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Cast Iron Seasoning Help
Posted on 4/20/20 at 2:00 pm
Posted on 4/20/20 at 2:00 pm
I was wondering if anyone in here is a master of cast iron seasoning and could answer some questions for me. I have a 5 gal, 10 gal and 20 gal cast iron pots with burners that I bought several years ago in Paulina, LA. Of course they were very rough from the casting on the inside, so I took a hand grinder with a flap disc and sanded the inside smooth. I thoroughly cleaned it and heated it to dry. I put a thin later of flax seed oil on cooked the pot upside down on the burner like in the first pic. Ive repeated 4,5,6 times on the initial seasoning and the seasoning always seems to come off, so I re-season after every cook. The second pics are what they sometimes look like after cooking in and cleaning. I have used flax oil, canola, vegetable, lard, bacon grease etc as my oils. I have cooked at a lower heat for hours and higher heat for an hour. I don't wash with soap, just a Chore Boy pad. I try to wash soon after every cook. Ive tried doing several layers of seasoning before cooking in. I fried potatoes in grease in them to season. Ive made cracklins in them. I do use a stainless paddle instead of wood to scrape the gratin off the bottom when cooking. I have even tried seasoning them like when you do a carbon steel wok. Get it smoking hot and rub oil on the inside (a lot of times that way will make my towels burst into flames). Is there any way to get them like smooth and black like my old cast iron skillets that are 40-50 years old? At any rate...Im kinda stumped. I know some of you guys will have some sage advice for me so I'd appreciate any help I could get. Thanks!
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Posted on 4/20/20 at 2:06 pm to cayenneman
The pot looks fine to me. From the post it sounds like you are more worried about having a black colored pot like you are used t? If it is staying non stick, not rusting, and it is cooking well I don't see an issue. It looks like you are taking care of and maintaining your pots very well and that this the most important part.
Posted on 4/20/20 at 2:15 pm to cayenneman
Liberal coating of crisco and a big arse wood fire.
Posted on 4/20/20 at 2:25 pm to cayenneman
food grade mineral oil, hot fire
Posted on 4/20/20 at 2:30 pm to cayenneman
It might be too smooth. I milled out a new Lodge for a friend to try and match my vintage Wagner and Griswold.
It didn't work. I got it polished like glass but seasoning won't stick. My best guess is there's some microscopic surface texture required to create the bond between the raw iron and polymerized fat.
I use as thin a layer as of crisco as possible on my vintage skillets (apply and wipe it off with a clean towel). 400 degrees. Repeat.
It didn't work. I got it polished like glass but seasoning won't stick. My best guess is there's some microscopic surface texture required to create the bond between the raw iron and polymerized fat.
I use as thin a layer as of crisco as possible on my vintage skillets (apply and wipe it off with a clean towel). 400 degrees. Repeat.
Posted on 4/20/20 at 3:34 pm to cayenneman
I usually spray it down with Pam cooking spray, put it on one of my outdoor burners, and get it smokin'/screamin' hot...
Posted on 4/20/20 at 6:23 pm to cayenneman
I highly disagree with everyone that rancidity is a concern for your oil. For me it is smoke point.
I use grapeseed oil, coat, and heat the pot beyond the smoke point. (400)
The idea being to take the oil to the point of carbon. Burnt. The result being carbon inlaid in the cracks and crevices of the pot. Then wipe with paper towers until clean.
My pots are not oily in the slightest and don't rust.
But when I buy a pot I season it a few times before ever frying in it. And I won't cook anything that sticks or a gravy until I know the pot is seasoned.
My newest 20 gallon pot is about to make a year, and it has yet to see tomatoes, dairy, or strong spices (curry being one of my favorite large items to cook)
I use grapeseed oil, coat, and heat the pot beyond the smoke point. (400)
The idea being to take the oil to the point of carbon. Burnt. The result being carbon inlaid in the cracks and crevices of the pot. Then wipe with paper towers until clean.
My pots are not oily in the slightest and don't rust.
But when I buy a pot I season it a few times before ever frying in it. And I won't cook anything that sticks or a gravy until I know the pot is seasoned.
My newest 20 gallon pot is about to make a year, and it has yet to see tomatoes, dairy, or strong spices (curry being one of my favorite large items to cook)
This post was edited on 4/20/20 at 6:24 pm
Posted on 4/20/20 at 6:54 pm to cayenneman
I just reseasoned 3 pieces this weekend. I found the best method is to use grapeseed rather than flaxseed, as flax is known to flake more - especially after repeated coats.
I get it right below the smoke point (410-415 for grapeseed) for 1-2 hours. If it's still sticky then the oil hasn't fully polymerized. The oil should be a super thin layer. Almost unnoticeable. Only a few molecules thick. It'll be more of a bronze/copper color after those initial seasoning if starting from bare cast iron.
