Journal SolemnDragon's Journal: sol cleans her apartment and teaches you about cast iron 5
...and no, the answer is NEITHER 'with a fire hose and an open window,' NOR, 'with gasoline and a match.'
Here are some cleaning tips from my own personal experience.
First, be dashing. Be pretty. Be anything other than frumpy, because frankly, i hate feeling frumpy. If i have to clean, i'm going to do it with my best Audrey Hepburn impression. As D. said when he showed up yesterday, "You're wearing eyeshadow. THere's something slightly twisted and sick and fun about the fact that you're frazzled and busy cleaning and yet wearing eyeshadow." Brush your hair, wear something spiffy but cleanable, and so on. I disagree with Flylady in that shoes are not permitted in my apartment; they must be taken off just inside the front hall. It's part of the house blessing.
Timer. as has been mentioned, fifteen minutes at a time is plenty. No more. Clean, then rest. Preferably with reward, such as chocolate. Do not throw the bonbon wrappers on the floor, you'll just have to clean them up later if you do.
Dusting. Dusting should be done a minimum of once every two years. One good solution to this is to do it two years after you move in, and find someplace to live when it's almost four. This spares you having to dust too often. You can also avoid doing windows altogether by this method.
Clutter. Oke, so i lied about the matches AND the fire hose on this one. Ooopsie!
Buy a Dremel or a good power tool set. Why? Because you're inevitably going to reach some minor project to be distracted by, such as stripping a cast-iron skillet for reseasoning. A word about cast iron skilletry. Yes, they are the best non-stick surface out there. Yes, they need to be properly seasoned. And for the record, anyone who tells you to do this by not washing the skillet needs a serious talking to about cooking hygeine. oils turn rancid when left around in the skillet. Even faster when you add bits of food. Yes, even the oils in your cupboard, though not nearly as fast as when you've got bits of food spread through it. ICK!!!! A properly seasoned skillet can and SHOULD be washed just as you would any other dish. The seasoning, if done properly, will result in a glass-like finish that will NOT wash off.
Cast Iron should be seasoned this way: First, remove all traces of rust or former seasoning with steel wool. Or, do what i do, and use the dremel or your power drill with a sanding attachment. Why do it the hard way?? But be sure to finish it SMOOTH. Never sandblast. You want this to feel smooth to the tough, because that's the surface you'll be coating.
Wash the pan with mild detergent and water. Dry it thoroughly by heating it at low temperature for awhile- you want it DRY, or you'll not get an even finish.
Then, coat the inside evenly with a thin coat of cooking oil. Animal fats work great, don't use butter or lard. Hydrogenated fats like crisco are alos perfect. DO NOT USE OLIVE OIL OR BUTTER. Olive oil will be sticky and you won't want to cook on it. Trust me.
Coat the inside, outside, the lids, and corners. Bake the cookware upside down at 400 degrees for 90 minutes without pre-heating. Put some aluminum foil under the cookware to catch the drips. Allow the pan to completely cool in the oven. Remove from oven and wipe clean.
A lot of people will tell you that all the bacteria get killed in cooking, so you just wipe it out. That may be true- but do you want rancid oils in every recipe? The seasoning process happens as the oil bonds to the iron. If you want to keep the skillet or dutch oven etc. seasoned, reseason it every once in awhile. Put on more fat and put it back in the oven. It's not rocket science and will serve you well for years- i have skillets that were my grandmother's.
Tune in next time for more Fire-based cleaning tips!!!
frumpy ? only afterward (Score:1)
peanut oil (Score:1)
You got #44443 ! (Score:2)
Cleaning seasoned cookware... (Score:2)
Flylady (Score:2)
Flylady is evil. She has taken a hold of my wife and won't let her go.