Cast Iron Pan - Seasoning

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Ok....call us dumb.....how do you properly SEASON a cast iron frying pan? Probably like a Dutch Oven right?

Sue asked and I went "I dunno...." :E :E

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Use it and don't wash it.:o

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Oh Ches, I know there's more to it then that. You wash it first really good. my new one came with a coat of wax on it for shipping to keep it from rusting. then you are to oil it or lard it and heat in all over. lets the oil seep in and seal. then you don't wash again (I think this is more if its a skillet) except to rinse it out and always heat it again to dry and maybe re oil. everytime you use soup you have to heat and re-oil. I think.
now me I get it teflon coated. :) then I treat it like any other pan.

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Jana
Ok.I just wanted to bug Rick.:lol :lol

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Hi, Rick—

There are a lot of different approaches to seasoning a cast iron pan, but however it is done good seasoning will make all the difference in the pleasure you get out of the tool.

This is the method that has worked for me over the years...

Completely clean off the protective coating. You may want to use a combination of soap and Brillo to get this done. Don't neglect this step. Once the pan is clean and dry, put it in the oven to get it warm— not hot, just warm enough to melt grease. Rub it EVERYWHERE with something like unsalted lard or Crisco. Put some aluminum foil in the oven to catch any drips and set the oven for about 250-275F. Some instructions say hotter than that, but I have found that a lower temperature is better. Leave the pan, upside down, (lid, too, if there is one) in the oven for about an hour. Let it cool slowly. You are now ready to start cooking!

When you clean the pan NEVER, NEVER use detergent. Some say that you can use a pure soap like Ivory, but I prefer not to use anything but hot water and a scrubber like those "plastic buns" you can get in the grocery store. Be sure to let the pan cool before you put ANY water on it or you may crack it.

My pans whisk off very easily with nothing but hot water and a scrubber. The older the pan gets and the more you use it, the better it will be. Teflon can't even come *close* to the ease of use that a truly well seasoned cast iron implement can achieve.

By the way, I have found that the use of a good olive oil as a cooking medium will improve the seasoning over time. I use about a teaspoon in a small skillet and spread it around with a metal spatula after the pan has warmed a bit but is not yet truly hot.

Good luck, and good eating!

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Robert, I like your method of seasoning. Sure speeds things up.

When I was getting ready to set up housekeeping the first time many, many years ago, it was my Dad who made sure I had two cast iron skillets (large and small). We put Crisco on them and wrapped them in newspaper until it was time for them to be put into use.

I was so surprised that they were actually grey and not black when they were new.

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I'm curious: are you still using your cast iron?

I have a theory about why cheap, durable, good-cooking cast iron got replaced by such frauds as Teflon. I think it was a combination of the weight and American housewive's fetish about "cleanliness." I think there was a false sense of "uncleanness" since the pans were not supposed to be inundated with suds between uses.

Weight is definitely a factor! I have both my mother's and my grandmother's ironware (and many of my grandmother's were from HER mother). I estimate about three hundred pounds worth, and all VERY black and slick! I have to be VERY choosy about what I take in the Casita, and so far have decided to take a small oval skillet and, perhaps, a small dutch oven.

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Robert, that was fantastic. I kinda got it right then. I come from a long line of club aluminum users. I am contemplating a skillet with out the teflon. that has grease in it all the time so I shouldn't have a problem. the dutch oven, I'll have to think about it some more. I got one way back when and didn't know the rules so of course I got rust on rust. got to get over those fears first.

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Yes, I still use them. Although, I have to admit the last decade or so I have tapered off. Just don't eat the same way as I use to. But I will never get rid of them, because my cast iron skillets are the best cookware I own....even better than my Calphalon.

There is a small one (perfect size for a single egg or a filet) that I inherited from my Grandmother. That one will go where ever I go.

My grandmother, being southern, always thought of bread as cornbread. Not the big fluffy kind with sugar, but the solid, very crispy kind. She made it very often, but the summers where too hot to turn on the gas oven for just one person, so she always 'baked' hers on top of the stove in her 10'' with a lid from her regular saucepans.

Ummmm. I think it's time to go pull mine out of the back of the cabinet.

