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CARE AND CLEANING – FAQ’S

NEED TIPS AND TRICKS FOR YOUR COOKWARE –

MCWARE CARE AND WARNINGS

Features of Your New McWare:

  • Thick bottoms transfer heat quickly to side walls allowing you to cook with lower heat.
  • Bodies and lids are polished to clean finish.
  • Lids lock in water and juices to reduce moisture loss during cooking.
  • Knobs and handles are oven safe up to 350°F or 177°C.
  • Permanent side handles on Dutch Oven provide a secure grip.
  • Handle on large fry pan provides an extra grip when removing pan from heat source.
  • Flat bottom pan design works effectively on gas, electric and smooth-top ranges.

Inside the McWare line of Oval Roasters and Stock Pots you will find an oval or circular shaped plate with holes.  This plate can be used three ways:   1) as a Steamer Plate:  2) as a Roasting Plate to hold your (chicken/roast/turkey) above the surface of the bottom of the pot and allow fat and juice drippings to collect under the plate:  3) as a Trivet (with round solid circle bumps facing down) to prevent the bottom of the pot from directly touching counter or stove top surfaces when removed from the heat.

Read and Save these instructions

FAILURE TO FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS MAY CAUSE PERSONAL INJURY OR PROPERTY DAMAGE

WARNINGS

  • NEVER LET COOKWARE BOIL DRY OR — USE ON HIGH HEAT.
  • Handles and knobs may get hot. Always Use Potholders.
  • Place hot cookware on heat-resistant surface.
  • DO NOT make double boiler out of pots that are not designed for that purpose.
  • DO NOT make repairs or use damaged cookware.
  • Tilt covers to direct steam away from you.
  • Match cookware to burner size. Adjust burner so heat does not extend up the side of pan.
  • DO NOT use cookware under a broiler, over a campfire, in a microwave oven, on induction stoves or on a gas grill.  We do have an adapter for Induction stoves so you may use your McWare Pots on an induction stovetop.

— USE

  • See warnings stated above.
  • BEFORE USING FOR THE FIRST TIME. Wash cookware thoroughly with hot, soapy water. Rinse and dry. “Condition” the interior with cooking oil. Remove excess oil with a dry paper towel. “Condition” regularly.
  • For best results, preheat the cookware on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes prior to adding food; this ensures a more consistent temperature during the cooking cycle. Continue cooking using low to medium heat.
  • Use plastic, nylon or wooden cooking utensils.
  • Minor scratching will only affect the appearance of the pan. It will not affect the performance.
  • Cookware can be used in a preheated oven. Phenolic knobs and handles can be used in the oven up to 350°F or 177°C. DO NOT put in the oven when self-cleaning cycle is operating.
  • Cover Vacuum: cover left on pan after turning heat down or off may result in a vacuum that causes the cover to seal the pan. If seal occurs, DO NOT ATTEMPT TO REMOVE THE COVER FROM THE PAN IN ANY WAY.  To avoid cover seal, remove the cover or set it ajar before turning the heat off.

CARE

  • To prevent warping, let cookware cool before coming into contact with water.
  • To remove burned on food, soak before cleaning and scrub with a plastic scouring pad. DO NOT use abrasive scouring powders, pads or steel wool.
  • Thoroughly wash pan after each use. Use hot soapy water to avoid staining caused by food or grease residue buildup.
  • Dishwasher use will dull aluminum finish.
  • Avoid long-term storage with food inside. Some foods and salt can “pit” the surfaces and make it difficult to clean. Add salt to liquid only after it reaches the boiling points, and stir to dissolve completely.
  • Use of high heat may cause foods to stick.
  • You may use Bar-Keepers Friend also, Cream of Tartar for cleaning.  There are many aluminum cleaners on the market.  Many products work wonderfully to keep your McWare looking like new.  Use a soft abrasive powder cleanser like Bon Ami, or make a paste of baking soda and water to remove any burnt food still remaining after washing with warm soapy water.  To remove interior discoloration, fill the pan with water, add 1 tbsp. cream of tartar or 1 tbsp. lemon juice per quart of water. Simmer on a low flame on the stove until the discoloration is gone. Wash and dry your pans as usual.

ENAMEL COATED CAST IRON CARE

CARE OF ENAMEL COATED CAST IRON COOKWARE

Enameled cast iron cookware lasts for generations with proper care. It is different from cast iron cookware because of the enameled surface that is placed over the iron, making it rustproof and easier to clean. Here are some tips for using this cookware.

Things You’ll Need: Wooden or plastic utensils and Plastic pot scrubber

Step 1 – Understand how enameled cookware works. It heats slowly and cools slowly. The big advantage is that it holds an even heat during cooking and requires little stirring.

