How to care for and cook with your cast iron pot:

[JHan]

[WheelWalker]

1. Use it every day. Don't spare the oil. Use brush and hot water to clean.

Soak first in hot water to remove stuck on if necessary. Towel dry. Reseasoning rarely necessary if you don't spare the oil when cooking. Been using cast iron nearly exclusively for 50 years.

[pansypoo53219]

2. i dry mine on the stove.

a grad of culinary school said salt to clean, but his pot looked like the left

[WheelWalker]

3. I sometimes dry on the stove but not so much any more. It's a small energy savings, I know, but...

[JHan]

4. thanks for those extra tips.

I recently got my grandmother's cast iron pots and they're very very very rusty.

[herding cats]

5. Same here!

Well, kind of, it was just over two years ago they passed on to me. One was even her mother's cast iron before her. My grandmother added to the collection then passed them to my mother, who in turn passed them on to me.

I used steel wool and soap. Scrubbed them until rust free and then seasoned like in the video. Now I use a sponge and salt with hot water and salt to clean. Never use soap or detergents because it weakens the seasoning. I heat dry (just like my grandma) and then oil and heat again before storage.

The video could have been made by my grandmother. It's that excellent!

Thank you for sharing.

P.S. If yours have any crud on the bottoms you need help removing, spray with oven cleaner and place in a trash bag overnight. The next day it should clean off with just a touch of scrubbing. Then season as if it were new.

[JHan]

6. the ones I have are a mess but they're fantastic..

3 skillets - all have a good even surface

2 fry pans

2 different sized griddles ( I think she got these later) the other pans she had a long time.

And 1 dutch oven.

I have my work cut out !