How to anneal a cast iron cauldron

Removal recommendations

Depending on the type of contamination, caring for the cauldron involves the following actions: soaking, cleaning and boiling.

Rust

Cast iron is an alloy that contains iron. Porous in structure, being saturated with moisture, the cast-iron cauldron rusts. If you do not remove rust from the walls of the cauldron in time, then over time, the dishes will become unusable.

A clear sequence of actions will help clean the cauldron at home from rust quickly and efficiently:

Prepare the necessary material: steel wool and an abrasive (coarse salt and baking soda are ideal).
The cauldron is filled with water and poured over a pack of soda and salt, put on a slow fire.
After boiling, the mixture is boiled for about half an hour, after which the cauldron is removed from the heat and allowed to cool.
Cleaning the cauldron from rust is continued with a metal brush.

Cauldron with rust

Soot and varnish

Laundry soap and PVA glue will help you quickly clean the walls of the cauldron from soot and carbon deposits:

Fill a container with water and put it on fire.
Rub the soap.
Pour soap shavings into boiled water and add PVA glue.
Place a cauldron in a boiling solution, boil it for two hours.
Cool the water, clean the cauldron with an ordinary household sponge.

During digestion, the room must be well ventilated.

Soot and carbon depositsLaundry soap and PVA glue will help get rid of soot and carbon deposits

Fat

There are several ways to clean the cauldron from old fat:

Finely grate a bar of laundry soap. Then pour water into the container for digestion, boil it, add soap shavings and a jar of PVA stationery glue. A cauldron with old fat is placed in the resulting composition and boiled for three hours.
Pour 200 ml of vinegar into a dirty cauldron and add two tablespoons of salt. The resulting mixture is brought to a boil, after which two tablespoons of soda are immediately added

It is important to keep an eye on the fire and not let the foam that has formed come out of the cauldron. We boil the mixture for thirty minutes, after which we remove the stubborn layer of fat without problems with a soft sponge.

You can wash greasy dishes with vinegar and salt.

How to properly anneal a cast-iron cauldron

Cauldrons, like any cast-iron cookware, are made by ebb. The hot metal is poured into molds coated with machine oil - it facilitates the subsequent extraction process. Also, some manufacturers specially bake their products in oil to protect them from rusting and give them a beautiful shiny shade.

Our task is to remove the factory oil from the dishes so that it does not get into the food. Rinse the new cast iron pot well in warm / hot water and a liquid detergent to remove excess oil. Then proceed as follows:

Heat the cast iron well until it stops smoking.
Cool the cauldron, wipe it with napkins to remove the soot.
Heat the cauldron with salt.
Heat the cauldron with vegetable oil.

We will describe the processes in more detail, since it is necessary to strictly follow all the recommendations.

Where can you prepare the cauldron for the first use

There are many places where cast metal can be calcined.

Cast iron is heated:

in the garage or yard with a blowtorch;
at the stake, bred it in nature;
grill, you will have to constantly throw up coals
Russian stove;
home stove (gas or electric);
in the oven.

Kitchen utensils must first be washed with warm water and any detergent and then burned.

Each dish owner chooses a place to prepare the cauldron at his own discretion.

At the stake

The fire is made low. To install the cauldron, a stand is made of stones or bricks. If there is a barbecue in the country, you can use it.

The main thing is that the dishes should be level and secure.

At home

The cauldron is placed on the burner of the stove or, if the utensil is not very large, placed in the oven. You need to be prepared for the fact that all kitchen textiles will have to be washed, it smells strongly of fumes. It is better to remove immediately:

indoor flowers;
upholstered furniture (corner);
curtains;
napkins;
extra towels,
aprons;
decor from natural materials;
potholders from textiles.

It is better not to burn the cauldron at home, but if there is no other way, then it is necessary to ensure a constant flow of air in the room.

Only the essentials should be left behind.

The door to the kitchen must be tightly closed; good ventilation is needed. It will take a couple of hours to ignite the utensils, no less.

It is important to open all windows wide open and turn on the hood

Note! If there is no exhaust ventilation in the kitchen, it is not worth firing in the apartment. A persistent smell will fill the whole apartment, it will last for a week

What methods can be used to properly burn a cauldron

In the entire history of the existence of cast iron, nothing new has been invented. The cast-iron aluminum cauldron is calcined using salt and vegetable oil. The first component retains heat well, absorbs all excess. The second one forms a varnish non-stick film.

