Hoss
Quintessential Chatty Farker
One tip.Never add any food to the skillet until it is hot.NEVER,EVER,PUT FOOD INTO A COLD CI SKILLET.MAKE SURE IT IS LUBED AND HOT FIRST.
Cast Iron: The bane of my culinary existence
- Thread starter rdstoll
- Start date
One tip.Never add any food to the skillet until it is hot.NEVER,EVER,PUT FOOD INTO A COLD CI SKILLET.MAKE SURE IT IS LUBED AND HOT FIRST.
Porcine Perfection
is One Chatty Farker
That's what she said....
Interesting to see so many posts about this. I have had the same skillet for decades. Honestly the key is don't clean it. At least not thoroughly. Some water with maybe a little bit of soap is all that is needed. If inside I personally don't even season mine afterwards. It is the buildup that makes them non stick. Going to flip some fried eggs now. Have a good day all.
Sent from my Pixel 3a XL using Tapatalk
Speeed
Take a breath!
Cowboy Kent Rollins cast iron care...
Well worth the 14 minutes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRZMXZfcol8
Well worth the 14 minutes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRZMXZfcol8
Ed Embry
Knows what a fatty is.
100% agree with this. First thing I do with a new CI skillet or pot is deep fry.
Juggy D Beerman
Full Fledged Farker
One thing I have noticed with cooking with cast iron is this. Electric stoves do not work as well as gas stoves for cooking with cast iron utensils. The electric heating element does not heat the skillet as evenly as a gas flame. A way around this issue is a cooking tip I learned on "America's Test Kitchen". Place the cast iron utensil in the preheated over set to the desired cooking temperature you will be using for the stove. Allow the cooking vessel 20-30 minutes to get fully heated. This will assure even cooking temperatures for frying purposes. While this maybe too much waiting time for cooking items such as eggs, it makes a world of difference for frying meat items such as hamburgers or steaks.
Not that I like admitting to frying steaks or burgers instead of properly cooking them over a fire.....
Lager,
Juggy
Not that I like admitting to frying steaks or burgers instead of properly cooking them over a fire.....
Lager,
Juggy
txsmkmstr
is one Smokin' Farker
I fell for the flaxseed oil thing too - disaster doesn't really describe it. Had to strip my Blackstone down and polish with an angle grinder and sanding pad. Went back with Lard and feel it's the best thing for seasoning. My cast iron skillet has really gotten well seasoned with lard. I always found that Crisco or Canola oil resulted in a sticky mess.
I follow several different cast iron groups and it often comes up whether using vintage, modern, made in China or made in USA— “it’s the technique not the tool.”
And if it makes any difference Lodge CI Skillets last I read several years ago are still made in USA. I shall Google that and here is search result
https://findanyanswer.com/are-lodge-pans-made-in-usa
And if it makes any difference Lodge CI Skillets last I read several years ago are still made in USA. I shall Google that and here is search result
https://findanyanswer.com/are-lodge-pans-made-in-usa
Last edited:
Dr. Trout Bum
is one Smokin' Farker
Exactly
unclemuscles
Found some matches.
This is right. The best way to season a cast iron pan is to cook stuff that improves the seasoning. Spend a couple months doing that before thinking about cooking stuff like eggs.
agheno
Found some matches.
Adding to this, I would avoid acid heavy ingredients on a newly seasoned pan because those will strip fresh seasoning before it has a chance to fully set. How long you need to wait depends on how frequently you cook with your pan, but for me it was around 6 months.
As much as I tried to season my Blackstone with all those techniques it only became "bulletproof" by cooking lbs of bacon on it.
Beentown
is Blowin Smoke!
Cast Iron has its place but it will never be a "non-stick" pan like a good/new non-stick pan. I have a good collection of Wagners that I use almost daily in the winter (searing sous-vide foods), but if you are adding oil to make it non-stick, it isn't.
Both have there place in my kitchens. BTW the Tfal with the Red Decal in the center is great for the money. We use them commercially and are very satisfied. I was skeptical but the "food tubers" were right on this one.
