you carry out the seasoning.

Next take a couple of sheets of kitchen roll and pour on a small amount of vegetable oil. (If you haven't got any kitchen roll, newspaper can be used instead, although it is less absorbent and the oil will tend to run off the paper and up your arm if you are not careful).

Using the oiled paper, vigorously rub the salt into the hot metal (now you see why the temperature of the metal needs to be just right).

Tip out the excess salt and clean off the final traces with fresh kitchen roll or newspaper. (Do not be tempted to use water at this stage or you will undo all the good work you've just carried out).

To maintain the seasoning of the pan over time, there are a couple of hints to remember:

Always wipe out the pan while it is warm. Once again kitchen roll or newspaper is great for this.

Avoid using water to clean the pans if possible. Sometimes, it's inevitable, depending on what you've but if possible, a dry clean is much better.

Never use detergent to clean the pan. If you have to use water, then make it as hot as you can, but keep it clear.

If food starts to stick in the pan, or you think it is losing its seasoned quality, you can always repeat the seasoning process. We redo our pans every couple of years.

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