cast iron seasoning
- Thread starter soccerguy83
- Start date
- Thread starter
- #22
^this is what I had seen 6 months ago that I couldn't find again, thank you sir!
When I season them, I usually repeat the process 4-5 times with a very thin coat. This has worked great for me. More importantly, after each use, clean it with paper towels while it's still hot and easy to clean. Do not use soap. Since it is hot, it will also cause any water residue to evaporate quickly leaving a rust-free pan for the next use. You know when you have it right because your fried eggs will flip as easily as if you had them on teflon.
What he said.
Best suggestion is to read Joy of Cooking on this.
A long time since we started a new cast iron pan. Think we just heated it in the oven with some oil (not much).
The main thing is to AVOID strong detergents/soaps. Basically you wipe it out with a paper towel. If anything sticks, then scrub it with some salt and a paper towel. After awhile it becomes a fixture in the kitchen.
A long time since we started a new cast iron pan. Think we just heated it in the oven with some oil (not much).
The main thing is to AVOID strong detergents/soaps. Basically you wipe it out with a paper towel. If anything sticks, then scrub it with some salt and a paper towel. After awhile it becomes a fixture in the kitchen.
Less product more heat. Also make sure pan is hot before you add the oil. When you add the oil it should instantly startyo smoke. Make sure pan is hot. I max out my oven. Also a grill will work too as someone above mentioned. I prefer to use rendered leaf lard (rendered pork fat) as it has a nice high smoke point and takes the heat better. Use an old rag to wipe the grease on the hot pan so there is no pooling. Just thin layer after thin layer baked on at super high heat. 5 to 6 coatings will give you a solid base to work from.
I have done a few re-seasonings over the years, both vintage cast iron and modern lodge. Here is one example from an old thread.
You have to start by sacrificing a goat during the dark of the moon.
+1. EXCELLENT. This could only help!
I have a couple of the new Lodge pans and several vintage pans. The lodge (and everything new for that matter) comes pre-seasoned in order to do this cheaply they don't machine the pans after they come out of the mold. Then they spray a thick layer of oil on and bake at high temp leaving a very uneven surface. It works you still need to use extra fat the first few cooks but it gets better with time.
On the old stuff they used to grind and sand the surface until smooth. If you look at old pans you can see the tool marks. After you bought a pan you would have to season it yourself with lots of light layers of fat and oil eventually getting a black almost glassy finish.
If you really want that glassy finish use a Random orbit sander until you have a nice smooth finish to start with. The best starter coat is oil flax seed oil it is basically food grade linseed oil. Do several light coats until you get a nice black color. Once you get it where you want it throw some butter and onions in it just to get the taste of flax seed oil off it.
Hope this helps.
On the old stuff they used to grind and sand the surface until smooth. If you look at old pans you can see the tool marks. After you bought a pan you would have to season it yourself with lots of light layers of fat and oil eventually getting a black almost glassy finish.
If you really want that glassy finish use a Random orbit sander until you have a nice smooth finish to start with. The best starter coat is oil flax seed oil it is basically food grade linseed oil. Do several light coats until you get a nice black color. Once you get it where you want it throw some butter and onions in it just to get the taste of flax seed oil off it.
Hope this helps.
I like flax seed oil, as well. I do several coats, and that makes a fantastic base for whatever I'll use for cooking fat in the future.
Slash McCoy
I freehand dog rockets
Sand a Lodge skillet. It doesn't have to be like a mirror. In fact, that is not even desirable. But it should be reasonably smooth so a spatula slides over the seasoning instead of scraping it off the high spots. You can use a soft back sanding disk or a flap wheel in a drill. Or sand by hand, whatever blows your skirt up. sanding with power tools requires plenty of movement and a light touch.
I heat the skillet in the oven, heating up, until a drop of oil in it smokes. Then I take it out and quickly wipe with an oily paper towel. When it stops smoking I give it another wipe. When it won't smoke any more, I just leave it be, or give it another spell in the oven and repeat. Many light applications of oil is what you want. A few heavy applications wont give you a true seasoning. You are just making varnish when you do that. You can use a burner on top instead of the oven, but oven I feel is somewhat better.
I heat the skillet in the oven, heating up, until a drop of oil in it smokes. Then I take it out and quickly wipe with an oily paper towel. When it stops smoking I give it another wipe. When it won't smoke any more, I just leave it be, or give it another spell in the oven and repeat. Many light applications of oil is what you want. A few heavy applications wont give you a true seasoning. You are just making varnish when you do that. You can use a burner on top instead of the oven, but oven I feel is somewhat better.
The last few years I have done well over 100 seasonings. I put it into the oven to heat it up then put a light coat of Crisco on it then back into the oven. I ramp up the heat to 400 and let it sit 8 minutes, take it out and wipe it again. Back into the oven for 2 hours and let cool.
Similar threads