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For those of you who do haul your ironware along on camping trips, where do you stow it to keep it from bouncing around and bashing into something? (In the tow vehicle?)

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Mary,

I have only made one trip in my Casita so far, and I chose to limit my cast iron to a single, small oval fajita-style pan. I put it in the plastic dishpan, along with my other cookery stuff, that lives in the under-sink cabinet. If I were to decide to carry more iron I would probably use the same spot to store it. The dutch oven, if it goes, will live in the truck. But as much as I love to cook with iron, I plan to strictly limit what goes because of the weight factor.

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If anyone wants to try the pleasures of cast iron cooking without spending much money, WalMart carries a Lodge 10" low-sided round skillet for just under $10 that would be perfect for getting started. Despite all the old iron I have at my disposal, it is one of the pieces that I use the most. It's great for breakfast, perfect for warming and "toasting" tortillas, and will do yummy steaks, chicken, and fish in no time at all. I highly recommend it for a starter piece. It is also an excellent choice for a do-everything skillet to take camping.

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Hi all,
I just wanted to pipe in with my very unorthodox way of seasoning my cast iron.

I have a gas grill outside, and when I get a new piece, or need to reseason an old piece, I do it on the gas BBQ grill because it keeps the oil from smoking up my kitchen. When I tried to do it in the oven it smoked so bad :mex :loltu we had to open the windows. The smoke flavor can't hurt anything either. This just works good for me.

I have at least 15 pieces of cast iron,not including lids, some pieces I use every day. Like Robert, some are handed down from grandparents, but some were purchased at the Lodge factory. My only regret is that I let the small footed dutch oven get away.

When we had the popup, we took our castiron to Colorado every year, but I am having a hard time finding room in the Scamp. If we go to any get togethers, I will take them, but they will be packed in the truck.

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For those folks who have a need for a super sized pan , Lodge makes a 17 inch cast iron pan, they discontinued the lids , but Academy Surplus has import brand lids that wil fit it. It's large enough to cook a whole pound of bacon at one time, or an entire 2 lb.roll of breakfast sausage cut into patties. I take it to Big Bend every year for the big Christmas campout, I do breakfast for 8 to 20 people depending on who shows up.
It works best on a stove with oversized burners.

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Put a set of wheels on that thing and you could hook it up and leave the trailer at home!

I could be wrong, but seems to me I once saw a 21" at Cabela's. The thing had a handle on it about 4' long. I guess it's for fireman: when the house is too far gone they can have a cookout for the neighborhood.

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Wow!!!
A 21 inch skillet, I want it . I am headed to Cabellas site now. My 17 has two handles , and I have to use an oversized burner to evenly heat it. But does it have a lid? you really need a lid to cook cornbread. If I put both of those skillets in my Cherokee I will be over the GAVW. But any sacrafice for good food. Trust me, my rotundatude is not from Beer, it's from good food.

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I've got a friend who uses what I believe is a 20'' loop handled skillet. It's great for frying beignets for the crowd at your annual Mardi Gras party. (We use it over a ''fish fryer'' propane burner, a.k.a. ''turkey fryer'' these days.) The skillet resembles a large paella pan, and is, of course, cast iron.

I know we discussed it a couple of years ago, on Casita Club. I haven't been able to find the messages, though, to refresh my memory (and, yes, I even tried to Google for it!) It's really a very cool pan, although huge and not the sort of thing you'd need every day...!

:sunny

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20'' loop handled skillet?????? are you talking about the handle like on the DO, but the pot it not deep? nope haven't seen it. :) got one with feet and deep and a loop. thing weighs 40 lbs. I have to carry it in two trips.

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This is the link for Cabela's largest skillet.


Very disappointing. It's "only" 20 1/2" and the wee scrawny handle is only 28". You know it's only "steel" and not the gen-you-wine aricle when you see the weight is only 7.5 pounds. I might have imagined a huge iron skillet, but I don't think so. I'll keep looking. What a great antique find that would be!

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Originally posted by Thomas and Janifer

20'' loop handled skillet?????? are you talking about the handle like on the DO, but the pot it not deep? nope haven't seen it. :) got one with feet and deep and a loop. thing weighs 40 lbs. I have to carry it in two trips.

:E :E 20 inch Loop Handled Skillet