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Techniques/ingredients for seasoning cast iron

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    Techniques/ingredients for seasoning cast iron

    Hey there gang...finally got around to buying my first cast iron pans at long last (9" and 6.25" round skillets to be exact). My question is threefold:

    - grill or oven for seasoning? I'm thinking grill as it's outside and I'm sure it will generate some smoke and it seems like a better idea than blowing a fan out the window or whatever. Might be a little more touchy to control temp but I'll have my wireless probe in there while I do it so it shouldn't be too much of an issue.

    - temperature? I've noticed most manufacturers say only to go up to 300 or 325 but I've read some forum posts and they recommend going up to the maximum temp you might use for cooking, which seems to make sense...so I was thinking season them at 450 or even 475 just to make sure it's as hot as it'll ever get in actual use. (Anyone use a pan rather than grilltop for searing for example? Or is that sacrelige?)

    - lastly, what kind of oil? again almost everything I've read so far says to use a vegetable oil of my choice (I was thinking canola) but the old school thinking is to use lard or some other animal-based goop (ie. bacon grease, which sounds like a great idea)...are there pros and cons to either, and furthermore, could I mix the two for perhaps best of both worlds (ie. mix crisco with some bacon grease), or does this present some kind of problem on a chemical level (would the two types of oil conflict in the bonding with the metal for example)? i am definitely not a chemist and would be interested to know how it all works.

    anyhoo thanks for your help, looking forward to getting these pans in the mix!

    #2
    Welcome to The Pit adamcoe! I can't help much with your questions unfortunately. We have a few, but they're largely my wife's tools for sauteing and doing eggs and such and they've been with us for a long time so they're seasoned. I am quite sure you'll get some helpful answers soon, and I'm eager to read them too since I plan to get some more CI soon.

    Since I don't think I've ever given it to you before, please check out our homework assignment post for new members, it contains a few how-tos and please-dos.

    Also, it's very important that you add the domain AmazingRibs.com to your email safe list in case you are ever drawn as our monthly Gold Medal Giveaway winner!

    Hope to hear & see more from you!

    Comment


      #3
      Here's a great source that is science based like AR. Also lots of other articles on their site regarding cast iron.

      Comment


        #4
        adamcoe ... My grandmother and mother cooked only with cast iron. So I was schooled early on how to use cast iron cookware by those that was all they knew.

        They both used real lard to season new pans or damaged pans that us kids washed in soap and water.

        When they had a new unseasoned pan or a damaged pan they would scrub it in soap and water. Then they would dry it with a dish towel and put it in a preheated oven at 400° degrees for 5 minutes to make sure there was no water on the pan. Then they would remove the hot pan from the oven and let it cool to room temp.

        When the pan was at room temp they put a coating of lard on every square inch of it and put it back in the oven at 400° for 1 hour. They would remove the pan and wipe it with a paper towel and let it cool to room temperature and they'd coat it with lard again and cook it at 400° for another hour.

        That's the only way I've ever done it. Doing that process in an oven or a grill is your choice. 400° is 400° no matter what the heat source is.

        Cleaning your pans properly and making sure to give them a light coating of oil after they are washed in just hot water is the key. They should be shiny and black before you put them away.

        Searing in a cast iron pan versus a Warp 10 grill? Both work excellently.

        Sometimes I just don't feel like grilling so I'll bake a ribeye steak on a sheet pan with a rack on it to elevate it off of the sheet pan and bake it to 120°. While its baking I'll get my cast iron skillet as hot as can get it on my stove top. I take the steak out of the oven, blot it with a paper towel to remove the water from the surface and paint some "Beef Love" on it and put it in the really hot skillet to create a nice crust.👌

        A reverse sear on the grill is great but so is the oven/skillet method. It just depends on your mood that day.😬
        Last edited by Breadhead; January 3, 2016, 12:45 AM.

        Comment


          #5
          adamcoe From my experience, I had purchased a set of pans from a buddies grandmas estate sale some 20 plus years ago that were caked in sticky oily crud.
          To strip them, I took them to work at used a wire wheel and a cup style wheel to clean the best i could and then a light blast in the bead blaster and they looked like fresh gray cast iron.
          Then I washed them good and coated with Crisco all over and put in a 325* oven for an hour then wiped off the access and it let cool. I repeated this cycle a couple times wiping the inside with another layer of Crisco each time.
          These were the best pans ever and eggs would slide out with out sticking like a nonstick pan, and after improper cleaning at times, re-seasoning has never been the same.
          when I'm done cleaning I always use Crisco Some where i read to use a solid type shortening and not an oil as it can go rancid and be tacky but not sure where I read that.
          when I received the pans they were tacky and his Grandma used oil for cooking in them so that's my Story and I'm sticking to it!
          So since you bring this up I am going to strip to bare again and start from scratch.
          I like your Bacon with Crisco idea and will go with that!

          I would not take the pans up over 400* as you are just trying to open the pores of the cast up four the oil to penetrate so lower is better to build up seasoning not burn it off.

          The Grill sounds like a good idea to keep the smoke outside.

          Here is an article that is about restoring vintage cast iron that is very good from Serious Eats.


          Be sure to report back on your progress, Dean

          Comment


            #6
            The key to CI is to use them. Mine have seen butter, veg oil, bacon grease, and crisco. Use metal tools. CI are forgiving and repairable. To clean, I have found a $1 nylon brush at the dollar store that is used a scraper and brush. Use the brush with hot water to clean. Make sure the CI is dry before putting away because rust can develope very quickly. Oil if it looks like it is bare metal.

            Oven, stove, fire, and grill are all good uses. Sear steaks on stove and cover with foil or oven safe lid in oven till they are done to your liking. Bake bread by preheating the pan with butter to cover the bottom of the pan, then add your dough and bake. All this adds to the personality of the pan.

            Comment


              #7
              Just cook in it. First few cooks will require a little more fat.
              Preheat with some fat it in the pan.

              Comment


                #8
                I love my cast iron skillet. I absolutely love doing stir fry in it. My brother is a bachelor (no kids in addition to no wife) and he lives alone. Last year for Christmas I got him a 10" cast iron skillet. He liked it so much that he asked for (and received) a 12" cast iron for Christmas this year so he could produce more leftovers in a single cook.

                Comment


                  #9
                  I rubbed mine with peanut oil and baked at 325 for a few hours. You want a high temp oil, so don't use olive. Works perfectly.

                  Comment


                    #10


                    That article goes into very good detail of why Flaxseed oil is the best oil to season cast iron with. I did my cast iron as outlined there, and it came out very good. Much better than when I used any other type of oil in the past.

                    I also use this thing to clean it with Not because it's necessary, but because I think it's awesome. And it does work really well. http://www.amazon.com/Ringer-Cleaner-Stainless-Steel-Chainmail/dp/B00FKBR1ZG

                    Comment


                    • MsTwiggy
                      MsTwiggy commented
                      Editing a comment
                      This is legit, thanks for sharing both the oil and the steel cloth.

                    #11
                    That' is a ditto on the flax oil as the best for seasoning. #2 would be reg olive oil, not evoo. Reg olive oil has a high heat point. Inside, cast iron is all I cook with & all I use is olive oil or bacon grease. One of the best I've seen at CI care & usage is Kent Rollins .com. Some great you/tube stuff.

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