A kazan is a convenient dish for cooking pilaf, stewed meat, azu, and other main courses. You can cook on the stove, in the oven, or over a fire. There are several important rules for handling this utensil. Each of them is worth discussing in more detail.
Content
- Why fire a new cauldron?
- Rules for firing a cauldron before the first cooking
- Where can I prepare the cauldron for first use?
- What methods can be used to properly fire a cauldron?
- Features of preparing an aluminum cauldron before using it for the first time
- Correct processing after calcination
- How to check a seasoned cauldron
- Care instructions
- VIDEO: How to fire a new cast iron cauldron.
Why fire a new cauldron?
The utensils come off the factory conveyor in a marketable condition, but you can't cook food in them. Cauldrons are made by casting, the molds are lubricated with a special mixture so that the hot metal does not stick. Before sending, the utensils are processed again, covered with a protective layer that protects cast iron and porous duralumin from corrosion.
The grease is not food grade, so you need to get rid of it after purchasing it. You won't be able to do this with soap, a brush, and hot water. Porous metal deeply absorbs varnish components.
Important! Do not wash porous castings with aggressive detergents. The chemicals will sit deep in the pores and will be released during cooking. The food will be tasteless.
Rules for firing a cauldron before the first cooking
Food castings are fired to burn off the factory grease. It turns into smoke and soot, which is removed with hot water and soap. The procedure for firing a cast iron cauldron before the first cooking is long and unpleasant: a fair amount of smoke is produced, and it does not smell like roses. Aluminum is processed faster; when working with it, it is necessary to take into account several nuances. There are some peculiarities of firing a cauldron.
Please note! Some manufacturers produce cauldrons with a black non-stick coating. This is a thin layer of durable enamel. It is not oily to the touch, and when wiping new cookware, no stains remain on the napkin. If you pour water on it, no rainbow stains appear on it.
Cast iron
Cast iron products are very heavy. Castings are made with thick walls, thanks to them the products simmer, and do not boil or fry. You need to handle cast iron carefully. If accidentally dropped, the metal can crack, the alloy is classified as fragile. Below is a detailed instruction on how to burn a new cast iron cauldron on a fire and at home, what you will need for this.
Please note! Cast iron is not afraid of temperature contrasts. Previously, cast iron pots were fired in winter, thrown out of the fire into the snow, then wiped dry, and put back on the fire. The procedure was repeated several times.
Aluminum
Aluminum alloy, or rather duralumin for casting, is valued for its low specific gravity. But the metal has one peculiarity: when heated unevenly, internal stresses form in it, the cauldron can deform if the firing is carried out on high heat.
By the way, aluminum has higher thermal conductivity than cast iron. Food in an aluminum cauldron cools down faster and is not as aromatic.
Where can I prepare the cauldron for first use?
There are quite a lot of places where you can calcine cast metal.
The cast iron is heated:
- in the garage or in the yard using a blowtorch;
- on a fire, they make it outdoors;
- grill, you will have to constantly add coals
- Russian stove;
- home stove (gas or electric);
- in the oven.
Each owner of the cookware chooses a place for preparing the cauldron at his own discretion.
At the stake
The fire is not high. A stand of stones or bricks is made to install the cauldron. If there is a barbecue at the dacha, you can use it.
At home
The cauldron is placed on the stove burner or, if the utensils are not very large, placed in the oven. You need to be prepared for the fact that all kitchen textiles will have to be washed, they will smell strongly of burning. It is better to remove immediately:
- indoor flowers;
- upholstered furniture (corner);
- curtains;
- napkins;
- extra towels,
- aprons;
- decor made from natural materials;
- Textile potholders.
You need to leave only the most necessary things.
The kitchen door should close tightly, good ventilation is needed. The utensils will have to be heated for a couple of hours, no less.
Please note! If there is no exhaust ventilation in the kitchen, you should not do the firing in the apartment. A persistent smell will fill the entire apartment and will last for a week.
What methods can be used to properly fire a cauldron?
Nothing new has been invented in the entire history of cast iron pots. A cast iron aluminum cauldron is calcined using salt and vegetable oil. The first component retains heat well and absorbs all excess. The second forms a lacquer non-stick film.
Please note! If the cauldron comes with a frying pan lid, it also needs to be treated. For a regular round lid, salt or dry treatment is sufficient.
With table salt
- The cauldron is placed on the largest burner.
- Fill with coarse salt to a height of 3 cm and distribute it evenly along the walls.
- They turn on the fire and wait for the smell of smoke.
- Keep the dishes on the fire for up to 30 minutes.
- Stir the salt periodically; it will become darker each time (it will absorb the factory grease).
- Leave the cauldron on the stove to cool gradually.
