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How To: Seasoning Cast Iron
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david.mihola



Joined: 09 Feb 2006
Posts: 13
Location: Vienna, Austria

PostPosted: Sun Mar 26, 2006 2:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:

By any chance, are you putting the oil/fat on too thick? Also, for the first coat, are you putting the pan in upside down?


That might be - even though my coatings now are already much thinner, than in my first experiments. Also, I didn't until now put the pan in the oven upside down.

I now tried a REALLY thin layer of oil (it doesn't even look like a "layer" - it's just that the pan has an oily shine) - the pan still got fairly brown, so I suppose there was enough oil there. Until now, there is no flaking...

Apart from that I just wanted to say, that I really appreciate your will to discuss this with me and share your experiences - it's great not to have to do the experimenting all alone!

Quote:

Looks like it was over-heated. And I don't mean that as though you misused the pan. The steel expands & contracts and over time sections of your seasoning will pop off.


So, are you just replacing the flaking bits by adding some more oil after each use - or is this helping to create a "flake-proof" which is more resistant to the expanding and contracting of the steel?

Thank you, too, and I am sure there will be some roasted chicken on our table in the near future...

David


Last edited by david.mihola on Sun Mar 26, 2006 7:06 pm; edited 1 time in total
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DrBiggles



Joined: 12 May 2005
Posts: 356
Location: Richmond, CA

PostPosted: Sun Mar 26, 2006 4:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
Quote:

Looks like it was over-heated. And I don't mean that as though you misused the pan. The steel expands & contracts and over time sections of your seasoning will pop off.


So, are you just replacing the flaking bits by adding some more oil after each use - or is this helping to create a "flake-proof" which is more resistant to the expanding and contracting of the steel?

Thank you, too, and I am sure there will be some roasted chicken on our table in the near future...

David


I was thinking about this the other day and I believe it's going to take time to get a patina that you're happy with. Just be patient and pay attention to your pan. Making a pan flake-proof may be a little ambitious. I've got a cast iron smooth finish griddle and after 10 years the seasoning at the edges still peels like yours from time to time.
Don't sweat the little things and remember what's important is to keep cooking.

Biggles
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cncmike



Joined: 11 May 2006
Posts: 6
Location: Burlington Canada

PostPosted: Thu May 11, 2006 3:12 am    Post subject: Seasoning... Reply with quote

I've found that only time and repetition seems to be the only really effective way to season, and with good quality cast iron pans, regular attention is my thing. I inherited mine from my grandmother as they were too heavy for her and they date back to the 40's.

Mine get done once month, a brisk wire brushing to remove any loose bits, then 20 minutes with medium heat and 2 tbsp olive oil spread about. Let them cool for 10 minutes then wipe out the excess with paper towel, leaving an even film. I store mine face down so the excess coats the top, then they are good to go.

Boneless Chicken breasts, skin side down for 3 minutes on med-high, then flipped and 20 minutes in a 400 degree oven...perfect every time...MB

PS... i never do eggs or bacon in CI, only non stick...
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DrBiggles



Joined: 12 May 2005
Posts: 356
Location: Richmond, CA

PostPosted: Sun May 14, 2006 7:32 pm    Post subject: Re: Seasoning... Reply with quote

PS... i never do eggs or bacon in CI, only non stick...[/quote]

Aww, no bacon? I love reheating my pans only to remember the last batch of bacon that went in.

Cook pound of bacon. Remove bacon and fat. Don't wipe.

Make cornbread in pan.

Fried eggs work fine, others? Not so fine.

Speaking of non-stick. I used my 1974 waffle iron today. It's got that old lighter style non-stick coating. It's intact, but when it starts to peel, it's gone.

Biggles
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snappybob
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PostPosted: Thu May 18, 2006 7:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

First off let me say that you have a very intersting forum. I look forward to exploring it more. For those old rusty pieces of cast iron, most people recomend cleaning with a lye bath or electrolysis. If your interested there is a realy good website dedicated to cast iron and it's care. It's the Wagner and Griswold Society. Here's a link.

http://www.griswoldandwagner.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl
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PostPosted: Sat Jun 03, 2006 10:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Has anyone tried seasoning the grates on a gas grill?
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DrBiggles



Joined: 12 May 2005
Posts: 356
Location: Richmond, CA

PostPosted: Thu Jun 08, 2006 10:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Anonymous wrote:
Has anyone tried seasoning the grates on a gas grill?


