What's your fave way to season cast iron?

[Hammerhead]

*REPORTED*

Hahahahaha

 

[Indy317]

I got some cast iron for Christmas last year. I can't seem to keep my large skillet seasoned. It's a Lodge. The others (a small skillet and small pot with lid, non-Lodge) have never been a problem.

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

I never use harsh detergents. Just hot water and the wash cloth. And I try to wash it before the food has a chance to dry/harden.

I wish I could use cast iron, but really I don't have any reason to do so. I used Lodge cast iron (The pre-seasoned factory kind) about four or so years, then I finally gave up. For starters, Lodge cast iron sucks. Cast iron should be fairly smooth, but Lodge cast iron is anything but smooth. Their enamelled dutch ovens are smooth, their enamelled skillets, not so much. The enamelled cast iron, made in China stuff Meijer's was selling was more smooth than the Lodge brand skillet. Secondly, if you are able to find a good, smooth cast iron pan/skillet, you really will need to cook foods using a lot of oil/fat. Using it to only cook eggs, turkey bacon, pancakes, and stir fry chicken (with minimal oil) won't help keep the pan conditioned. So you will end up having to constantly condition it because if you cook light, you won't get any oil/lard added to the pan.

I ended up getting rid of most of my stuff, but kept one older pan. If you want a good cast iron pan, you will need to go to a flea market or E-bay. Look for either a Wagner Ware, Griswold, or Birmingham Stove pan. When you find a decent pan, even if it is already conditioned, I would start from scratch. The electrolysis method is pretty good, though there are some dangers involved. Google 'electrolysis cast iron' and read a bunch. You will discover what to do and what not to do. There are many videos on You Tube. Once the pan is back down to bare metal, I have been told that lard is the best agent to use to start the conditioning process. Again, there are numerous YouTube videos of people using stove tops and the actual stove itself. I've been to the Lodge Outlet store near Gatlinburg twice, and one time I asked them the same question I asked you. They said to use a higher heat to get the pours open. I've read this elsewhere as well. However, I will never go back to Lodge again. If I go back to cast iron, I will likely get an enamelled Staub pan, and if they stopped making those, a LeCreuset pan.

 

[ZombieApocolypse]

It amazes me that some people can make an argument out of simple kitchen cooking techniques.

Do you CC or OC your cast iron?

 

[Roadie]

Do you CC or OC your cast iron?

Beat me to it!

 

[JetGirl]

For starters, Lodge cast iron sucks.

Using it to only cook eggs, turkey bacon, pancakes, and stir fry chicken (with minimal oil) won't help keep the pan conditioned. So you will end up having to constantly condition it because if you cook light,

I don't know what you're talking about. Other than the very infrequent grilled cheese sammich, eggs (on a light spritz of Pam) are all I cook in my smallest cast iron (Lodge). Pretty much exclusively.
I don't have a problem whatsoever, and I don't re-season it after every use. Sooo...

 

[Fargo]

I don't know what you're talking about. Other than the very infrequent grilled cheese sammich, eggs (on a light spritz of Pam) are all I cook in my smallest cast iron (Lodge). Pretty much exclusively.
I don't have a problem whatsoever, and I don't re-season it after every use. Sooo...

I wouldn't go so far as to say Lodge sucks, but the unmachined sand-cast finish and overly heavy construction is less than optimal compared to a good Griswold or Wagner.

That is not to say that Lodge cannot be seasoned and become non-stick; I have quite a few Lodge pans that perform just dandy. They are well seasoned and work great. That said, they still don't perform to the same level as my vintage Wagner No. 7 I bought for 5 bucks at Goodwill and reseasoned.

Best,

Joe

 

[HeadlessRoland]

"You shall be first against the wall..."

Glad to see everyone here has so much more experience
and has data to support their wild hypotheses (read: assumptions). Great news for science, indeed.

So let's see your pile of data.

 

[chezuki]

Seems about right...

 

[Roadie]

"You shall be first against the wall..."

Glad to see everyone here has so much more experience
and has data to support their wild hypotheses (read: assumptions). Great news for science, indeed.

So let's see your pile of data.

Again, the title of this thread is:
"What's your fave way to season cast iron?"

Key words being YOUR and FAVORITE.

The thread title is not:
"What is the most scientifically proven method that is undeniably the best and only way to season cast iron"

Yeah, I've read the Sheryl Canter stuff and tried it, as have other cast iron afficionado's of my acquaintance. It works sometimes, but is far from the be all, end all of cast iron seasoning.

Quite often the ridiculously expensive flaxseed oil just flakes off.

If you think that the content of that article is somehow "science" you will have to forgive me for laughing. It is a layperson's "science based" attempt to prove a hypothesis through "tryin sumpthin out!"

Here is a hint, scientific literature is not filled with statements like:

Rather, it is someone's best guess based off on reading up on the subject as to what will work best.

If you think that anything in that article + personal experience equals anything like:

I submit you need to read up on the scientific method.

Plus, if you read the comments below that Sheryl Canter blog post, you will note than dang near a majority of people who tried her method ended up with flake offs and a sticking surface. By your logic, those repeated results scientifically establishes the crappiness of the method.

It is far from science.

Having tried the flaxseed experiment and dozens of others, I personally find that the Wagner and Griswold Society's method works best for me; significantly outperforming the purportedly "scientific" method.

Wagner and Griswold Society

I don't claim it to be the end all, be all; and nor do I insult those who prefer other methods. However, I will say it has worked quite well for me.

I will say, I've wanted for some time to try a variation of the grill method ridiculed above. Having burnt a fair bit of oil in my day, it sounds like something that might work.

Joe

.

 

[Fargo]

So let's see your pile of data.

You first.

So far, your "pile of data" consists of "I did some reading about something I have no formal training in and thought this might work and it did for me" posted on a blog, plus a bunch of comments by people who tried it and found that it flaked or stuck or both.

Once again, I submit you need to have some appreciation of the scientific method and what scientifically relevant data is before you go calling things science.

They really do need to bring back religious discourse on this site; people really are turning uneducated blog posts into articles of faith.

Joe

 

[chezuki]

Bump.

 

[rgrimm01]

We have a 17" and 13.25" Lodge. Our method of seasoning was to just use them and keep them coated. We did notice that the surface on the skillet botoms were rough when new. We use only stainless spatulas while cooking and scraping afterwards. While it is brutal treatment to the spatulas, the rough surface smoothed out. I would doubt that our bacon grease (to cook with) and EVOO wipe down creates the best hard seasoned surface, sticking is not a problem.