How to care for a cast iron cauldron?

Kazan is the national dishes of the peoples of Central Asia. It has a specific shape, traditionally made of cast iron. This is an ideal dish for stewing vegetables and meat - fragrant pilaf, lamb will become a real work of art. Dishes in it do not burn, unless, of course, the care for the cauldron from cast iron is correct. How to care for a cast-iron cauldron so that it lasts longer? Let's take a closer look at how to prepare a new cauldron for operation, than to clean it, and how to store it properly.

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How to prepare a new cast iron cauldron?

Cast iron withstands high temperatures, this makes it ideal for frying, stewing. Thanks to its shape, even heating of the walls creates a golden color of the dish and a delicious crust. So that later there would be no disappointments, you need to prepare a new cauldron for its further operation. For this:

• Wash dishes from the factory grease with a detergent, dry with a towel, put on a stove.
• Make the maximum fire, ignite the boiler for two hours, turning from side to side.
• When all the factory grease burns out, and the cauldron stops smoking, wipe the inside with a napkin, put a pack of salt in the dishes.
• Anneal the cauldron with salt for about an hour. During this time, the salt will be pulled out of the metal and everything unnecessary will turn gray.
• Now the boiler needs to be calcined with oil to form an oil film. Fill it with oil, you will need 300-500 ml of any inexpensive vegetable oil, calcine for another 20-30 minutes.

Important! It is necessary that the oil covers all the walls of the dishes. To do this, you can use a brush or special paper.

• Let the dishes cool, drain the oil, put the cauldron in a dry place.

There is one more way of initial preparation of a cauldron:

1. Wash dishes, dry, grease from all sides, inside and out.
2. Wipe off the oil with a paper towel.
3. Turn the boiler upside down and in this form put on a baking sheet in the oven.
4. Heat the oven to 200-230 degrees and leave the cauldron there for an hour. During this time, cast iron will burn well, and the oil will create a non-stick film.
5. The procedure can be repeated several times.

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Daily Cauldron Care

How to care for a cast iron cauldron? The non-stick properties of cast iron have been known since ancient times.

Important! Each time you cook, oil penetrates the pores and creates a film on the surface that prevents rust and adds flavor to the food. If this film is peeled off, then the food will start to burn. Therefore, do not clean such dishes with metal washcloths, brushes, and abrasive detergents.

If you have a burned-out food burned:

1. Pour a little water into it, put 2 tablespoons of salt and soda and put on fire.
2. Boil this solution for 20-30 minutes over medium heat, and then make and let the dishes cool.
3. Then you can easily wash the dishes with a soft sponge.

Important! Cauldron cannot be washed in the dishwasher.

How to get rid of carbon deposits?

What to do if there is soot on the bottom and walls on the dishes. To deal with this problem, you will need a large basin in which you can boil the cauldron, as well as prepare the following mixture:

• water;
• silicate glue bottle;
• grated laundry soap.

Dissolve both components in hot water and put your cauldron in the solution.Put on a small fire and boil for an hour. Then sponge it and dry it.

Cleaning a cauldron from household chemicals

In order to clean the cast iron cauldron, you can use a liquor-based oven cleaner. The label should indicate that it contains sodium hydroxide.

Application:

1. Apply the paste, rub it a little with a sponge into the surface and leave for 10 minutes.
2. After the specified time, wipe off all carbon deposits from the dishes, rinse thoroughly with soap and water, and then rinse with clean water.
3. In order to neutralize all chemistry, rinse the surface of the cauldron with table vinegar.
4. Dry and carry out the calcination procedure with oil.

How to get rid of odors?

Cast iron has one drawback - it absorbs various odors well. If you have prepared any dish with a specific smell, then it may remain during subsequent cooking.

Odor can be easily removed as follows:

1. Put the cauldron on a big fire.
2. Pour about a kilogram of salt into it and bake it for 30-40 minutes.
3. Stir the salt regularly and distribute it over the walls of the dishes. Salt absorbs odors and removes soot.
4. Allow the cast iron to cool, pour salt out of it and wipe the inside with a tissue.
5. Then grease the dishes with vegetable oil and reheat.

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Remove rust from a cast iron cauldron

If stored improperly, rust may form on the iron. To prevent this, you need proper care for the cast iron cauldron:

• Clean dishes immediately from food debris.
• After washing, wipe with paper towels, it is better to even burn it over a fire.
• Store the cauldron in a dry place and with the lid open.

But what to do if, after all, rust attacked your cauldron? Rust will have to be cleaned by the old method - a metal sponge.

Important! Do not forget to put gloves on your hands to avoid minor household injuries.

Operating procedure:

1. To make rust easier to remove, you must first soak the cast iron in a vinegar solution. Dilute water with vinegar in a large basin in a ratio of 1 to 1. Lower your dishes there and leave for an hour.
2. Dry the cauldron with a paper towel.
3. Add coarse salt.
4. Cut the potato in half, with a slice, rub the salt on the walls and bottom.
5. Clean off any remaining rust with a wire brush.

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How to store a cauldron?

• If you want to remove the cauldron for storage, then it must first be washed and dried.
• Then from all sides it must be wiped with oil. For this purpose, anyone who is at hand is suitable. But best of all, linseed oil will do the trick. It takes about a quarter of a spoon. Use a napkin or a brush and go over the entire surface of the dishes.
• Now it needs to be calcined in the oven upside down.
• After the dishes have cooled, add another thin layer of oil, wrap the cauldron in tracing paper or parchment and put it in a dry place where it will be waiting for you until the next season.

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There is nothing complicated in caring for a cast iron, and if you adhere to the rules given in this article, then you can easily prepare any conceived dish so that it is tasty and healthy.