trying to love my cast iron skillet

[boogiemomz]

I've been trying to get in the habit of using my CIS more often, but it's not working out so well. It had some crust on it (or rust? I don't know) so I followed directions I found on the internet and scoured it with coarse salt and re-seasoned. Now it seems every time I use it the cooking surface ends up dry and rough. I've never washed it with soap, but I may have submerged it a few times a while back before I knew you're not supposed to. I read that they are very forgiving and if you're having problems with them you can just re-season them and you're good to go. But I seem to be having problems almost every time I use it. Oh, and food is sticking. Eggs = huge mess. Do I need to just retire this one and start over with a new skillet?

[Green_Tea]

When I was breaking my CI skillets in (now they're all I use!) I cooked with significantly more butter and/or oil. Over time this has made the surface much easier to work with. There is a learning curve to using them, but once you get the hang of it I think you'll love them!

[boogiemomz]

Oh, forgot to mention that I always oil or butter the skillet when I cook with it. Seems like a significant amount to me, definitely coats the whole bottom, but maybe I should use more?

[JTsMom]

I would season it again. It sounds to me like you don't have enough on there. When it's really built up, it shouldn't be rough.

[Green_Tea]

Oh, forgot to mention that I always oil or butter the skillet when I cook with it. Seems like a significant amount to me, definitely coats the whole bottom, but maybe I should use more?

What kinds of stuff are you making in it? In the beginning there were things I just couldn't do well (like pancakes) in the CI, but they're gotten easier since I've made other higher fat stuff in it (like sauteing ground beef or sausages.) I definitely use a lot of butter when I make something like scrambled eggs, and if I do more than one round, I add butter between rounds.

I really like butter :ROTFLMAO:.

[Green_Tea]

Oh, just thought of something - another thing we have made a lot of in the CI is bacon. I think this has absolutely contributed to the seasoning.

[boogiemomz]

Hmm... I have done a lot of eggs, and they tend to be pretty frustrating. :D I will try using more fat in there when I do that and stick to the fatty meats for a while. I guess I'll go ahead and season it again too... any favorite seasoning products? I used Crisco before.

[Green_Tea]

We've used olive oil in the past. I think the thing that's seasoned them best is letting them sit and not washing them quickly. If we make bacon on Sunday morning, I usually let the pan sit, filled with leftover bacon fat, until dinnertime. I *always* wash them before I use them again, I just don't do so quickly.

[wellyes]

Wash with a little soap, but the cooking surface only. Then rub a little oil onto the pan before putting it away. Re-oil when it's time to cook. That should help.

[karstmama]

i wash pretty normally (by hand) then put them on the burner for a few minutes to make sure they're absolutely dry. yes to cooking fatty things in them for a while, don't try tomato sauce (the acid eats the seasoning), you can rub with a crisco-ed paper towel or one with veg oil before storing.

keep trying! i think it's worth it.

[JTsMom]

Cooking fatty stuff definitely helps. Mine always gets nicely seasoned if I do something like fry chicken in it.

[MamaMolly]

I made a few pineapple upside down cakes in mine. The recipe starts with melting a lot of butter in the skillet, so I let the butter melt as the oven preheats.

[mytwosons]

Make sure you are getting all of the stuck on stuff off before you reuse.

In the beginning, I would wipe the interior with oil after cleaning. I no longer have to do this. The interior should be shiny when you put the pan away.

Bacon is your pan's best friend.

[Melaine]

Oh, just thought of something - another thing we have made a lot of in the CI is bacon. I think this has absolutely contributed to the seasoning.

I think this is very true. I was having issues with my CIS but it worked great after I cooked bacon in it! The surface looked like it had been re-seasoned (which probably also needs to be done).

How often do you re-season them?

[Trigglet]

Yes yes yes to the bacon! I do lots of bacon in mine (DH is all about the paleo diet at the moment) and it's definitely the thing that has the most beneficial effect on my cast iron. Mine have been washed accidentally a couple of times with soap (thanks DH), but a little oil in it and some low heat in the oven does the trick at reseasoning.

