OT-seasoning cast iron skillet

I don't know why everyone gets so uptight about washing cast iron. I usually wash my cast-iron, I even use Ivory liquid! Sometimes you get lots of crusty build-up from cooking some things, like scrambled eggs.

The washing never seems to really hurt the patina. If I were to take a Scotchbrite pad I suppose I could accidentally take it back to gray metal, but I don't do that. I just scrape with the spatula underwater and anything that's stuck comes up easily, and then go over the surface with a sponge to get any food buildup from cooking. I don't try to get a shiny surface.

Of course, I never wash them in the dishwasher. Most dishwashing detergents are extremely caustic. That's probably what did your patina in. I have a septic system so I don't use mass-market detergents in the dishwasher, but use stuff like "Seventh Generation" brand. It's much less caustic, and doesn't contain chlorine. It's much easier on the septic tank biota. The only drawback is that since there isn't any chlorine, it doesn't kill off the flora and fauna in the bottom of the dishwasher, so I have to clean up the "Culture Club" in the machine every so often, especially if *some people* don't scrape the food off the dishes well enough before they put them in the washer.

One thing about cast iron. That patina is really just polymerized cooking oil and fat. However, it isn't polymerized hard like a good Danish oil finish, but is still edible by those bugs that make oil and fat rancid. I bought a couple of nice old pieces at a garage sale, but when I got them home and started cooking, one skillet was so rancid-smelling I had to give it away to someone who didn't care about the smell!

Oh, and anther thing. It seems like it's just too much trouble for modern cast-iron-cookware manufacturers (i.e., LODGE) to mill out the sand cast surface from the insides of their cookware. If I were to rely on spatula scraping to smooth out the surfaces I'd be 200 years old before they got really smooth. What I did was to take my new angle grinder with a sanding disk on it and smooth out the inside, mostly on the bottom. Twenty minutes of labor for a lifetime of cooking pleasure!

Just wipe some of the oil on the outside too. It will season just like the interior. You will probably need two or three treatments to get a "starting" seasoning. One tip that I've used: After completing the seasoning treatment, use "PAM" cooking spray for the first several cooking sessions. PAM works quite well with cast iron, alone, or you can add butter, grease or whatever you feel to be needed.

After cooking I let mine cool down and then rinse under hot water from the faucet. If anything sticks, let the pan sit full of hot water for

2-3 minutes and then use a plastic scrubbing pad to get the surface clean. Never use any soap, or steel scubbing pads on cast iron. Rinse, dry off surface, set on counter or stove for a while to insure that there is no residual moisture left before storing it away.

Good luck!

Don in Ohio

I took a wire brush on a drill to one that had been left outside. Then I bought a package of salt pork and cooked the whole package, a couple of pieces at a time over two days. Stunk up the house real good. Burned the crap outta it, smoked it good. I let it cool completely after a basic pour off each time. It's as good as new now. No metal forks, wood only, and a wipe out with a paper towl when I'm done.

I have four, one about 5" wide, one at 6", a standard, and a huge. The

5" goes camping with me (car camping, I don't carry that heavy thang hiking).

Cook some bacon that will season the inside, wipe a thin layer of bacon grease on the outside and put it in the oven next time you bake something. I don't have a clue what to use if you keep Kosher, lamb perhaps. The W might be Wayne Iron Works. There are collectors of cast iron ware, they have to wait until I die because mine are still in use.

Simple. Bring it to temp in a 300 degree oven, then take it out and wipe oil on it all over. That will get you started, then over time it will blacken normally.

I go buy those 49 cent plastic no-handled scrapers at the gourmet kitchen store. I use my cast iron all the time, that's mostly what I cook in. To clean, I scrape away all the visible gunk with the plastic scraper, then I scour the pan in warm water with a green kitchen pad. If it looks a little dry afterwards, I heat it on a burner and wipe on a couple drops of oil. If the outside gets any rust I just scrub it off under warm water and heat the pan and wipe a little oil on it.

