Charlie S. wrote:
>
> On the recommendations from either this group or another cooking group I
> bought some cast iron frying pans. (I have to blame someone:-) From a
> cooking point of view I've been very happy. The meats cook evenly and there
> is plenty of heat. The problem I'm having is cleaning.
>
> I initially followed the seasoning directions. Cleaning wasn't that
> difficult. My biggest problem was determining what I should wipe the pan
> down with afterwards. I found the paper towels left a lot of lint behind.
> A soft cotton cloth leaves a lot less. When these is a lot of grease in the
> pan... I'm at a loss as to where to begin.... paper towel or cloth?
>
> I'm finding it more and more difficult to clean the pan. It seems even a
> little meat burning leaves a lot of crud on the pan and I can't scrape it
> off. I guess you are not suppose to use steel wool. So, cleaning is nearly
> impossible.
>
> I am wondering why meat is sticking to the pan. Is the heat too high? Not
> seasoned properly? Or, is it normal, and I should boil water in the pan
> after cooking to dissolve it. How long after cooking should I begin
> cleaning the pan?
>
> I was thinking of following the cleaning directions from the following site
> and starting all over again. However, I don't want to keep repeating the
> same mistake over and over again.
> http://antiques.about.com/cs/miscell...anCastiron.htm
>
> I apologize in advance if this is a redundant question.

To clean my cast iron cookware, I use a wire scrub brush (with a handle)
-- similar to a BBQ wirebrush, only smaller like a plastic dish-brush.
After cooking, I immediately reheat the CI 'til it's smoking hot, then I
take the CI from the stove to the sink faucet where I have hot water
running. I place the CI under the faucet into the running water (BEWARE
of the STEAM, take proper precautions to protect human flesh) and
vigorously use the wire scrub brush to clean the cooking surface. This
is a fast process and can be done quickly while the meat "rests."

After drying the CI, I might use a little bit of Crisco shortening on a
coffee filter to reseason the CI (if needed).

To keep meat from sticking to CI, it might help to put a little bit of
oil (cook's choice) in the CI just before adding the meat.
Spreading/spraying a little oil on the surfaces of the meat prior to
cooking will help, too.

HINT: Try using coffee filters instead of paper towels or cotton cloths
to reseason CI. The coffee filters are generally free of any lint.
They also work great to clean glass <g>.

Sky