Here in the mountains of North Carolina, we've all used cast iron forever. I treasure my late Mama's set and use it frequently. One of her cleaning tips was to put it in a self-cleaning oven (rarely needed if properly cared for-easiest way to clean a flea-market find) and run the 'clean' cycle, then re-season. Her fried chicken was unequaled: sadly, I was never able to learn her secret. What I'd really like to know is, how does one "season" an iron teakettle? I have one actually meant for heating potable water, made in Ohio by Wagner Ware back in the 1980s. Mama said the ones her mother used were never seasoned with oil (for obvious reasons), but had a whitish coating inside, possibly from minerals in the water, building up over the years. Any ideas? Another tip: it is possible to overheat a cast iron pan on a stovetop. My dad accidentally cracked one by turning on a stove eye on "high" one morning, then going off to shave. A loud "crack" sounded in the kitchen and Mama was heartbroken to discover an almost red-hot skillet (given to her by her mother) had split open. Also, never dump cool water into a hot pan, since thermal shock will break it. Cast iron will stand a lot of heat, only if it's evenly and slowly heated. My ambition is to learn to cook an entire meal on my wood-fired range, like my mother and those before her. Those who learned to cook on wood-fired ranges were unparalleled cooks and bakers!

• Reply