Step 2 – Use enameled cookware on any kind of stovetop. You also can use it in the oven.

Step 3 – Preheat the cookware on a low heat for stovetop use. This allows the cooking surface of the pot or pan to increase to cooking temperature. Then raise the heat to the desired level.

Step 4 – Keep the cookware clean, and it can last for generations. Use detergent and a sponge. Use a plastic scrubber for the tough stuff. Dry thoroughly.

Step 5 – Cool the enameled cookware before cleaning. Letting it return to room temperature helps prevent warping.

Step 6 – Protect the enameled surface by avoiding breaks and scratches. Use wooden or plastic utensils. Place a small amount of cooking oil on places that have chipped so they don’t rust.

 Upon Removal – please place pot carefully on stove. Fill with water and let the water simmer/boil out of the pot slowly, this will re-seat your enamel coating, turn off fire and empty remaining water from enamel cookware once it is about ¼ inch from the bottom.

In addition – Please take the following precautions:

How to care for enamel coated cast iron cookware:
Enamel cookware is great, but you do have to be careful with coated pots or pans of any kind. A comparison can be made to your teeth – Do NOT take them for granted. Enameled cookware are much like your teeth. The coating protects the innards (and if you ever got a rotten tooth and had to have a root canal, then you can appreciate that), and the enamel is what makes your teeth look pretty. The enamel coating makes your pans look nice too–much nicer than raw metal sitting on your table. The protective coating prevents flavor absorption, eliminates the need to season, and blocks out any metal traces in your food. The pans with coating have the heating benefits of the original metals, but not the downsides.

At this point, you may be thinking that pearly off-white lined pans are the only way to go. They are super, but there are some drawbacks.
1) You can’t heat enamel as high as metals.
2) Enamel is simply not made to take scorching temperatures. So, you can’t do the deep fast fry that makes the best french fries, and you don’t want to blacken foods in enamel. You will crack your enamel and ruin your pan if you go with mega blast heat.
3) Enamel chips just like your teeth.   Maybe you haven’t chipped a tooth, but you probably know someone who has. Though enamel is pretty hard, it is not diamond or cast iron strong. So, you can get chips especially around the edges.
4) You need to be careful with your enamel cookware. Try not to bang or drop them. And if you do get a chip, then keep an eye on that area and treat as raw metal. For example, you may want to dry the cookware well, and then rub vegetable oil on the spot of cast iron now showing.

Enamel stains:
If you smoke, drink caffeine, or honestly eat anything at all, then your teeth get dingy. The same thing happens with the enamel cookware cooking surface. If you do use them, then they get stains. You can brush the enamel with baking soda just like you do your teeth or you can leave water in the pan with Clorox overnight and get back to the original color.

Caution:

You will need to be careful with your enamel coated cookware. Do not cook on high temps and do not bump the cookware around. Chips mean that you don’t have the easy-care cookware that you planned on using and loving (though they can still be used). If you crack the enamel, then good-bye cookware. L. If you do take care of your enamel coated cookware, then you have a good set with the benefits of the underlying metals and without the extra work with most of those. The pans are nice looking and can go straight on the table which is a nice extra. Overall, enamel is a great idea but does require just a little extra effort on your part–just like that brushing and flossing that your dentist recommends.

Hope you enjoy your enamel coated cast iron for years to come….

CURING YOUR CAST IRON/CARE AND CLEANING

How To Season Cast Iron Pans and Cookware:

  • You season a cast iron pan by rubbing it with a relatively thin coat of neutral oil (I stress a light coat of oil).

    NOTE: Use vegetable oils (canola, sunflower, etc.), shortening (like Crisco shortening) or lard for seasoning your cast iron pans.    I recently experimented and found out that food-grade coconut oil/butter also works great.
  • Place the cast iron pan, upside down, in the oven, with a sheet of aluminum foil on the bottom to catch any drips. Heat the pan for 30 to 60 minutes in a 300 to 500 degree oven. Once done, let the pan cool to room temperature. Repeating this process several times is recommended as it will help create a stronger “seasoning” bond.
  • The oil fills the cavities and becomes entrenched in them, as well as rounding off the peaks. By seasoning a new pan, the cooking surface develops a nonstick quality because the formerly jagged and pitted surface becomes smooth. Also, because the pores are permeated with oil, water cannot seep in and create rust that would give food an off-flavor.Your ironware will be slightly discolored at this stage, but a couple of frying jobs will help complete the cure, and turn the iron into the rich, black color that is the sign of a well-seasoned, well-used skillet or pot.
  • Never put cold liquid into a very hot cast iron pan or oven. They will crack on the spot!
  • Be careful when cooking with your cast iron pots on an electric range, because the burners create hot spots that can warp cast iron or even cause it to crack. Be sure to preheat the iron very slowly when using an electric range and keep the settings to medium or even medium-low.
  • Important:
    Unless you use your cast-iron pans daily, they should be washed briefly with a little soapy water and then rinsed and thoroughly dried in order to rid them of excess surface oil. If you do not do this, the surplus oil will become rancid within a couple of days.

