Cast IronSeasoning, cleaning and the myths that persist.KitchenWell-maintained cast iron lasts generations.1Season itThin layer of neutral oil, wipe almost all of it off, bake at 230°C foran hour.2Cook in itFatty cooking maintains the seasoning better than any deliberatere-seasoning.3Clean while warmHot water, brush or chainmail scrubber. Soap is acceptable.4Dry immediatelyOn the hob if necessary. Rust is the only real enemy.5Wipe with oilA very thin film before storing.MYTHSSoap does not strip seasoningYou can cook tomatoes — just not for hoursRust is fixable: scrub it back and re-seasonSeasoning is oil polymerised into a hard plastic-like layer by heat. Thatis why washing-up liquid cannot dissolve it.Cast Ironlearnposters.com
Cast Iron — printable food wall chart from LearnPosters. Free vector PDF, US Letter and A4.

Cast Iron, step by step

Well-maintained cast iron lasts generations.

  1. Season itThin layer of neutral oil, wipe almost all of it off, bake at 230°C for an hour.
  2. Cook in itFatty cooking maintains the seasoning better than any deliberate re-seasoning.
  3. Clean while warmHot water, brush or chainmail scrubber. Soap is acceptable.
  4. Dry immediatelyOn the hob if necessary. Rust is the only real enemy.
  5. Wipe with oilA very thin film before storing.

Myths

  • Soap does not strip seasoning
  • You can cook tomatoes — just not for hours
  • Rust is fixable: scrub it back and re-season

Seasoning is oil polymerised into a hard plastic-like layer by heat. That is why washing-up liquid cannot dissolve it.

Questions about the Cast Iron poster

What’s on the Cast Iron poster?
5 numbered steps, with a full worked run-through. Well-maintained cast iron lasts generations. Season it — Thin layer of neutral oil, wipe almost all of it off, bake at 230°C for a…; Cook in it — Fatty cooking maintains the seasoning better than any deliberate re-seas…; Clean while warm — Hot water, brush or chainmail scrubber. Soap is acceptable.; Dry immediately — On the hob if necessary. Rust is the only real enemy.; Wipe with oil — A very thin film before storing.. Seasoning is oil polymerised into a hard plastic-like layer by heat. That is why washing-up liquid cannot dissolve it.
Who is the Cast Iron poster for?
Cast Iron belongs to the Kitchen section rather than to a school year, because food is not something one grade owns. Anyone learning equipment can pin it up — a beginner, a student mid-course, or someone revising years later.
When should you use the Cast Iron poster?
Soap is fine. The seasoning is polymerised oil, not a grease film, and detergent does not remove it. A wall chart earns its place by being glanceable from where the work is happening, so Cast Iron belongs on the wall where that food work actually happens, within glancing distance, rather than filed away.
What other posters go with Cast Iron?
Blenders & Processors, Choosing Pans and Cleaning Equipment sit alongside Cast Iron in the Kitchen section. Printed together they make a wall rather than a single sheet, which is how a reference set actually gets used.Blenders & ProcessorsChoosing PansCleaning Equipment
Is the Cast Iron poster free to download and print?
Yes. Cast Iron downloads as a free PDF with no account, no email and no watermark, like everything else in the Kitchen section. Print as many copies as you like for a home, a classroom, a library or a tutoring group; reselling the file is the only thing the licence rules out.Read the licence
What size does the Cast Iron poster print at?
Cast Iron is a vector PDF laid out for US Letter, and prints on A4 with Fit to page — the same file, no separate download. Because every mark on it is drawn rather than photographed, it stays sharp enlarged to A3, A2 or A1 at a copy shop. Colour carries emphasis only, so a greyscale print of Cast Iron loses nothing.Printing guide

Related posters

Charts that sit alongside Cast Iron on the same wall.

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