Well, I had cast iron grates on my wood fired grill a few years ago. One really can't 'season' them the traditional way because if you put them in your oven, you'd smell 'bbq' smell for hours and it may impart this to your oven. This may or may not be a good thing. Even for me, I would not want that.

Do this. When you're cooking is done and I suppose you'd turn OFF your grill, but the grates should still be cooking hot. Use a wire brush to clean. Spray lightly with Pam. Then use thick leather garden gloves and turn the grates over, wire brush clean that side. Spray lightly with Pam.

Let them cool.

Install in to a fold of 6mil/4mil visqueen plastic sheeting envelope and store in a cool dry place.

I did the plastic part to store during wet months of the year and just left them on the grill for the most part.

And that, should take care of THAT.

Biggles
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Evelyn Glover
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PostPosted: Sun Jun 11, 2006 4:35 pm    Post subject: csat iron seasoning Reply with quote

I have spent the morning reseasoning my cast iron, using vegetable shortening, and a 350 degree oven for 1 hour.
They felt sticky in the interior, even after the 1 hour, so I stuck them back in.
My questions are:
How long can I bake them?

and

If I wipe them out with a dry cloth after this process, am I defeating the purpose?
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chejakmickai
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 14, 2006 7:21 pm    Post subject: cast iron stickiness Reply with quote

Hi, i have been reading the post on cast iron pams, and seasoning them, my question is this, if I seasoned and let them cool and now they are sticky and gummy must I start over? Remove the seasoning that is on there? Or can I just put them back in and cook them longer on a higher heat? I coated them with crisco and baked at 350 one hour, turned the stove off and let them cool. Any help would be really appreciated!
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GaryProtein



Joined: 26 Oct 2005
Posts: 535

PostPosted: Sat Jul 15, 2006 12:05 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The oil has to carbonize, not just cook. It sounds like you used too much oil. I would try a higher temperature for a longer time and see if you can get it to burn off.
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Evelyn Glover
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PostPosted: Sat Jul 15, 2006 5:48 pm    Post subject: gummy cast iron during seasoning Reply with quote

I waited for a response, and finallyI baked the cast iron longer and at a higher temp to see if the gumminess would go away. It did on most. One pan (maybe my favorite) was still gummy, so I wiped it out.
What a mess. But, it does function well, so I guess there was no harm done.
No one ever tells you how much shortening to use! I probably used too much. Using the cast iron to fry things seems to season them even better than the grease and bake method.
Would you agree?
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Mark
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PostPosted: Sun Jul 30, 2006 7:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

snappybob wrote:
For those old rusty pieces of cast iron, most people recomend cleaning with a lye bath or electrolysis. If your interested there is a realy good website dedicated to cast iron and it's care. It's the Wagner and Griswold Society. Here's a link.

http://www.griswoldandwagner.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl


I was given a rusty old griddle and used a sand blaster to clean it up. Worked like a champ. Just a suggestion for cleaning those ancient rusty pieces. After seasoning, it works great.
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Guest






PostPosted: Mon Jul 31, 2006 12:54 am    Post subject: 20 in. stovetop castiron grill/skillet Reply with quote

I've read through the forum..... very informative.
I have a unique problem: this 20 inch skillet I bought is too big for my oven.
I read that an outdoor gas grill can do the trick, but I'm wondering if anyone has tried this yet, and if they have some helpful advice.
I guess my main concern is the involvement of open flames in the process.
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Howard



Joined: 21 Nov 2005
Posts: 64

PostPosted: Sun Aug 27, 2006 12:39 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The amount of oil you'll be burning off won't be near enough to be a flame hazard. Mostly you'll just see smoke.
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snappybob



Joined: 28 Aug 2006
Posts: 2

PostPosted: Mon Aug 28, 2006 9:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Mark, sandblasting is something that you should never do to a cast iron skillet. You can pemanently ruin the finish on the cooking surface. Electro or a lye bath is best. Electro will remove all rust and strip the pan down to bare cast iron. Just like new. Lye won't touch the rust but it will take the seasoning off if that's what you want to do. Never sand blast though. I hope your rusty skillet was not a rare collectors item. If so it has probably lost a lot of value.
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