Do You Oil The Bottom Of A Cast Iron Pan?
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Cast iron pans are made of a mixture of iron, steel, and silicon, depending on the manufacturer’s blends which causes these pieces of kitchenware to rust easily. However, there are going to be certain practices that will keep a chef ahead of all maintenance needs.
One of these practices is oiling the cast iron, the entirety of it, including the bottom. This simple action preserves the integrity of the metals, protecting them from rusting elements and keeping the pan’s flavor.
These cast-iron pieces of cookware are created with the intention of lasting a lifetime or more. Oiling them is one of the best ways to ensure this fact.
When Should You do it?
There will be different ways of keeping your cast iron cookery well-oiled, but most will agree that after each use, quick oiling benefits the cookware.
This means after the meal is completed and the pan cleaned and dried, that the owner of the cast iron should apply a small amount of oil to the entirety of the kitchenware and then cook off any excess, which ‘reseals’ the protective barrier.
Some think, especially the older well-seasoned cast iron, will only need to be oiled less than that, favoring a once-a-week (or similar) method.
Should you Oil it Every Time You use it?
As mentioned before, this will be a debatable point; there are many that have utilized this method of oiling their cast iron after every use, and it is helping the cookery last without rust for years.
However, the fact that this process works and has never let a chef down in the kitchen makes it pretty much the way to go about it in a foolproof manner.
Then again, there are going to be masters in small business cooking that will know just by looking at their cast iron when it needs proper oiling and when it can be washed, to be simply put away for another day.
Is it Better to Put Oil or Grease?
This will depend on the chef and what gets cooked in each specific cast iron piece of kitchenware. For instance, there will be meals that will benefit from good grease that matches flavor pallets.
Then, on the other hand, there will be those meals that can only be cooked with olive and vegetable oils to get healthier benefits.
Both will be effective in adding layers to the seasoning, but when it comes to storing the pan for the night, it will be better practice for the chef to use oil after each cooking session.
Do you Oil the Whole Cast Iron Pan?
When you are beginning the prep work for a meal, it is best to oil the inside of the pan before adding additional ingredients. Cooking this way will help create an almost non-stick surface, plus it helps to activate the seasoning layers of the best utilized cast iron.
When speaking about after the cooking has taken place, the best practice will be to add a small amount of oil to the entire pan. This way, you are properly maintaining the pieces of cookery each and every time you use any of your cast iron kitchenware.
Do you Oil the Bottom of a Cast Iron Skillet?
As mentioned before, with the cast iron pan, there are going to be certain practices that have worked for generations, including oiling the kitchenware after every use.
These old, known works, ways will include taking a small amount of oil after every use and giving the entire piece of cast iron a thin covering to protect and reseal the outer surface of the cast iron.
It may seem silly to oil the bottom of your cookware, but the fact is that in doing so, you will be protecting the bottom of your cast iron from rusting, which can cause massive damage to the skillet.
Final Thoughts on Oiling the bottom of a Cast Iron Pan
Not many will have the fortitude to keep up with the daily needs of cast iron, and many will prefer the ease of Teflon-coated cookery. Unfortunately, those folks will miss out on the advanced flavors that come with a well-seasoned cast iron skillet or pan.
Not to mention that the cast iron cookery can withstand the highest heat cooking has to offer, from campfire setups to fire brick ovens.
These pieces of kitchenware are perfect for these higher-temperature forms of cooking. These cast iron kitchenware pieces come in a variety of styles, in which any chef can meet all needs.