BTW x2 the biggest thing that kills non-stick pans over time (besides overheating which is when the Cast Iron is used instead) is stacking your pans inside each other. Scratches the coating.
Both have there place in my kitchens. BTW the Tfal with the Red Decal in the center is great for the money. We use them commercially and are very satisfied. I was skeptical but the "food tubers" were right on this one.
BTW x2 the biggest thing that kills non-stick pans over time (besides overheating which is when the Cast Iron is used instead) is stacking your pans inside each other. Scratches the coating.
XDAWG_15
Found some matches.
First time post here. I'm by no means an expert on the issue here but, I cook almost weekly with my cast iron stuff. I have a couple of pieces that are nearly 100 years old that are nearly nonstick just because the cooking surfaces are so smooth. My newer pieces aren't nearly as "nonstick". I've cooked with them on electric stoves the entire time I've owned them and haven't experienced any issues with the seasoning. I do some kind of regular maintenance or seasoning on the newer pieces but I wouldn't call it "babying" them. The older pieces have been cooked on so much I think the oil has bonded with the metal on a molecular level by this point. But, here are a few things I do to keep mine in decent shape.
1. If there's lots of stuff cooked onto the surface of the pan I'll warm the pan over medium heat and then deglaze the pan with water to remove the larger bits.
2. I picked this tip up from Alton Brown for cleaning the pans. When the pan is still a little warm I'll scrub the pan with a little olive oil and kosher salt. I've found it works better than water and kosher salt.
3. You can try to sauté something like cabbage or green onions to help season the pan naturally. I borrowed this tip from seasoning instructions for a carbon steel wok I own.
4. When I do my "maintenance" seasoning I'll pile some coals to one side of my weber kettle and run it at a temp of 350-400. I'll warm the pan and add a thin layer of oil to the pan. Place the pan face down on the cool side of the grill and leave it until the coals burn out.
1. If there's lots of stuff cooked onto the surface of the pan I'll warm the pan over medium heat and then deglaze the pan with water to remove the larger bits.
2. I picked this tip up from Alton Brown for cleaning the pans. When the pan is still a little warm I'll scrub the pan with a little olive oil and kosher salt. I've found it works better than water and kosher salt.
3. You can try to sauté something like cabbage or green onions to help season the pan naturally. I borrowed this tip from seasoning instructions for a carbon steel wok I own.
4. When I do my "maintenance" seasoning I'll pile some coals to one side of my weber kettle and run it at a temp of 350-400. I'll warm the pan and add a thin layer of oil to the pan. Place the pan face down on the cool side of the grill and leave it until the coals burn out.
Cook
Babbling Farker
We are very similar in this respect.
I do not fiddle with cast iron. I use it, wash it, and put it away. I rarely even re-oil it after washing...I don't need to.
I reseason nearly every cast iron piece I aquire...using a similar method to what Hoss described above. I do the self-cleaning cycle in the oven for 3-4 hours (depending on how much crud is on it), but I do not let it cool completely before removing from the oven. I take it out as soon as the door latch releases, wipe it clean with a dry cloth, and immediately coat it inside & out with lard. The pan will still be scorching hot, and it takes that initial seasoning like a champ. After wiping it dry once it cools a bit, I then season the bottom ONCE on the stove top by getting it to it's smoke point, let the smoke burn off, and then recoating the cooking surface with lard...I will wipe down the entire pan with my greasy cloth/paper towel. Then I consider it ready to use. After the oven stripping, seasoning the thing is literally a 10 minute process. I don't fiddle with it.
For cleaning, I don't use soap. Not because I think it's going to hurt it...it won't. But I see no need for soap. I also don't clean my pans while they are hot. I will wipe out excessive oil (so it doesn't go down my drain), let it sufficiently cool (basically while we eat), and wash. Washing, for me, means running cold water & scrubbing with a stainless pad or one of those chainmail scrubbers. When I can feel the surface is smooth, with nothing sticking, I rinse with the cold water, dry with a towel, and I'm done. By not using hot water or soap, I have a sufficient layer of oil left on the surface of the pan that I don't have to re-oil it. I don't fiddle with it.
