Cast. Iron. Patina.

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kage69

kage69

Lifer
Jul 17, 2003
30,633
45,651
136
...or season, if you prefer.

I'm wondering what my fellow cast iron cooking fans here have been using to keep their kitchen iron good n slick. What's your procedure, your lube of choice? ;)

Also, secondary purpose of this thread - I tried Camp Chef http://www.amazon.com/Camp-Chef-CSC-...Chef+cast+iron on my skillets and I honestly have to say it looks like it does a better job than the constant butter and olive oil I've always been using.
Really impressed with this stuff, only bad thing is you really need to bath it in warm water for a few minutes before use, it's surprisingly hard stuff.
 
lxskllr

lxskllr

No Lifer
Nov 30, 2004
59,342
9,869
126
I don't do anything other than use it. I never use soap. I rinse it under hot water, and rub softly with a copper scrubber.
 
Berryracer

Berryracer

Platinum Member
Oct 4, 2006
2,779
1
81
They are all wrong. It does matter what oil you use, and the oil that gives the best results is not in this list. So what is it? Here are some hints: What oil do artists mix with pigment for a high quality oil paint that dries hard and glassy on the canvas? What oil is commonly used by woodturners to give their sculptures a protective, soft-sheen finish? It’s the same oil. Now what is the food-grade equivalent of this oil?
The oil used by artists and woodturners is linseed oil. The food-grade equivalent is called flaxseed oil. This oil is ideal for seasoning cast iron for the same reason it’s an ideal base for oil paint and wood finishes. It’s a “drying oil”, which means it can transform into a hard, tough film. This doesn’t happen through “drying” in the sense of losing moisture through evaporation. The term is actually a misnomer. The transformation is through a chemical process called “polymerization”.


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. From that I deduced that flaxseed oil would be the ideal oil for seasoning cast iron.
 
Hayabusa Rider

Hayabusa Rider

Admin Emeritus & Elite Member
Jan 26, 2000
50,879
4,268
126
I wipe the pan clean with soap and water then spray a light coating of Pam on it and heat for a few moments when needed.
 
J

jaedaliu

Platinum Member
Feb 25, 2005
2,670
1
81
lxskllr said:
I don't do anything other than use it. I never use soap. I rinse it under hot water, and rub softly with a copper scrubber.
Click to expand...

I fill the pan with water, and boil. Then I use a nylon brush (?2 for $1? from IKEA) and go crazy (well, very careful, don't want to splash boiling water) then rinse with water. If for some reason I feel i need to add more oil to the pan, I just grab my cooking spray and then wipe down and it goes upside down in the oven once I'm all done.
 
M

MadScientist

Platinum Member
Jul 15, 2001
2,183
63
91
berryracer said:
They are all wrong. It does matter what oil you use, and the oil that gives the best results is not in this list. So what is it? Here are some hints: What oil do artists mix with pigment for a high quality oil paint that dries hard and glassy on the canvas? What oil is commonly used by woodturners to give their sculptures a protective, soft-sheen finish? It’s the same oil. Now what is the food-grade equivalent of this oil?
The oil used by artists and woodturners is linseed oil. The food-grade equivalent is called flaxseed oil. This oil is ideal for seasoning cast iron for the same reason it’s an ideal base for oil paint and wood finishes. It’s a “drying oil”, which means it can transform into a hard, tough film. This doesn’t happen through “drying” in the sense of losing moisture through evaporation. The term is actually a misnomer. The transformation is through a chemical process called “polymerization”.

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. From that I deduced that flaxseed oil would be the ideal oil for seasoning cast iron.
Click to expand...

Can you say "plagiarize". http://sherylcanter.com/wordpress/2010/01/a-science-based-technique-for-seasoning-cast-iron/
 
theknight571

theknight571

Platinum Member
Mar 23, 2001
2,896
2
81
I read about flaxseed oil when my mom gave me the pans she got from her mother (my grandma) and I was researching how to care for them. These pans have to be at least 70 years old and I highly doubt they've ever seen flaxseed oil, especially after seeing how much it cost.

