If youre into history and love good food, theres something almost magical about a black, cast iron pot, skillet or Dutch oven. It has the capacity to create memories along with great food.

My brother, Mike, still has the 6-inch skillet Mom used to cook his breakfast 30 years ago. Mike still uses it to make breakfast for his kids. My grandmothers 12-inch skillet was a wedding present for her in 1918. She passed it on to my mom sometime in the 1950s, and today it is semi-retired in my kitchen.

Whether it is a cherished family heirloom or a brand new piece, the design is timeless. The black ironware was extensively used in Europe and first appeared on the American scene with Christopher Columbus, according to Lodge Cast Iron Manufacturing Co.

Today, a cast iron pan is as useful in a modern kitchen as it was over a camp fire along the Oregon Trail in 1853.

But, nostalgia aside, the bottom line is practicality. Cast iron heats evenly, retains heat and lasts longer than most other metal pans. With proper seasoning and care, the cookware can last generations.

The Central Oregon Dutch Oven Society (CODOS), based in La Pine, answers lots of cast iron cooking questions in its frequent Dutch oven cooking classes.

CODOS instructor Sue Clarke of La Pine teaches the segment on seasoning and care of cast iron.

We get people in class who bought a Dutch oven, bring it to us, and say Now what? Clarke said. You have to season any cast iron before you cook with it.

Seasoning forms the blackened patina which keeps food from sticking, Clarke said, and protects the metal, so it doesnt rust and give a bad taste to the food.

Here is Clarkes seasoning method: Wash the piece, inside and out, with hot soapy water and a stiff brush, then rinse and let dry. Then, coat all the interior and exterior surfaces with a solid vegetable shortening or vegetable oil. Both Clarke and Lodge recommend Crisco. Several commercial seasoning substances are also available locally.

Dont cover the piece with so much Crisco that it clumps up and you see pieces of white, she recommends. You want the surface to look wet.

Then, Lodge suggests placing the greased piece upside down on the middle rack of a preheated 350-degree oven. Put aluminum foil on the lower rack to catch drippings. Bake for one hour, and then turn the oven off, leaving the cookware inside until it cools.

Clarke uses a hooded gas grill outside, since the cast iron smokes heavily during seasoning. She preheats the grill to about 400 degrees, places the iron upside down on the grill and closes the hood.

Leave it alone for 15 minutes, she advises. Then, open the hood, and use a BBQ brush to baste the cast iron with more Crisco. Close the hood, and keep basting and heating until you get the blackness you want.

This process takes anywhere from 15 to 45 minutes, Clarke said, depending on the size of the piece. Set the cast iron aside until it cools completely.

Then start cooking, she said. For the first few times, cook something with a lot of oil in it like bacon, doughnuts or deep-fat fried french fries.

Cooking temperatures with cast iron are generally the same as with other types of cookware, but cast iron heats and cools slowly, so the skillet may take longer to heat and may continue cooking after removed from the heat. Dont cook acidic foods such as tomatoes, chili or baked beans in cast iron until it has been well seasoned. The acid could remove some of the seasoning.

Clarke seasons all cast iron the same way, including the already blackened, preseasoned items produced by several manufacturers. While the preseasoned pieces are supposed to ready to cook in, Clarke said she and other CODOS members have experienced food sticking problems until the items were properly seasoned.

Cleanup is simple. Avoid putting very hot cast iron into cold water, Lodge recommends, since the resulting thermal shock could cause warping or cracking. Never, ever put cast iron in a dishwasher, because the hot, humid interior will cause rusting.

The easiest and best cleaning method is to use hot water and a stiff brush, Clarke said, and never use harsh detergents to clean seasoned iron, as it will remove the patina.

Cleaning depends on the dish youve cooked, Clarke said. I usually soak the piece in water for about 5 minutes, then scrape it with a plastic scraper.

The only time Clarke will use soap, she said, is if she has really screwed up a dish.

I might use a little soap, but only if the cast iron is going back on the grill to get re-seasoned, she said. Never use an abrasive pad or a metal scraper.

Clarke then puts the cast iron in a 400-degree oven for about 20 minutes to dry, then takes it out and rubs in more Crisco. Once the piece is well-seasoned, the reapplication of oil and the 20-minute baking time can be reduced or eliminated. Reseason the piece as needed good cast iron will look shiny without feeling greasy.

Store your cast iron in a cool, dry place.

If the piece has a lid, place a folded paper towel or cloth napkin between the lid and utensil to allow air to circulate, Clarke advises. This keeps the interior from getting rancid.

Once the implement is properly seasoned, cleanup is easy and youll soon find yourself using the cast iron frequently. Eventually, youll end up with a cherished heirloom you can pass down to your kids and grandchildren.

Leon Pantenburg can be reached at lpantenburg@bend broadband.com.