Cast Iron Cookware

I am not going to sugar-coat it, our transition to cast iron cookware was more difficult than it needed to be. I hope I can save you some trouble to say - Just get the nice avocado oil for seasoning. That was the one thing that changed our cast iron game for good. We were already sold on the health benefit and longevity of cast iron cookware vs. teflon/non-stick alternatives. We wanted to lower our toxin exposure at home and we cook everything from scratch around here so it made sense that the kitchen needed to be placed under the microscope first. 

We were hesitant to switch all cookware at first due to weight as well. We do along of backcountry time here in Alaska in the summer (and some in the winter) that require us to pack in our cookware and cast iron is very heavy. We discovered that you only need the one pot for just about anything and landed on the cast iron dutch over for everything from eggs to casseroles to desserts to steaks. 

Cooking is obviously easier at home but after not being able to have my over-easy eggs without scrambling the first few attempts, I was getting frustrated. We heard everything from "Don't use soap!" to "Don't wash it at all." to "Just don't scrub it" and everyone has their best advice on how to season it "properly". 

What we found: 

• Hand wash with a gentle cloth and minimal soap (minimal meaning if it's not stuck on, you don't need it - and here's why)
• Don't let it air dry. Immediately dry it out in a 400F oven or on high over the stove until there's not water remaining. (That's why soap isn't always necessary)
• Once dry, oil it with avocado oil (for the 525F safe heating rule) and make sure the entire pan is coated by using a clean towel or paper towel to rub the oil in. 
• Heat a second time until the oil adheres and store away from any moisture. 

After we figured that out, we've been cooking our over-easy eggs "easy peasy".