I've been using "vegetable" (soybean according the the ingredient list) oil, and my mom used the same or the "solid" Crisco, and I can fry an egg in it without sticking. (Fried eggs are my litmus test for pan stickiness :) )

As far as cleaning them, I'm with the hot water / nylon brush method, heating and deglazing the pan if needed.

Once the pan is clean, I heat it on the stove top for a couple of minutes and apply a thin layer of oil before putting it away.

I also read, somewhere, that if the pan has a lid that you should not store the pan with the lid on it. The trapped moisture will cause rust. (My pans don't have lids, so I cannot attest to this. I just thought I'd mention it.)
 
IronWing

IronWing

No Lifer
Jul 20, 2001
72,311
32,826
136
Fry a lot of bacon and the cast iron will be fine. We wash our cast iron in soap (dish detergent) every single day with no loss of seasoning. Just be sure to dry it well after washing. Soap isn't the enemy, water is.
 
silverpig

silverpig

Lifer
Jul 29, 2001
27,703
12
81
Animal fat is the only way to go. Lard will season your pan well. Roasting a chicken in the oven will also do.

I have a few cast iron pans and this is all I use (vegetable oil never goes in them), and you could come over and fry an egg right now and it would slide right out after.

Cleanup is a rinse with hot water and maybe some scrubbing (no soap).

I swear on animal fat for cooking and will do so to my grave.

I make sure I have a good jar of pork fat in the fridge that I have rendered from leaf fat I got from the butcher.

I also have a jar of beef fat, and another of duck fat.
 
Fritzo

Fritzo

Lifer
Jan 3, 2001
41,920
2,161
126
I've always seasoned my cast iron by cooking some oily foods in them for the first few times then wiping them down (bacon, sauteed foods, etc.). I've been told that flaxseed oil is the absolute best way to season new pans as it creates a hard, durable, and smooth coating.

I've never done this though because 1) flaxseed oil is expensive, and 2) I've never had a problem with my "Just use the damn thing and don't wash it" method.
 
Oyeve

Oyeve

Lifer
Oct 18, 1999
22,047
876
126
When I season my cast iron pans, about once a year after I scrape em, I use peanut oil at a supe high flame. Then I just cook with them and rinse under very hot water and wipe. I do the same with my woks.
 
C

Charles Kozierok

Elite Member
May 14, 2012
6,762
1
0
Flaxseed is what I used when my pans were on the new side.

Now I just fry in them regularly and they're starting to hold up on their own without special treatment.
 
SpatiallyAware

SpatiallyAware

Lifer
Sep 7, 2009
12,960
3
0
I've found that the newer lodge (and cracker barrel) preseasoned cast iron coating is not sufficient for long term use. It eventually flakes off, and I doubt is very healthy to eat.

I've suggest first superheating the skillet to burn off this coating, if you have a lodge pan. You can either build a fire on out (outdoors) or use a grill that can get too ~700f. Let it cool down, then immediately season per any of the online guides. I prefer the pan full of bacon methods.
 
herm0016

herm0016

Diamond Member
Feb 26, 2005
8,508
1,122
126
flax oil does work pretty well. I have done this a few times. also, just cook bacon in it once a month or more. you get to eat more bacon that way.

I have a 12in and a 10in. lodge. Those are really the only pans i ever use, save for a sauce pan once in a while.
 
zinfamous

zinfamous

No Lifer
Jul 12, 2006
111,695
31,043
146
kage69 said:
...or season, if you prefer.

I'm wondering what my fellow cast iron cooking fans here have been using to keep their kitchen iron good n slick. What's your procedure, your lube of choice? ;)

Also, secondary purpose of this thread - I tried Camp Chef http://www.amazon.com/Camp-Chef-CSC-...Chef+cast+iron on my skillets and I honestly have to say it looks like it does a better job than the constant butter and olive oil I've always been using.
Really impressed with this stuff, only bad thing is you really need to bath it in warm water for a few minutes before use, it's surprisingly hard stuff.
Click to expand...

you should never season with olive oil or butter--smoke point is way too low on those.
 
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