    Remember – Every time you cook in your cast iron frying pan, you are actually seasoning it again by filling in the microscopic pores and valleys that are part of the cast-iron surface. The more you cook, the smoother the surface becomes!

How To Maintain Cast Iron Pans and Cookware:

Every time, after I use my cast iron pans, I do the following:

  • Let the cast iron frying pan cool.
  • Wash it with dishwashing soap and water. Never soak or let soapy water sit in the pan for any length of time – just briefly wash it out. Rinse thoroughly, then dry with paper towels. NEVER put cast iron cookware in the dishwasher.A lot of people disagree with using dishwashing soap and water to wash cast iron pans. A chef told me that if a health inspector ever found a pan that had not been washed with soap and water in his kitchen, he would be in trouble. Plus the grease that is left behind will eventually become rancid. You do not want rancid oil in your foods and body.
  • Place the cleaned cast iron frying pan on the heated burner of your stove for a minute or two to make sure that it is bone dry. While the pan is still hot and on the stove burner, lightly oil inside of pan (I mean a light coat) with a neutral cooking oil. I use a paper towel to spread the oil lightly over the pan.

    Neutral Oils –     Use vegetable oils (canola, sunflower, etc.), shortening (like Crisco shortening) or lard for seasoning your cast iron pans. I recently experimented and found out that food-grade coconut oil/butter also works great.
  • Leave frying pan on the hot burner of stove for a few minutes. Remove from hot burner and wipe excess oil off the pan with a paper towel.
  • Store your cast iron cookware with the lids off (especially in humid weather, because if covered, moisture can build up and cause rust). Be sure that you place a couple paper towels inside your cast-iron pan when storing to make sure that any moisture that forms will be absorbed by the paper towel. Never put the utensil in the dishwasher or store it away without drying it thoroughly.

How To Cook in Cast Iron Cookware:

  • Cast iron is a great alternative to non-stick cooking surfaces. Cast iron can be pre-heated to temperatures that will brown meat and will withstand oven temperatures well above what is considered safe for non-stick pans. You can cook almost any food in cast iron cookware.
  • One of the reasons cast iron is so highly valued is for its cooking properties. Heat is evenly distributed and held, making it ideal for deep frying, searing, and even baking. The versatility of the cast-iron frying pan or skillet is unrivaled; use it on the stove top, on your barbecue grill, and/or in your oven.
  • You can also bake food in your oven using your cast iron cookware. Instead of using that casserole dish, try using your cast iron cookware. Your can bake your cakes, pies, biscuits in cast-iron cookware. Be creative!
  • Always preheat your cast iron frying pan before frying in it (see above).
  • Acidic items like tomato sauces will be darker from iron leaching out, but many people with iron deficiencies do this for extra iron in their diet.
  • Never store acidic products in cast iron cookware. In fact, never ever use your cast iron pots for storing any foods.
  • It is not recommended that you use your cast iron as a pot for boiling water. Some people say that the hot water will remove small bits of oil from the surface which will then be found floating around. Water breaks down the seasoning and can cause your cast iron to rust.

 

Misc. Cast-Iron Questions:

  • Metallic Taste – If your food gets a metallic taste, or turns “black”, it means one of two things are wrong. Either your pot has not been sufficiently seasoned, or you are leaving the food in the pot after it has been cooked. Never store food in the cast iron pan as the acid in the food will breakdown the seasoning and take on a metallic flavor.
  • Rust Spots – If your old or new cast iron pans gets light rust spots, scour the rusty areas with steel wool, until all traces of rust are gone. Wash, dry, and repeat seasoning process.
  • Goo or Guck in Pan – If too much oil or shortening is applied to a cast-iron pan in the seasoning process, it will pool and “gum up” when the pan is heated. In this case, the goo can be scraped off and some more grease rubbed over the spot, or the pan can be re-scrubbed and re-seasoned.

    Heating the pan upside-down may help prevent gumming but protect your oven by using a foiled-lined baking sheet or aluminum foil to catch the grease.     Seasoning at higher temperatures, approaching the smoking point, of the oil used will result in darker seasoned coatings in less time that aren’t sticky or gummy.

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