cast iron - old wives tales

[Soccerdad]

I almost wrote old wives TAILS but figured the missus would look over my shoulder and get the filet knife

What do y'all think about the care and cleaning of a cast iron fry pan?

My daddy ALWAYS cooked fish in a well seasoned, highly blackened fry pan. He often had two going when company came after a productive north Ontario trip. Mom would clean them quickly in soap and water, lighly oil them and let them dry on a medium hot stovetop. Seemed to work well.

Then I read a thing that said, "Don't even get them wet. If you need abrasion, use salt .. when you get 'em just about all the way clean, spray with Pam, wipe with paper towel and store upside down."

So that's what I do now. And they seem to never need re-seasoning.

Anybody got a favorite theory?

ps - I gave up non-stick. Prefer to die from tobacco and alcohol thank you very much.

[jsuber]

http://huntsville.about.com/cs/food/ht/Cast_Iron.htm

A Southern woman's pride and joy is her cast iron skillet. Here we tell you have to season, wash and store your cast iron cookware.
Difficulty: Easy
Time Required: Several Hours
Here's How:
Wash skillet in hot, soapy water. Rinse thoroughly and dry completely.
Apply a thin coating of melted shortening (Crisco, for example) or vegetable oil with a solf cloth or paper towel.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place skillet UPSIDE DOWN on top oven rack.
Place foil on a cookie sheet and place on bottom rack of oven. This will catch the drippings from the skillet.
Bake in oven for one hour.
Turn oven off. DO NOT OPEN. Allow skillet to cool down in oven (several hours). There may be a film on your cookware, this comes off after use. You will have to use it a couple times as a test.
If your skillet has burnt-on food on it, here's how to get the burnt food and black specks off.
How to Clean Your Cast Iron Cookware
This book has more tips: "Cast Iron Cooking for Dummies"
Find recipes in this book: "Cooking in Cast Iron:Yesterday's Flavors for Today's Kitchen"
Plan a trip to South Pittsburg, Tennessee where cast iron skillets are made and where the National Cornbread Festival takes place each year.
Seeing where Cast Iron Cookware is made is a special sight. Tour the Lodge Manufacturing Plant.
Tips:
Clean skillet after use while still warm with hot water and a plastic scrub brush.
DO NOT put in dishwasher or wash with soap or dishwashing detergent.
Dry cast iron cookware thoroughly after washing, then spray lightly with vegetable oil (Pam, etc.) Wipe dry and store. Never store cookware with lid on; cast iron cookware needs air circulation.
Reseason cookware after cooking beans or acidic foods (such as tomatoes). Frying or cooking foods with fat content helps expedite the seasoning process.
Do not use cast iron cookware for storage of food.
What You Need:
Cast Iron Cookware
Melted Shortening or oil
Soft cloth or paper towel
Aluminum Foil
Cookie Sheet

[beatswork]

One of the first things my wife told me after we got married was not to put soap in her cast iron skillets to clean them. She will wipe them out real good with paper towels to clean them of food and then fill them three-quarters with water. She puts the skillet back on the stove top and boils the water water out of them. After they cool back down, another wipe, and then coats them again with oil.

[Reel Cowboy]

My mom (the MIL don't use cast iron so my wife doesn't either) always just wiped it out with a paper towel and a little salt.