What's your fave way to season cast iron?

[88GT]

Dont make the mistake I made. I replaced my stove a few years ago and without giving cast iron any thought I bought one of those smooth surface stoves and they do not like cast iron on them.

Tell me more. My stove is a flat-top.

 

[IndyGunworks]

I use cast iron on gas at the firehouse and electric coils at home. Not a huge differance besides the eveness of heat which would be differant regardless of the pan of choice.

 

[mr.steve]

I used to guess.
Now I know:

The Proper Way to Season Cast Iron

I used cast iron for over twenty years, tried different seasoning methods. Sheryl Canter really does have it down to a science. Once you read it then it makes sense.

 

[CountryBoy19]

Dont make the mistake I made. I replaced my stove a few years ago and without giving cast iron any thought I bought one of those smooth surface stoves and they do not like cast iron on them.

I've been using flat-bottom cast-iron on my flat-top for 3 years now. Not a problem.

I'm curious about cast-iron with a smoke ring though. I recently got a "Favorite" brand #12 skillet that is pretty big, but still light-weight (Favorite brand cast-iron is prized for it's light-weight). The only problem is that it has a smoke ring and I don't know if the flat-top will heat it right. Anybody have experience with this?

ETA, I have several good USA made skillets that were purchased with the Favorite that I'm thinking about selling. What's the realistic market like? I'm not talking ebay ridiculous prices. If I tried to sell a standard, old-school, smooth finish, Griswold #9 on the INGO classifieds what could I expect to get out of it?

 

[Bunnykid68]

Tell me more. My stove is a flat-top.

DId they change they way they make cast iron? If I tried to use the pan I had it would destroy the surface.

 

[Reno316]

I use this skillet exclusively. So I need something that will work.

Here's what I do for my Lodge, and rarely have anything stick:

1. Use the HOTTEST water you can stand sticking your hands into.
2. METAL scrubber, with soap. Scrub the thing like it has never been scrubbed before. Talk nasty to it while you're doing it: "Yeah, you like that, dirty skillet? You've been a bad skillet, you need to be punished with a metal scrubby." (OK, maybe that's just how *I* do it...)
3. Wipe it dry with paper towels. Preferably with lint free paper towels. Wadded up newspaper works fine, too.
4. Crank up the burners on your gas grill to medium-high.
5. Put a pound of Manteca salt free lard* into the skillet, and put it on the grill. Close the lid and walk away.
6. Drink a couple beers. I suggest Sawtooth Ale from Lefthand Brewing Company in Longmont, Colorado.
7. Come back to the grill. Open the lid, taking care you don't breathe in the smoke.
8. Pour off MOST of the liquified lard, and use a pair of tongs and some more paper towels to coat anything that isn't already glistening with hot lard.
9. Turn off the burners, close the lid, and walk away again. Let the skillet cool SLOWLY.
10. The next day, wipe it down with a light coat of room temperature lard.


*This is key... salt is the enemy of cast iron. Cast iron has pores and what're your trying to do is fill those pores with organic material. Salt is not organic.

 

[88GT]

DId they change they way they make cast iron? If I tried to use the pan I had it would destroy the surface.

I just started using cast iron last year. But I've been told that the big pressure canners are no good for flat tops as well. Been cooking for 3 years with both and no cracked surface yet. My cast iron doesn't seem to mar my flat top. I keep hoping it does, or the canning cracks it. I hate the flat tops.

 

[CountryBoy19]

I just started using cast iron last year. But I've been told that the big pressure canners are no good for flat tops as well. Been cooking for 3 years with both and no cracked surface yet. My cast iron doesn't seem to mar my flat top. I keep hoping it does, or the canning cracks it. I hate the flat tops.

Same here. My flat-top manual says do not use cast iron because it can scratch the surface. I'm still waiting on the surface to be scratched. It's made to use, the flat-top is just for ease of cleaning not aesthetics, IMHO.

 

[printcraft]

Seasoning has never been a problem for cast iron.



I just want to know how long in need to cook it to make it tender.

 

[hoosierdaddy1976]

Seasoning has never been a problem for cast iron.



