The Importance of a Cast Iron Skillet Seasoning in Your Cooking Arsenal

Becoming a master chef takes more effort than learning to prepare dozens of recipes. That is an elementary cooking skill. The mastery comes when you know how to enhance the taste of the food through specific cookware.

For example, you can try to use a cast-iron skillet. Cast iron skillet helps you to prepare healthy meals that have a rich taste.

But, for that, you need to master cast-iron skillet seasoning. Luckily, it is a simple process that improves your cooking a lot.

Cooking is a Craft

Cooking is less about learning about a specific cuisine and more about learning about food. Food is an experience you customize and create after you build a culinary foundation.

At the beginning of your cooking journey, you focus on the following recipes. Often, you use elementary cookware to prepare everything. As you progress, you begin to notice how a slight change of cookware impacts the taste and presentation of the dish.

Depending on the cuisine you want to master, you have to use specific pieces of cookware. The hard part here is to recognize what you need and learn how to use it.

Tools of the Trade

While there are various pieces of cookware, you should give cast iron cookware a try. There are several pieces in the cast-iron cookware family. For starters, try a cast-iron skillet.

Cast iron skillet is similar to the regular skillet. Its shape differs from the regular skillet since it has a broad working surface and is bigger. There are a few sizes of the cast iron skillet, from the smallest resembling a regular skillet.

The difference here is that cast iron skillet helps the ingredients cook in their natural juices. Also, since it has a specific construction, the cast iron skillet offers you a broad choice of recipes for cooking.

With a cast-iron skillet, you can cook meat, poultry, and bake bread and even cake. The only thing you need to learn is how to care for the cast iron cookware.

Caring for the Cookware

Cookware maintenance is a vital part of the cooking process. Using cookware influences the taste of the food you cook. However, if you fail to maintain the cookware, then you lose the taste of the food.

Maintaining your cookware keeps the taste at the same level. In professional kitchens, there are strict procedures to follow. But, if you are cooking at home, then it is even more crucial to maintain cookware.

Buying new cookware is expensive, and you should avoid it if there is no need to buy more. Now, the advantage of the cast iron cookware is that it can last for decades. But, it can only last that long if you season it on the regular.

Another thing about cast iron cookware is that the whole maintenance revolves around seasoning the cookware.

Why You Should Season Cast Iron Skillet

The primary reason to season cast iron skillets is to maintain the quality of taste you cook. Aside from that, seasoning cast iron is easy to incorporate into the cleaning routine. Therefore, you should use it to enhance the taste of the food and keep an excellent piece of cookware.

Cast Iron Skillet Properties

Cast iron cookware is much different than other types of cookware. As a material, cast iron lasts longer and is full of valuable minerals.

That comes with its advantages and disadvantages. For example, while it makes your food healthier, cast iron is weak to specific types of food. Acidic foods, such as tomatoes, easily damage the surface of the cookware.

With seasoning, you can counter the harmful effects of acids. Once you master the process of seasoning, repeat it, and you are good to go.

Cast Iron Seasoning

Cast iron seasoning is a simple process. To perform the cast iron seasoning, you need household ingredients such as oil, a sponge, and a cloth.

You want to do seasoning right after you cook and scrub the larger pieces of food from the surface. Once you clean the skillet, it is seasoning time.

Heat the stove for a few minutes. Once you reach medium heat, put the skillet on the stove. Add a bit of oil, preferably organic. Let the oil evaporate and after that clean the skillet with a cloth.

If necessary, put it underwater again, and leave it to dry. That is how you perform cast iron seasoning.

Make Cast Iron Seasoning a Part of the Routine

Now, all you have to do is to make it a part of the cleaning routine. In the beginning, it may seem like an unnecessary task. But, once you get the hang of it, you can perform it as something natural.

The trick is to use the same type of oil and other cleaning materials. And, you don’t have to buy anything too fancy for cleaning. Neutral detergent or even soap may do the job. The key here is consistency.

You can season the cast iron skillet after every meal you cook. Also, you should season the skillet if you cook with ingredients that have lots of acids.

With that, you are ready to improve your cooking arsenal.

Improve Your Cooking Arsenal

Mastering cookware maintenance techniques may not seem like the most exciting thing in the world. However, it is necessary to perform if you want to improve your cooking skills.

Give cast iron seasoning a try. Once you taste the food that comes from the skillet, you never go back. That is why it is even more important to keep the quality of the cookware intact.