Each of us probably knows what a frying pan is and how to use it (fry cutlets, pancakes, potatoes and much more). But how can you preserve it so that it can last for many years?
Proper use of the frying pan is the first step towards proper care for her. In order for your frying pans, saucepans, and saucepans to serve you for decades, follow a few simple rules during their operation.
Completely ignoring them will lead to the fact that after just a year of using the frying pan, it will become unsuitable for cooking and will cause you a lot of inconvenience.
And finally, your dream has come true and a new frying pan has appeared in your house, and even the one that you have been dreaming about for many years. And you can’t wait to fry something on it. Do not rush, as using the frying pan for the first time is very important point on the way to extending the life of such dishes.
First wash the pan in warm water using a soft sponge and liquid detergent. After this, take a small amount of sunflower oil and wipe the surface of the product with it. Especially this method suitable for frying pans, which is very unstable to environmental influences.
Remember that preparing a new one for first use will make it easier for you further process her cleaning. In addition, after preparation, the pan will heat evenly.
If you do not know how to prepare a new frying pan, then strictly follow the instructions below.
Firstly, at the production plant, all new cast iron frying pans are necessarily treated with sealant. This is done so that during further storage, rust does not form on the surface of the pans.
As a result, if you start cooking food in such a frying pan immediately after purchase, all this chemical will enter your body, causing harm to your health. Allergy sufferers, for example, may develop a rash, heart patients may experience increased headaches, and much more.
So how do you prepare a new one? cast iron frying pan? As mentioned earlier, the pan should be washed in warm soapy water. If there are small rust spots on its surface, they can be removed using a thin wire brush or steel wool.
After cleaning the frying pan from the factory protective chemicals, dry it well. To do this, place the pan in the oven or on the stove to dry it. Whatever method of drying this product you choose (open fire, gas or oven), drying should be done at a temperature of no more than 200 degrees.
Secondly When first used, a cast iron frying pan must be greased with a thin layer of vegetable oil on both sides while it is still warm. When using the pan in the future, you will only need to grease it from the inside.
After greasing with oil or any other fat, place the pan in the oven upside down. Important to remember that if the handle of the frying pan is made of plastic, then the oven as a way to prepare a frying pan for the first use is completely eliminated. When exposed to fire and high temperatures, plastic can melt and ignite, which will inevitably lead to a fire.
The inverted pan should be kept in the oven until the smoke completely disappears. After this, take the pan out and grease it again, then let it cool completely.
If you do everything right, the pan will have a shiny black color, heat evenly, and be easy to clean.
Now you should have no questions about how to prepare a cast iron frying pan for the first use.
It is also worth remembering that for cooking it is better to buy high-quality frying pans from famous manufacturers. Those pans that are made of low-quality metal will not acquire a shiny black color and will not heat evenly. And when removing the pan from the oven, always use oven mitts or oven mitts.
When you cook food in a frying pan, do not forget that it is best to use plastic or wooden spatulas or other similar products made from these materials. For example, if your frying pan has a non-stick coating, then never stir food in it using sharp metal objects that can easily damage such a surface.
It is important that a new cast-iron frying pan, like an old one, should not remain on the fire for a long time without water or food, since its service life is significantly reduced, and the non-stick coating is damaged and may completely collapse. In addition, experts do not recommend placing frying pans with plastic handles in the oven, or exposing plastic parts of the cookware to the flame of a gas burner.
After finishing the cooking process, it is advisable to let the pan cool on its own, rather than trying to forcefully cool it under running cold water. Only after the product has completely cooled down can it be washed in warm water using a soft sponge. In addition, non-stick frying pans do not like very hard brushes or any cleaning powders.
Always try to wash the frying pan after you have cooked food in it, because if a lot of burnt oil or oil has accumulated on its surface, old carbon deposits, you may damage the surface. As a result, in places of damage, food will constantly burn and stick to the bottom of the pan, which will lead to additional difficulties when cleaning the dishes - you will have to constantly soak it to remove burnt-on food debris.
To make your pan last longer, it's best to cook on medium to low heat!
Childhood memory, unchanged smile-inducing and a soul-warming experience—a trip to grandma’s. The most simple dishes, fried new potatoes with dill or fragrant stacks of lacy pancakes were worthy of all Michelin stars. Our material is addressed to everyone who wants to pamper their household with unique delicacies from the past.
The manufacturer recommends calcining cast iron cookware. You should not ignore the advice - the alloy has a porous structure that absorbs microparticles of food. Soot forms, which is almost impossible to get rid of, and cooked dishes acquire a rancid smell.
Why heat a frying pan that is new and seemingly clean?
The purpose of the procedure is to create a natural non-stick coating.
To do this, you need to heat a frying pan with refined sunflower oil: when heated, the pores expand and absorb the oil, which turns into protective film after cooling.
There are several reliable methods; let’s take a closer look at the most labor-intensive of them.
