Q: I just bought a new potjie and I read somewhere that you need to make a fire inside the pot and burn it for a few hours. Not sure if this is correct. After that you clean it with wire wool and then boil it with vegetables for a few hours. Could someone please let me know if this is correct... Many thanks in advance!!
A: OMG PLEASE DON'T LISTEN TO THE ABOVE unless you have a stomach like an ostrich ! The reason why you have to cure a potjie is because if it is new and not enamel coated is because cast iron are poreous and it has many microscopic cavities where germs can hide and make you sick as well as giving you metal poisoning ! The only way is to heat it up thoroughly and boil a strong saltwater solution until dry .Then you fry some crackling (pork rind ) and smear the total inside of the pot as well as you can with the oil .The oil penetrates the metal and effectively seals all the pores ! You can wash the pot clean with normal sunlight liquid once you are done . Always store your pot with newspaper inside as the newspaper will absorb the moist inside and keep it from rusting .