- Pour out the dirty salt.
- Wash the inner walls with warm water and laundry soap or mustard powder.
Important! The cauldron is not yet ready for cooking, it does not have a protective oily film. Such cast iron will quickly rust, absorb odors, and begin to smell unpleasant. The creation of a non-stick layer is discussed below.
Oil treatment
The cauldron will require 300 to 700 ml of oil, depending on its volume. It should cover the bottom by at least 2 cm. During the firing, the vessel is constantly turned so that the oil washes all the walls. The treatment is carried out on low heat so that the oil does not flare up and does not smoke heavily. Just in case, keep a fire extinguisher nearby. The oil is kept on the fire for 40-50 minutes, depending on the size. A large cauldron is fired longer.
Important! Hold the cast iron with a regular towel, wrapping it around your hand several times. Mittens are not suitable for hot cast iron, they are too thin. Synthetics will melt immediately.
After the oil has cooled, it is poured into the sewer or used for waterproofing wood. It is dangerous to use such oil in food, it is almost drying oil. After oil treatment, the cauldron is doused with boiling water, wiped dry. You can cook in it!
Oven firing
The cauldron is kept in the oven heated to 180 degrees for an hour until the bluish smoke stops seeping from the cracks and the cauldron becomes visible through the glass. It is better to periodically open the oven or turn on the blower mode, if there is one. Do not take out the hot dishes, it is better to wait until it cools down completely. Then the cauldron is cooled, washed with soap. Dry calcination is only the first stage of preparing cast iron.
On an open fire
Dry firing is carried out on a fire, a blowtorch (it is used as a burner), a grill, in a stove without using salt and oil. The cauldron is constantly turned over the fire. Where the production grease burns out, the dishes become grayish, lighter. After all the walls and the bottom become uniform, the dishes are thrown from the fire pit onto the grass or snow. After this, the cauldron is washed well. Before cooking, it is calcined again, periodically greasing with vegetable oil.
Features of preparing an aluminum cauldron before using it for the first time
Cast duralumin is inferior to traditional cast iron in its physical properties. The utensils deteriorate faster and retain heat poorly. But aluminum has an undeniable advantage - light weight. It is difficult for a petite housewife to hold a cast-iron cauldron with food, it is better to give her an aluminum one.
The process of preparing aluminum casting for cooking is not much different from firing cast iron. The main differences.
- Aluminum should not be overheated, otherwise the bottom will become round and the walls will become oval.
- It is better to use raw firewood for a fire, as it has a lower combustion temperature.
- Aluminum cookware takes 1/3 less time to prepare.
- It is not recommended to do dry calcinations; you should use salt or oil.
- Temperature shock (sharp temperature contrast) is undesirable for duralumin.
Correct processing after calcination
The preparation of any cast cookware for cooking ends after a shiny film has formed on the inner surface, which acts as a non-stick coating.
The process of oil preparation of the cauldron for the first use:
- Dry utensils are generously oiled from the inside. External stains are removed with a cloth or paper napkins.
- Place the greased dish in the oven or on the fire.
- They wait until the oil starts to smoke.
- Transfer the casting to a stand and let it cool slightly.
- Remove carbon deposits with paper or textiles.
- The walls are greased again and put to fire.
After this, the metal cannot be washed with detergents; it is enough to pour boiling water over it and wipe it.
How to check a seasoned cauldron
The color of the metal should be rich, without dullness. When the natural protective layer is uneven, the light is reflected differently.
There are no traces of rust on well-prepared dishes. Control test:
- wet a napkin with oil;
- wipe the edges and bottom.
If there are no dark marks on the paper, everything is fine. If a brown fine coating remains, it is necessary to carry out oil firing again. The food in such a dish will have an unpleasant taste, the food will start to burn.
Aluminum does not require any special testing. The main test for it is whether carbon deposits form on the walls. There should not be any.
Care instructions
- For long-term storage, the cauldron is wrapped in parchment or cloth.
- It is better to store dishes on their sides to prevent condensation from forming under the bottom;
- After each preparation, the dishes are washed without the use of aggressive chemicals.
Important! It is better to remove dirt from cast iron with soda or dry mustard. Old ready-made will also work. Instead of an abrasive, use coarse salt. If the food is burnt, fill the cauldron with WARM water, add a little soda and salt (1 tablespoon per liter of water).
Over time, the protective oil layer on the metal is destroyed. The dishes have to be fired again. It is recommended to do this at least once a year.
Despite the wide variety of frying pans, saucepans made of ceramics, stainless steel alloys, good old casting is still in fashion. In order not to deal with preparing dishes for cooking, you can buy a cast iron or aluminum cauldron with enamel, ceramic or non-stick coating.