Almost forgot to mention that heating the cast iron to 200F or so before applying the oil helps as well.
I get it right below the smoke point (410-415 for grapeseed) for 1-2 hours. If it's still sticky then the oil hasn't fully polymerized. The oil should be a super thin layer. Almost unnoticeable. Only a few molecules thick. It'll be more of a bronze/copper color after those initial seasoning if starting from bare cast iron.
Almost forgot to mention that heating the cast iron to 200F or so before applying the oil helps as well.
This post was edited on 4/20/20 at 6:57 pm
Posted on 4/20/20 at 8:45 pm to xXLSUXx
quote:
I found the best method is to use grapeseed
Awesome product
Posted on 4/21/20 at 2:23 am to X123F45
I use several layers of Crisco (blue can) to season a skillet that needs new coats of seasoning. I use mineral oil on my cast iron that has a good coat of seasoning...doesn't go rancid.
Posted on 4/21/20 at 10:37 am to timdallinger
quote:
It might be too smooth. I milled out a new Lodge for a friend to try and match my vintage Wagner and Griswold.
It didn't work. I got it polished like glass but seasoning won't stick.
I've got a couple of skillets from Smithey Ironware that are glass smooth and they are somewhat of a bear to season. My 10 year old lodge that I've cooked on innumerable times has a fantastic seasoning, but the same tactics I've used to season the lodge just don't hold up well on the Smithey's. I agree that you need SOME texture, just not the rough sandpaper feel that so much new cast iron comes with.
Posted on 4/21/20 at 12:36 pm to The Last Coco
One of the premium cast-iron cookware makers ( don't remember which one) made a bunch of pots with a highly polished interiors. They got complaints that the pots would not season properly. Investigations showed that seasoning would peel off because there was no "tooth" for the polymerized oil film to hold onto. They put the polished pots already in the supply chain on Amazon at a discount and reduced the polish on new production.
I have a 8" Lodge skillet that I use to sear steaks. It was never polished but has a good seasoning layer on the original rough surface. Looks like glossy pebble grain leather. Nothing sticks to it and is very scratch resistant.
TXT
I have a 8" Lodge skillet that I use to sear steaks. It was never polished but has a good seasoning layer on the original rough surface. Looks like glossy pebble grain leather. Nothing sticks to it and is very scratch resistant.
TXT
Posted on 4/22/20 at 1:18 pm to TXT
quote:
Lodge skillet
quote:
It was never polished but has a good seasoning layer on the original rough surface. Looks like glossy pebble grain leather. Nothing sticks to it and is very scratch resistant.
This describes my older lodge to a T. That's a great description of the texture.
Posted on 4/22/20 at 1:39 pm to cayenneman
Season it with a very thin layer of lard or crisco. Let it cool and repeat until it's black. It will go from brown/bronze and keep getting darker. 4-5 times should be enough.
Posted on 4/23/20 at 9:32 pm to TXT
[quote]One of the premium cast-iron cookware makers ( don't remember which one) made a bunch of pots with a highly polished interiors. They got complaints that the pots would not season properly. Investigations showed that seasoning would peel off because there was no "tooth" for the polymerized oil film to hold onto. They put the polished pots already in the supply chain on Amazon at a discount and reduced the polish on new production. [/quote
Exactly right. Never been a fan of grinding a pot down to a baby butt’s smoothness for this very reason.
Exactly right. Never been a fan of grinding a pot down to a baby butt’s smoothness for this very reason.
Posted on 4/23/20 at 9:54 pm to cayenneman
Whatever you do, DO NOT let your wife leave it in the oven and set the oven to clean!!! Completely lost 15 years worth of seasoning in less than 1 hour.
Posted on 4/24/20 at 8:16 am to X82ndTiger
I have a side question here if y’all don’t mind.... this skillet is probably 40 years old.... cooks great. What’s the best way to clean off this old build up without hindering cooking ability? Put it on a screaming hot pit and knock it off? Lol
This post was edited on 4/24/20 at 8:26 am
Posted on 4/24/20 at 8:37 am to bossflossjr
Have one that looked similar from my grandmother frying in it for decades and pouring the oil out one side. It just got really built up. I had a gas grill at the time and I cranked it up to medium high and set the skillet on there for about a half hour. Hit the outside with a wire grill brush and got most of it off. Didn’t mess with the seasoning inside using that method.
Posted on 4/24/20 at 11:52 am to bossflossjr
For the loose stuff on the outside, I'd just hit it with a chain mail scrubber or wire brush and knock all the loose stuff off and call it a day
Posted on 4/24/20 at 12:21 pm to kclandcruiser
Thanks for the recommendations
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