How do I prepare & protect cast iron for months in a storage unit? (vegetable, syrup)
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We're moving from Denver to San Diego & several of my cast iron pots/pans will remain in a storage unit in Denver for 4-6 mos. I did some online searching & one person recommended placing newspaper in the inside of the pots before storing them... not sure why? I have the original, thick, cardboard boxes, so am not so worried about breakage. Any ideas on why newspaper?
More importantly, how do I handle the seasoning... will what's on the pots turn rancid? I sometimes season with fat cut off any meat I've purchased... melting it & using it for pot coverage or sausage/bacon grease or vegetable shortening. I don't recall which pans have which... I mix it up.
Should I scrub them out with boiling water & a brush to remove any coating, then re-season them again in 4-6 mos? I read in one post that seasoning changes the chemicals in the oils used, so they won't turn rancid... however, I find that hard to believe with animal fat.
Also, should I leave the lids on before placing the pots back in the original boxes or should air be allowed to circulate fully? Anything else I should do before storage?
Be sure to use an unguent that is solid at room temp, as in Crisco or lard. If you use liquid oil you'll come back to a mixture of glue and maple syrup.
Oil them up and store them. They'll be fine as long as they are lubed up.
Have a nice trip.
I dug pots out of my Grandmothers garage that had been there 40 years.
Quick scrub, coating of lard, in the oven for couple of hours at 200 and good to go.
That makes sense to protect them with oil. Once retrieved, would you wash all the coating from them first, then re-season?
Cheers for the good wishes. It's nice, we're moving back to the ocean, it will just take a few belongings a few months to catch up with us. Thanks BDD...
Last edited by PatanjaliTwist; 02-28-2012 at 08:23 PM..
Be sure to use an unguent that is solid at room temp, as in Crisco or lard. If you use liquid oil you'll come back to a mixture of glue and maple syrup.
Thank you Font. Learned that the hard way when I initially coated new pans with olive oil. You'll find my post on C-D from 1-1/2 yrs ago... something like 'Help, my cast iron is like glue & maple syrup'. What a bleedin' mess, not to mention the eye burning from fumes as they were baking in the oven.
The only saving grace was to finally put them into the dishwasher to take all the gunk off (no amount of intense scrubbing took it off), then re-season with lard. I don't eat pork, but I think lard seasons far better than veg shortening. I'll never get used to that awful smell, but it does work well.
As Tuckers stated solid at room temp fats only. No need to try and scrub off the coating unless its covered with dust or debris. Rinse with warm water, wipe with a paper towel, toss on stove and get to cooking.
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Originally Posted by PatanjaliTwist
We're moving from Denver to San Diego & several of my cast iron pots/pans will remain in a storage unit in Denver for 4-6 mos. I did some online searching & one person recommended placing newspaper in the inside of the pots before storing them... not sure why? I have the original, thick, cardboard boxes, so am not so worried about breakage. Any ideas on why newspaper?
More importantly, how do I handle the seasoning... will what's on the pots turn rancid? I sometimes season with fat cut off any meat I've purchased... melting it & using it for pot coverage or sausage/bacon grease or vegetable shortening. I don't recall which pans have which... I mix it up.
Should I scrub them out with boiling water & a brush to remove any coating, then re-season them again in 4-6 mos? I read in one post that seasoning changes the chemicals in the oils used, so they won't turn rancid... however, I find that hard to believe with animal fat.
Also, should I leave the lids on before placing the pots back in the original boxes or should air be allowed to circulate fully? Anything else I should do before storage?
Thank you so much!
Don't store them scrubbed or you'll have rusted cast iron. I would get them nice and hot then cover every cooking or aesthetic surface with shortening. If you're going to store them stacked, a paper towel with a splash of olive oil between them should be all you need. If you have any nastiness after unpacking, scrub and reseason then.
We're moving from Denver to San Diego & several of my cast iron pots/pans will remain in a storage unit in Denver for 4-6 mos. I did some online searching & one person recommended placing newspaper in the inside of the pots before storing them... not sure why? I have the original, thick, cardboard boxes, so am not so worried about breakage. Any ideas on why newspaper?
More importantly, how do I handle the seasoning... will what's on the pots turn rancid? I sometimes season with fat cut off any meat I've purchased... melting it & using it for pot coverage or sausage/bacon grease or vegetable shortening. I don't recall which pans have which... I mix it up.
Should I scrub them out with boiling water & a brush to remove any coating, then re-season them again in 4-6 mos? I read in one post that seasoning changes the chemicals in the oils used, so they won't turn rancid... however, I find that hard to believe with animal fat.
Also, should I leave the lids on before placing the pots back in the original boxes or should air be allowed to circulate fully? Anything else I should do before storage?
Thank you so much!
A good thick coat of oil all over the entire pan, put into an air tight container if possible with something between the pans if you stack them. I use Olive Oil but that is my preference.
No need to try and scrub off the coating unless its covered with dust or debris. Rinse with warm water, wipe with a paper towel, toss on stove and get to cooking.
Beautiful! Cheers...
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What a bleedin' mess, not to mention the eye burning from fumes as they were baking in the oven. 
