[dropcap1]Q. [/dropcap1] I think I want a couple of pieces of cast iron cookware. I am considering a twelve-inch fry pan and a five-quart dutch oven with lid in the Lodge Logic line. Is this a good choice? [dropcap1]A. [/dropcap1]Sounds good to me. But permit me to mention a few facts about cast-iron cookware--the oldest kind of modern cookware in wide use. First, it is the nature of cast iron to take a long time to heat up and cool down. This has its advantages, the most notable among them being for deep frying. The iron will hold the heat better than almost anything else. On the other hand, while sauteeing something, if you leave the food in the pan after you turn the heat off, it will keep on cooking as if the heat were still on for quite awhile. It's just something you need to remember. Second, cast iron is brittle and heavy. It can break, and it can break things. It doesn't work well on electric stovetops, especially the kind with the glass-enclosed heat elements. Third, cast iron can rust. Despite what the original manufacturer's label says, you must season it first. Here's how. Scrub it very well with a gritty scouring powder (the best is Zud, but Comet or Ajax are okay). Use a plastic scrub pad--do not use steel wool, which will actually cause rust. Rinse the pan very well and dry it thoroughly. Coat it with a generous amount of Crisco (or vegetable oil), and put it into the oven at 250 degrees for about a half-hour. When it cools, coat it again with more oil and repeat the process. The first few times you use it, deep-fry something in it. Then it will have a very good coating that will become non-stick over time. Don't wash it with anything but plain water after that. No soap! If it ever gets rusty, just repeat the process above. Happy cooking.
