|
Six coats? Jesus. Just cook with it, man.
|
#
?
Sep 7, 2014 00:10
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 27, 2024 14:36 |
|
|
Massasoit posted:After putting 6 or 7 coats of seasoning on my pan, it looked pretty drat good. I cooked in it, and it seems like some of the seasoning on the cooking surface came off - and thats the only area it did. The seasoning on the walls of the pan and on the outside seems pretty good still. Not sure if I should strip it and start over again or just try to keep seasoning it - but right now it doesn't seem like anything is sticking to certain spots. You put six coats on before you started cooking with it? Wow. What did you cook in it? Cast iron takes a while to evenly warm up, so give it a few minutes at heat before you put stuff in, at least until you get used to it. Just use the darn thing, and give it time. You'll be fine.
|
|
#
?
Sep 7, 2014 00:26
|
|
|
Massasoit posted:After putting 6 or 7 coats of seasoning on my pan, it looked pretty drat good. I cooked in it, and it seems like some of the seasoning on the cooking surface came off - and thats the only area it did. The seasoning on the walls of the pan and on the outside seems pretty good still. Not sure if I should strip it and start over again or just try to keep seasoning it - but right now it doesn't seem like anything is sticking to certain spots. You never need to strip it and start over unless its like, rusty. Just cook in it. Stay away from eggs or acidic stuff until you are more confident in the seasoning but other than that cook whatever all the time and it will only get better. If it gets gummy or gross in parts scrub it with salt.
|
|
#
?
Sep 7, 2014 01:03
|
|
|
JoshTheStampede posted:You never need to strip it and start over unless its like, rusty. Just cook in it. Stay away from eggs or acidic stuff until you are more confident in the seasoning but other than that cook whatever all the time and it will only get better. Do you use regular salt? I've always used Kosher, does a pretty good job.
|
|
#
?
Sep 7, 2014 01:21
|
|
|
I've cooked with it plenty previously. The issue is I'm mostly vegetarian so I do not cook meats that would contribute much to the seasoning which is why I wanted to set a seasoning before using it more. "Cooking bacon" isn't really an option for seasoning since its a meat I try to stay away from. The way in which it was peeling was strange, and I hadn't experienced anything like that before.
|
|
#
?
Sep 7, 2014 04:09
|
|
|
Even if you're not cooking bacon, cook with oil. The first time you season and then start cooking you're always going to get flakes because usually people are putting too much on. Just ignore it, keep cooking with oil. Those are the weak parts of the seasoning falling off while the sturdy parts stay on. Eventually it will all be sturdy seasoning.
|
|
#
?
Sep 7, 2014 05:04
|
|
|
Great. Thanks for the advice.
|
|
#
?
Sep 7, 2014 13:24
|
|
|
If the seasoning is peeling or flaking off, you put it on too thick. Once you wipe it on, you need to wipe everything off except for enough to leave a shine.
|
|
#
?
Sep 7, 2014 17:03
|
|
|
Massasoit posted:"Cooking bacon" isn't really an option for seasoning since its a meat I try to stay away from.
|
|
#
?
Sep 7, 2014 17:40
|
|
|
I'm vegetarian and I use a cast-iron religiously - and the whole bacon thing is unnecessary, just cook oily food in it and all will come naturally.
|
|
#
?
Sep 7, 2014 21:52
|
|
|
I've read somewhere that the preparation of bacon involves sugar, and thus will stick to not properly seasoned skillets. It cooks alright on mine, but it did stick initially for the first few batches. I heard that salmon is really good for cooking in cast iron, since it's very fatty.
|
|
#
?
Sep 8, 2014 00:55
|
|
|
I find that when I cook some things in my cast iron, if I forget to use oil (or don't use enough), they leave a patch that doesn't look shiny like the rest of the pan. Most recently it was salmon cooked skin-side down. A couple uses later and there's no trace.
|
|
#
?
Sep 8, 2014 03:24
|
|
|
I cook egg white omelets in one of my cast iron pans almost every morning. The seasoning looks like it came off, since its not black. At first it bothered me, but I never have an issue with them sticking so I stopped caring what the pan looked like and just use it.
|
|
#
?
Sep 8, 2014 13:09
|
|
|
niss posted:
Cast_Iron_Seasoning_and_Maintenance.txt
|
|
#
?
