Cast iron skillet seasoning?

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  • Hoosierdood

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    Nov 2, 2010
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    I got a 12" cast iron skillet about 4 years ago, and I cant seem to get it seasoned properly. It was a new skillet that was supposedly preseasoned. I went ahead and followed the seasoning guidelines that I found online using flax seed oil, heating the oven to 500 degrees and letting it bake for an hour. I did this for 3 cycles to get a good seasoning on it. However, I still have serious problems with everything sticking to it. I cook bacon, ham, fried potatoes, eggs, and various other foods, and everything sticks to it. I try to use plenty of canola oil when cooking, but it still sticks. I clean it with hot water and a stiff bristled brush, no soap. Occasionally I will use some salt as well to clean it. I always use a thin coat of oil after cleaning it.

    I have used this skillet for 4 years, and waiting for it to get seasoned to the point that it is non-stick, but nothing yet. Am I doing something wrong? Are my expectations too high? Should I strip it with oven cleaner and start over?
     

    Lumpy76

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    Aug 9, 2011
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    Hebron
    I am waiting on answers to this also. Always heard to get CI and never look back. I want that. The only thing I am looking at is stuck on food.

    I have seasoned it in the oven, cooked a lot of bacon in it, tried on the stove top, filled with oil and kept at 300 deg. for hours. I do have a cheap pan but cast iron should be close to the same all around I would think.
     

    Tryin'

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    Nov 18, 2009
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    If the finish on your pan is too rough, it won’t matter how much you season it. I have two pans from the same manufacturer; one is sticky and one is not. Same use, same timeframe of purchase. The finish on the not-sticky pan is notably smoother. I am getting ready to grind the surface of the sticky one. Lots of how-to videos on YouTube.

    https://youtu.be/8s0y7AWfZcY
     

    spencer rifle

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    Apr 15, 2011
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    Scrounging brass
    Lodge brand tends to have a pebbly surface that just doesn't work as well. The older, smoother pans we get at garage sales and tractor shows season easily and don't stick.
     

    JettaKnight

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    Oct 13, 2010
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    Fort Wayne
    A few musings:
    I season with Crisco, because that's what's in the cabinet.
    I typically just wipe it out with paper towels, but, it made my cornbread spicy because I toasted chilis the previous week.
    Eggs will stick the all but the best seasoned pan.
    I'm pretty sure Lodge is the best new pan, but still not as good as an old Griswold or Wagner Ware.



    FWIW, cast iron is pretty great, but it's still bested by teflon when it comes to non-stick*. Even bacon will sometimes stick. All of my pans are various degrees of "stickiness". My lodge is sitting on the stove waiting for me to tackle the remains of pan fried chicken cordon bleu.

    Soap isn't as bad as you think:
    https://www.seriouseats.com/2016/09/how-to-clean-maintain-cast-iron-pan-skillet-cookware.html
    Flaxseed oil isn't as good as you think:
    https://www.seriouseats.com/2016/09/how-to-season-cast-iron-pans-skillets-cookware.html

    A good list of cast iron myths:
    https://www.seriouseats.com/2014/11/the-truth-about-cast-iron.html


    * Not an endorsement for teflon, which is too fragile, IMHO.
     

    Thor

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    Jan 18, 2014
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    Could be anywhere
    I use Flax Seed for the initial seasoning at 350. After that I use olive oil after each cooking/wash/dry cycle and reheat the pan till it begins to smoke. My 13yo daughter can cook eggs without sticking. If anything does stick a quick soak in hot water and out it comes. I do have only old pans which are smooth (Griswold).

    I did have a cheaper Bayou Classic that took some time to build up a good smooth coat but I used the same process. I didn't use Flax Seed on that one to start though I think it creates a thicker initial coat.

    Good luck and have fun!
     

    kawtech87

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    Nov 17, 2011
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    Martinsville
    I have a 12" lodge pan my brother gave me for Christmas a few years ago. When I first got it I seasoned it but I think it was just vegetable oil I used. I had the same issues with sticking until I got so frustrated with my "non-stick" pans that stuck worse as the teflon wears off that I just started using the CI pan for everything. Stainless steel cooking tools and lots of scraping against the bottom have smoothed it out to now eggs don't stick with just a little butter under them. Smooth out the surface either by grinding or overtime with use like I did. Granted it takes A Lot of cooking but if you're like me and like to cook and usually end up doing the cooking it's not really going to take as long as you think. Stainless steel cooking tools are the key though. Polymer ones won't wear the surface down. Also I don't really ever clean it with a brush or salt I just wipe it out with hot water and paper towels I do have a set of the Lodge brand polymer scrapers I use on harder stuff that does stick from time to time
     

    JettaKnight

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    FWIW, I've been using carbon steel more, and more.

    Very smooth, lighter, more durability and seasoned like cast iron.

    matfer-062005.jpg
     

    Mark-DuCo

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    Aug 1, 2012
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    Ferdinand
    When cooking with cast iron you have to get the pan hot first and put a little oil or melted butter in the pan before the food. If you put the food in a cold pan it will pretty much always stick.
     

    thunderchicken

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    Feb 26, 2010
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    Ok here is my .02 cents. I have been cooking with cast for many years. Started when I was in scouts and I still use it regularly.
    Yes not all cast is created equal. The smoother the surface is to start with the more non-stick it will be. Also, regardless of how well seasoned the cast is you will still need to get the pan hot before putting food in and for most food you will still need to use a small amount of oil or butter.
    If you need to remove the coating on the pan and re-season for any reason the easiest way is put it in the oven and run it on self clean and let it slowly cool. Then heat the pan slightly and coat with Crisco. When cleaning your cast wipe it out with a paper towel. If something has stuck such as sausage or bacon..whatever put a small amount of water in the pan, place it on the burner low- med heat and basicaly use the hot water to help remove what is stuck. Don't be afraid to use a soft bristle brush or plastic scraper to clean it. Wipe it out with paper towels and coat lightly with Crisco, vegetable oil or canola oil.
    I once bought some Lodge seasoning oil spray and when I read the label I discovered it was Canola oil. I also once bout some Cast iron Conditioner and read the label to discover it was in fact Crisco.
    This has treated me well with pans and dutch ovens over the years.
     

    WhitleyStu

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    Feb 11, 2009
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    About a month ago we bought a new Lodge 12" skillet. We looked at all of them and picked the one with the smoothest interior. Lodge also sells a seasoning spray which we spray on after washing. We store the skillet with the light coating of oil and use it the next time with this light coating still in place. No sticking at all with any of our Lodge cook ware using this method. As far as putting case iron ware in oven to season, just let normal cooking with food do the seasoning.
     

    K_W

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    Aug 14, 2008
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    Indy / Carmel
    I use a super thin glaze of soybean oil baked at 400 for 1 hour after every couple uses or after any acidic foods. All 11 of mine are better than any teflon... except for one that I tried flax seed oil on... it was an unmitigated disaster and I had to strip it. That pan never recovered.
     

    Indy317

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    Nov 27, 2008
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    Does the surface of the pan has a "mirror smooth finish?" If not, that is likely the problem. The issue I had with cast iron is that I was never cooking anything with a lot of oil, so my pan never got used for something like fried chicken. There are a handful of start-up companies that have come on-line recently and some advertise they are making the surface of their pans as smooth as possible. I wouldn't mind trying to do some friend chicken, as pan fried chicken is a favorite of mine. So long as I'm occasionally cooking turkey bacon (not much grease) and mostly doing eggs, french toast, or pancakes with cooking spray, I doubt I'll go back to trying cast iron.
     
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