Waaaay OT: Question about seasoning Cast Iron

[phildcrowNOSPAM]

Bought a chicken-frying skillet today made of cast iron. I'm nothing you would even think of being associated with anything associated with metallurgy, but I would guess that the cast iron in my skillet is iron and 3-4% carbon.

Here's my question: Can I or should I try to smooth out the inside of that skillet in order to help it get that well-seasoned black-iron slick? My understanding of the seasoning process is that over a number of uses, the high spots on the iron get worn down, and the low spots get filled with, well, food. When the high and low spots even out, that's when the iron cookware gets that dull shine and non-stick surface that your grandma told you about.

So what if I jump-start the process? By taking off the high spots first thing (say, sanding to 400-grit) and leaving the low spots much less low to fill in much more quickly, it is my hypothesis that my new chicken-frying cast iron skillet will "season" much more quickly.

What say you?

-Phil Crow

[Lew Hodgett]

Congratulations, now you will be able to properly fry chicken.

(They will pry mine from my cold dead hand).

I didn't bother, but did reseason many times the first couple of years.

Even today I scrub mine out with a ScotchBrite pad and reoil, removing excess oil with a paper towel before putting it away.

Lew

[C&S]

Oddly, I did just that for a buddy of mine. He was actually very pleased with the results, and he is no slouch in the kitchen.

I used an ROS and it was actually pretty slow going.

[DonkeyHody]

When I had several new cast iron items to season, I found a website somewhere that recommended that very approach. I tried it, and was very glad I had power tools to use as it was very slow going. I don't know how long it would have taken to season properly without sanding first, but it seemed to work well enough.

DonkeyHody

[Gary Brady]

I believe I would just fry up a few greasy hamburgers and then overheat the remaining juice a bit. Do the same thing next time, and pretty soon you'll have that surface that you're looking for. Might smoke a bit in the house, though.

[RicodJour]

I'd say that 400 grit would take forever, maybe longer. Use a carborundum stone.

R

[Leon]

Spray it with TopCote and it will not rust and the food will not stick. ;~)

[Cydrome Leader]

Don't waste time grinding it away.

Coat it in a fatty oil like olive oil, and throw it in the oven at like

400 until it stops smoking. Coat it again and repeat. The first coatins will be orange or yellow colored. Olive oil seasons a skillet better than vegetable oil.

It will quickly turn black with use. Bacon or eggs are good things to start with. Scrabled eggs will not stick to anything inside a lightly oiled and seasoned skillet.

[Lew Hodgett]

I've never done anything other than extensive seasoning; however, if you want to try it, would suggest a small right angle grinder equipped with a mediun wire cupped wheel brush.

Easiest way to get into all the corners.

Lew

[Warren Weber]

We have tried Olive oil and 400 degree heat, not good. Then used bacon grease at 400 degrees this works very good.

[todd]

"Cast iron" by definition contains more than 2% carbon. I don't know for sure and a cursory Google search didn't reveal what type of cast iron is generally used, but I'm betting that it's gray iron. Gray iron is obviously mostly iron, with about 3-4% carbon plus Si, Mn, S, P, and sometimes a number of other trace elements, probably a result of whatever was in the ferrous scrap partly used to make it.

I have a 12" cast iron skillet that I have an affection for that is rivalled only by my KitchenAid mixer. It is completely black from several years of use.

I certainly don't think you're going to hurt anything by doing this.

todd

[George Berlinger]

[fredfighter]

Just keep the amount of oil to minimum. Otherwise opening the oven might produce an impressive fireball.

[CW]

Nothing. Note the OT in the subject line.

[Lew Hodgett]

The subject clearly indicates an off topic post.

Take your meds and bet a good boy.

Lew

[Doug Miller]

Totally unnecessary, unless your pans are really rough. I've never seen any that were that rough.

Wipe it down with solid shortening (lard is best, but Crisco works fine), and put it in a 400 degree oven (or heat it on a burner) until the fat starts to smoke. Allow to cool, wipe off any remaining fat, and you're done.

Use wooden or plastic utensils when cooking, just like you would with a Teflon pan, to avoid scratching the seasoned surface.

No. The seasoning process is simply that of baking fat onto (and into) the iron. Cast iron pans don't really wear much at all, and if you're filling the low spots up with food (!) that means you're not cleaning the pan properly in between uses.

Proper cleaning means rinsing with hot water (no soap), scraping or scrubbing when needed with plastic or wooden utensils, no scouring pads or powders, and never never NEVER putting it in the dishwasher.

Naaah. Too much work, and none of it needed. Pre-season as I described above, then fry yourself a chicken dinner or three, and that's pretty much all you need.

[todd]

I don't think the two of you are really saying anything much different. What the low spots and then the surface are getting coated with is carbon the residue of heated food (including fats).

My favorite cooking show guy, Alton Brown from "Good Eats", suggests using salt and a towel to clean the pan after use. I don't think he even uses water. I generally use hot water and a scrub brush.

todd

[Odinn]

On 3/19/2006 7:51 PM Warren Weber mumbled something about the following:

Lard is the best to use for seasoning a cast iron skillet. I do it over a fire instead of in the oven (I was taught to do it in the firebox of a wood stove). Need to get some oak (don't use pine, don't want creosote all over it), build a good fire and get some down to some real hot coals, slather the skillet with lard inside and out and place just above the coals and let the lard cook in (careful not to let it burn).

On the few occasions that reseasoning is needed for touchup, make sure it's totally dry, lightly coat it with lard and place on the stove on high for about 5 min (might want to turn on your vent fan), let it cool down, and wipe out the excess lard.

NEVER let a cast iron skillet soak in water.

[Don Bruder]

*SOMEBODY* has actually had to properly season a skillet sometime in the past.

With the minor exception of using lard instead of olive oil, and a minimum of 5 "repeat"s, that's the same method my grandmother taught me, and her cast iron was as close to teflon as makes no never-mind.

Second point: Once you've got the seasoning on, *DO NOT* use soap to wash, and use nothing stiffer than a copper "chore-boy" scrubber (not that you're likely to need that much, assuming you get the seasoning right) for cleaning. If you've got super heavy, ultra-sticky "crud" buildup, fill it with water and put it on a high flame to let it "boil clean". For routine cleanup, hot water and a sponge or dishcloth is all that's needed.

[Martie in MO]

I've never heard of anyone having to (or wanting to) smooth down the surface of a quality cast-iron skillet before seasoning it and using it. Good grief! It's not the same as a table saw table or jointer table. If that's the case, I reckon the manufacturer would be doing this as part of the fishing process. Fact is, you don't want it polished. That defeats the purpose for buying a cast iron cooking utensil. Check out

Treat it right and it'll do the job you bought it to do well. Nothing cooks fried chicken like a good cast iron skillet.