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View Full Version : OT: Cast-iron Pan--Did I ruin mine?



mudder17
07-20-2006, 07:19 PM
I just cooked some salmon in my cast-iron pan and I had some skin that was kind of stuck on. So I put some water in the pan and heated it up to try loosening it. Unfortunately, I got distracted and the water dried up. The stuff that was stuck on is now peeling off, which is good, but I'm afraid I've destroyed my pan. Is there anything I can/should do to save/restore it?

ETA: The house now smells quite fishy--any ideas for clearing out the smell?

Eileen

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mmaimp
07-20-2006, 07:49 PM
I'd scrub the pan really well. I have use steel wool dish and soap on mine. Then rinse very well. Dry completely and coat with oil. Place pan in hot oven for about 30 minutes. When cool wipe off excess oil and your pan should be as good as new.

Lovingliv
07-20-2006, 07:52 PM
Hey Eileen,

My DH always steel wools and then "seasons" it with oil and it is, well, as good as old!
As far as the smell, my MIL always boils real cinnamon stix and cloves on the stove top and it kills the smell and refreshes the house! Good luck!

mudder17
07-20-2006, 07:52 PM
Thanks, Michelle! I was sort of thinking I'd have to reseason it (even though it was a preseasoned pan). Is olive oil okay (that's basically what I have, although I also have sesame and coconut oil)? What should the temp of the oven be?


Eileen

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mudder17
07-20-2006, 07:59 PM
Thanks, Rachel, I'm trying the cinnamon and cloves trick right now. As for the steel wool, well, I don't have any steal wool, but I do have a scrubber, so I'm using that to get it as clean as possible before trying the seasoning.


Eileen

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dules
07-20-2006, 08:01 PM
If no steel wool, try salt. Seriously. It's what my grandmother taught me to use, and I still have the pan she got as a wedding gift in 1921, still looks great.

Cinnamon sounds lovely for the smell!

Best,
Mary

mudder17
07-20-2006, 08:02 PM
Salt and a scrubber? With or without water? (sorry for the clueless questions) I definitely have salt around. :)

Eileen

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JBaxter
07-20-2006, 08:04 PM
Here you go ... I did this method after Logan ran mine through the dishwasher a couple months ago ( gotta love 14yr old boys)
How To Season:
You season a cast iron pan by rubbing it with a relatively thin coat of oil, solid vegetable shortening, bacon grease, or lard. Place the cast iron pan, upside down, in the oven, with a sheet of aluminum foil on the bottom to catch any drips. Heat the pan for 30 to 60 minutes in a 300 to 500 degree oven. Once done, let the pan cool to room temperature. Repeating this process several times is recommended as it will help create a stronger "seasoning" bond.

NOTE: I recently experimented and found out that food-grade coconut oil/butter also works great.

mudder17
07-20-2006, 08:12 PM
Yikes! In the dishwasher!? Well, at least he was being helpful, LOL. In fact, you seem to have lots of "helpful" boys, judging by your post tonight about your poor carpet. ;) I hope the Nature's Miracle works. FWIW, when I did a google search about removing poop stains, although all were about removing pet/animal poop stains, all involved some sort of enzymatic cleaner.

Back to the topic, I'll try my coconut oil. Thanks!

Eileen

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bubbaray
07-20-2006, 09:14 PM
Once its burnt, its actually pretty easy to get off. It should flake off and be reasonably easy to remove with just hot water and a scrubbie or brush. You can also try salt, preferably coarse salt. Try to avoid soap if at all possible.

Once you are done cleaning it, put oil and more coarse salt in the pan and heat. Turn off the heat when the oil starts to pop. With lots of paper towels, scrub the pan again with the salt/oil mixture. After this final cleaning, you can either rince with warm water and heat pan to evaporate, or simply wipe the salt out of the pan and leave pan as is with the oil. Its personal choice. I've done both!

