| Cast IRon Skillets
Posted: 2/12/2008 2:22:30 AM | Seasoning Cast Iron
Seasoned Cast Iron can be considered the "grandfather" to today's "non-stick" cookware.
Cast Iron Cookware must be seasoned properly and it will last a life-time. ( I still use my Grandmother's cast iron skillets on a regular basis and they must be at least 60-70+ years old.)
New Pans
Heat the oven to 250 - 300
Coat the pan with lard or bacon grease. Don't use a liquid vegetable oil because it will leave a sticky surface and the pan will not be properly seasoned.
Put the pan in the oven. In 15 minutes, remove the pan & pour out any excess grease. Place the pan back in the oven and bake for 2 hours.
Repeating this process several times is recommended as it will help create a stronger "seasoning" bond.
Also, when you put the pan into service, it is recommended to use it initially for foods high in fat, such as bacon or foods cooked with fat, because the grease from these foods will help strengthen the seasoning.
Pans needing Re-Seasoning
If the pan was not seasoned properly or a portion of the seasoning wore off and food sticks to the surface or there is rust, then it should be properly cleaned and re-seasoned.
Remove any food residue by cleaning the pan thoroughly with hot water and a scouring pad. I understand that heating the pan first to a temperature that is still safe to touch helps open the pores of the metal and makes it easier to clean.
Dry the pan immediately with dish towel or paper towel.
Season the pan as outlined above.
Caring for Cast Iron Cookware
Seasoning a cast iron pan is a natural way of creating non-stick cookware. And, like you cook and clean the modern non-stick cookware with special care to avoid scratching the surface, your cast iron cookware wants some special attention too.
Clean the cookware while it is still hot by rinsing with hot water and scraping when necessary. Do not use a scouring pad or soap (detergent) as they will break down the pan's seasoning.
Never store food in the cast iron pan as the acid in the food will breakdown the seasoning and the food will take on a metallic flavor.
Store your cast iron cookware with the lids off, especially in humid weather, because if covered, moisture can build up and cause rust. Should rust appear, the pan should be re-seasoned.
When you purchase cast iron cookware, they are medium gray in color, but after usage, they start turning darker. (My pans are very black in color.) This is normal and should be expected. | |
|
| Cast IRon Skillets
Posted: 2/23/2008 4:21:28 PM | | Being cheap, when I use my oven to bake something I also stick my sometimes greased cast iron pan in to improve/add to the seasoning especially in the winter time (heat conservation) A little smoke doesn't hurt, does it? | |
|
| Cast IRon Skillets
Posted: 4/28/2008 10:00:10 AM | As a Chef I love my cast iron pans and I guard them well (like my knives, don't touch). I season all my pans, there are many different ways to do this but for me I just simply wash the pan well, dry it, place it on heat with a coating of oil and salt and get it hot, really hot. When it just starts to smoke I take it off the heat and carefully wipe it out with paper then put oil only in it and "smoke" it again to remove excess salt. If it is done correctly it will be better then a non-stick pan and the food will cook and taste incredible and you will only need to wipe it out with paper to clean. However if you do need to wash it, season it again and it will out last you. You can pass it down through your family giving generations to come true pleasure in cooking.
PS if you want to find some real "gems" of pans go to secondhand shops or Opp shops like the Salvation Army they are treasure troves of pans and cooking equipment.
Good luck and Happy cooking | |
|
| Cast IRon Skillets
Posted: 5/2/2009 1:02:29 AM | | I have a question about cast iron and hope someone can help me. I bought a Lodge pre-seasoned cast iron skillet. On the second use, I was frying some eggs and noticed a little black color on them. Is this normal? I have heard that cast iron adds iron to your foods but does it dye them too? | |
|
| Cast IRon Skillets
Posted: 5/4/2009 9:30:22 PM | washe them and dry them in the burners until they are complety dry then spray some pam and wipe it with a papper. , easy right ! | |
|
| Cast IRon Skillets
Posted: 5/5/2009 2:09:55 AM | I have had a cast iron pan that I have used for over 20 years.
Never use dishsoap on it and after washing in hot water only dry with a paper towel. Add a bit of vegetable oil and wipe it with a paper towel. My pan is so seasoned I can fry an egg in it and it will not stick. | |
|
| Cast IRon Skillets
Posted: 5/8/2009 4:47:41 PM | | I like to season a new cast-iron outside on the barbecue. That way you don't have to worry about smoking up the house. Coat the pan with a good layer of oil and put it on a good hot barbecue with the lid closed for about a half hour. Frying bacon or fatty foods will help the pan stay seasoned. As many others have said,don't use soap when cleaning. I never have to re-season my pans,and I can cook pancakes in them without the pancake sticking. | |
|
| Cast IRon Skillets
Posted: 5/8/2009 9:19:03 PM | Cast iron skillets must not be washed with soap. This means not putting them in the dishwasher either. Same for good knives and wooden utencils...wooden salad bowls.
