Cast iron/carbon steel fans, get in here

[kage69]

For sometime I've been looking for the best way to get/keep my cast iron and carbon steel skillets and wok nice and black, a slick looking obsidian surface preferably. Some methods I've tried didn't work, other things worked to a degree but left me still unsatisfied with the results, which could be inconsistent. Flaxseed oil, shortening, grapeseed oil, avocado oil, slabs of fat, I've used many methods but none of them really left me with what I thought I should be looking at. The flaxseed oil on my Griswolds and Lodges seemed to be the closest hit, but I still had times where the seasoning felt tacky rather than smooth.

Having a conversation about food and such with a coworker, this topic came up. He was surprised the seasoning irked me, asked why I didn't just grab some Crisbee and call it good? Wat? Never even heard of it. So I went and found some - holy crap! THIS is what I've been looking for. The secret ingredient is beeswax I guess, mind = blown. A nice side effect, makes your kitchen smell nice instead of the faint oily fish smell you get with flaxseed.

Really wish I had known about this product sooner. Recommended.

Crisbee is the business If your cast iron needs work, chase this stuff down. Hands down the best I've tried yet.

 

[WelshBloke]

I just use mine, ideally fry some fatty meats to get the seasoning going. Avoid cooking anything acidic until its properly seasoned.
Depending on what I've cooked in it I'll either just wipe them out (cooked pancakes yesterday) or use hot water, dish soap and a plastic scourer if there's any residue from more intensive cooking.

Comes out like this...

 

[lxskllr]

Same. I just use it, and don't get carried away when cleaning. I try not to clean it at all. When I do, I only use water.

 

[Captante]

I used to worry a lot about keeping my cast IRON cooking surfaces perfect. (you would think the bolded would be a clue!)

Eventually I came to the realization that short of using a sledgehammer as a spatula, actually doing any meaningful accidental damage to them at all was next to impossible.

 

[WelshBloke]

Same. I just use it, and don't get carried away when cleaning. I try not to clean it at all. When I do, I only use water.

If I do use soap on them I give them a wipe out with some cooking oil.

 

[WelshBloke]

On a similar note what's everyone's goto brand for new cookware?

I get De Buyer. They are not stupid expensive, the base is polished, and they are pretty bombproof.

 

[[DHT]Osiris]

I've used my Lodges cast iron skillet just about every day for the last 15 years (purchased new, so not some hundred yo handmedown). Perodically once it gets enough annoying shit on it that I can't easily scrape off with a spatula, or if I cook something I really don't want to re-heat (like fish) i'll wash it with soap and water, then re-burn with grapeseed or whatever I feel like. No need to be precious with it, just wash it and re-oil.

 

[kage69]

I have 2 pans that I've only used and never seasoned, and they aren't as nonstick as the ones I took my time with and seasoned. In my experience, the "just use it" method does work, albeit slower, but seems to do more for carbon steel than cast iron. I also saw more progress with the potato peel or onion "carbonizing" methods with carbon steel than I did with cast iron. Lately I've been doing it all, but I've just never seen results as good or as quick as with a Crisbee stick. It's cheap and you need very little, very impressed with the results.

I like the chain mail scrub for cast iron btw. I'm still using my original one too, it's 20 some years old. Beat that sponges!

The only soap I use on cast iron (and there has to be a good reason, might be a bi annual event) is a small amount of cast iron specific Castile glycerin-based soap, natural and very basic. No petroleum products or foaming agents. Doesn't leave any residue or odors and ignores the seasoning. But I still consider heat, water and friction to be the primary cleaning agents for this stuff.

I went with a pair of De Buyers Welsh, also a tiny 8" Ballerini saute pan. Very happy with them.

 

[Muse]

Same. I just use it, and don't get carried away when cleaning. I try not to clean it at all. When I do, I only use water.

Same here, I've become less and less concerned about it. Prior to cooking, I heat the pan (gas), then I usually pour maybe 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil in, spread it around with a silicone spatula (which is reserved for the purpose). If the skillet is especially hot and I am concerned that the olive oil will smoke, I'll use avocado oil instead. When done, I remove contents with either a silicone spatula or, in the case of contents that's sticking to the pan, a LARGE metal spatula scraping onto plate. I let the pan cool and then hang from a nail. I seldom actually wash a cast iron skillet, but do at times. I'm done with oven seasoning them.

 

[Muse]

On a similar note what's everyone's goto brand for new cookware?

I get De Buyer. They are not stupid expensive, the base is polished, and they are pretty bombproof.

I have been using the same cast iron for a long time. I dropped my smallest skillet a couple years ago and bought the cheapest replacement I could find... off Walmart online, shipped free with my order. It works fine. The thing about a cast iron skillet is you need a potholder. My largest skillet had an accident ~20 years ago and the handle broke in half. Instead of tossing the thing I bolted an extension to the half-handle and wrapped the whole affair in a piece of bicycle inner tube, knotting the thing off. There's a big steel circle piece extending from the end, so I can still hang it from a nail. The end result is I don't have to use a potholder with that skillet! A WIN!

For stainless, I love my Revereware. My parents had it, it's great, it's better than any other I've ever encountered, the design is classic, all the others I've seen look weird to me. I didn't inherit my parents', I just got mine, one piece at a time, here and there. My parents had 1 qt., 2qt, and probably larger, also Revereware skillets, but I prefer cast iron to SS skillets. I don't have to worry about how they look. Keeping SS pans looking good is a pain.