Good luck.
Melissa

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dules
07-20-2006, 09:38 PM
Yes, salt and your choice of scrubber, sponge, or cloth. With water. It takes a LOT of salt (so don't use your nice Kosher or coarse Sea Salt for this, lol). The cheapo grocery store stuff works just fine - gives good abrasion and rinses so clean.

I usually wipe with a cloth or paper towel dipped in an unflavored/low-flavor oil, heat and then re-wipe once it's cool to remove any excess to season. There are lots of ways to season and I'm learning a few new ones from this thread tonight. :)

Best,
Mary

dules
07-20-2006, 09:38 PM
Yes, salt and your choice of scrubber, sponge, or cloth. With water. It takes a LOT of salt (so don't use your nice Kosher or coarse Sea Salt for this, lol). The cheapo grocery store stuff works just fine - gives good abrasion and rinses so clean.

I usually wipe with a cloth or paper towel dipped in an unflavored/low-flavor oil, heat and then re-wipe once it's cool to remove any excess to season. There are lots of ways to season and I'm learning a few new ones from this thread tonight. :)

Best,
Mary

tarabenet
07-20-2006, 09:54 PM
If you haven't made headway and you're sick of scrubbing, try this: fill it with water, set it aside and drop a dryer sheet into it. Leave it overnight. In the morning, the stuck on stuff will be loose and floating. You may, however, need to scrub some minor rust at that point. Then season.

The dryer sheet soaking thing is great for casserole pans and other cooked-on mess too.

ETA: Of course, be careful where you set a wet cast-iron pan! Don't want rust stains on the counter or sink.

mldflygirl
07-21-2006, 04:52 PM
This is going to sound like a funny way to get rid of the fish smell, but it actually works!!

Take a piece of cotton rope (like the kind you'd use for a clothesline or to tie things down with) and light the end of it on fire. Slowly walk around with it as it burns. It should burn like the wick of a candle, only a bit faster. Walk all through the area that smells. The fire - and the burned charcoal part of the rope? - neutralize whatever bad smells are in the house, rather than just "covering" what's already there.

My stepmom used this trick once when I had morning sickness, so I was a good judge of the difference it made! My DH then tried it later, with the same result.

And a few tips regarding the cast iron pan (I used to sell them at an upscale kitchen store):

1) A lot of people make the mistake of using soap and/or cleaning their cast iron pans TOO MUCH. The beauty of cast iron is that the more you use it, the more worked-in that seasoning layer will get. Your food will very rarely stick to it - even if something is burned! A pre-seasoned pan is actually only partly seasoned compared to a well-seasoned pan. (A well-seasoned pan is *DARK* BLACK & almost feels like it has a non-stick coating on it.) Each time you use your pan, just run it under very hot water and scrub any residue off. Use soap only if absolutely necessary.

2) An easy way to build up the "seasoning" on a cast iron pan is to cook bacon in it. The grease will soak right in & season it!

3) ALWAYS make sure the pan is completely dry before storing it, or else it will rust. An easy way to make sure it's dry: put it back on the hot burner so any excess water in or on the metal will evaporate.

4) If you're seasoning a pan in the oven, a "solid" fat, such as shortening (Crisco), works best because you can smear it on really well & it stays in place better. Follow the PPs instructions regarding baking it upside down w/foil. Be sure to put the shortening all over the entire pan, so that the bottom of it won't be prone to rusting in the future.

Good luck!

mudder17
07-24-2006, 08:59 PM
Wow, I'm bookmarking this thread for future reference. I knew about heating the pan after washing with just plain hot water and a scrubber, but since I had a preseasoned pan, I never knew anything about seasoning or other things for caring for cast-iron. I just got a nonseasoned cast iron Dutch Oven (which I'm going to use tomorrow) and used some of the tips here for seasoning it. I didn't have any lard, so I did just use olive oil and it looks like it did work, but after using it tomorrow, I might try a second round of seasoning. But what was grey looking is now brown looking, so I think I'm on the right track, thanks to all of you! :)

And Mandy, I don't have any cotton rope, but I think it's time I acquainted myself with it. :)


Eileen

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