Seasoning Cast Iron Cookware

B & B Memebrs:
The following link below is for the care of Seasoned Cast Iron Cookware. By following these steps, your Cast Iron Cookware can last you more than a lifetime...enough to pass on as heirlooms.

http://www.lodgemfg.com/use-care-seasoned-cast-iron.asp#3

Happy Cooking...Christopher

The Count of Merkur Cristo said:

B & B Memebrs:
The following link below is for the care of Seasoned Cast Iron Cookware. By following these steps, your Cast Iron Cookware can last you more than a lifetime...enough to pass on as heirlooms.

http://www.lodgemfg.com/use-care-seasoned-cast-iron.asp#3

Happy Cooking...Christopher

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Where is the applause smiley on this site.

Although I've never had pre-seasoned cast iron, that's the general idea.



Just cooked some stew (that had some cream of mushroom soup in it...yumm) in the one that I did the "naked" thing on the re-seasoning before I oiled it, and had a bit of sticking on the bottom. A quick scrape with a plastic spatula and a quick rinse cleaned it up very nicely. I may need to repeat the seasoning thing with oil or crisco though so it gets a bit better.

.

simon1 said:

Where is the applause smiley on this site.

Although I've never had pre-seasoned cast iron, that's the general idea.



Just cooked some stew (that had some cream of mushroom soup in it...yumm) in the one that I did the "naked" thing on the re-seasoning before I oiled it, and had a bit of sticking on the bottom. A quick scrape with a plastic spatula and a quick rinse cleaned it up very nicely. I may need to repeat the seasoning thing with oil or crisco though so it gets a bit better.

.

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Simon:

Bon Appetit

Christopher

Good link. I think the two most important things are removing the pre-seasoning and when re-seasoning the pan, make sure to use a thin layer of oil, lard, shortening, etc.

http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/clay118.html

Sister Clay knows cast iron!

Deltaboy said:

http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/clay118.html

Sister Clay knows cast iron!

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Interesting article. I am awaiting delivery of a couple of old Griswolds and I will try out her method. Thanks, Sam

The January/February issue of Cook's Illustrated announced the ultimate way to season cast iron.
1. Warm unseasoned pan (either new or stripped of seasoning) for 15 minutes in a 200-degree oven to open the pores.
2. Remove pan from the oven. Place 1 tablespoon flaxseed oil in the pan and, using tongs, rub the oil into the surface with paper towels. With fresh papertowel, thoroughly wipe out the pan to remove excess oil.
3. Place pan upside down in a cold oven, then set the oven to its maximum baking temperaature. Once the oven reaches maximum temp, heat the pan for one hour. Turn off the oven; cool the pan in the oven for at least two hours.
4. Repeat the process five more times, or until the pan develops a dark, semi-matte surface.

Flaxseed oil so effectively bonded to the skillet, forming a sheer, stick-resistant veneer that even a run through their commercial dishwaser with a squirt of degreaser left it virtually unscathed. Flaxseed oil is the equivalent of linseed oil, used by artists to give their paintings a hard, polished finish, and it boasts six times the amount of omega-3 as vegetable oils. Over prolonged exposure to high heat, these fatty acids combine to form a strong, solid matrix that polymerizes to the pan surface.

I semi-quoted Cook's Illustrated above. Sounds like something cast iron users might wish to check.

We always use lard to season our CI pans and do it on the grill, so as to not stink up the house.

No matter what Cooks Illustrated or Sister Clay says, DO NOT apply grease or oils using paper towels (especially for initial seasonings). The natural pitting in the cast metal (which can/should be knocked down with a good go with steel wool) will trap tiny paper fibers along with the spread grease. THIS IS NOT GOOD!

Paper fibers really muck up the seasoning. After a good patina is established paper towels become less of an issue (as you are then dealing with a relatively smooth surface, but starting out it is a big error.

The importance of thin coats can not be overestimated. Initial cooks with something like bacon are really helpful.

Prior to seasoning (post steel wool) I "dry cook" some raw rice (no water). You keep shaking the pan and you will see the rice polish off iron bits and add just the right smoothness to the pan. I do this outdoors as the take the rice to a near-bunt stage. And make several passes.


Bill

My grandma scoured new cast iron with mason's sand before washing and seasoning.

Deltaboy said:

My grandma scoured new cast iron with mason's sand before washing and seasoning.

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Sounds like a very wise woman!

Bill

Deltaboy said:

My grandma scoured new cast iron with mason's sand before washing and seasoning.

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Spy Car said:

Sounds like a very wise woman!

Bill

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+1

I would really recommend temps between 400-500 degrees. Anything less won't really allow the oil to carbonize, thus creating the black nonstick surface. When seasoning, you are looking for a black color, not golden. It basically means you cooked the oil on the pan, but have not created the nonstick carbon layer.

biomesh said:

I would really recommend temps between 400-500 degrees. Anything less won't really allow the oil to carbonize, thus creating the black nonstick surface. When seasoning, you are looking for a black color, not golden. It basically means you cooked the oil on the pan, but have not created the nonstick carbon layer.

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+1 I do my re-seasoning at 500 F

I have no problems with results of the seasoning process being a more brown coating than black. It blackens up with use. High heat used during the seasoning process causes it to smoke, which is about like burning it. That isn't what I want.

It almost goes without saying, but hasn't been mentioned, that you should use an oil with a high smoking point for seasoning. Most vegetable oils seem to do the trick, but olive oil wouldn't be a great choice IMO, especially at those temps (400-500 F).

I like to season my cast iron skillet a bit lower than that, in the 350-400 F range.

Wasn't there a recent post linking to an article saying that food grade linseed oil was the ultimate seasoning?

Topgumby said:

Wasn't there a recent post linking to an article saying that food grade linseed oil was the ultimate seasoning?

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Didn't see that post, but could it have been this article? I like that it has a little science to it -- which is not strictly necessary but gets me interested

No flax seed oil (= food grade linseed oil) on hand, so I couldn't try it. I did learn that the smoking point of an oil is precisely the point at which fats begin to polymerize, which is what gives a seasoned pan that nice, slick black surface.

So basically what I said earlier about keeping the oil below the smoking point is baloney.

edible linseed oil works best from what ive seen ... EDIBLE not the other stuff LOL

The magazine with the kitchen laboratory (Cooks Illustrated maybe?) just tested the Linseed oil + Low heat/Long time seasoning technique and found it massively superior to traditional seasoning. If memory serves it was 3-4 applications with 2-3 hr stints in a 250 F oven in between.