How to heat a cast iron frying pan before first use - step by step instructions:
To prevent corrosion, the manufacturer coats the surface of the product with lubricant.
What to do: Before seasoning a new cast iron frying pan, rinse it thoroughly hot water with detergent and wipe dry. If there is too much factory grease, first remove the layer with a soft cloth.
What to do: pour a centimeter layer of salt, heat a cast-iron frying pan on the stove over medium heat for at least 30 minutes. Together with salt, a natural sorbent, traces of grease and a characteristic metallic taste will disappear.
By the way! Has a specific aroma appeared? Great, goal achieved.
Cool the container naturally, discard the salt, rinse and wipe dry.
Before burning the frying pan, pour vegetable oil onto the bottom and grease the sides.
What to do: preheat the oven to 250 degrees, place a frying pan in it for 20-30 minutes. Theoretically, after cooling, the dishes are ready for use, but housewives are advised to repeat the procedure 2-3 times, replacing the oil with fresh one. Wipe with a dry cloth and use to prepare culinary masterpieces.
Attention! A product with plastic/wooden elements cannot be baked in the oven. Use the stove, increasing the firing time by at least 2 times.
Note: instead of vegetable oil, you can use lard or fat. 
Interested in how to properly heat a cast iron frying pan? a quick fix? There are two simplified options.
Step by step:
Attention! If calcination at home has deformed the kitchen utensils or cracks have appeared, return the product to the seller. A high-quality frying pan is tested in production at temperatures many times higher than household stoves.
See how easy it is to sear a cast iron frying pan outdoors:
Housewives who were lucky enough to inherit an old cast-iron frying pan jealously guard their treasure from damage, preferring to care for kitchen utensils the old-fashioned way: without a dishwasher and household chemicals.
Simple operating rules will make cast iron cookware truly durable.
Required conditions:
During use, the protective layer becomes even thicker and protects products from burning. Follow the simple recommendations for using your favorite so that you can pass it on to your grandchildren along with your culinary skills. A quality product will last for decades!
Important! An exception to the rule is an enamel-coated frying pan. Before using it for the first time, just grease it with oil and heat it over low heat for 20 minutes.
Cast iron cookware is in particular demand among buyers due to its reliability and environmental friendliness. But even such durable products require special care. To extend its service life, the frying pan must be subjected to a number of treatments before first use. This will prevent corrosion, which can lead to damage to the dishes, and will simplify the cooking process, because the food will not burn thanks to the natural non-stick coating.
Before first use, the pan must be washed and cleaned. The fact is that during production, a sealant is applied to the dishes to prevent rust. If you start cooking right away, the food will absorb harmful substances, as a result of which people may experience health problems in the form of allergic reactions and even poisoning. Therefore, you first need to get rid of the factory protective film.
To do this, wash the frying pan in hot water. If desired, you can add a little dishwashing detergent or laundry soap, but this is not necessary, since after further procedures the surface will already be completely disinfected. If there are traces of rust, it is recommended to remove them with a sponge or metal scraper. After washing, the product must be wiped and dried, then you can start calcining.
Cast iron cookware should only be washed by hand: dishwasher cannot be used. After washing, the product must be wiped dry, as drops of water can cause corrosion.
A cast iron frying pan needs to be heated before first use. Such a prescription can be seen on product labels and packaging. The fact is that the material has a porous structure, so the pores must be completely filled with oil. Under influence high temperature it will turn into a non-stick coating. If done correctly, food will not stick to the surface after each use.
You can fire a cast iron frying pan and prepare it for use at home using salt and vegetable oil. The oil must be exclusively refined (preferably olive) and odorless. You can calcinate using one of the following methods.
Calcination with salt allows you to remove factory grease
This preparation takes place in two stages. At the first stage, you need to cover the bottom of the frying pan with a thick layer of coarse table salt and place it on the stove at maximum heat. The salt must be stirred until it becomes Brown. Since this substance is a natural absorbent, it absorbs factory lubricant. On average, the procedure takes 30 minutes. After this, pour out the salt, let the pan cool slightly, and wash it under hot water. running water(without using detergents), dry, wipe inside with a cloth soaked in vegetable oil.
At the second stage, the dishes need to be filled with vegetable oil, placed on a burner over medium heat and heated for 20 minutes. Pour out the oil, let the pan cool, then wash it and wipe dry with a kitchen towel.
If you don’t have time for long-term processing, you can skip the first stage and immediately proceed to the second, but increase the calcination time to half an hour.
This method is quite extreme, but it brings best result, creating a reliable protective film. If you have doubts about the quality of the product, it is better to go with the first option, since in this case The cookware will be repeatedly exposed to sudden changes in temperature. Before you start processing, you need to unscrew plastic handles, If there are any.
Since a lot of smoke will be released during the procedure, it is advisable to turn on the hood, open the windows and take care individual means protection. It is recommended to wear a respirator to avoid inhaling smoke and gloves to avoid getting burned.
