It might be time to re-season favorite skillet

Dear Heloise: I once read how to season iron skillets to keep meat or foods from sticking to them. Would you please reprint the directions? Doris Pittenger, Columbia City, Ind.

Doris, happy to oblige, and you are lucky if you have a good cast-iron skillet. When food starts sticking in the pan, this is the sign that the pan needs to be re-seasoned. Clean the inside of the pan in warm, sudsy water while using a plastic brush or scrubbie, then rinse with hot water and dry well.

Next, add a thick layer of unsalted vegetable shortening to the inside and outside of the skillet (cover well). Place the pan on a cookie sheet and bake it in an oven at 250 F for 11‚Ñ2 hours. Be sure the shortening keeps the surface evenly coated. CAUTION: Wear an oven mitt — the pan will be HOT!

When done, let the pan cool (this will take some time), wipe away excess shortening and dry with a paper towel. Now you are ready to make a favorite recipe in the skillet! Before storing away, add a light coating of vegetable oil to the inside. If the pan is stored inside or on top of another pan, use a coffee filter or paper plate between them. Heloise

Dear Heloise: I love to use my charcoal grill, and I am constantly finding new foods to prepare on it. One of my favorites so far has been prepackaged garlic bread. Simply place it on the grill, turning to heat both sides to the desired toast.

I have fire-roasted minced garlic (and grilled onions), which I mixed into hamburger patties. For both of these items, I used a fine-mesh screen as a cooking surface, which keeps the garlic from falling down into the fire. I bought one of the screens with a handle (check the kitchen section of a store — Heloise), which makes it convenient to put on or take off the fire. J.R., via e-mail

Dear Heloise: I saw an article in your column about cleaning glass-top stoves. I have found that the best way is to never cook on a burner if it has a speck of anything on it. These stove tops are so easy to use because they never get dirty if they are wiped with a soapy cloth and rinsed every time they are used. If something is spilled and seems baked on, then a dab of one of those special stove-top cleaners gets everything off. M.A. Scheel, Arlington, Texas

Dear Heloise: Am I the only one in the world who didn’t know that in order to keep aluminum-foil or plastic-wrap rolls from escaping from their boxes, all you have to do is simply push in the “press here” tabs at each end of the roll to lock the roll in place? Beverly, Buena Park, Calif.

SBlt Send a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000, or you can fax it to (210) HELOISE or e-mail it to Heloise@Heloise.com.

King Features Syndicate