I just want to know how long in need to cook it to make it tender.

a while

 

[HeadlessRoland]

Here's what I do for my Lodge, and rarely have anything stick:

1. Use the HOTTEST water you can stand sticking your hands into.
2. METAL scrubber, with soap. Scrub the thing like it has never been scrubbed before. Talk nasty to it while you're doing it: "Yeah, you like that, dirty skillet? You've been a bad skillet, you need to be punished with a metal scrubby." (OK, maybe that's just how *I* do it...)
3. Wipe it dry with paper towels. Preferably with lint free paper towels. Wadded up newspaper works fine, too.
4. Crank up the burners on your gas grill to medium-high.
5. Put a pound of Manteca salt free lard* into the skillet, and put it on the grill. Close the lid and walk away.
6. Drink a couple beers. I suggest Sawtooth Ale from Lefthand Brewing Company in Longmont, Colorado.
7. Come back to the grill. Open the lid, taking care you don't breathe in the smoke.
8. Pour off MOST of the liquified lard, and use a pair of tongs and some more paper towels to coat anything that isn't already glistening with hot lard.
9. Turn off the burners, close the lid, and walk away again. Let the skillet cool SLOWLY.
10. The next day, wipe it down with a light coat of room temperature lard.


*This is key... salt is the enemy of cast iron. Cast iron has pores and what're your trying to do is fill those pores with organic material. Salt is not organic.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hfYJsQAhl0"]"What we have here is failure to communicate. Some men you just can't reach."[/ame]

 

[Reno316]

Feel free to ignore what I wrote. The OP asked for individual opinions on favorite ways to season, and the best you could manage is to tell him how someone else does it, so you'll forgive me, I trust, if I don't shed tears over your commentary.

Had the OP asked for links to "scientific" methods (which, of course, is in quotes because the link you provided has no scientific principles at all... it's someone's blog, after all), then perhaps you would have ground upon which to make your snark hold up.

 

[tom1025]

I thought the Lodge brand already came seasoned?

 

[chezuki]

I thought the Lodge brand already came seasoned?

They are not really "seasoned" so much as just oiled so they don't rust before you get them. Both my Lodge pans still required real seasoning.

 

[88GT]

I thought the Lodge brand already came seasoned?

Seasoning isn't permanent anyway. It's possible to cook/scrub it off over time.

 

[Birds Away]

I just give it to my mom. She has forgotten more about iron skillets than I will ever know.

 

[tom1025]

Seasoning isn't permanent anyway. It's possible to cook/scrub it off over time.

Thanks for the insight. The only cast iron that gets used in our house is the Skookie makers. I know my wife seasoned them at first but didn't know you had to do it everytime.

 

[HeadlessRoland]

Feel free to ignore what I wrote. The OP asked for individual opinions on favorite ways to season, and the best you could manage is to tell him how someone else does it, so you'll forgive me, I trust, if I don't shed tears over your commentary.

Had the OP asked for links to "scientific" methods (which, of course, is in quotes because the link you provided has no scientific principles at all... it's someone's blog, after all), then perhaps you would have ground upon which to make your snark hold up.

If you had bothered to read the post, you would see that it deals quite directly with polymerization of fatty oils and fatty acids, particularly alpha linoleic acid, and their interaction with cast iron to provide a superior cook surface and seasoning. Repeated, verifiable experimental results which I can testify does produce a superior surface than all of these 'guess and see' approaches to it. Science. I would much rather provide solid information which I can vouch for rather than how I used to suboptimally (read: incorrectly) do it. I used to use a combination of olive oil and bacon grease. This is far and away not the best way to season cast iron.

Stick to what you like, as it please, but there is an optimal way to do this. Whether you choose to utilize what has been demonstrated and offered is up to you, but until you spend months or years perfecting a more efficient, optimal process, you'll forgive me if I disregard all the that spews into my browser.

 

[HeadlessRoland]

They are not really "seasoned" so much as just oiled so they don't rust before you get them. Both my Lodge pans still required real seasoning.

They are pre-seasoned, meaning you don't have to reseason if you don't want to. I stripped, polished and reseasoned mine because I found new information, but you do not have to strip/reseason Lodge pans if you don't feel like it, as they are pre-seasoned with a proprietary soy oil/vegetable oil blend. Says as much on the tag.

On a side note, anyone got any Wagner/Gris they'd be in the mood to sell in the area? I pay cash.

 

[jeremy]

What I've learned from this thread;
Once again, I'm right. The kitchen is the womans....

Speaking of that, it's supper time Womens. I do not want a sammich tonight. I desire a hot meal, so get to cooking!