Seasoning a cast iron skillet....Tips please

[Larry Caldwell]

I clean a cast iron pan the same way I block a grill. Warm pan and abrasive pad to loosen crusty food, water in a hot pan to dissolve cooked on food, maybe with a little more scrubbing, then wipe down with oil. Never soap. If the pan gets too crusty, I toss it in the wood stove on a bed of coals, burn all the organics off, and start over. A good pan seasons as you cook. Bacon grease is great. Popping popcorn is great. Avoid wet, alkaline foods that will saponify (turn to soap) the oil seasoning.

 

[Chilly807]

Just an update from my recent experience. I had mentioned I was trying using plain cooking oil (usually canola) and a stainless scouring pad to clean cast iron pans, avoiding water and especially dish soap like the plague.

I let the pan cool or at least wait til it's warm to the touch, then remove excess food bits with a metal scraper. Then add a few tablespoons of canola oil, and scrub with the stainless pad. Once all the food bits are gone and the iron is smooth again, wipe out with a paper towel and store til the next use.

We had got a couple of used pans that I actually boiled clean with soap and water, so I definitely had a fresh start.

Over the past several months, the pan has slowly darkened to a glossy almost mirror finish, and very little sticks to it any more. Foods with high sugar content, like bacon, or anything with a sauce type mixture can be a bit sticky, but as long as you use moderate heat and don't let things burn on, it seems to really work well.

The scouring with oil seems to remove residual flavours, so your bacon and eggs doesn't taste like last nights fried fish dinner..

All in all, I'd rate this method a success. I wish I'd taken before and after pictures, the pan looks really good now and performs well.

We do have 3 cast iron frying pans now. One is a Wagner 1891, strictly for stuff like pancakes and French toast, crepes, etc. It's black as coal, and nothing even thinks of sticking to it. That one simply gets wiped out with oil, nothing sticks anyway. He or she who washes that pan will die a slow and painful death!

The second one is the one I just described above, also a Wagner 1891, slowly darkening and improving with age. It gets used for bacon and eggs, fish, steaks etc.

The third is a Lodge pan, noticeably rougher finish than the Wagners, it gets used for anything else we cook that might damage the finish with vegetable acids, like a stir fry. It's the one I'd leave in the kitchen if we had someone house sitting for us, the others would get locked away.. Yes, I'm serious!

As always, your mileage may vary.. but I think it's worth a try if you're having trouble getting a pan seasoned.

Sean

 

[SPIKER]

Sean:

Sounds GREAT, glad the advice we all gave you have worked out well. Simple process and watch out pretty soon you will be cooking more food than you can eat just because

Mark

 

[TomSeller]

The third is a Lodge pan, noticeably rougher finish than the Wagners, it gets used for anything else we cook that might damage the finish with vegetable acids, like a stir fry. It's the one I'd leave in the kitchen if we had someone house sitting for us, the others would get locked away.. Yes, I'm serious!

I had to chuckle over that. I am not quite that way, but I do worry and have had to re-season a few pans after returning home to find a skillet in the dishwasher. I have about 20 cast iron skillets, mostly large logo Griswolds from the early 1900s, with a few Wagners. Another 6 or so Dutch ovens and roasters, and a couple of serving trays. Yes, I am a cast iron nut. The kids don't seem to care about them and are threatening to toss them in my coffin when I go.

 

[/pine]

I come from a long line of cast iron cookware fanatics... but imo there is few if anything that can not be cooked equally as well and flavorful with more modern cookware...it may not have the "Fe" kick though...!

all "cooking" is about two basic things...preparation and applying temperature...when it comes to cookware it is all about time and transferring heat...nothing else...and with many foods..."timing" is the most important factor..

if you think cast iron cooks best...try some professional steel pans and learn how they transfer heat...you will be amazed...!

 

[TomSeller]

I come from a long line of cast iron cookware fanatics... but imo there is few if anything that can not be cooked equally as well and flavorful with more modern cookware..

if you think cast iron cooks best...try some professional steel pans and learn how they transfer heat...you will be amazed...!

Blasphemy, pure blasphemy