To season a cast iron skillet (new), one must liberally oil the skillet, inside and out, and put it in the oven at about 200 for about 4 hours. This will put a layer of oil on the iron. As one uses the skillet or pot, the pot seasons itself. After cooking, if there is crusty stuck on stuff, just add water over the crusty stuck on stuff line, and put the skillet/pot on the stove top, and boil away. After boiling for about 5 minutes, drain in sink and scrub skillet/pot with regular table salt (I use a paper towell), and rinse out. I also use a paper towell to dry the skillet so as not to stain my regular dish towells. In no time, you will have a tehlon like texture in the cast iron, and it will be the best cooking tool that you have. Cast Iron is the best conductor of heat. And it keeps the arms fit  | |
|
| Cast IRon Skillets
Posted: 5/8/2009 10:11:33 PM | | I guess I should have started a new thread to ask my question as it has been pretty much ignored. | |
|
| Cast IRon Skillets
Posted: 5/9/2009 1:39:51 AM | Maybe no one has an answer RD ... I have lots of cast iron in my pantry ... never had a "pre-seasoned" piece and never had a problem with transfer so I dunno either.
PS The "iron supplement" thing ... BS. Ain't true. | |
|
| Cast IRon Skillets
Posted: 5/9/2009 5:36:58 AM |
On the second use, I was frying some eggs and noticed a little black color on them. Is this normal?
its more than likely carbon...dont worry about it...that should disappear after a few uses
and no cast iron wont add iron to your diet | |
|
| Cast IRon Skillets
Posted: 5/11/2009 7:08:43 AM | On Seasoning. I've always followed the manufacturers suggestion for the first one, then gone from there the old way. I do need to unrust a dutch oven I picked up at a garage sale.
I've found that most food even if stuck on cast iron will come off if you just put hot water in it to cover and let set. it usually just wipes out after a bit and then I heat the pan on the stove and when it's 'water' dry I wipe it with a bit of cooking oil or whatever is on hand. Most of the pans I have are over 100 years old, they were my mothers and grandmothers before her soo... | |
|
| Cast IRon Skillets
Posted: 5/11/2009 8:44:19 AM | Throw a little baking soda in, Tregana ... it covers a multitude of sins. I'm constantly cooking things that stick, and instead of trying to clean them (if she had any patience, she'd be a doctor) my wife has actually thrown pots out where a little baking soda and water would have worked a miracle cure.
She throws any of my cast iron out, she might be next. Kidding, I can always replace the cast iron ...
No, my cast iron doesn't stick ... better than teflon ... it's the stainless shi ... er ... crap that things stick. | |
|
| Cast IRon Skillets
Posted: 5/11/2009 6:07:46 PM | Tregana, how do you "unrust" cast iron? If it's already been covered in this thread, just direct me to it. Thanks.
The pans belonging to your mother and grandmother are truly a treasure! You are so lucky to have them. Those are the things that have the most meaning in my life. This crap that the Rachel Ray's and Pauls Dean's are selling for an arm & leg aren't worth squat. | |
|
| Cast IRon Skillets
Posted: 5/11/2009 11:43:28 PM | I've cooked with cast iron for yearssss. rule one never use any soap. Hot water only.. drying heat on stove for med heat.3 min or 5 min in the oven will take care of rust. Remember most important when u get ur first cast iron must be seasoned. Rub oil in all over and cook in oven 10min now you have a season pan.  | |
|
| Cast IRon Skillets
Posted: 7/26/2009 6:47:21 PM | definitely don't throw them out! cure them once before you begin using them with soap and warm water. dry completely. oil lightly before the first use.
then, after each use, as soon as possible, wipe with paper towel or soft kitchen cloth. apply very thin oil. store in any cupboard away from heat. | |
|
| Cast IRon Skillets
Posted: 7/26/2009 9:23:46 PM | Well even tho this is kinda late here goes........
I have a question about cast iron and hope someone can help me. I bought a Lodge pre-seasoned cast iron skillet. On the second use, I was frying some eggs and noticed a little black color on them. Is this normal? I have heard that cast iron adds iron to your foods but does it dye them too?
Hi RD
to answer your question that seems to have gone over every ones head/eyes lol are you useing metal spatulas or metal of any kind when cooking? sometimes the iron grit will come off in the food if you do also sometimes the iron grit will come off if they havent been seasoned or if they have had something acidic like tomato
I wash my cast iron in hot sudsy water I rinse in warm water dry and rub with bacon grease or canola oil and the let them sit inside my oven I dont always turn the oven on for them to dry out and soak in the oil but I dont have any probs with them either and the pans I have were handed down from 3 generations .. I lost one griddle awhile back when my son was showing me how he could twist the pan(spinning it) it dropped and cracked I cooked on it till it finally cracked all the way and was unusable
I also had one that we used when we went camping it had a 3 ft cast iron handle and the bowl part itself was 2 ft in diameter
and was about 4 in deep .. I remember times when Mama would cook 2 or 3 lbs bacon and sausage then wipe it out and cook 2 doz eggs with cheese then wipe it out and add 2 or 3 sticks of butter and put bread on the melted butter to make toast
?Good eats " as Alton Brown would say ..
Well I hoped I helped in some small way of answering your quest.
