How to season the Enameled Cast Iron cookware?

While stainless steel, carbon steel and other styles of cookware have their place in the kitchen, enameled cast iron offers a number of advantages. To start with, it is super easy to clean. Thanks to its enameled coating, food will resist sticking, burning and crusting on the surface. Also, unlike traditional cast iron, the enameled version doesn’t require seasoning, so maintenance is a breeze.

What’s more, you can even use it to cook tomatoes and other acidic ingredients that would otherwise ‘interact’ with regular cast iron.

1. Enameled Cast Iron - Benefits
2. How to clean Enameled Cast Iron?
3. How to remove residue from Enameled Cast Iron?
4. How to prevent Enameled Cast Iron from chipping?
5. The dos and don’ts of Enameled Cast Iron
6. Does food stick on Enameled Cast Iron? Does it really require seasoning?
7. Conclusion

1. Enameled Cast Iron - Benefits

1. Enameled cast iron is very durable, providing many years of dependable use
2. It can withstand high heat, so you can sear meat and other ingredients in it
3. It maintains heat well, making it ideal for soups, chilis, stews, bread-baking, and braising.
4. Since it conducts and holds heat so well, enameled cast iron is also eco-friendly
5. The enamel coating is not only stick resistant, but also resists rusting

2. How to clean Enameled Cast Iron?

Unlike its high maintenance cousins, enameled cast iron is refreshingly easy to clean and care for. Cookware can be cleaned in your sink just like your other dishes. Use dish soap, a sponge or soft brush to thoroughly wash, then let air out or towel dry.

3. How to remove residue from Enameled Cast Iron?

1. If debris is caked onto the walls of your enameled cast iron pot or pan, there are a couple of other cleaning methods:
2. Fill your vessel with water about halfway, then boil on the stovetop to loosen up stuck food
3. Avoid using metal to scrape off dried foods
4. To remove tough stains, mix up a solution of 1/3 bleach and 2/3 water, pour into the pot and let soak

4. How to prevent Enameled Cast Iron from chipping?

Enameled cast iron has very few downsides, and this is one of them. If you drop or otherwise hit the surface with a heavy object or utensil, the material is prone to scratching, chipping—and in extreme cases, cracking.

This is because the enamel coating is made of a material similar to glass. But don’t worry. We’d be lying if we said enameled cast iron is ‘fragile,’ because it’s not. Still, you want to be relatively gentle with your cookware, just as you would with any other precious tool in the kitchen.

5. The dos and don’ts of Enameled Cast Iron

Remember the following tips to enjoy your cookware for a lifetime:

1. Do NOT clean enameled cast iron in the dishwasher; always clean by hand, as the dishwasher’s aggressive water action and high drying temperatures may damage it
2. Avoid exposing enameled cast iron to a direct flame UNLESS food or liquid is already inside.
3. Use wooden, nylon, silicone and similar utensils with your enameled cast iron cookware to PREVENT chipping
4. Since it has iron at its core, enameled cast iron is magnetic, so you CAN use it on an induction cooktop, as well as gas, electric and ceramic ranges

6. Does food stick on enameled cast iron? Does it really require seasoning?

Under normal circumstances, there is absolutely no need to season enameled cast iron. That's actually the benefit. Cooking with fat is the key as is with all pans/pots. Having said that, please be aware that cooking food with the exceptional heat and not enough oil or other liquid is what makes it sticky over time.

When you combine heat & improper use, this is when the sticky residue builds up over time and cooking on the enamel becomes more difficult. However, with a few simple steps, you can use your enameled cast-iron without your favorite recipes sticking to the enamel.

First of all Cooking at high temperatures is a sure way to have sticking problems with an enamel pot. To be fair if there is not enough oil used when cooking – for non-stick purposes food can stick in any pot or pan if cooking at high heat.

Enameled cast-iron is semi non-stick not true non-stick. Therefore, the pot or pan needs to be seasoned generously with every use. By this, we mean lashings of oil to the bottom as well as up the sides of the pot, pan, or grill before heating your pan up. This act alone will help stop food from adhering to the enamel.

You can refer to the below blog for Cleaning and Caring of Enameled Cast Iron

 How to Clean and Care for Enameled Cast Iron?

7. Conclusion

The beauty of enameled cast iron is that it does not need to be seasoned like normal cast iron, so it's ready to go whenever you need it for pan-frying, simmering, baking and so on. A couple of things to keep in mind:

1. It's best to preheat your pan on low-to-medium heat with some cooking oil or fat. Since this material conducts heat very well, it's usually not necessary to turn the heat up too high unless you're bringing liquids to a boil. Using oil or fat will also ensure your pan's built-in non-stick seasoning improves over time.
2. Cleaning : We recommend hand-washing your pan with mild soap and a sponge after use instead of using a dishwasher. Dry thoroughly and store until next use.
3. We highly recommend the use of silicone tools on your enameled cast iron cookware as they don’t scratch the enamel surface.

Shop for the gorgeous Enameled cast-iron from a brand that's been trusted for over a century - Meyer :