When cooking with cast iron, things can get tricky. Because it is such a hard surface, heat does not easily disperse when baking or frying in your cookware. This means that if you do not have a way to cool down your pan quickly, your food will burn!
If left alone, the temperature of the cooktop will continue to rise as the pan heats up, creating an unsafe environment for use or damage to the cookware.
Fortunately, there are several ways to straighten a cold-use cast iron skillet. While some take longer than others, all work to relax the steel in the pan and make it easier to warm up and use the pan again.
This article will discuss three easy ways to shapecast iron pans. If you ever need help re-healing your cookware, read on! These tips will be very helpful for those trying to return their most loved cookware to use.
Dry it off completely
When your pan is hot, use lukewarm water to rinse it. This removes any leftover minerals or greases that baked onto the surface of the pan.
After rinsing it, dry it thoroughly using a paper towel. If you do not have a paper towel, use your hand as needed until you find one that works.
Once it is fully dried, scrape away any burnt-on bits with a good quality brush. This will prevent them from sticking in another process or burning you later when you cook with the pan.
You can also buff out the burn marks with some soft, clean cloth.
Use a soft cloth to straighten it
When your pan is very thick, or you have burnt edges on it, then trying using warm water alone can sometimes be tricky. Using a soft microfiber towel, start by rubbing the surface of the skillet gently.
As you pull the pan out of the water, apply light pressure with the edge of the towel so that it does not distort the metal. Once it is dry, repeat the process until it dries and re-grips well.
Use a wooden spoon to straighten it
The best way to take care of your cookware is to wash it regularly. When washing a pan like a skillet, make sure you pull out all of the water by scraping the pan with a dry cloth or paper towel before putting it into the sink.
After that, you should use either soap or steel wool to clean the pan. If using steel wool, be careful not to burn yourself! That would ruin the quality of the pan.
Once you have cleaned the pan, you will need to know how to properly season it. This includes rubbing in oils such as olive oil and baking soda and then heating it up until it glows. Then, you can apply any kind of butter or cooking sauce to bake with the pan.
Now, how to straighten a cast iron skillet? Simply put the pan in a cold oven and leave it there for an hour or two! After this time period, run a warm knife through the center of the pan to see if it removes any rust or residue.
Heat up the skillet slightly before using
When your pan gets hot, you can use either of these two tips to begin straightening it out. The first is to heatup the pan slightly so that it’s easier to work with.
The second is to wait until there are only very few drops of water left in the pan before trying to pull it out or push it in.
By waiting to drag the handle down as far as possible before attempting to bend or fold it back up, you will save yourself some hassle!
Both of these things really do help make pulling the pan out easy and fast.
Let it cool down completely before removing it
When your pan is hot, trying to pull it away can cause it to break or shatter. This can be very frustrating as you would then need to start over!
Never attempt to remove an iron cookware piece while it is still hot! The temperature of the metal may have reached its softening point, at which time it will literally melt in your hands.
Once cooled, use tongs to gently pick up the pieces. If there are any parts that feel warm, cut these off first and let them cool fully before placing back into the handle.
Use a soft brush to clean it
When your pan becomes stuck or you need to straighten out a crooked skillet, don’t use harsh cleaners. That could damage the surface and make it stick again!
Instead, use a soft brush to gently remove any burnt-on bits and then wash with warm soapy water. If there is still some stuck on food, try using a plastic scrubber or paper towel instead of a brush.
Use a steel brush to clean it
When your pan gets stuck, you can either try using heat to work with it or use a other tool to get it going again. For example, if your pan is stuck at a high temperature, you can use a cold metal bristle brush to lower the temperature of the skillet.
If the pan is not sticking but instead just looks ugly, you can use a quality non-stick coating to bring back its luster. To do this, take your pan off of the stove and let it cool down completely before applying the coating. Once it has cooled, apply the coating according to the instructions, usually there are none!
To straighten and remove burnt-on food bits that have melted into the pan, use a plastic scrubbing spoon like ones used for baking.
Run it under hot water
When your pan needs straightening, first make sure that you have all of your cookware ready! You can either run this skillet through the dishwasher or hit the trashcan with a heavy object.
If you plan to wash the pan in the oven, then leave it alone until it has dried completely before washing again. This will prevent warping or burning due to steam.
To melt away any stuck-on burnt bits, add some more butter to the pan and heat up. Then scrape off the melted fat using a very thin knife. If there are still hard pieces, use the steel wool method mentioned above.
The last option is to warm up the pan over low heat, which may require several minutes depending on the thickness of the metal.