Creamy | |
|
| Cast IRon Skillets
Posted: 7/26/2009 11:57:38 PM | Well, us Southern folks love our cast iron...Heres a link on how to SEASON a skillet..If you do this right. The skillet will be in your family forever..Im using my Great, Great Grandmothers Cookware to this day..
http://www.youtube.com/results?feature=moby&search_query=cast+iron+skillet+season&search_type=&aq=2&oq=cast+iron+ski | |
|
| Cast IRon Skillets
Posted: 7/28/2009 11:38:26 PM | Wash your chicken parts in cold water
season chicken as follows
Garlic salt
sage
black pepper
onion powder
cajun season
use these in any amount you want. I put my clean chicken in a sink and let the seasons fly. LOL
after the chicken is seasoned shake each piece in a zip lock bag of plain flour.
Now here is the secret:
use as deep a frying pan as you have. Fill with oil about 1/3 of the pan. get the grease hot (not somking) place chicken in a even layer I usually put breast and thighs in first. Then lay the rest in a second layer right on top of the first. Place a lid on pan and cook until first layer is brown. Then rotate chicken placing cooked chicken on top of uncooked. I know this sounds odd but all the chicken will cook chrispy but tender. When chicken is done pour out most of oil and mix leftover flour some salt and pepper and when it starts to brown add milk or chicken broth and you have gravy too!
Hope this helps
carol | |
|
| Cast IRon Skillets
Posted: 7/28/2009 11:58:00 PM | did you season it?
Use oil, preferably olive, or a high temp oil, not motor oil!
Coat the 'entire' cast iron item, and bake at 500 degrees or so for a bit. (smokes a little)
oil molds into the iron and protects it.
not good to put into a dishwasher tho.
elbow grease is the best for maintenance.
GL | |
|
| |
| Cast IRon Skillets
Posted: 7/29/2009 7:32:00 AM |
I have a question about cast iron and hope someone can help me. I bought a Lodge pre-seasoned cast iron skillet. On the second use, I was frying some eggs and noticed a little black color on them. Is this normal? I have heard that cast iron adds iron to your foods but does it dye them too?
Not having seen the pan prior to you cooking the eggs, i will give my opinion.
most likly it wasnt the pan giving off iron, it may have been carbonized food left over from your last cooking. unless your using a chisel to flip your eggs, metal pieces should not be comming off your pan. Iron...red iron rust, is just that oxidation of the carbon and produces a light red powder on the surface. if this happens, use steel wool and scrub th pan inside and out and rince with water and dry on stove top, then coat with cooking oil and return to stove top and heat till pan stops smoking...can be don on the grill outdoors. allow to cool and wipe with a oily paper towel...store in a dry palce(oven).
Seasoning and use develops a carbon layer on the pan that is...with oil, helpful in makeing food not stick.
Hers a good wqy to test if your pan is giving off junk. Place pan on stove top, fill with about 1/4 cup tap water...enough to fill the pan bottom by about 1/8" thick...Heat to a boil, let boil for about 3 mins, than shut off fire and take a cleand white rag and wrap over the edge of a spatula and carefully rub the rag against the surface of the pan ...making sure to hit the edges as well, If the rag has black marks on it, i would strip layer and reseason pan.
I would take a drill and add a wire wheel and clean the inside of the pan and reseason.
Carbonized food particles will not hurt you, but food doesnt look appetizing with fake black pepper on everything. | |
|
| Cast IRon Skillets
Posted: 8/1/2009 12:37:13 AM | Never use detergents to clean a cast iron pot. Clean by boiling a small amount of water in it and clean with a soft bristle brush.
Before you put it away, set it on the stove on low so all the moisture is evaporated (I have an electric stove, so after I'm done cooking and cleaning, i sit it on the warm burner to let all the moisture evaporate.)
Before you put it away, lightly spray all surfaces with pam. If you have a lid, spray the lid too and store it by sitting the lid on top and a thick piece of paper towel folded between the lid and the pan to allow circulation.
Please never throw them out! I've always said that if my house ever burns down, I'm taking my dog and my cast iron skillet. Its the perfect cooking utensil.
Also, try not to cook anything acidic in it. Cast iron is not something you'd want to cook spaghetti sauce in or anything else corrosive (like vinegar.) | |
|
| Cast IRon Skillets
Posted: 8/1/2009 7:03:34 AM | | I bought an old mobile home that had been abandoned for years. When cleaning it out, I discovered a cast iron skillet at the back of a cupboard that was rusted like crazy. When I showed it to my granny, I told her that it was ruined....She laughed and walked over and threw it in my wood stove.. The whole thing... She told me to leave it in there until the fire died down and I cleaned out the stove.... Was about a week later.. I pulled the pan out, and took a wire brush to it. I then used shortening to season them and put them in the stove oven overnight on low heat.... The pan looked just like new. I never would have thought that it would.... | |
|
| Cast IRon Skillets
Posted: 8/1/2009 3:30:03 PM | In a related vein...I just bought a copper/tin lined French pan for 50 cents at a local garage sale!!!...if you hurry over there you might get some more ;-)
I have a beast of a cast iron pan that cooks everything so smoothly and evenly its amazing, its like its its own built in slow cooker. | |
|
Home
login 
