One Christmas, my mom got my dad a cast iron pan for cooking steak. Cast iron cooking equipment exists for a reason. They actually make our food taste better. The cooking process using cast iron equipment allows for the intended flavors to come out.
One time, my mom decides to clean my dad’s cast iron pan using soap and water. The cast-iron pan was then very difficult to revive. It wasn’t impossible but it was difficult.
Since then, my family has been obsessed with cleaning cast iron equipment properly. Here, we’ll discuss why and how you should “season” your cast-iron grates.
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Should cast iron grill grates be seasoned?
Cast iron equipment are cleaned up a certain way for a reason. Chemicals don’t work well with cast iron.
When your cast iron pan, grill grates or grates have been thrown into battle, they’re bound to get dirty. There are different ways to clean cast iron grill grates but the most popular is seasoning. The reason it is called “seasoning” is because instead of washing it with soap and water, you’re actually rubbing more fat onto the cast iron.
The main reason why we season our cast iron equipment is to prevent rust.
What should I season my cast-iron grates with?
The main show of seasoning cast iron grates is rubbing fat onto the equipment. This is why it is called seasoning.
The most fun part of seasoning is that you can choose any kind of fat you wish. You can use a neutral oil like vegetable oil, canola oil or palm oil. You can use lard, bacon fat or ham fat.
My personal favorite is prosciutto fat because it smells great!
How do you clean and season cast iron grates?
There are many methods of seasoning cast iron grates but we will share with you the easiest and most common method.
For this method, you will need these:
- Oven
- Strong brush
- Water
- Fat (lard, bacon grease, vegetable oil, canola oil, etc.)
First thing’s first. Preheat the oven to 350F.
Second, Clean the cast iron grates. To clean the cast iron grate, you must not use soap. Pour water on the grates and have a pail of water for reserve just in case. Brush the grates to remove any food particles or other burnt items stuck to the grates. It’s important to brush the grates clean so they’re free of any dirt. Clean cast-iron grates will season properly.
Third, brush the grates with the fat. Make sure everything is covered in fat so that nothing will rust.
Fourth, bake the cast iron grates in the oven for 30-40 minutes. After baking, let it cool. Once the cast iron grates are cool, brush them up with fat again and bake again. This time, crank up the oven heat to 450F. Bake for 30-40 minutes again. Repeat this step until the grates are no longer sticky and they look new!