There are several types of roasting, you can choose the most suitable one and prepare your kitchen utensils.

Note! If the cauldron comes complete with a frying pan lid, it must also be processed. Salt or dry treatment is sufficient for a regular round lid.

With table salt

The cauldron is placed on the largest burner.
Fill with coarse salt to a height of 3 cm, distribute it evenly along the walls.
They turn on the fire, wait for the smell of smoke.
Keep the dishes on fire for up to 30 minutes.
The salt is stirred periodically, it will be darker each time (it will absorb the factory grease).
Leave the cauldron on the stove to gradually cool down.
Pour out dirty salt.
Wash the inner walls with warm water and laundry soap or mustard powder.

Salt is poured on the bottom of the vessel and the cauldron is placed on a hot stove or on a fire.

Oil treatment

For a cauldron, you will need from 300 to 700 ml of oil, depending on the volume. It should cover the bottom by at least 2 cm. During firing, the pot is constantly turned so that the oil washes over all the walls. The processing is carried out over low heat so that the oil does not flare up, does not smoke much. Just in case, keep a fire extinguisher nearby. The oil is kept on fire for 40-50 minutes, depending on the size. A large cauldron is fired longer.

After this procedure, all the remnants of the contents are drained and the bottom of the container is wiped with a paper napkin.

Important! Hold the cast iron with a regular towel, wrapping it around your hand several times. Potholders-mittens for hot cast iron are not suitable, too thin

The synthetics will melt immediately.

After the oil has cooled, it is poured into the sewer or used for waterproofing wood. It is dangerous to use such oil in food, it is almost drying oil. After oil treatment, the cauldron is poured with boiling water, wiped dry. You can cook in it!

Thanks to him, food will not burn to the bottom of the cauldron.

Roasting in the oven

In an oven preheated to 180 degrees, the cauldron is kept for an hour, until the bluish smoke ceases to ooze from the cracks, the cauldron becomes visible through the glass. It is better to open the oven periodically or turn on the blowing mode, if available. You should not take out hot dishes, it is better to wait until it cools completely. Then the cauldron is cooled, washed with soap. Dry calcination is only the first stage in the preparation of cast iron.

Before cooking, you will need to create an oil film on the metal surface.

On an open fire

On a fire, a blowtorch (it is used as a burner), a charcoal grill, in a furnace, dry firing is carried out without the use of salt and oil. The kazan is constantly turned over the fire.Where the production grease burns out, the dishes become grayish and brighten. After all the walls and the bottom have become monochromatic, the dishes are thrown off the campfire onto the grass or into the snow. After that, the cauldron is washed well. Before preparing food, it is calcined again, periodically smeared with vegetable oil.

The procedure is repeated up to 5 times, until a dense non-stick coating is formed.

Restoration of the non-stick layer after cleaning the cauldron

Aluminum cookware does not need such a procedure. It's only about black metal. There are several ways to create a natural oily protection on cast iron cookware. The simplest is calcination. It is used for a heavy cauldron. For this, the dishes must:

Rinse beforehand;
Dry on fire;
Lubricate with any fat of animal origin;
Leave on high heat for five minutes until the fat burns out;
Cool, rinse well with water;
Dry.

Calcining a cast-iron cauldron.

A cast-iron cauldron, used in field conditions, is tempered at the stake:

Oil is applied to hot cast iron;
The vessel is kept on coals until completely burned out;
Then the dishes are dragged onto the grass or ground;
After cooling, the cauldron is again put on the fire, water is boiled in it, all the edges are well poured.

The boiling water is drained, the process is accompanied by the release of hot steam, it is important to observe safety measures, to step aside. From oil quenching, cast iron becomes shiny, shiny

An unpleasant odor will be the signal for calcining.

Food will never burn in a processed cauldron, it will be tasty and healthy. An unpleasant odor will be the signal for calcining. Over time, any cast iron utensils acquire a grayish tint, this is due to clogging of the pores with food components. With constant use of dishes, calcination is carried out at least twice a year.

By the way, when fat burns out, smoke inevitably appears, it is important to provide for the ventilation of the kitchen. It is better to carry out the procedure at the stake, as our ancestors did.

With constant use of dishes, calcination is carried out at least twice a year.

