tips and tricks in no particular order

caring for cast iron cookware • seasoning new pans • pans needing re-seasoning • cleaning & seasoning cast iron cookware • eat garlic - but not right away • adding garlic to recipes •burnt food odors • easy sifting • removing fat • cauliflower • sectioning an orange

CAST IRON FOREVER!

Caring for Cast Iron Cookware
Seasoning a cast iron pan is a natural way of creating non-stick cookware. And, like you cook and clean the modern non-stick cookware with special care to avoid scratching the surface, your cast iron cookware wants some special attention too.
Clean the cookware while it is still hot by rinsing with hot water and scraping when necessary. Do not use a scouring pad or soap (detergent) as they will break down the pan's seasoning.
Never store food in the cast iron pan as the acid in the food will breakdown the seasoning and the food will take on a metallic flavor.
Store your cast iron cookware with the lids off, especially in humid weather, because if covered, moisture can build up and cause rust. Should rust appear, the pan should be re-seasoned.

Seasoning New Pans top
1.Heat the oven to 250° - 300°
2.Coat the pan with lard or bacon grease. Don't use a liquid vegetable oil because it will leave a sticky surface and the pan will not be properly seasoned. 
3.Put the pan in the oven. In 15 minutes, remove the pan & pour out any excess grease. Place the pan back in the oven and bake for 2 hours.
Repeating this process several times is recommended as it will help create a stronger "seasoning" bond.
Also, when you put the pan into service, it is recommended to use it initially for foods high in fat, such as bacon or foods cooked with fat, because the grease from these foods will help strengthen the seasoning.

Pans needing Re-Seasoning top
If the pan was not seasoned properly or a portion of the seasoning wore off and food sticks to the surface or there is rust, then it should be properly cleaned and re-seasoned.
1.Remove any food residue by cleaning the pan thoroughly with hot water and a scouring pad. I understand that heating the pan first to a temperature that is still safe to touch helps open the pores of the metal and makes it easier to clean.
2.Dry the pan immediately with dish towel or paper towel.
3.Season the pan as outlined above.

Cleaning & Seasoning Cast Iron Cookware top
CAUTION: Wear rubber gloves and eye protection while doing this!!
Begin by spraying the pan with oven cleaner and putting it in a plastic bag for a couple of days. The bag keeps the oven cleaner from drying out so it will continue to work. After a couple of days, remove it from the bag and scrub it off. If all the burned on grease doesn't come off, repeat the process, concentrating the cleaner to the areas not cleaned.
To remove rust, buff the pan with a fine wire wheel in an electric drill. Crusted rust can be dissolved by soaking the piece in a 50%solution of white vinegar and water for a few hours. Don't leave it more than overnight without checking it. This solution will eventually eat the iron! It is now important to neutralize and stop the action of the vinegar. To neutralize the acid action of the vinegar again apply the oven cleaner and let the piece soak over night. You can also soak the piece over night in an alkaline solution such as washing soda which is available in the cleaning dept of most supermarkets and also some hardware stores. The washing soda neutralizes the vinegar so it will not continue to attack the iron. Then scrub the piece in dish detergent and hot water before seasoning.
After removing the burned on grease and rust, you are ready to season the piece. Put the pan in the oven to warm it. Remove it and apply shortening. I prefer solid Crisco. Some people prefer lard or bacon fat. Put it in the oven at 225 degrees for half an hour. The timing is important here because over a half hour the fat or shortening will begin to thicken. Remove it and wipe away any pooling leaving it shiny and wet. You don't want any pooling of the shortening. Place it back in the oven for another half hour. After is cools just a little but is still hot, wipe away any excess of shortining, leaving the pan with a dull shine. The initial seasoning should be accomplished at this point. However, typical of cast iron cookware, the more you use it (and don't abuse it), the better it will be. It is generally recommended that you cook fatty foods in the pan the first few times you use it, as this adds to the seasoning process.
After cooking in the pan, DO NOT use a detergent to clean it. That will destroy the seasoning. Put hot water in the pan and bring it to a boil. CAUTION: Do not put cold water in a hot pan! Let the pan soak for several minutes, then wipe it out with a paper towel. If something sticks, scrape it with a spoon to dislodge it. Do not use a brillo pad to scour it! An abrasive pad cuts into the seasoned surface. Then, reheat the pan and apply a fine coating of shorting, oil, or Pam. Do not apply enough to run. Just enough to wet the surface with a fine layer.

Eat Garlic - But Not Right Away! top
If you eat garlic for medicinal purposes, wait at least 15 minutes between chopping (or crushing or mincing) your garlic and cooking it in your favorite dish. Turns out a recent study by researchers John Milner and Kun Song suggests that immediate heating of garlic, including microwaving, can destroy much of its anti-cancer properties. However, after 15 minutes of exposure to air, the enzymes released in crushed and chopped garlic produce various allyl sulfur compounds, reputed to be the source of garlic's health giving properties.

Adding Garlic to Recipes top
When a recipe calls for adding oil, garlic, and onions to a pan, always add garlic last. This keeps it from burning and tasting bitter.

Cauliflower top
To keep cauliflower white while cooking - add a little milk to the water

Burnt Food Odors top
To neutralize burnt food odors in the house....mix 1/2 cup whole cloves with 2 cups water in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Simmer cloves for 15-30 minutes. The house smells wonderful and the burnt odor is gone .

Easy Sifting top
If a recipe calls for sifting several dry ingredients, it´s much simpler to put everything in a bowl and stir with a whisk.

Removing Fat top
Remove fat from soups and stews by dropping ice cubes into the pot. The fat will cling to the cubes as you stir. Take out the cubes before they melt. Or you can also wrap the ice cubes in cheesecloth or paper towel and skim over the top of the pot. Fat also clings to lettuce leaves.

Sectioning an Orange top
Sectioning an orange means removing all unwanted elements -- skin, white pith, and membranes -- and leaving only the juicy parts. Why would you bother with this fussy technique that yield less fruit than peeling, and separating into segments? Because sectioned oranges taste much better on top of fish, salads, and desserts, and they brown better under the broiler. Have you noticed how the oranges and tangerines that come from cans have no membranes? Believe it or not, it's not hard to do that at home. The reason you wouldn't just use canned oranges is that the fresh ones taste so much better. All you need to produce those glistening nuggets is a knife with a narrow blade and a little patience.
Step 1: Cut off the top and bottom of an orange.

Step 2: Set the orange on a cutting board flat side down, and cut off the skin and all of the white pith in curvy strips. You'll have to cut off a little of the juicy part too to make sure no white pith remains.

Step 3: Continue working your way around the orange until no skin remains.

Step 4: Hold the orange in the palm of one hand and the knife in the other hand. Choose a section that you are going to free. Run a knife on the right side of the section next to the right membrane, and then on the left side of the section next to the left membrane.

Step 5: Loosen the section and remove it from the orange.

Step 6: Continue removing the rest of the sections folding empty membranes to one side like pages of a book.

Ta-da -- you have a sectioned orange!

Copied from Helen Rennie's Beyond Salmon

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