I don't cook eggs in it, but I do cook pancakes (especially german pancakes) in it and don't have any problems.

Also, agree with PP who suggested lightly oiling it before you put it away for a while, and make sure it's not got any water on it.

I 'wash' mine with hot hot hot water (as hot as I can stand) and a brush to remove the food particles etc. It doesn't feel rough after that, but it also doesn't remove the seasoning as far as I can tell.

[ladysoapmaker]

I use my cast iron all the time.

When I have a new pan that needs seasoned (or one of my kids were helpful and really scrubbed with soap & water, they've been since trained) I use shortening of some sort. I will make sure I do several coats of seasoning. So Coat number one coating all over with shortening then in a 350F oven for an hour turn off oven and let cool so it's still warm but I can touch it barehanded somewhat comfortably. Then I do a second coat and depending on how well it took I may do a 3rd or 4th. Also if it's a day I can open my windows I may even put the oven up to 450f.

Also any time it's used I make sure the pan is clean and dry. To insure it's dry I either stick it on a warm burner or in a warm oven. once it's dry and warm to the touch i then rub a thin coat of shortening over it and then leave it in the warm (now off) oven to cool off before I put it away.

Jen

[marymoo86]

Anyone use coconut oil to season their cast iron? Since it is solid at room temp like shortening wonder if it would be a good way to keep my pans seasoned.

[american_mama]

i don't particularly like our cast iron pan either, because it's too heavy, a pain to take care of, and gets in the way of using our other burners. Nevertheless, for the fans out there, what is the goal of seasoning the pan? Are you trying to build up layers of fat over time? If so, what's the point of ever cleaning it, even if you just use hot water? Also, if you are trying to build up layers, why does it matter what you do with heat, stovetop vs. oventop, 5 minute vs. an hour? It's not like cast iron can absorb the fat (can it)? I'd think repeated coatings and wiping with a dry towel is all you'd need.

[o_mom]

If I were going to re-season, I would probably try this method with flaxseed oil: http://sherylcanter.com/wordpress/2010/01/a-science-based-technique-for-seasoning-cast-iron/

[ladysoapmaker]

Nevertheless, for the fans out there, what is the goal of seasoning the pan? Are you trying to build up layers of fat over time? If so, what's the point of ever cleaning it, even if you just use hot water? Also, if you are trying to build up layers, why does it matter what you do with heat, stovetop vs. oventop, 5 minute vs. an hour? It's not like cast iron can absorb the fat (can it)? I'd think repeated coatings and wiping with a dry towel is all you'd need.

When cast iron is heated the pores open. so the fat gets into the cast iron. When you coat it with oil/fat and then heat that fat at a high temperature, the fat is converted. it's no longer fat as we know it. This forms a non-stick surface. This is the seasoning that gets ruined with detergent. Coating it with oil before storing just protects this surface.

The following link is called the Chemistry of Cast Iron Seasoning. She goes into much better reason as to why this happens. She also recommends using Flax seed oil but since most of us can't find it clarified lard is the next best.
http://sherylcanter.com/wordpress/2010/01/a-science-based-technique-for-seasoning-cast-iron/

Jen

[karstmama]

wow, what a great article, jen! thanks.

[american_mama]

Thanks to o_mom and ladysoapmaker for the same source. I learned some stuff, although I'm still unsure about how accurate her info. is. As she herself said in o_mom's link (the only one I read), there are a million statements on the internet about what oil to use and why and how, so I don't know whether she is the authority or just another voice in the internet wildnerness.

Oh well. My cast iron pan is sitting upside down cooling in my oven as we speak.

[boogiemomz]

Thanks for all the replies and info! I read the article too, unfortunately I had already started re-seasoning using olive oil (300 F for about 2 hours). As the article predicted, it came out with standing oil in it. Other than being a lot oilier, it doesn't seem much better seasoned than before (surface is still uneven). I'll have to go find some flaxseed oil and see if that works better. Thanks again!