Lots of folks on here saying don't use any type of soap? I wash all of ours with dish soap and hot water every time we use one and then I wipe it with a really thin coat of Gravesend oil. The 110 gallon pots are the toughest..
-
ODT Gun Show & Swap Meet - May 4, 2024! - Click here for info
Seasoning a Cast Iron Skillet
- Thread starter boomer
- Start date
I threatened castration to the guys at hunting camp. I caught one of them squirting Dawn in my 15" skillet. He won't do that again.
You huntin’ with soy boys?
I may be late to the starting post, but if you "follow the science" (gag) here's a good review of the chemistry of seasoning cast iron.
I've refurbed a bunch of skillets and use mine as much as I can. I used Flaxseed oil and have never had a smoke out.
I've refurbed a bunch of skillets and use mine as much as I can. I used Flaxseed oil and have never had a smoke out.
This is what I do, I store my cast iron in the oven so it gets seasoned every time I use the oven.
I have never understood the mystic of seasoning cast iron.
When I use one, I wipe it out, wash it if necessary, and spray with PAM and put back in the oven.
Lots of good suggestions here, but I'm not particularly fond of the modern pre-seasoned Lodge cast iron pots & pans. They're too rough (not polished after being sand cast) and I've found the seasoning doesn't last very long. The couple I have, I sanded smooth using an abrasive wheel on the pan bottom before re-seasoning.
I'm with
Farmer 2
, though. Find an old Griswold or Wagners at the thrift or antique store and you'll have a gem.
As for rusty cast iron, I prefer electrolysis over sandblasting. In a pinch, you can dunk it in Evaporust for a few days. Rust and gunk will magically be removed, especially from electrolysis.
If you need to remove years of built up grease and seasoning (particularly those pots used for deep frying), dunk the subject pot in a lye solution for a few days and it will clean right down to bare metal! If you don't have lye, you can soak it down in Easy Off oven cleaner inside a sealed garbage bag for a few days. It may take multiple sprayings of oven cleaner, though.
Many ways to season, but this method works pretty well. Heat the pan to temp and smear on a thin coat of Crisco. Wipe until it looks dry and stick upside down in a 400° oven for 1 hr and turn off. Let it slowly cool in oven for 1-2 hrs and repeat process 2x times. If you're in a hurry, you can put an ultra-thin coat of grapeseed oil in pan and heat on stove top on high until the coat smokes off. Repeat 3-4 times.
Unlike most, I use soap on mine occasionally with no issues. If the seasoning is done properly, it forms a polymer that won't wash off. However, scouring with steel wool or scouring pads will abrade the coating. If that happens, I just add more Crisco or grapeseed oil and re-season on the stovetop!
Sent from my SM-G781U1 using Tapatalk
I'm with
Farmer 2
, though. Find an old Griswold or Wagners at the thrift or antique store and you'll have a gem.As for rusty cast iron, I prefer electrolysis over sandblasting. In a pinch, you can dunk it in Evaporust for a few days. Rust and gunk will magically be removed, especially from electrolysis.
If you need to remove years of built up grease and seasoning (particularly those pots used for deep frying), dunk the subject pot in a lye solution for a few days and it will clean right down to bare metal! If you don't have lye, you can soak it down in Easy Off oven cleaner inside a sealed garbage bag for a few days. It may take multiple sprayings of oven cleaner, though.
Many ways to season, but this method works pretty well. Heat the pan to temp and smear on a thin coat of Crisco. Wipe until it looks dry and stick upside down in a 400° oven for 1 hr and turn off. Let it slowly cool in oven for 1-2 hrs and repeat process 2x times. If you're in a hurry, you can put an ultra-thin coat of grapeseed oil in pan and heat on stove top on high until the coat smokes off. Repeat 3-4 times.
Unlike most, I use soap on mine occasionally with no issues. If the seasoning is done properly, it forms a polymer that won't wash off. However, scouring with steel wool or scouring pads will abrade the coating. If that happens, I just add more Crisco or grapeseed oil and re-season on the stovetop!
Sent from my SM-G781U1 using Tapatalk
Putting the first heat on a new looking 8" Lodge today that I picked up for cheap due to light red rust all over. The rust just about wiped off with just a little hot water and a scrub.
I thought you just used Dawn and a Brillo pad to get them clean before you put in the dishwasher.
Then re-season with any non-detergent straight 30 weight motor oil.I thought you just used Dawn and a Brillo pad to get them clean before you put in the dishwasher.
That's my problem then! I've been using 0-20w full synthetic oil all this time.