Does a cast-iron cauldron rust?

Many people think that this is not so, they say, how can dishes that are regularly used rust? But in fact, cast iron, like all ferrous metals, is indeed prone to corrosion. And even a very high-quality cauldron rusts very easily. For what reason? She is one: improper storage and care of dishes.

Why does the cauldron rust at home? Most likely, after washing, the owner simply left it to dry naturally. The remaining moisture quickly causes rust, so the first rule of storing such dishes is to wipe dry.

The second point is the oil film on the walls. It must be there - not only to prevent food from sticking, but also to protect it from rust.

And if the cauldron is wiped dry, and seems to be stored correctly, but it still rusts? Then the problem is too humid air. This often happens if the dishes are stored in an unheated room.

Methods and places of calcination

When ignited, the temperature of the cast iron rises to those indicators at which the harmful lubricant will begin to burn and evaporate, transform into soot. The smoke will go out in a standard way. And soot will be easy to remove with warm water.

You can ignite the cauldron both on the street and at home. The first option is optimal.

If you follow the second option, be sure to open all the windows at home, activate the hood. As the smell from liquidating grease will be very unpleasant.

Annealing on the street

Any heat source can be used here, which gives the required temperature for calcination. It can be a grill, stove, and also a fire. Cast iron will not melt, but the grease will burn out completely

Proceed with caution here - it's still an open flame. Remove the cauldron from the fire only in tight tacks

Procedure:

The new cauldron must be rinsed with warm water from all sides to prepare for use.
Excess moisture is drained off.
The cauldron is put on fire.
When smoke and a nasty smell go from the dishes, it means that the temperature indicators are optimal for burning out the grease.
Continue calcining, the entire surface of the dishes will not get rid of dark spots, and the flow of smoke will not stop from the cauldron itself.
The fire is extinguished. The cauldron is cooling down. After which it is removed from the heat source.
When the dishes are cool, but still hot, wipe their surface with a paper towel, pre-moistened with natural oil. This will remove the soot.
The dishes are thoroughly dried. Its inner surface is covered with oil. It is applied with a brush.
The dishes are placed on a medium-strength fire. Heats up until smoke appears. The oil film must form in an even layer. Leaks can be rubbed with a brush.

Table salt is renowned for its absorbent properties.

Here the salt is applied like this:

The cauldron is washed. Warm water is used.
A fire is made.
The entire two-kilogram package of salt is poured into the cauldron. Large size salt.
Annealed with salt for a maximum of 3 hours. Stir it periodically. In 3 hours, all excess moisture and hazardous elements of industrial grease will penetrate into the salt.
The fire is extinguished.
The cauldron is cooling down. The salt is thrown away.
All soot is removed from the surface of the cauldron.

After the initial calcining operation, another operation is required using natural oil. The oil will form a protective film that prevents corrosion.

When smoke no longer emanates from the cauldron, the indicated oil calcination is carried out

The algorithm of actions is as follows:

Oil is poured into the cooled dish: 400 - 700 ml. Here the volume of the cauldron matters.
The oil is evenly distributed over the inside of the pan.
A fire is ignited. Brought to medium power.
This calcination of the dishes is carried out for half an hour. From time to time, the cauldron needs to be tilted so that the oil envelops all its walls. In this case, a brush or special paper is used. The oil should be found even in the deep pores of the hot material of the cauldron. A very thin coating should form. In future processes, thanks to him, food will not burn.
The oil is drained.
The remaining surface is gently wiped with a thin cloth.

After these actions, water is boiled in the cauldron. If it does not become cloudy, it becomes suitable for food purposes, which means that all operations were carried out correctly.

Annealing at home

Ways to prepare the cauldron for the first use at home:

Burner firing. Regardless of what kind of stove you have, gas or electric, the cauldron is put on the highest possible fire. The cast iron will heat up quickly. The grease will burn out. Carbon monoxide will appear. After the cauldron has completely warmed up and the oil has evaporated, this dish should cool down completely. After that, it can be thoroughly washed.
In the oven. Before placing the cauldron there, the oven warms up to at least 200 degrees. The cauldron is placed on a baking sheet. Placed in the oven. He stays there for 3 hours. This time is sufficient for the complete combustion of industrial grease. After cooling, the cauldron must be washed. It is now ready to use.

