Anonymous Tue May 23 19:36:39 2006

***See Directions***

The following information is copied in its entirety. This is becoming a lost art.........

CLEANING AND SEASONING CAST-IRON SKILLET You're browsing the junk store or

rummaging the neighbor's garage sale and there it is - a good, old cast-iron skillet, black

and righteous from decades of use and priced to sell. Once you get your treasure home

and before you crank up the heat, you'll need to clean and re-season it. Here's how: 1.

Assemble a 1-pound box of salt and a quart of vegetable oil. 2. Wash the cast iron with

warm water and mild dish soap inside and out. Rinse well, Dry. 3. Heat skillet over high

heat, and when it's smoking hot, cover bottom with a thick layer of salt. (This can get

smelly, so you'll want to turn on the fan.) Using an old wooden spoon you don't mind

scorching, and protecting both hands with hot pads, scrape salt around the bottom and

sides of the pan. Keep the heat on high and keep scraping salt until the salt starts to brown

and you notice black flecks in it. Sc

our the skillet for a good five minutes. Turn off the heat, and as soon as the salt has cooled

down enough to dispose of safely, discard it, and, being careful not to burn yourself, wipe

out the skillet with a paper towel. 4. Repeat salt-cleaning method if skillet still looks cruddy.

Otherwise: 5. Return skillet to burner and heat it until it's red-hot. Turn off heat and fill skillet

on-third with vegetable oil. either tilt skillet, or use a non-plastic brush, to coat sides with

oil. Allow oil-filled skillet to cool completely - at least an hour. 6. Heat skillet and oil again, to

about frying temperature (350-400F). Turn off heat and again allow to cool completely.

Overnight is best. 7. The next morning, discard oil, wipe skillet out with a paper towel and

you're ready to go. 8. Some folks swear soap and hot water never touch their cast iron.

Others find an occasional mild sudsing desirable. Everybody agrees, however, that

scouring pads or powders and dishwashers will ruin the season

ing. Use a plastic scrubber, if necessary, to dislodge stuck-on stuff. 9. For new cast iron,

start with step 2 and then go to step 5. Lots of manufacturers suggest heating the skillet

and oil in the oven a couple of times to season it. SOURCE: San Antonio Light, 27 FEB 91