cast iron

[clydefrog]

we're going to start cooking this thursday in my old 25 gal cast iron kettle. this will be our first time and i'm wondering if any of you have done this? do you know if the kettle should be seasoned? my family in florida cooks sugar cane syrup in an 80 gal kettle and every year we just grind out the rust and clean it with soap and water before cooking so i was gonna go that route but if anyone has any suggestions im all ears!

[maple flats]

No soap. Clean it with no soap, or rinse it out 5 or 6 times to remove all soap if you use it. A pressure washer works good but it must have never had soap in it.

[JSEDLAK]

I use cast iron pans to cook a lot and you shouldn't use soap in them. I use very fine steel wool and some elbow grease to get the rust out. You might want to try a wire wheel for a drill given the size. If there is a build up of sugar you should just be able to fill it with water and bring it to a boil and the sugar will disolve. At the end of the season try brushung the inside with some "almost" syrup, then turn the kettle upside down to let excess drain out and you may not get any rust the following year.

[happy thoughts]

I use a lot of cast iron skillets for cooking, mainly sauteing and frying. If the pan is seasoned then you shouldn't use soap because the soap will remove the seasoning. If it's not seasoned then using soap shouldn't be a big problem as long as you rinse thoroughly. I tend not to use cast iron for liquids because I can always taste iron. But that said, after a thorough cleaning to remove the rust, it might be best to season your kettle to keep it from further rusting. A big old kettle is a valuable thing they don't make much any more so I'd do everything to preserve it and keep it in good condition. If you use vegetable or canola oil for seasoning it's basically the same as defoamer so I don't think that would be considered an illegal additive if you're selling your syrup. How to season a kettle as large as yours might be a problem. I found this video on youtube which seems like a good way to do it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dtas_mMg9_s

I would also season it again before putting it away for the season. And try to keep it someplace dry to minimize rusting while in storage.

Good luck and have fun making some real traditional syrup :)

[maple flats]

I suggested no soap only because of the risk of not getting it all rinsed out, since the cast iron on an old kettle likely has pours and crevases to trap the soap.

[clydefrog]

thanks guys...we haven't used this thing before and while its sound, its coated with something on the inside...looks like were gonna take the angle grinder to it and then try cooking some vinegar to dissolve anything left...i was worried seasoning it with veg oil before cooking might leave an off taste to the syrup, especially since we'll be cooking just one batch for about three days.