There is a whole lot of mythology about cast iron cookware. I think most of it is a lot of hooey. My guess is the pan wasn't ruined at all by going through the dishwasher, it probably just needed a little oil. However, whatever you did to it probably didn't hurt it much. That's what I like about cast iron, stuff is indestructible.

Grant Erw> Dear all,

Take a look here too...

Be sure to click on the 'Use and Care' tab at the top.

I started a cast iron cookware thread here about a year ago... I had come across a few old Wagner Ware skillets, and had no cast iron experience at the time. I'm pleased to announce that with the input of my Mother, this group, and reading up on the subject... I took the time to become familiar with CI's quirks and idiosyncrasys, and now use nothing else. It's wonderful!

A belated thanks to all.

Erik

My bride of 39 years comes from high up in the mountains along the NC/Tenn border. She and all her family have cooked with cast iron cookware since cooking was invented. I guess she has a least one of every type of cast iron cookware made. Including an approximate 30 gallon, cast iron kettle, that has three legs, that was used for fish fries, making lard, soap, washing clothes, and heating bath water.

She cooks then cleans with mild soap, and warm water. Then it is dried off, and she oils the inside. After setting on the top of the stove (heat off, of course), until she finishes in the kitchen, she then wipes the excess oil out with a napkin or paper towel, and puts it up. She never leaves any food or water setting in the cast iron, and never, never, soaks it in water.

She does everything in cast iron, soup, stews, chili, frying, cooking beans, baking bread, etc. The best cornbread is made in a cast iron frying pan.

Left to its own devices the outside will season itself. To give it a fair start just coat all with oil and season in an oven. Ken.

On 22 Oct 2003 14:22:56 -0700, Buck snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com (Backwoods) pixelated:

I cleaned mine (back when I had a gas stove. ) by boiling water in it, scrubbing it, and boiling fresh water again. After dumping it out the second time, I left it on the burner to dry, turned off the heat, and put some cooking oil (canola,olive) in it to season and cool. I seldom used soap but always 3x or 4x boiled it afterward if I did. Boiling goes all the way into the pores, getting rid of the nasties hiding down there. The oil "seasons" into it as deeply. Cast iron is GREAT cookware if you have the wrists for it. I'd even flip omelets with a 10-incher just to watch the eyes open up.

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Obligatory metalworking question follows... Yeah, but can you weld if it cracks after seasoning?

Does she have a sister?

On Wed, 22 Oct 2003 21:22:39 -0700, Jim Stewart pixelated:

Silly rabbit. Omelets don't crack and can't be welded.

(OBMW q's don't count on OT subjects, Jim.)

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Apple pie in the oven.

Ribs under a tent.

Making me sick! OBTW - my wife just bought two a small one and a medium size. Our large one does the heavy work.

Martin

Fry some bacon in it! That is how we seasoned the grill each day when I was a fast food manager. It works.

Steve R.

I'm with you. Almost all our frying is done in either of two cast iron pans. When the job is done, a little hot water is put in the pan and any "stuck" remains lightly scraped with the back of a fork to loosen them. Once it has cooled, it's placed on the floor where the dog does an excellent job of precleaning. The pan is then rinsed in hot water, wiped dry and is ready for next time. In all the years we've done this, we haven't caught the dreaded lurgy and the pans remain well seasoned and highly effective. YMMV.

Ted

If you don't use bacon or can't afford it, here's another method that works well: Sprinkle salt on the hot skillet and grind it into the skillet using a spatula. Then add your favorite oil with more salt and grind again. Wipe out all the salt and oil with a towel. Some oil will remain, add a little more if needed. The skillet is now seasoned.

At least he didn't put that pan while it was hot from cooking into cold water! I lost an excellent pan when one of my sisters stupidly put one of my great grandmother's pans in like that. You could hear the ting all over the house. Cook some bacon slowly on the pan or use butter or other oil to coat the pan and warm it up. It will quickly gain that slick finish that only teflon can equal in short order.

-- Bob May Losing weight is easy! If you ever want to lose weight, eat and drink less. Works evevery time it is tried!

lurgy? what is it? --Loren

In article , Hitch wrote: ...>

what grits did you use? --Loren

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