Need help with cast iron

[Bird222]

I'll try to explain this the best I can. I used this technique to season this pan. http://sherylcanter.com/wordpress/2010/01/a-science-based-technique-for-seasoning-cast-iron/ The pan seems to be non-stick, but there is one spot that seems kinda sticky after I use it. I always have to use coarse salt to scrub that spot. I think the eye on the stove heated this spot more than the rest of the pan because that same spot on the bottom of the pan looks a little gray/discolored. Pretty much the eye is always on high because I mainly only cook steaks in this pan. Is there anything that can be done to make this spot as slick as the rest of the pan?

 

[Cerpin Taxt]

I'll try to explain this the best I can. I used this technique to season this pan. http://sherylcanter.com/wordpress/2010/01/a-science-based-technique-for-seasoning-cast-iron/ The pan seems to be non-stick, but there is one spot that seems kinda sticky after I use it. I always have to use coarse salt to scrub that spot. I think the eye on the stove heated this spot more than the rest of the pan because that same spot on the bottom of the pan looks a little gray/discolored. Pretty much the eye is always on high because I mainly only cook steaks in this pan. Is there anything that can be done to make this spot as slick as the rest of the pan?

I tried that method of seasoning. On paper it seems to make a lot of sense. In practice it didn't really work for me. What did work was frying shitloads of bacon in the pan. Then I strained and saved the bacon grease, and I use that to touch up the seasoning every once in a while.

 

[Anubis]

the method linked does work however it does not really work for new cast iron

if you have old stuff that is smooth in texture it will work. the new stuff (lodge) which is more textured. just fry a ton of bacon like cerpin did, it should work and BACON

 

[NetWareHead]

In my experience, if the pan is sticky after seasoning it means 2 things:

1. too much grease used in one seasoning event.
2. Not enough heat or time during seasonign event.

The gummy sticky feel means the grease did not finish polymerizing and converting to a hard non stick substance.

Use less grease and season for a long enough time. All you need is a light coating on the pan (never runny). grease the pan and then wipe it with a paper towel a few times to evenly distribute the oil on the surface

 

[Cerpin Taxt]

In my experience, if the pan is sticky after seasoning it means 2 things:

1. too much grease used in one seasoning event.
2. Not enough heat or time during seasonign event.

The gummy sticky feel means the grease did not finish polymerizing and converting to a hard non stick substance.

Use less grease and season for a long enough time. All you need is a light coating on the pan (never runny). grease the pan and then wipe it with a paper towel a few times to evenly distribute the oil on the surface

Yeah, over-application of the grease is kinda hard to resist, but really needs to be avoided. There aren't really any shortcuts to the seasoning process.

After I grease my pan and then wipe it out thoroughly, I let it sit in the oven at 200 degrees for 15-20 minutes, then I take it out and wipe it down again before putting it back in at a high temp to finish the seasoning.

 

[Bird222]

In my experience, if the pan is sticky after seasoning it means 2 things:

1. too much grease used in one seasoning event.
2. Not enough heat or time during seasonign event.

The gummy sticky feel means the grease did not finish polymerizing and converting to a hard non stick substance.

Use less grease and season for a long enough time. All you need is a light coating on the pan (never runny). grease the pan and then wipe it with a paper towel a few times to evenly distribute the oil on the surface

I guess number 2 is possible but each layer I wiped ALL the oil out. There was barely any oil on the surface with each coat. BTW this is a Griswold (i.e. smooth surface) pan. Are you recommending that I strip and re-season this pan? Please no it took so long to do the first time. Also keep in mind that the surface was fine until I used it on high the first time.

 

[NetWareHead]

I guess number 2 is possible but each layer I wiped ALL the oil out. There was barely any oil on the surface with each coat. BTW this is a Griswold (i.e. smooth surface) pan. Are you recommending that I strip and re-season this pan? Please no it took so long to do the first time. Also keep in mind that the surface was fine until I used it on high the first time.

What temp are you seasoning the pan? When I season my pans I begin in the oven but I also use the pans in cooking to further finish the seasoning process.

IMO, just using the oven has never produced a satisfactory seasoning process. Seasoning a CI pan is not somethng that can be done in a week. My new CI pan didnt really begin feeling "right" until after a few months and after a few years of regular use is when it got so non stick that I can make crepes on it without excess oil

You are focusing too much on the seasoning process. Just use the pan and tolerate a little bit of sticking. The pan will eventually get better and better and better.

You can continue to use the flax oil and the way I would do it is after you are done cooking, scrub the pan with a sponge and hot water (no soap). When all of the gunk and burned on crap is off, take it to the stove and turn it on to dry it off. With a little bit of flax oil on a paper towel, lightly grease the pan and keep the heat on until it smokes. Thats how I got my pans to be non stick.

