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How do you clean and/or season a cast iron skillet?

How do you clean and/or season a cast iron skillet?
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  • Post #31 - June 30th, 2011, 1:45 pm
    Post #31 - June 30th, 2011, 1:45 pm Post #31 - June 30th, 2011, 1:45 pm
    nr706 wrote:
    http://sherylcanter.com/wordpress/2010/ ... cast-iron/ wrote:The seasoning on cast iron is formed by fat polymerization, fat polymerization is maximized with a drying oil, and flaxseed oil is the only drying oil that’s edible.

    Not true. Walnut oil, or any oil from a true nut (e.g. not peanut), is a drying oil, and walnut oil makes a harder surface than flaxseed oil, IMHO. And you can use the leftover oil to make a nice salad dressing.


    Boiled linseed oil used by painters and woodworkers has metallic drying agents added. Aren't soybean and safflower oils also drying oils? They're a lot cheaper than flaxseed or walnut oil.
  • Post #32 - January 24th, 2014, 9:01 pm
    Post #32 - January 24th, 2014, 9:01 pm Post #32 - January 24th, 2014, 9:01 pm
    Here's an article describing the scientific properties behind seasoning cast-iron pans. I was surprised that linseed/flaxseed oil was the optimal oil, but she gives a pretty good argument for it.

    Thought some of you might be interested:

    http://sherylcanter.com/wordpress/2010/ ... cast-iron/
    “Assuredly it is a great accomplishment to be a novelist, but it is no mediocre glory to be a cook.” -- Alexandre Dumas

    "I give you Chicago. It is no London and Harvard. It is not Paris and buttermilk. It is American in every chitling and sparerib. It is alive from tail to snout." -- H.L. Mencken
  • Post #33 - January 24th, 2014, 9:34 pm
    Post #33 - January 24th, 2014, 9:34 pm Post #33 - January 24th, 2014, 9:34 pm
    discussed here
    http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=17527

    including the sheryl canter flax seed oil tech
  • Post #34 - January 25th, 2014, 9:24 pm
    Post #34 - January 25th, 2014, 9:24 pm Post #34 - January 25th, 2014, 9:24 pm
    We picked up a cast iron skillet at a yard sale a while back. It wasn't so much seasoned as never cleaned. This thing had a crust around the inside you wouldn't believe. It was a medium sized skillet with low sloping sides so we decided it had potential.

    I spent about an hour with a wire brush in my angle grinder, getting it knocked down to pretty much clean metal, at least free of all organic matter. I lit all three burners on our gas grill and while it was heating up, I melted a couple of tablespoons of lard in the pan. I wiped it all around and made sure there was a little liquid in the bottom. I took it out and threw it on the grill, upside down, and let it heat the rest of the way up. When the grill seemed to hit the max temp and quit rising, I shut it off and left it cool completely.

    I did this three times and the pan is slicker than cat poo on a linoleum floor. All the smoke and stink is outside and the grill doesn't care if it gets some burned lard drips in the bottom.

    To clean our cast iron, we just wipe it out with a wet dish cloth and hot tap water. If it has stuck crud, we'll heat it up and pour in cold water, scrape it with a spatula like you are deglazing it to make gravy. Dump the goo outside and do the hot water and dish cloth thing.

    We always dry them on the stovetop and give them a wipe with a lard brushed paper towel if they look like they need it.

    Your mileage may vary, this works for us.

    Tim
  • Post #35 - September 3rd, 2018, 1:46 pm
    Post #35 - September 3rd, 2018, 1:46 pm Post #35 - September 3rd, 2018, 1:46 pm
    I wish I had searched this months ago, oh well perhaps my good deed is to give this old thread a bump to save some other poor soul my disaster.

    Soooo, I am doing better about caring for my non-enameled cast iron cookery.

    I baked yesterday and after spending Friday and Saturday doing 6 rounds of seasoning/conditioning the pans the loaves baked did not stick at all.

    I left the pans to cool. This morning I brushed out the remainder coarse cornmeal (polenta) I added to the bottom of the loaves and the pan. Next, I turned on the burners (I have a 3 qt and a 5 qt combo cooker) and heated the shallow bottoms and added a tablespoon of ghee to them. Once the ghee melted I brushed the entire bottom (inside, outside, the lip, etc) with melted ghee and poured the remainder into the deeper pots. I then heated the deeper pots and again brushed the ghee throughout the interiors and exteriors of the pan. I then wiped all excess oil away with a paper towel.

    I don't want to go through several rounds of conditioning/seasoning the pans to avoid surface rust or maintain the practically non-stick cooking surfaces. I read these were best practices to maintain the cast iron cookery. I opted for the 6 rounds as mentioned above and in the link I attached below.

    How do you treat yours? What brand do you use? Oh and how old is yours? Both of my vessels were purchased new earlier this year.

    And thank you to my cast iron hotline laikom!


    https://www.americastestkitchen.com/gui ... on-skillet
    Ava-"If you get down and out, just get in the kitchen and bake a cake."- Jean Strickland

    Horto In Urbs- Falling in love with Urban Vegetable Gardening
  • Post #36 - September 5th, 2018, 12:54 pm
    Post #36 - September 5th, 2018, 12:54 pm Post #36 - September 5th, 2018, 12:54 pm
    Pairs4 life asked:

    How do you treat yours? What brand do you use? Oh and how old is yours?


    I inherited two cast iron frying pans from my grandmother who was born in the late 19th century. The pans are still in great shape and I use them often.
    Where there’s smoke, there may be salmon.
  • Post #37 - December 15th, 2020, 5:39 pm
    Post #37 - December 15th, 2020, 5:39 pm Post #37 - December 15th, 2020, 5:39 pm
    5-years later I finally used the Lodge Cast Iron burner insert that came with the stove.

    click to enlarge
    Image
    Image
    Image
    Image
    Image

    Lodge, count me a Fan!
    Hold my beer . . .

    Low & Slow
  • Post #38 - December 21st, 2020, 3:48 pm
    Post #38 - December 21st, 2020, 3:48 pm Post #38 - December 21st, 2020, 3:48 pm
    The only thing keeping me from buying that outright ( $55.98 from Lodge ) is my uncertainty as to where I would put it when not in use.
  • Post #39 - December 21st, 2020, 4:07 pm
    Post #39 - December 21st, 2020, 4:07 pm Post #39 - December 21st, 2020, 4:07 pm
    lougord99 wrote:The only thing keeping me from buying that outright ( $55.98 from Lodge ) is my uncertainty as to where I would put it when not in use.

    Bottom of your oven?

    =R=
    Same planet, different world
  • Post #40 - December 21st, 2020, 4:10 pm
    Post #40 - December 21st, 2020, 4:10 pm Post #40 - December 21st, 2020, 4:10 pm
    Yea, that is a possibility. The concept of this really appeals to me - just not actually sure where this would be used rather than the constantly used cast iron 12" skillet.

    That is probably why Gary just used it for the first time.

    I already have a lodge pizza stone/pan : https://www.amazon.com/Lodge-Baking-Pre ... 8452&psc=1 . I just love their products.

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