I'm Just Here for the Food_ Version 2.0 - Alton Brown [10]
THE MAKING OF CAST IRON
To cast iron, a pattern is made (a positive image of a pan, pot, or what have you). Then a mixture of sand and clay is packed around it under high pressure creating a mold, or cake. Molten iron is poured through a small opening in the cake. After the iron has solidified, the cake is broken open, revealing the newborn cookware. The sand is then broken up and reused.
CAST IRON FEEDING INSTRUCTIONS
1. Place the pan to be cured on the top rack of a cold oven and place a sheet pan or baking sheet on the bottom rack.
2. Turn the heat to 350° F.
3. When the pan is warm but still touchable, remove the pan and spoon in a dollop of solid vegetable shortening, which is more refined than other oils and won’t leave a nasty film. As the shortening melts, use a paper towel to smear the fat all over the pan, inside, outside, handle—everywhere.
4. Place the pan back in the oven, upside down. This prevents excess fat from pooling in the bottom and botching the cure.
5. Bake for 1 hour, then kill the heat and let the pan cool for a few minutes. (Use fireproof gloves when you remove the pan from the oven.)
6. Wipe the pan clean but don’t wash it until after you’ve used it.
That’s it. To clean a cast-iron pan, I usually add a little fat to the still-hot pan, toss in some kosher salt, and rub it with paper towels. If that doesn’t do the trick, I’ll wash it with mild detergent, warm water, and a sponge. I re-cure my cast-iron pans every New Year’s Day, whether I need to or not.
ADDITIONAL SEAR GEAR
Spray bottle Your standard buck-fifty drugstore pump bottle is the perfect tool for applying a thin coat of lubricant (cooking oil) to the surface of the food to be seared. Beware of fancy-looking mister bottles. I’ve had three and worn out three with only moderate use.
Spring-loaded tongs A pair of these is like having a big metal hand. Muzzle with a rubber band for low-profile storage. I keep a short pair for the kitchen and a long pair for the grill.
Instant-read thermometer Heat control is the cook’s primary directive, and yet there are a lot of cooks out there who do not own this simple device. This is like riding a motorcycle without a helmet, or owning a pit bull but not homeowner’s insurance, or working a government job without a shredder. It’s crazy. I’m not talking about the old metal-tipped glass tube with the metal paddle on it that you could have tapped a maple tree with. I am talking about a slender metal probe topped with a digital readout of some type. Analog models are also available, but they’re easily swayed out of concentration, so use them at your own risk.
Welding gloves Potholders are for sissies and mitts are for baseball. If I’m gonna grab a five hundred-degree pan, I want protection that reaches halfway to my elbow. Skip the kitchen shop and head to the hardware store.
Splatter guard As the pan gets hot it’s going to turn into a radiator. The air around it is going to get hot, expand, and rise, taking microscopic drops of grease with it. If you’ve got a really strong ventilation hood, these drops may get caught up in the draft and get on out of the house. Odds are, though, the air is simply going to cool down as it rises, allowing the particles to fall down onto any horizontal surface they can find. The best way to prevent this is by using a splatter guard. It’s basically a screen door for your pan.
Make sure you buy one wide enough to cover your widest sauté pan, because you definitely don’t want to pan fry without this device in place. Besides preventing clean-up nightmares, it’s also your own best protection against flying grease. (Don’t think this is an issue? Try frying bacon naked sometime.)
Fresh air Any time