Sep 9, 2014 15:43
|
|
|
can we edit into the op something about how "not destroying your seasoning with soap and wire brushes" and "not leaving your pan wet so it doesn't rust" are infinitely more important than getting a beautiful seasoning before you use the drat thing
|
|
#
?
Sep 9, 2014 20:45
|
|
|
americong posted:"not destroying your seasoning with Soap is fine.
|
|
#
?
Sep 9, 2014 22:45
|
|
|
Yeah, you just want to avoid soaking it for hours/overnight if possible. A wipe on/wipe off type of soaping doesn't do anything to the seasoning unless it was lovely to begin with. However, a better to clean is just to bring water to a boil in the pan and then use a plastic bristled brush. Hot water loosens poo poo up like nobody's business. And even better way to deal with stuck on food it is to just cook in it again later. Saute onions or something, because then you have a clean pan an you get to eat sauteed onions. Drifter fucked around with this message at 23:18 on Sep 9, 2014 |
|
#
?
Sep 9, 2014 23:16
|
|
|
I think a fact that a lot of new cast iron owners miss is that the things are indestructible hunks of iron that will outlive any human currently alive, and they regenerate when you cook with them. Even if you soak that poo poo in soapy water overnight and beat on it with a sledgehammer before soaking it in toxic chemicals, it'll still probably be ok to cook bacon with.
|
|
#
?
Sep 10, 2014 03:07
|
|
|
My family has a cast iron skillet that was used by my great grandma 50+ years ago that is indistinguishable from the new skillets I see in the supermarket. The thing is tough.
|
|
#
?
Sep 10, 2014 03:22
|
|
|
Cast iron is actually pretty fragile as far as metals go. It's easy to break with a hammer and dropping it on a hard surface will also break it. I broke one of these by dropping it four feet onto a wood floor.  Not my pan or picture 
|
|
#
?
Sep 10, 2014 03:40
|
|
|
Biscuit Joiner posted:Cast iron is actually pretty fragile as far as metals go. It's easy to break with a hammer and dropping it on a hard surface will also break it. Did they snap off right along the 'made in china' stamps?
|
|
#
?
Sep 10, 2014 03:59
|
|
|
You cant stamp cast iron, it will break. Try to keep up with the rest of the class.
|
|
#
?
Sep 10, 2014 04:53
|
|
|
Biscuit Joiner posted:You cant stamp cast iron, it will break. Try to keep up with the rest of the class. The rest of the class must've been held back or something, then, because my ironware takes a beatin' and keeps on heatin'.
|
|
#
?
Sep 10, 2014 07:02
|
|
|
I specifically meant soap and a wire brush at the same time, but whatever, details. Hot water and a scraping is the best way to clean it in any case.
|
|
#
?
Sep 10, 2014 08:18
|
|
|
I have a Lodge cast iron grill pan, and I can't seem to get between the ridges actually clean - I'll put a little oil on the entire pan, but even after scrubbing at it a bit, no soap, just a soft sponge, there is still some crud stuck on there. Any tips on how to get rid of that stuff, or should I really just clean it out and then try and re-season the pan? I should probably add it's a new pan, only about 3 months old.
|
|
#
?
Sep 21, 2014 01:16
|
|
|
I have a couple cast iron grill pans and I dislike them because of that. But when i do use them, I use a flat screwdriver to scrape in between the ridges. And boil off some water just before I do that. And don't ever cook anything sugary on them (thinking mainly of items that were in a marinade with sugar).
|
|
#
?
Sep 21, 2014 02:23
|
|
|
I just leave crap in the troughs of my grill pan (after a rinse or quick wipe out) because typically nothing is touching the troughs while cooking anyway. I also leave it in the oven when it's not in use, so I figure poo poo's getting mostly burned off or at least sterile in between uses.
|
|
#
?
Sep 21, 2014 02:39
|
|
|
Zhent posted:I have a Lodge cast iron grill pan, and I can't seem to get between the ridges actually clean - I'll put a little oil on the entire pan, but even after scrubbing at it a bit, no soap, just a soft sponge, there is still some crud stuck on there. Any tips on how to get rid of that stuff, or should I really just clean it out and then try and re-season the pan? I should probably add it's a new pan, only about 3 months old. Lodge manufactures and sells these little guys for that.
|
|
#
?