If the parameters of the oven are suitable, then you can arrange oil calcination of the cauldron right in it. This operation takes longer but produces less smoke.

Procedure:

First, the oven temperature is brought to 180-200 degrees. The duration of the cauldron's stay in it is 3 hours.
The bottom of the oven is covered with foil. This is to prevent oil from getting there.
A little oil is poured into the dishes - 10 grams.
The oil is rubbed along the walls with a brush. The cauldron is placed on an additional cycle.

If the oven is brought to 180 degrees, calcination can last 5 hours, if up to 250 degrees - half an hour. The cycle is over when the next layer of oil is no longer sticky. Recommended number of layers: 3-4.

What is firing for?

It is imperative to ignite a new cauldron. The fact is that the technology for the manufacture of cast iron products involves the use of technical lubricant that protects them from rust. In addition, machine oil makes it easier to remove the finished object from the mold. The porous surface facilitates the penetration of the lubricant deep into the walls of the cast-iron cauldron, so the initial treatment with cleaning agents cannot lead to complete cleaning. Residual grease, mixed with food, will render the dish unusable and can lead to machine oil poisoning. Firing the cauldron will completely eliminate traces of chemical compounds.

Modern production offers the consumer cast iron products with a finished non-stick layer. Such dishes do not need to be ignited. After cooking, the food is washed using special cleaning agents. Non-greasy ingredients can be easily washed off with hot or warm water.

How to properly carry out the process of cleaning a cast-iron cauldron from burning

It is convenient to use dishes made of ferrous metals on electric and gas stoves. The question is how to clean a cast-iron cauldron at home without unnecessary hassle and problems. Cast iron is not washed in the machine.

To clean the inner surface, the cauldron is filled almost to the brim with a detergent solution (see recipes below). Boil for 15-20 minutes. This is enough to soften the carbon deposits. To make the dishes clean from all sides, they are completely immersed in a large container, the cast iron is boiled in it. Burnt soot, stuck tar, sticky fat come off.

Machine wash is unacceptable, cast iron will immediately begin to rust.

How to prepare a solution (10 liters):

The first way. For 10 liters of water you need to add

A glass of table apple cider vinegar (6% concentration);
Salt 4 tbsp. l .;
Soda 3 tbsp.

Apple cider vinegar is used to clean a cast iron cauldron.

It is enough to heat the solution, put a cauldron in it, leave for twenty minutes.

Second way. A pack of baking soda is poured into the water, a crushed piece of laundry soap is added. The third component is silicate glue or liquid glass. It needs at least 100 g. Cast iron products are boiled in this mixture for up to half an hour.
Third way. Half a glass of mustard powder plus 40 grams of citric acid. The cauldron will become perfectly clean, but after this procedure it will need to be blackened - calcined with vegetable oil up to five times.

Soda and laundry soap for cleaning a cast-iron cauldron.

Basic ways

There are four main methods of calcining, the features of which must be familiarized in advance.

Calcining with table salt

The most common method is the use of table salt, which every person has in the kitchen. The procedure is performed in several sequential stages:

Rinse the cauldron under the pressure of warm water and wipe it with a dry towel to remove any remaining moisture.
Put the washed Kazan on the gas stove and turn on the burner to the maximum.
After 15-20 minutes, the bottom of the container is covered with table salt. At the same time, it is poured in such a way that salt particles fall on the walls.
When the cast-iron pot is warmed up, the poured salt is stirred. When stirring, it is thoroughly rubbed along the bottom and walls so that the grease is better absorbed.
When the salt turns brown, the gas can be turned off.
After cooling, the cauldron is washed with warm water and cleaned of salt residues.

Oil treatment

Some experts argue that calcination alone is not enough to clean the surface of a new cauldron. Therefore, in addition to this, it is necessary to do oil processing. To do this, use sesame, linseed or sunflower oil.

Processing is done as follows:

500-700 milliliters of oil are poured into the dishes. It must be poured carefully so that the liquid does not fall on the outer walls.
A container with oil is placed on a gas stove and heated for 40-50 minutes.
When the oil is warmed up, it is evenly distributed with a spoon along the walls of the Kazan. It should be rubbed no longer than 15-20 minutes, as the oil will begin to evaporate.
The processed cauldron is removed from the stove and wiped with dry paper.