 

[herm0016]

we use cast iron almost exclusively. we have a couple stainless pots, demeyre, very good stuff, I like it better than all clad. and some very large stainless pots.

if you use it all the time you really don't have to season it. I wash with soap if it's really bad. we only use olive oil for cooking and i think that helps a lot, having only one kind of oil going in, along with the fats on the foods. get a chainmail scrubby. they work great and the seasoning is more consistent since we started using that.

 

[RLGL]

We have stainless pots, carbon steel, and cast iron pans. The cast and carbon cookware sees only hot water for cleaning. They were seasoned with high temp cooking oils. We also have two Swiss Diamond non-stick, they are the best I have had over the years, lifetime warranty.

 

[Scarpozzi]

Same. I just use it, and don't get carried away when cleaning. I try not to clean it at all. When I do, I only use water.

I use cast iron. I prefer Lodge brand because Alton Brown claimed that it was the only US made cast iron company still around. Even though the stuff is heavy, they tend to ship it from China.

Too often, I have chunks of stuff stuck to the bottom. So I scrape and clean. Occasionally I will really scrub and use water/soap. Once or twice, I removed some of the seasoning layer. I simply rubbed some Crisco back on the skillet. Anytime I wash my cast iron skillet, I put it back on the stove after rubbing it with oil...and let it heat up to dry. Heating the pan after you wash it, will make sure you don't leave moisture in any of the pores or pits in the metal. This will keep the pan from developing any kind of rust.

 

[Brainonska511]

I just follow the directions that came with my Lodge skillet which came preseasoned. Generally, I try to use some kosher salt to scrape off the crud, then a quick rinse with dish soap and water, dry on the stove top heat for about 10 minutes, then rub it down completely with a very small amount of a neutral oil. This process is keeping it in good shape, though it also isn't my everyday cooking pan.

The main thing to remember with "seasoning" is that it is oil that is chemically bonded to the iron from the high heat polymerization reactions that occur during cooking/seasoning. A quick dish soap rinse or scrub with salt isn't going to ruin that. The big thing is to just ensure the pan is fully dry before storing it.

 

[Kaido]

Crisbee is the business If your cast iron needs work, chase this stuff down. Hands down the best I've tried yet.

Nice, I've had that stuff on my wishlist, glad to hear a positive review! I have a carbon-steel skillet that needs a better seasoning coat on it. Mostly I use cast-iron pans tho! Side note, I love my Japanese tawashi scrub brush for cleaning my cast-iron gear:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M0DVRUG/

Bit more backstory:

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[Starbuck1975]

I’ve had a Lodge cast iron for years. Oven seasoning instructions suggest coating with oil, lining your oven to catch drippings and then season upside down. I hate running my oven for this, so started using my charcoal grill instead. Anytime I grill, I use the meat drippings to glaze my pan, and then season it over the coals when done cooking. Pan has a nice nonstick layer now.

 

[JM Aggie08]

Hell yes. We cook in cast-iron exclusively. We had a kirkland set of nonstick for the longest time that eventually wore out. My wife insisted we get a replacement non-stick set -- NAY, WOMAN. It took some convincing, but she's finally figured it out.

 

[BurnItDwn]

I have a couple of cast iron skillets, one is a Lodge i bought like 10ish years ago, another is one my MIL picked up at a garage sale.
We also have a cast iron dutch oven that i don't use very often because its a PITA to clean and honestly would rather use the instant-pot for stews and the like.

That said, I do use nonstick for stuff like eggs because i have trouble getting them to not stick.

 

[JM Aggie08]

I have a couple of cast iron skillets, one is a Lodge i bought like 10ish years ago, another is one my MIL picked up at a garage sale.
We also have a cast iron dutch oven that i don't use very often because its a PITA to clean and honestly would rather use the instant-pot for stews and the like.

That said, I do use nonstick for stuff like eggs because i have trouble getting them to not stick.

You godda fuck that pan up with butter, my dude.

 

[MrSquished]

I got a Lodge cast iron frying pan and Lodge 6 quart dutch oven. The dutch oven gets a lot of work done for me but the skillet I usually use just to do steaks inside via the Alton Brown Method. But fuck Le Creuset prices

A Calphalon stainless steel chef's pan does a ton of work for me and it cleans up easy. Large All Clad nonstick frying pan and a small OXO frying pan mostly for eggs and some other things.

 

[BurnItDwn]

You godda fuck that pan up with butter, my dude.

I like to fry my eggs in the bacon fat. > 99% they dont stick with my Calphalon. > 10% they stick when using cast iron

in any case, i do eggs often as a quick hot lunch when working from home ... takes like 15-20 min to fry some bacon, then cook hash browns in the bacon fat, then fry eggs in the same bacon fat ... usually have enough time to eat in peace, but, sometimes have to join a conf call and eat bit by bit ... I find nonstick to be more convenient, and sometimes convenience is king.


I use the skillet for a ton of different meals (steak, swordfish, salmon, prok chops, prok tenderloin, searing or browning meats that I may slow cook or pressure cook later, polish sausage, various other sausages, carbquick biscuits, or just about anything i stick under the broiler or put in the oven, etc ...)

 

[Muse]

You godda fuck that pan up with butter, my dude.

If sticking is a concern in my cast iron, I drizzle ~1/2 teaspoon of oil on it and spread around with a silicone spatula (those spatulas tolerate high heat, so not a concern) dedicated to that purpose, so never clean that.

 

[BurnItDwn]

My brother had been using a kadai for a lot of his cooking recently, but, he just switched it up and got himself a clay "Handi." I can't wait to try his Briyani after he completes a few practice runs. Totally would be worth the carbs!