Cookware Care
4 indexed entriesPart of Home & Household Care.
Items
Carbon Steel
Carbon steel pans need seasoning like cast iron: wash away the factory mineral oil coating, then apply thin layers of high-smoke-point oil and heat until it darkens, repeating 4-5 times. Unlike cast iron, avoid flaxseed oil since it flakes, and never soak the pan in water.
Cast Iron
Cast iron seasoning is a chemical process where unsaturated fatty acids cross-link into a hard polymer coat at oil smoke points. Stripping uses lye (NaOH) or electrolysis, followed by 3-4 ultra-thin coats of grapeseed oil baked at 450°F (232°C) for 1 hour.
Copper
Copper cookware needs two-track care: the tin- or stainless-lined interior gets washed gently, since tin is soft and scratches easily, while the exterior copper is polished with an acidic paste like lemon-and-salt or vinegar-and-salt to dissolve tarnish. Bare copper is avoided as a cooking surface because copper leaching into food is a known health hazard.
Stainless Steel
Stainless steel resists corrosion via a self-healing chromium oxide film, so it needs cleaning rather than seasoning: wash with mild soap, wipe in the direction of the brushed grain to avoid scratches, remove blue/rainbow heat-tint discoloration with a mild acid cleaner, and rinse off salt or chlorides promptly to prevent pitting corrosion.