The algorithm of actions is simple:
Before cooking food in a cast iron frying pan for the first time, it is advisable to subject it to similar treatment. This will harden the material and significantly increase the service life of the product. If at some stage serious cracks form on the product, this indicates low quality of the product, since cast iron cookware is not afraid of sudden temperature changes.
Many modern women They believe that they should occupy one of the most important places in the kitchen of every housewife. There is no need to rush to abandon your grandmother's legacy. After all, cast iron frying pans are the safest in the kitchen for preparing a huge variety of dishes.
On such surfaces you can prepare perfectly smooth and thin pancakes, as well as meat, the crispy crust of which will arouse great appetite even before you taste it.
If you treat your cast iron frying pan with care and properly care for it, it will become an indispensable item in the kitchen for many years. To avoid disappointment while cooking, you need to prepare the surface of the pan for frying. To do this, they use a technique called calcination. There are many recommendations for calcining pans, either using only vegetable oil or adding salt.
This type of cookware for frying food was popular both many years ago and today due to the material from which it is made. Cast iron is a porous metal. We don’t visually notice the pores on the surface of the product, but there is a huge chance that particles of food can get into them, forming unpleasant odors. As a result, food will begin to stick to the dishes and rust will appear. To solve this problem As quickly as possible, you need to heat the cast iron frying pan with salt. Also, quite often, manufacturers lubricate their products with machine oil, which needs to be disposed of. The point of your work is to clog all the pores formed during the heating of cast iron, artificially forming a non-stick layer.
To begin with, wash the new frying pan well with a sponge and a small amount detergent. Don't forget that this is the only time it can be used. After you have washed the dishes, you need to wipe them well and cover the bottom with a 1 cm layer of salt. The frying pan must be heated over low heat, stirring the salt periodically until it turns brown in color. This process will take you about half an hour, then you need to throw away the salt, and wash the dishware with warm water and dry it well.
The next step is to heat the pan with sunflower oil for 20 minutes. This procedure is repeated twice with changing contents. After the pan has cooled, you can safely fry pancakes and cook meat on the treated surface.
It takes a little effort to heat the salt in a frying pan, but the results will surprise you. Food will not burn, and cleaning the surface will become much easier. Do not forget that when damp, such dishes are prone to rust, so you should make sure that there is no liquid left in them. In any case, after washing the frying pan, dry it and wipe it with oil. 
Many newly purchased products are baked in the oven before first use. To do this, just wipe the surface of the pan with vegetable oil and, after tipping it over, put it in the oven. Calcination time is one hour at a temperature of 180°C. Then the frying pan is pulled out, left to cool and rubbed again with vegetable oil.
Now that you know how to season a cast iron frying pan, it will be yours forever. good friend and a kitchen assistant.
Cast iron frying pans are one of the most proven and ancient pieces of kitchen utensils. Cast iron cookware can be used for an unusually long time; in fact, it can be passed on by inheritance, and it will serve subsequent generations just as well as it did the first owner. However, in order for a cast iron frying pan to really last a long time, you need to know a few secrets proper preparation and operation.
Everything can be divided into two main types - products without coating and with coating. With the first type everything is clear - according to appearance it stands out significantly among other items by the presence large quantity oil on the surface, which protects surfaces from corrosion. The second type is more complicated - the coating can be different, for example, regular or special enamel, or in appearance this cookware is practically no different. Therefore, to determine the type and presence of coating, be sure to look at the label.
So, if you purchased an uncoated frying pan, the first thing you need to do is get rid of the machine oil. To do this, just wash the dishes thoroughly using any detergent, and then ignite them well with regular table salt to get rid of unpleasant odor. After this procedure, the frying pan is heated again for half an hour, having previously lubricated the working surface with vegetable oil - this will create a non-stick layer. In order for an uncoated cast iron frying pan to serve for a long time, the following conditions must be met:
Do not use abrasive-containing products when washing; wash dishes only with your hands;
After each wash, the dishes should be dried thoroughly and subsequently stored in a ventilated, dry place to avoid rust.
Coated cast iron frying pan - care
Coated cast iron cookware compares favorably with regular topic that it does not need to be prepared before use. You can store food in such dishes (unless otherwise indicated on the label), the only thing is that a frying pan with black enamel still needs to be heated. The operating rules are as follows:
Avoid overheating to avoid damage to the enamel;
Do not damage the enamel layer;
Do not use abrasive agents when washing;
Do not use when cooking metal objects for stirring, only wooden or polymer.
In general, a coated cast iron frying pan differs from its non-enameled counterpart in that its service life will be slightly shorter. The durability of this product is determined solely by the service life of the coating, since if it is damaged, then it is better not to use such dishes in the future.
Cast iron frying pans have long remained faithful assistants to any cook - it’s not without reason that they say that even the taste of a dish changes if it is cooked in the right container.