Yes, I put oil in the pan when frying eggs. Does that make it any less non-stick? Not really. I put oil in a non-stick pan to fry eggs too...I mean, who doesn't? If you're not using oil, you're not "frying". When following the stripping & seasoning method I described above, I am not afraid of eggs being the first thing that sees the pan when I'm ready to cook on it.
I also do not have an issue with using newer Lodge pans. The surface may seem more rough than vintage pans, but that really doesn't hinder it's cooking ability. For some reason people feel the surface has to look & feel glassy smooth...it doesn't.
One thing that I feel like I have learned over the years is that animal fat aids in the non-stick characteristics of most any pan. When cooking things like eggs in my CI or carbon pans, I feel that lubricants such as butter/lard work better than something like olive oil.
My main point is that I don't fiddle with all the modern/popular tricks going around. I give my iron a basic seasoning (literally minutes), and I don't fiddle with washing/oiling/heating to dry. None of that is necessary (for me).
But it's sort of like "the stall" when cooking brisket or pork butts. So many people obsess over it, watch for it, complain about it, or simply let it worry the heck out of them...when I ignore it, never check temps to try to find it, could care less about it, and never let it determine anything related to my cook. That's how I look at cast iron ... I don't fiddle with it.
Here is a roughly 20 year old (not vintage) 12" Lodge skillet that I saved with the method I typed out above...no scrubbing...no grinding. It's an old workhorse. I keep three 10" skillets stacked inside of it, but I'm not worried about chipping my seasoning because I don't have layers of carbon burnt onto my pans. My iron is seasoned in the pores...there is nothing to chip off...
Attachments
-
26814545_2001131469903269_6287102626888119246_n.jpg -
26804842_2001131516569931_2129414144078785749_n.jpg -
26907537_2001131563236593_8102451877353865203_n.jpg -
26733851_2001131669903249_5957173454572896468_n.jpg -
26805473_2001131753236574_6455961068271462843_n.jpg -
26907620_2001131833236566_6189769849016798159_n.jpg
Last edited:
Rodomac
Knows what a fatty is.
I have used the Kent Rollins method for seasoning and restoring cast iron with great success. Seasoning after a regular cook, I get it hot, spread a layer of oil, heat till it starts to smoke then turn off the heat, cool and it seems to work for me. If a cook does stick with some foods I get it hot and then add a little water to it, scrub it with a Scotch Pad and sometimes coarse salt to help to smooth it back out before re-seasoning.
We love cast iron cookware and I surprised our slab has not caved in from the weight. I just checked our inventory and have close to 20+ pieces, from small 4-12 inch skillets to numerous sizes in between and several with lids. My favorite is the #10 (11 3/4 inch) Griswold. Our largest is an 18 inch beast with side handles but we can only use it over a campfire. Other items include 3 dutch ovens with and without legs, 5 inch deep by 12 inch skillet, 6 slot muffin maker, cornbread with 8 slice pie shape,6 corn bread sticks, 2 oval fajita griddles, rectangular griddle and an antique tea pot to name a few. My wife reminded me we have several enameled CI as well.
Now that I have listed this out I did not realize how much CI we had.
We love cast iron cookware and I surprised our slab has not caved in from the weight. I just checked our inventory and have close to 20+ pieces, from small 4-12 inch skillets to numerous sizes in between and several with lids. My favorite is the #10 (11 3/4 inch) Griswold. Our largest is an 18 inch beast with side handles but we can only use it over a campfire. Other items include 3 dutch ovens with and without legs, 5 inch deep by 12 inch skillet, 6 slot muffin maker, cornbread with 8 slice pie shape,6 corn bread sticks, 2 oval fajita griddles, rectangular griddle and an antique tea pot to name a few. My wife reminded me we have several enameled CI as well.
Now that I have listed this out I did not realize how much CI we had.
Cooked eggs in our 3 week old Finex CI this morning. It is as non stick as any new non stick pan I have ever used and only going to get better.
