I did six thin coats of flax over a week on my Field skillet, and it has been a dream.
-
-
I don't know that "been a dream" was adequately descriptive. The Field Skillet is machined smooth at the factory. But if I heat the pan, and add oil, the oil runs around the pan in a manner very similar to how it does in a non-stick coated pan. It doesn't really adhere to the pan enough to coat the pan. So, what I do is oil the item that is going in, if I'm putting a sear on it. I use Crisbee for maintenance, and will reapply the 6 coat Flax if I feel it needs it. T
-
-
Ok, so...it seems to me that the old CI skillets we've inherited from our grandmas, the ones with a patina to die for, the ones that make us grin--well, those were probably seasoned with lard or bacon grease. Granny never heard of flax seed or avocado oil. No?
Last edited by Willy; March 25, 2019, 01:04 PM.Comment
-
I do believe there is good cause to take the Spinaker approach however..... I’m lazy.
i just put some grease on and cook in it. Had mine forever now and works great. I also use the green scrubby when needed and soap. I have a great surface on mine.Comment
-
I use flaxseed oil and never had an issue, but I don’t use a lot. After every cook, I clean, dry, and then heat it up on my gas stove until hot to make sure it is bone dry, then let it cool slightly and then apply 2-3 drops of flaxseed oil and rub it on nice and even, and then let it cool completely. If I cook bacon or fry in my cast iron, I don’t bother.Comment
-
True, however modern animals lack the high levels lignin. Many are not free range and they don't get it in their diet, like they used too. Flax Oil is very high in lignin and it is what gives the seasoning it's great polymerization when heated and allowed to cool slowly.Originally posted by Willy View Post
Your grandmother was using a higher quality of lard to season her pans with. I am not saying that modern day lard or bacon grease or tallow won't work well, it does. However, if you are going to go this route look for a grass-fed option to see better results in the long run.
***Edit***
Alpha-Linolenic Acid (ALA) is actually what produces the ideal Free radicals that enable polymerization. Not Lignin. I stand corrected. Modern livestock do not have the same amount of ALAs because they are primarily fed grain on feed lots. They are not consuming the same natural diet they were in the past. (This is why grass-fed cattle have higher levels of ALAs. Making it ideal for cast iron seasoning.)Comment
-
No need to be sorry. You are right. It is the Omega-3 fatty acids that that are ideal for polymerization, most notably, alpha-linolenic-acid. I have reread several places that this produces the hardest polymers. Fats from animals in decades past had higher levels of ALA because of their diet. Since the animals now primarily feed on grain in feed lots, they are low in Omega-3s. Thanks for the correction. NapMaster -
Those acids also make chicken skin not as bad for you as people think.😀
All in context of course.
-
-
We have a local butcher shop that buys local grass fed and the tallow works great. I had to hide our CI some years ago and bought my wife some light weight cooking gear. My head doesn't take a long to heal.Comment
-
Yeah on my Lodge stuff I've always just used the method of: cook like 2 lbs of bacon in it, rub the grease in, save the excess. Clean the pan, then do thin layers of avocado oil. Many thin layers work a lot better than one or two thick ones. Then whatever oil or fat you use to cook (butter, Crisco, bacon fat, whatever) will continue to season it over time. Also whenever you do a chicken, or brisket or something, save the carcass/trimmed fat and make your own stock/tallow using your CI pan or dutch oven and that'll help a ton (again just remember to wipe the excess out when you're done, you don't want a big greasy layer sitting on top). And my big thing is once you're finished cooking, clean it with nice hot water, scrub out any cooked on bits with either some kosher salt or one of those plastic scrapers (if it's really on there), dry completely, then heat (this is important) and apply another VERY thin layer of oil (again everyone has their fave, mine is avocado for the higher smoke point but I've used canola and olive oil in the past and they work just fine too) before you put it away.
I've also heard of a method where you heat up your pan, apply oil in a thin layer, let it evaporate/burn off/absorb, and just keep adding layers until the pan won't take anymore (Someone on this board linked to an article about it, I believe from an interview with an employee of a company that makes cast iron or something of this nature if I recall...if you're out there, post it again here!). Apparently doing this way you can put like a decade's worth of seasoning on in just a few minutes, vs. the traditional method of apply oil, bake it on, let it cool, re-apply, etc. which takes hours. I have a new dutch oven that I might try this faster method on and see if it works.
Oh and don't let the "never cook acidic food in cast iron!" thing freak you out...with a well seasoned pan you can definitely do it occasionally, particularly if you're just frying something quickly. You probably don't want to like, simmer tomato sauce in it for hours on end, but certainly if your pan is already seasoned, you can cook acidic foods in it just fine, as long as you season again after (which you should do anyway, regardless of what you've cooked).Comment
-
adamcoe this might be the article you're referring to:
https://gearpatrol.com/2018/10/27/ca...faster-easier/Comment
-
Hoo boy. After checking a few websites regarding seasoning CI it would appear that this is NOT a settled topic. LOL I have no dog in this fight, but the differing opinions are...interesting. Cheers!Comment
-
Yeah, well Kenji's also been all over twitter saying don't eat at Chick-Fil-A... take it w a grain of salt.Comment
-
I just use oil. As long as it isn’t oil for my car, waverunner, or other machines it seems to work fine. What’s better? Got me. I used olive oil for my blackstone. Well olive oil and then the next day I went bacon crazy with a breakfast of the Gods. When I had to spot reseason some CI stuff I just used vegetable or corn oil or olive oil (whichever I grabbed first) and it worked. I guess. Still using the stuff.
I don’t think it matters much. But if you think something works better, why not just use that. If you have found that one type of oil isn’t working, don’t use it. If what you are doing is working, keep doing it.
I think the most important thing is to do what grandma did. Use your CI stuff. A lot. Grandma (or maybe now great grandma) didn’t have aluminum, copper, stainless steel, Teflon, ceramic coatings, or any of that modern crap. Your choices were the cast iron pot, the big cast iron skillet, or the small cast iron skillet.
also I think proper cleaning procedure is more important than oil type. the spot reseasonng I had to do was because stainless steel wool was used. With soap. And the deep skillet was a home goods find, so it wasn’t lodge. It’s not as good as my other stuff.Last edited by SmokeyGator; March 26, 2019, 07:17 AM.Comment
-
The great thing about cooking in general is there is usually more than one way to achieve the same results. That goes for seasoning cast iron and mainting it too. That’s what makes this so much fun.Comment
-
My Lodge pieces all seasoned up beautifully with generic vegetable oil.
My 100 year old Griswold Dutch oven needs to be reseasoned every time I use it. Wiping it with oil before use always gives black paper towels. I always wipe it down after every use, I’ve gone through the seasoning ritual dozens of times. Now, I just use it without worrying. The food still comes out great, so my guess is it doesn’t matter much as far as taste goes.Comment
-
Blasted over high flame outdoors rubbing with oil until black, then hang in PBC to bake at 400 and use up residual coals. Cooked on it once (eggs, no sticking at all).
No patience for multiple layers.
Last edited by Polarbear777; May 12, 2019, 08:34 PM.Comment
Comment