Sep 21, 2014 16:51
|
|
|
Flash Gordon Ramsay posted:I have a couple cast iron grill pans and I dislike them because of that. But when i do use them, I use a flat screwdriver to scrape in between the ridges. And boil off some water just before I do that. Was it Korean BBQ? It was Korean BBQ, wasn't it. That's what did me in for grill pans.
|
|
#
?
Sep 21, 2014 19:00
|
|
|
https://store.finexusa.com/finex-12-cast-iron-skillet/ Jeez, $200 for this thing?
|
|
#
?
Sep 21, 2014 19:06
|
|
|
So I was over at my inlaws the other weekend. Went looking for a pan to cook some eggs in and ran across two of her old cast iron pans. drat, those things were like a completely different beast than any of my lodge stuff. They were literally as smooth as glass, so much different than anything I have. I don't know what brand they were, they didnt have any name on them.
|
|
#
?
Sep 21, 2014 19:21
|
|
|
Steve Yun posted:Was it Korean BBQ? It was Korean BBQ, wasn't it. That's what did me in for grill pans. I believe it was. Never again.
|
|
#
?
Sep 21, 2014 19:25
|
|
|
niss posted:So I was over at my inlaws the other weekend. Went looking for a pan to cook some eggs in and ran across two of her old cast iron pans. drat, those things were like a completely different beast than any of my lodge stuff. They were literally as smooth as glass, so much different than anything I have. I don't know what brand they were, they didnt have any name on them. http://blackirondude.blogspot.com/2008/05/old-cast-iron-vs-new-cast-iron.html blackirondude posted:The smoother surface is a result of the superb iron ore that was found near Lake Erie and also the machining that is no longer done to save on labor expense. Link has a nice picture showing the difference between old and modern pans.
|
|
#
?
Sep 21, 2014 23:28
|
|
|
Steve Yun posted:https://store.finexusa.com/finex-12-cast-iron-skillet/ I was mildly interested in the pan, but a lot of the internet cast iron folks said you could pay someone to carefully mill out a lodge pan and build up a seasoning from there. I imagine there is conflict as to this point (just like everything in the cast iron world), but if the milling did work it would be far less than 200 bucks. Who gives a poo poo about the shape, for instance.
|
|
#
?
Sep 21, 2014 23:54
|
|
|
Biscuit Joiner posted:http://blackirondude.blogspot.com/2008/05/old-cast-iron-vs-new-cast-iron.html I may be wrong here, but I think the smoother surface on old stuff is a result of the fact that modern manufacturers don't polish the pans anymore, as a cost saving measure.
|
|
#
?
Sep 22, 2014 00:03
|
|
|
phthalocyanine posted:Lodge manufactures and sells these little guys for that. I got these on Amazon for my Lodge grill pan and they do the trick. Just be sure that the pan is decently cool before trying it because they melt kind of easy. Seems obvious but you know... I did this. Question on cleaning, aside from discarding excess grease/fat from the pan if there's not really any gunk or left over food on the pan should I brush it off or can I just leave it as is? I've been cleaning it (water and a brush) after use and then rubbing Crisco on once dry but I'm wondering if that's why I'm not building a seasoning very quickly.
|
|
#
?
Sep 22, 2014 16:34
|
|
|
Brush is fine. You're not building a seasoning quickly because they don't build quickly. A good seasoning takes time.
|
|
#
?
Sep 22, 2014 17:05
|
|
|
What I do is wipe the excess oil/fat/grease mostly out with a paper towel, throw it back on the burner until it just starts to smoke, then take it off the heat and wipe the rest of the oil out. That way you get a little polymerization action each time you use the pan.
|
|
#
?
Sep 22, 2014 23:40
|
|
|
What sort of brush do you want? I keep going thru sponges which my life partner throws away because they get messed up after cleaning my cast iron. I have a metal brush for my grill but I assume that isn't appropriate.
|
|
#
?
Sep 23, 2014 02:34
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 27, 2024 14:36 |
|
|
Darth Windu posted:What sort of brush do you want? I keep going thru sponges which my life partner throws away because they get messed up after cleaning my cast iron. I have a metal brush for my grill but I assume that isn't appropriate.  I'm not entirely sure what you're asking, but any sort of plastic-bristled dish washing brush is fine for your cast iron - the tougher the plastic the better. Could even be a vegetable/potato brush. It really doesn't matter, just don't brush the pan while it's still 400F+. Whatever you use, it's easiest to keep it dedicated to your cast iron.
|
|
#
?
Sep 23, 2014 04:23
|
|