As long as you remember that CI is a long term project and you are in it for the long haul, you will eventually have a non stick pan that is better than teflon.

 

[Howard]

Canter's method didn't work for my carbon steel wok, though cast iron is usually easier to season.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Canter's method didn't work for my carbon steel wok, though cast iron is usually easier to season.

I got my 18" wok and just used canola oil. I had a decent seasoning the first time, but I did use the "nuclear" method of superheating with an outdoor propane burner after cleaning with Barkeeper's Friend first. Once the pan was prepped and heated I turned off the burner and wiped liberally with the oil. Came out perfect.

I hate today's cast iron and with the exception of one rarely used huge pan everything I own is 1930's or older. I also use my De Buyer carbon steel skillets quite frequently, and I'll reach for them for an omelette and not think twice. I have a few non-stick pans, but I don't use them often.

 

[Bird222]

I stripped that pan and took a picture just to show the spot I think is the problem. I am just curious what the explanation would be for this discoloration. I don't know if any metallurgist are on the board. I have reseasoned the pan and will start using it again.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

I love the idea of cast iron pans but I hate the cleaning and seasoning its far too much of a pain for me.
I know an apartment I rented needed a burner replaced it didn't spread heat evenly. Maybe that is the problem?

 

[mikeford]

Looks like the burner isn't level so grease builds on one side.

 

[Merad]

I love the idea of cast iron pans but I hate the cleaning and seasoning its far too much of a pain for me.

Wut? My cast iron skillet is the easiest to clean of any cookware that I own. Run hot water in it, scrub it with a brush. Dry the inside and wipe with a very light coat of oil. NEVER let soap touch it.

All of these articles with detailed "scientific" methodologies to season cast iron are BS. You season cast iron best by using it. Buy a pack of bacon or sausage, fry it, boom you're done. If you have trouble keeping a cast iron pan seasoned then you're either cleaning it wrong (see above) or you're cooking the wrong foods with it (tomato based sauces are particularly bad).

Also, stripping all of the seasoning off of a cast iron pan is practically heresy. You want that shit to build up. My mom has a large skillet that belonged to my great grandmother and is at least 100 years old. It's beautiful.

 

[Bird222]

Wut? My cast iron skillet is the easiest to clean of any cookware that I own. Run hot water in it, scrub it with a brush. Dry the inside and wipe with a very light coat of oil. NEVER let soap touch it.

All of these articles with detailed "scientific" methodologies to season cast iron are BS. You season cast iron best by using it. Buy a pack of bacon or sausage, fry it, boom you're done. If you have trouble keeping a cast iron pan seasoned then you're either cleaning it wrong (see above) or you're cooking the wrong foods with it (tomato based sauces are particularly bad).

Also, stripping all of the seasoning off of a cast iron pan is practically heresy. You want that shit to build up. My mom has a large skillet that belonged to my great grandmother and is at least 100 years old. It's beautiful.

Oh I know you want it to build up but I wanted to start over. I just sauteed some green onions to char (heard it would help seasoning) and it was cool how the pan was acting like teflon. The oil was behaving like it does in a teflon skillet. I think I may have done it better this time because I don't recall oil behaving like this the first time I did it although I did use more layers of treatment this time.

 

[Howard]

Looks like the burner isn't level so grease builds on one side.

Doubt it. It's more in the center along where the element is.

 

[M0oG0oGaiPan]

maybe you can grind that spot down

 

[Captante]

Wut? My cast iron skillet is the easiest to clean of any cookware that I own. Run hot water in it, scrub it with a brush. Dry the inside and wipe with a very light coat of oil. NEVER let soap touch it.

All of these articles with detailed "scientific" methodologies to season cast iron are BS. You season cast iron best by using it. Buy a pack of bacon or sausage, fry it, boom you're done. If you have trouble keeping a cast iron pan seasoned then you're either cleaning it wrong (see above) or you're cooking the wrong foods with it (tomato based sauces are particularly bad).

Also, stripping all of the seasoning off of a cast iron pan is practically heresy. You want that shit to build up. My mom has a large skillet that belonged to my great grandmother and is at least 100 years old. It's beautiful.

Folks worry way too much about this stuff. My Lodge cast-iron pan works great and I've never done any of those so-called advanced methods of seasoning once.

After cooking scrub gently with a soft brush and a little hot water no soap at all then lightly coat with oil while still hot and put away. Even use corn/olive oil from time to time with no issues when out of meat drippings.

 

[Ns1]

I always season my pans the same way: cooking shitloads of bacon. The super fatty slices.