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Comparing different types of frying pans, one realizes that they all have not only positive qualities. New-fashioned dishes can leak substances harmful to health, quickly fail. Therefore, when there is a dilemma, how to replenish the home arsenal of kitchen utensils of this kind, the conclusion that without such a simple device as Cast-iron pan simply impossible to do.
In any ethnographic museum of the world, you can see exhibits of everyday life made of this material. They have long been popular among Europeans and Americans, Africans and Chinese. Cast iron has not disappeared from everyday life even now.
"Pros and cons"
Hardly anyone has compared old and modern models, seriously studied their advantages and disadvantages. However, the generally accepted opinion works without fail: if cast iron has been used for so long, it means that it is absolutely flawless and practical. However, is it really so?
The cast iron pan has not mythical, but real such attractive characteristics:
• evenly distributes and retains heat for a long time;
• it is not afraid of temperature changes;
• it is not afraid of acid, retains more useful elements than samples from the second raw material;
• suitable for all kinds of stoves - gas, induction, electric;
• any dish looks so spectacular on it that no other dishes are required even for a restaurant presentation.
A cast-iron frying pan with a corrugated surface, which can be bought in optsklad.dp.ua this is not only a designer find, but also a technological one, thanks to which the ingredients are baked as if on a grill. The porous structure has additional protection. Therefore, it does not deteriorate over time.
But in all models made of cast iron, in addition to iron and carbon, other alloys are necessarily present, particles of which get into food. Moreover, the iron from which the frying pan is made and what is found in food products are different things. And they are not absorbed by the body in the same way. Nickel and chromium are far from safe, especially for people with allergies. And they are also distinguished by cast iron dishes.
Buy what you need
If such nuances do not look like horror stories, the desire to become the owner of a cast-iron assistant has not disappeared, you should think about what to stop your choice. So that the novelty does not turn into an art object, fulfilling the role of a kitchen device intended for it from birth, you need to clarify the following points:
• light cast iron does not exist a priori. The weight of even a miniature pan cannot be light;
• a frying pan from such brands as "Le Creuset", "Lodge", "Staub" will cost much more than its nameless counterpart;
• cheap competitors, most likely, are produced from the synthesis of such elements, about which potential buyers are unlikely to be told;
• what kind of work is prepared for her? From what kind of sides it has - high or low, what diameter, shape, with a wooden handle or a more resistant plasticizer, a removable version or an integral one, a lot depends on the cooking process;
• its bottom and walls should not be smaller than three centimeters;
• unevenness, cracks and other visible defects are not allowed.
Since each model has a predetermined task, it is not surprising that there are classic and portioned pans, grills and braziers, pancake and WOK, two-sided.
How to care
Some consumers complain that black inclusions are visible in the treats cooked in cast iron. They appear even after washing the pan, dirty towels. This is due to several reasons. First of all, there is the fact that the factory processing is peeling off. Secondly, the remains of soot are poorly washed away, absorbing into the pores of the dishes.
Nothing, except the so-called grandmother's method of piercing, can save you from these troubles. As soon as the cast-iron device was obtained, it was sprinkled with salt, put on fire (at least 15 minutes), and allowed to cool naturally. True, the kitchen is filled with far from appetizing smells. What to do? Just be patient.
Then, after removing the salt, wash the pan with warm water.
After drying it, grease it with fat - lard, margarine, oil (by the way, preferably linseed oil or, if sunflower, then the lighter one), put it in the oven for 30 minutes.
Or you can simply wash the novelty in soapy water, wipe it with a cotton cloth soaked in oil. Turned upside down, send to the oven for a while (at 180 degrees). After the oven is turned off, the pan is not removed, allowing it to cool in this position.
It is believed that thanks to such care, the pan gets a non-stick hardening almost forever. If it did not pass the experiment without loss, then it was clearly not made of cast iron. However, before resorting to peculiar methods of prevention, it is absolutely necessary to carefully study the instructions from the manufacturers.
What they definitely do not recommend is self-help, constant use of chemicals. Do not leave such a pan in a wet state, store products in it.
Cast iron does not like stagnation. The more often it is used, the better.