In the oven

People who do not want to use additional funds can ignite the Kazan with the help of the oven. Before doing this, you need to familiarize yourself with the features of roasting cast iron dishes in the oven. This procedure is performed in several stages:

The cauldron is washed with water heated to room temperature.
The oven is turned on and heated to 200-250 degrees.
After warming up the oven, a cast-iron container is placed on the oven baking sheet. After 20-25 minutes, white smoke will start to appear in the oven. This indicates that the factory grease is gradually burning out.
After the smoke stops escaping, the firing ends.
The cooled Kazan is washed again with warm water to get rid of the grease residues.

Roasting over an open fire

Some people prefer to burn the dishes not in the oven or in the stove, but on an open fire. In this case, you can use the barbecue or make a fire. The container is pre-washed with warm liquid and only then placed on an open fire. In the process of calcining, a lot of smoke will begin to be emitted from the cauldron, which will gradually darken.

Removing rust from a cast iron cauldron

Rust can even be on a new pot if it was not properly stored in the store. Water got in - rust formed instantly. We haven't cooked in a cauldron for a long time - it can also climb around the edges. Caring for the cauldron provides protection from dampness, but if this has already happened, then there is no big trouble. Clean the cauldron from rusty spots, and it will shine like new again!
To do this, you need to fill it with coarse salt, heat, stirring, salt, and, after cooling until your hands endure, rub until the rust disappears. The salt will be brown, and the cauldron will be clean.

This is also an option, and very fast and effective. In any case, after processing, the cauldron must be oiled and re-calcined, creating a new oil film.
Just a few more words about how to properly store the cauldron: in a dry place, with the lid open, do not put other pots in it, as housewives like to do.

Care advice

The cauldron for long-term storage is wrapped in parchment or cloth.
It is better to store dishes sideways so that condensation does not form under the bottom;
After each preparation, the dishes are washed without the use of aggressive chemicals.

On hot cast-iron walls, oil should get into the pores of the metal and remain there in the form of a thin film.

Important! It is better to remove dirt from cast iron with soda or dry mustard. Old ready-made will work too

Instead of an abrasive, coarse salt is used. If the food is burnt, the cauldron is poured with WARM water, a little soda and salt are added (1 tablespoon per liter of water).

Over time, the protective oil layer on the metal is destroyed. The dishes have to be burned again. It is recommended to do this at least once a year.

On aluminum, non-stick protection is restored if food burns heavily.

Despite the wide variety of pans, casseroles made of ceramics, stainless alloys, good old casting is still in vogue. In order not to prepare dishes for cooking, you can purchase a cast-iron or aluminum cauldron with an enamel, ceramic or non-stick coating.

Pilaf in such a dish will turn out to be excellent!

Carbon deposits prevention

Real solid cast-iron cauldrons and pots are easy to use, food usually does not burn in them. However, before the first use, new dishes should be properly prepared so that they can be easily washed later.

Wash the purchase using dish detergent or regular soap (particles of technical oil and other contaminants may remain on the metal), and dry thoroughly.Take a soft cloth, soak it in refined vegetable oil and wipe the dishes inside and out. Remove excess with a paper towel, passing it over the entire surface.

Then the cauldron must be properly calcined. Turn on the oven and place the pot upside down. Do not preheat the oven in advance - the temperature should rise a little, gradually heating the metal to +200 ℃. After heat treatment for an hour, the oil will fill the pores of the cast iron and form a protective layer on the surface. As a result, the dishes will absorb less soot and dirt, and the food will not burn.

A new pot can be oven baked several times.

It is not difficult to clean a cauldron from carbon deposits at home if you know simple secrets

After processing a cast-iron product, it is important to restore the fatty film so that cooking continues to bring only pleasure.

Why burn a new cauldron

The utensils come off the factory conveyor in a marketable state, but you cannot cook food in it. The cauldrons are made by casting, the molds are lubricated with a special mixture so that the hot metal does not stick. Before shipment, the dishes are processed again, covered with a protective layer, which protects cast iron and porous duralumin from corrosion damage.

Proper preparation of dishes for use and their processing will help to avoid many problems with it in the future.

The grease is not food grade, so after purchase, you need to get rid of it. You cannot do this with soap, a brush and hot water. The porous metal absorbs paint components deeply.

Important! Do not wash porous casting with aggressive detergents. Chemistry will sink deep into the pores, will be released during the cooking process

The food will not taste good.