O/T Consensus on Seasoning Cast Iron Skillets

Fergienewbee · Sep 20, 2013

Time to re-season my skillets. I've seen everything from 250 to 500 degrees for anywhere from an hour to five or more. What does everyone do? I have 13 skillets, a griddle and a soup pot. I kick myself for passing on a #14 a few years ago. All my iron is Griswold, except maybe one. I use them every time I make anything fried.
Larry

DENNIS MIN · Sep 20, 2013

Fergie,

Perhaps use lard on the skillets and an "outdoor" grill for a heat source?

I seasoned mine once indoors, and the smell and smoke were not worth it.

The charcoal grill worked wonderfully, with little complaint. Don't know what temperature the grill was, though.

D.

Janicholson · Sep 20, 2013

Mine are continually in use and never left wet or with soap on them. Usually wiped dry from use with paper towel and hung on the pot rack. The info in this article is the best I have found. Jim
This make sense to me.

MarkB_MI · Sep 20, 2013

Most vegetable oils can't handle temperatures above 375F, so 350 is about as high as you want to go.

If you have a particularly nasty pot, clean it up with oven cleaner. Spray it down, then put it in a garbage bag overnight. After that, it's a matter of scrubbing with Scotchbrite, don't forget to use rubber gloves.

Wipe it down with vegetable oil, then put it in the oven at 350 until it stops smoking. After that, it's just a matter of keeping it oiled so it continues to season.

omahagreg · Sep 20, 2013

We mostly just use a small round CI griddle for pancakes. What I do is to wipe it out with a dry paper towel, heat it up on the stove, turn off the heat, spray PAM or equal in it while hot. Once cool, wipe out the excess, now you are ready for the next time!

Royse · Sep 20, 2013

Larry, I've cooked in cast iron all my life.
I season my pan every time I use it/wash it.
I use Olive oil or Canola oil and heat it to smoke point,
let it cool and wipe IN any excess.

The article Jim posted does make sense, but her CI is gray.
I wouldn't consider gray CI seasoned. Old habits I guess.

ohiojim · Sep 21, 2013

i never wash mine, just scrape clean, wipe out with paper towel, heat up, oil and put away

S.Crum · Sep 21, 2013

Favorite son just seasoned 3 casts that I had bought and glassbead cleaned. We use olive oil for most all oil jobs in the kitchen (canola oil not allowed here). The house stunk for 2 weeks. Go for the gas grill idea ! 225 to 250 degrees is about the best.

Dachshund · Sep 21, 2013

We just wash ours in soap and hot water every time we use them. Wipe with a towel then hang on a rack. Never had a problem with "seasoning" or anything sticking.

Anonymous-0 · Sep 21, 2013

Y'all ain't originally from the country, are ya?

Dachshund · Sep 21, 2013

Yes. We just got tired of getting sick, so we learned how to clean our cookware.

Anonymous-0 · Sep 21, 2013

I never got sick from using a properly seasoned skillet. I don't know anyone who has, either. I didn't say it wasn't a good idea to wash the skillet; but using it without seasoning it, you may as well have a cheap teflon pan with half the coating off.

rabbit-1 · Sep 21, 2013

Clean 'em up good, spray them with a pan release like Crisco, Pam, Vegalene, and you're good to go. I've even cleaned the pans with steel wool, rotating wire brushes, sanders with sand paper... Smoother the finish the better, then just spray them down good.

magpiene · Sep 21, 2013

When we pick up a new to us pan. It starts out in the shop wood stove to clean it. Then the boss seasons with whatever cooking oil is close. WORKS GOOD FOR US.

Dachshund · Sep 21, 2013

Never had a problem with anything sticking or ANYTHING since we learned how to clean them. When we did it the "prescribed way", we got sick... No problems since! Even the local Amish clean theirs like we do. People have been so convinced you CAN'T use soap and water, that they are afriad to try it.

Anonymous-0 · Sep 21, 2013

Of course, getting the skillet good and hot--the key to good seasoning, AND good cooking--usually kills bacteria. So if you season the skillet in the oven for 2 hours at 250 degrees [just over 121 degrees celsius], there is no more bacteria in the seasoned skillet when you start cooking than there would be in an unseasoned skillet.

And, of course, baking in a cast-iron skillet generally ALWAYS involves temperatures above 250 degrees.

Dachshund · Sep 21, 2013

Baking would be different, but we use the same thing for that. Usually just use the skillets for baking. It's been working great for us, so we will continue.

showcrop · Sep 21, 2013

I cook breakfast at church every sat AM if I am not at a tractor pull. I heat up the grill, pour on a little oil, and clean with grill screen and wipe it nice and clean with paper towels. After use I do the same thing. shiny clean, no water or chemical cleaner, and nothing living on that 400 degree surface.

bison · Sep 21, 2013

What's the use of cleaning them?,.....HEAT KILLS BACTERIA..
Just wack it upside down on the counter top so the dry crud falls out and put it back on the stove.
Anyway that's what my wife does,..she's the cook,..not me. :wink:

Ron in NS · Sep 21, 2013

I just give it to the dawgs to lick after its cooled
off.
Don't generally see any flies on it after that.

Anonymous-0 · Sep 21, 2013

Apparently, heat does NOT kill bacteria at Daushund's house.

JMOR · Sep 21, 2013

(quoted from post at 20:48:03 09/21/13) Apparently, heat does NOT kill bacteria at Daushund's house.

t isn't rocket science!!! Read the instructions that came with your CI!!! If you lost them, Google is your friend. Get after it!!

from Lodge CI:
How do I reseason my cookware?

While maintaining the seasoning should keep your Cast Iron in good condition, at some point you may need to repeat the seasoning process. If food sticks to the surface, or you notice a dull, gray color, or rust, repeat the seasoning process:

Wash the cookware with hot, soapy water and a stiff brush. (It is okay to use soap this time because you are preparing to re-season the cookware).

Rinse and dry completely.

Apply a very thin, even coating of MELTED solid vegetable shortening (or cooking oil of your choice) to the cookware (inside and out).

Place aluminum foil on the bottom rack of the oven to catch any dripping, and set temperature to 350 – 400 degrees F.

Place cookware upside down on the top rack of the oven.

Bake the cookware for at least one hour. After the hour, turn the oven off and let the cookware cool in the oven.

Repeat the process as needed to achieve the classic black patina.

Store the cookware uncovered, in a dry place when cooled.

Check out this video of the process.

11 :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :twisted: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :twisted: :twisted:

MarkB_MI · Sep 22, 2013

Don't think I'll be coming for dinner at your house anytime soon...

OH Boy · Sep 22, 2013

build a wood fire and let it burn down to a bed of coals, set the CI pan in the coals and it will burn all the old crud off of it. When it cools down you will have grey cast iron with a little ash on it. Give it a good scrubbing in the sink to wash the ash off, dry it then put it on the stove to heat it back up. Wipe it all over, inside and out, with lard. Let it heat up to smoke point and turn off the heat. Keep wiping it down until it cools, the iron will draw a lot of the hot grease into the metal. When it cools down it should be a nice dark brown or black color and will have a good start to being seasoned. As you use the pan each time, wash it out with water and a plastic scrubby pan then put it on the stove and heat it up and wipe it with some more lard. The seasoning will get better and better over time.

O/T Consensus on Seasoning Cast Iron Skillets

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