A Single Paper Towel Is One Of The Best Ways To Keep Your Cast Iron Pans Pristine

There's a lot of myth and mystique attached to cast iron cookware and how to "properly" take care of it. We examined the cooking myth about using metal tools on cast iron pans, for one, and there is a world of resources on the internet regarding how to season, store, and use this durable, timeless cookware. Cast iron has been home chefs' go-to for hundreds of years — pioneers hauled near-identical skillets in covered wagons on the Oregon Trail to the one that you use to make your dinner now! In reality, your cast iron is both tougher and more delicate than you might think. It doesn't really need special treatment with bespoke substances (you can actually use ketchup to clean a cast iron pan!). Still, these skillets and pans can be a bit persnickety when it comes to potential scratching or rusting. Thankfully, all you may need is a paper towel and a bit of forethought.

In a perfect world, you'd store your cast iron pans with airflow all around them to ensure moisture quickly dries and nothing mars the surface. Here in the real world, however, kitchen space is normally at a premium. That's why you need to line your cast iron pan with a paper towel before nesting other cookware atop it. The single paper towel — you could use more than one if you really want to be proactive — not only acts as a buffer to protect the surface, but also absorbs any lingering moisture. It's a cheap, simple, "do it and forget it" hack for babying your cast iron without arcane potions and tricks.

A protective layer between pans and anything you might stack on top of them is not only a buffer against scratching, but it also sops up moisture, which prevents unsightly rusting that requires extra labor to eliminate. Getting a perfect season on a cast iron pan can be the most difficult part of owning one of these cooking vessels, after all, and you definitely don't want to compromise that pristine finish.

Ideally, use a thick paper towel to line your pan. This isn't the time to skimp on budget paper towels that you can practically see through when you hold them up to the light! Of course, if you only have thinner napkins, you can double them up, but we recommend going with a premium brand for both absorbency and cushion. Spread the paper towel along the bottom of the pan, letting the sides come up the walls of the cast iron. Take care when you nest items inside, so that as much of the area as possible comes into contact with the paper, not the metal of the cast iron. Voilà ... you have an accessible, inexpensive pad for your cast iron that you don't need to custom-order or store. When the paper towel gets torn, dirty, or otherwise not serviceable, simply throw it away and replace it. Taking care of cast iron need not be a challenging task.