Dishes require delicate care, which any experienced housewife knows about. Unprofitable and easy-to-use kitchen tools are a rarity, and for the most part they do not allow you to get the desired culinary effect. Cast iron pans show a reverse example. They rightfully enjoy considerable popularity among cooks, but at the same time belong to the demanding service utensils. Compliance with the rules of care provides convenience in the cooking process, allowing you to diversify the menu, giving the dishes the best gastronomic properties. Those who wish to succeed in the culinary business should know how to calcine a cast-iron frying pan and other products from this metal.
Why do I need to calcine the pan?
The calcination procedure is determined by several aspects. Firstly, it eliminates traces of industrial protection on the surface of kitchen utensils. Before releasing products to the market, manufacturers process products with special lubricants that protect them from harmful effects. Understanding how to properly calcine a new cast-iron frying pan will help ensure chemical safety of the product. Secondly, annealing provides the dishes with optimal characteristics for subsequent use. In particular, pans are endowed with non-stick qualities and protection against corrosive processes.
Calcination traditions
This care measure came to Russia from Central Asia. In many ways, the understanding of how to properly burn a cast-iron frying pan came from Kyrgyzstan. Salt, as well as goose and mutton fat were used as an “activating" cleaning product. This combination provided a good effect and contributed to the improvement of the characteristics of the device. By the way, Asian cuisine involves very harsh cooking conditions and, therefore, the operation of dishes. This is due to the development of appropriate methods for serving pans.
Modern calcination recipes
Today, the answer to the question of how to calcine a cast-iron frying pan is largely connected with classical technology. At the same time, the range of products used during calcination is quite wide and does not require serious investments. It can be salt, the most common one, as well as one of the oils common in Russia - usually vegetable is chosen, but there may be others. Marked goose fat, of course, may be the best option, however, it can be difficult to get it on the market.
Modern housewives are usually faced with the need to calcine immediately after purchasing a pan. You can’t cook on it, since the coating “from the factory” requires not only thorough washing, but also cleaning with a disinfecting effect - at this stage you should turn to the question of how to calcine a new cast-iron frying pan and bring it into proper form for cooking.
Where is it better to calcine?
The procedure itself does not involve special preparations, nevertheless, it is worth considering the place and conditions for its implementation. One must be prepared for the fact that during the calcination smoke is generated, and in such volumes that the neighbors can think about the fire that has arisen. For this reason, it is better to organize this event in the fresh air. Many will have a question of how. It is possible to calcine a cast-iron frying pan in the open air at the stake. This is a good option if you plan to process a large model - also cauldrons are effectively exposed to thermo-salt effects from different sides. In the kitchen, especially small-sized, such tasks are complicated, delivering a lot of trouble.
If the pan is small or there is no possibility to carry out the operation outside the kitchen, then maximum ventilation should be provided. Smoke removal methods will also allow you to adjust the procedure and help determine how to calcine a cast-iron frying pan in specific conditions. When everything is provided, you can cook the object itself and the necessary products.
Calcination procedure
It’s worth starting with pre-cleaning the pan. It must be washed and dried. Then it is put on fire and slowly warmed up. You can add salt when the dishes have found the optimum temperature for frying - as a rule, a coating is formed 1-2 cm high. The secret to properly calcining a cast-iron pan lies precisely in the uniform distribution of crystals over the entire surface. It is not worth adding heating temperature, since thermal processes must take place systematically and deeply. Salt has the necessary properties that allow it to penetrate into the pores of cast iron and eliminate harmful substances.
When performing the procedure, stir the salt. We must not forget about the edges of the pan, which should also be calcined. If deep dishes are used, it is necessary to foresee the possibility of their installation on one side. At this stage, the question will certainly arise about how much to calcine the cast-iron frying pan and how to complete this process. In time, it takes no more than 20 minutes. For small models, 10 minutes is enough, and thick specimens and cauldrons, respectively, require more time. There is another method of reference, which provides an indication of the color of salt. Finding a dark shade, it signals that the work is done and you can stop processing. Used salt is discarded, and the pan is washed and dried.
What pans should be calcined?
Cast iron cookware is available to customers in two versions - after special processing and without it. For all representatives of the second category, the answer to the question of how to calcine a cast-iron frying pan with salt is relevant, since they are not prepared for use. More difficult is the case with enameled pans and models with factory non-stick coating. As a rule, they already have certain protective properties and are more prepared for cooking processes. However, in order to insure yourself, it is recommended to thoroughly rinse new dishes and perform oil calcination. These operations will not bring harm, and a useful result will be provided.
Formation of a protective layer
The use of salt ends here, but for a greater effect, it is worth performing another part of the calcination - with the help of oil. It is advisable to use a refined product for this, in order to initially reduce the volume of smoke. In the procedure for how to calcine a cast-iron skillet with salt, it is important to distribute a loose cleaner. The heated surface is filled over the entire area and slowly continues to glow. The duration of such heating is 10-15 minutes. If in the first case the cleaning effect was important, now the kitchen tool should have a protective coating.
The main quality that is achieved at this stage is non-stickness. It is even compared with the Teflon layer, but this is not entirely true. The fact is that polytetrafluoroethylene (Teflon), by definition, does not enter into reactions that promote combustion processes. Calcined cast iron, in turn, only facilitates the lag of products from its surface, which, however, is important.
Having figured out how to calcine a cast-iron frying pan before first use, it is worth mentioning old specimens. They will not need to be rid of factory lubrication, but if the dishes have not been used for a long time or poorly cleaned, then heat treatment with salt will also not be superfluous.
More about the rules of operation
Calcination in itself is a useful operation for the care of cast-iron pans. Furthermore, there are a number of other operating rules that will enhance the usability of this cookware, as well as make cooking products healthier and safer. Cast iron pans do not tolerate moisture, so they should be thoroughly wiped and dried after use. At the same time, if fat or oil remains after cooking, then pouring it is not worth it - such coatings have a beneficial effect on the pores of the cast iron surface, creating a protective layer.