Posted on 08/27/2017 5:07:42 PM PDT by djf
Hello!
I bought a large (12 in diameter) cast iron pan at a garage sale today.
It has been only very lightly used, the manufacturers name LODGE is plainly visible on the bottom. Little or no burned grease or discoloration evident.
So I did wash it once very lightly with mostly water but just a hint of soap and am now trying to season it.
I put in about a tablespoon of unscented coconut oil and let that melt and worked it in with a paper towel, then turned off the heat.
So I am wondering about the best approach to season it. I know that means NEVER washing it with soap again... but what else should I do? Rub it down with salt or a salt/oil mix? Heat it till it starts smoking? I guess all these years I've used good quality teflon and never had to worry about it!
TIA!
start cooking with it - you’re ready to go.
It will turn black soon enough
Lodge is the best. I have one skillet that’s probably 40 years old and another one 20 years.
I usually clean mine with a paper towel and always keep it oiled down with vegtable or canola oil. Spray entire skillet and wipe down with a paper towel.
They can last a thousand years if properly kept.
Are you crazy. Vegetable oil is the worst of oils. Even actual motor oil is better.
I do NOT use vegetable oil on anything. Olive oil, corn oil, or good-old fashioned beef-tallow (You can get it on Amazon) is the best way to cook for me.
I concur with your answer.
She did all that is needed to season it.
I have several cast iron skillets (Lodge brand too).
Soap and water when needed, like after gravy.
Scrubbed them many times before too.
I did learn using salt and a little oil with a paper towel is all that is need to clean most of the time. Very wonderful.
Just remember to not let water sit in it. Whenever I do wash it when needed with soap and water, after washing and drying I put the pan on the stove and turn it on to ensure all dry and evaporated well. Then rub down with a little oil and a paper towel again to get it good and seasoned again. LOVE my cast iron items.
I actually have recipes (about 700) and cooking notes on my phone that I can access anytime.
Here is my note on seasoning cast iron (I prefer to cook on cast iron or carbon steel):
How Do I Season My Cast Iron
To season, first you scrub off the shipping grease and any bit of metal filings left over from the manufacturing process. Do this with hot water and a sponge. Then follow the instructions that come with the pan for proper seasoning or research your own desired method. Some people recommend cooking the peels of potatoes in heaps of salt and oil in the pan. For some, it involves heating the pan with salt. For most people, though, seasoning simply requires heating the pan in a 500-degree F oven for an hour or so after rubbing a few drops of high-temperature resistant oil into it. Repeat this process a few times and you’ll be good to go.
Here’s what I did step by step:
1. I put the pan upside down on a jelly roll pan lined with aluminum foil. This was to get the beeswax off. I turned the oven to 250 degrees for 20 min. then wiped off the beeswax with a paper towel. I put it back in the oven for about 5-8 minutes more then wiped the pan with the paper towel again.
2. I washed the pan by hand in warm soapy dish water.
3. I covered the pan with Crisco shortening (solid Crisco that comes in a can). I didn’t have flaxseed oil as most people had recommended so I went with what I did have. I covered the entire inside and outside of the pan with Crisco using a paper towel. I put it back on the jelly roll pan, without the aluminum foil. I baked it at 400 degrees for an hour then let it sit in the oven until it was completely cold, then I did this process all over again once more. It came out with a nice, black patina on the bottom of the pan.
4. I took it out of the oven and applied Olive oil all over the inside with a paper towel.
2) This process is a little lengthy, but well worth the effort—especially since re-seasoning pans is a giant pain.
1) Obtain flaxseed oil, either from Amazon (which we’ve linked to) or in the vitamins and supplements section of your grocery store.
2) Make sure your pan is either new or stripped of its seasoning (if you leave the pan in your oven during a self-cleaning cycle, this will do the trick).
3) Heat the pan in an oven at 200°F for 15 minutes to open up the pores in the pan itself.
4) Remove the pan from the oven and add 1 Tbsp. of flaxseed oil to the pan, then rub the oil thoroughly into the pan using tongs and a paper towel.
5) The pan should be cool enough to touch at this point; if so, then completely remove the oil from the pan by rubbing it dry with clean paper towels. If it’s still too hot to touch, wait a few minutes, then rub the pan dry. The pan should be completely matte again, with no sign of glistening oil.
6) Place the pan face-down in a cool oven, then set the oven to 500°F (or whatever your highest setting is) and bake for one hour.
7) Turn off the oven and allow the pan to cool for two hours while still in the oven.
8) Repeat the process five more times, or until the pan develops a dark, semi-matte surface.
Cambria from The Kitchn states that this method took her over 18 hours from start to finish, but left her with a pan that had an excellent preliminary seasoning; as she continued to cook with the new surface, she found that not only did the pan become even more nonstick with each use, but that it was an absolute snap to clean.
I do eggs on my Lodge griddle. Hit it with a light film of Pam or some other non-stick cooking spray before you crack your eggs onto the surface. Let them brown a bit on the bottom, flip for over easy or medium.
After scraping an rinsing, I dry it in the oven, then rub a bit of oil on the cooking surface, then let cool.
Thanks!
Great site!
Use it. A lot. Fry bacon in it. Don't overheat it, don't underheat it. I cook bacon at a 6 or 7 out of 10 setting on my electric stove.
That is tempting, and I might do it. It’s a nuisance to baby the thing, and I choose not to cook in it very often because of the cleaning issue.
I think when you’ve used a pan so long, the seasoning is thick enough that scrubbing now and then won’t affect it.
For a new pan or one that needs refurbishing, I think Nifster has the ticket.
I’ve seen really bad old ones cleaned by fire:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUzPK4HAP0Q
Cowboy Kent Rollins has daily care tips:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5NbQwzwUTw
I use one all the time. There is no secret to it. Every time I use it, I wash it with dish washing detergent just like everything else.
I don’t scrub the outside, just rinse it. I then put it on the burner for a short time and spray the inside with Pam. That leaves too heavy a coat so I take a paper towel and wipe it as dry as the towel allows.
I have never had even the slightest hint of rust.
My Mother cooked on one for nearly 70 years. I think it was the same pan too. She once wondered out loud, how many thousands of meals it had cooked.
Lodge is good stuff. I’ve got a couple other cast-iron skillets that haven’t been used yet. One has a slight amount of rust so I’ll have to re-season it.
With respect ... the best was Wagner made in Sidney OH. But they've been out of business for decades. I still see them at antique shops.
I used this method:
https://www.cooksillustrated.com/how_tos/5820-the-ultimate-way-to-season-cast-iron
I used this oil:
http://www.seitenbacher.com/Seitenbacher_Oil/seitenbacher_flax_oil.htm
I was very happy with the results. I wipe it with another thin layer of oil after each use/cleaning (avocado, olive, or refined coconut oil).
Probably not, but now there are so many good non-stick pans available, why use grandma’s cast iron pans? The only good thing about a cast iron pan is it heats evenly, so works great for making deep dish pizza in an oven. So long as there is plenty of grease. I would NEVER use a C.I. pan for frying eggs on the stove.
Mop out the grease with paper towels and then wash with soapy water and a dish cloth.
Still don’t own one. Can’t lift it.
[Pam! Pam! Pam!]
Do I smell? Pantene! Do I smell Pantene?
.or it will rust like a Ford Fiesta...
LMAO!
Lots of bacon. I’m sure someone has already suggested it.
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