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Cast iron frying pan .

77K views 1K replies 52 participants last post by  grandboost98 
#1 ·
While this area is called BBQ & Grilling, I tend to think of this as BBQ, Grilling and Cooking .

There are times when I want to sear meat in cast iron on the stove and then put the meat on the smoker or just cook it on cast iron .

That said I have not used my 10 1/4 inch Lodge CI pan in a while and while it has no rust on the bottom of the pan there are a half a dozen small slightly rusty areas on the inside edges of the pan .

Should I just wire brush the small spots that it has with my drill bit with the brass brush and/or with some steel wool and then oil the areas and bake it in ?

I think so .
 
#3 ·
it is very slight surface rust and I was thinking steel wool on the spots and reseasoning the whole pan then putting it in the oven for an hour or so at 350 to 450 degrees or so afterwards .

I have read that white vinegar works pretty good on the rust too .

I will try the salt and oil first so thank you very much Hash .

As I have said, I have done quite a few old cast iron pieces but never just small spots before .
 
#4 ·
Another question please if anyone knows .

What oil would be the best oil to use to season cast iron ?

I have read bacon grease, flaxseed oil, vegtable oil, canola oil, crisco, lard, peanut oil, EVOO, etc.

The best oil in my book would be the one with the highest smoking point for seasoning .

I am leaning towards bacon grease as that is what we have used down South for a very, very long time but I don't know .
 
#1,056 ·
What oil would be the best oil to use to season cast iron
I'm about 2 years late on this reply, but I thought I'd throw in grape seed oil. It has a really high smoking point. I welded in a steel baffle to my offset smoker and seasoned it with grape seed oil. Of course after a few sessions of cooking brisket and ribs, the new steel was as black as the rest of the pit anyhow.

I digress. For new cast iron pan I'd use corn or vegetable oil. Keep it simple. However the initial seasoning process isn't really as important as how you treat the pan during its lifetime: Minimal soap only on rare occasion, light scrubbing, if any. I usually just rinse mine out and dry them on the gas cooktop. If I want to shine them up then I'll drop in a tiny amount of oil and spread it around with a napkin.

I did recently figure out one great trick for cleaning pans of all kinds (iron, aluminum, non stick, etc) Get a plastic cup and use its flat top (or bottom) to scour the pan. Turn the cup upside down, put in pan, apply pressure, and side it around with some water in the pan. It will help knock off the food bits from the pan, and because the cup is round, it reaches into the round edges of the pans. If you've already got a cup to be washed anyhow, use that.

Like I said, 2 years late, but that's my 2 cents.
 
#5 ·
440 F: Peanut Oil†
: Sunflower Oil†
450 F: Corn Oil, Refined
: High-Oleic Sunflower Oil,
Refined
: Peanut Oil, Refined
(Good Eats)
: Safflower Oil, Ref.
(Good Eats)
: Sesame Oil, Semi-Refined
: Soy Oil, Refined
: Sunflower Oil, Semi-Refined
460 F: Olive Pomace Oil**
468 F: Olive Oil, Extra Light*
485 F: Grapeseed Oil**
495 F: Soy Bean Oil?
500's
510 F: Safflower Oil†
520 F: Avocado Oil, Refined
 
#60 ·
440 F: Peanut Oil†
: Sunflower Oil†
450 F: Corn Oil, Refined
: High-Oleic Sunflower Oil,
Refined
: Peanut Oil, Refined
(Good Eats)
: Safflower Oil, Ref.
(Good Eats)
: Sesame Oil, Semi-Refined
: Soy Oil, Refined
: Sunflower Oil, Semi-Refined
460 F: Olive Pomace Oil**
468 F: Olive Oil, Extra Light*
485 F: Grapeseed Oil**
495 F: Soy Bean Oil?
500's
510 F: Safflower Oil†
520 F: Avocado Oil, Refined
Scout, Locutus posted this list earlier here in the thread and you don't have to use bacon grease if you want something healthier or different .

Any one of these would probably be just fine to break your pan in with .

Depending on what you are doing the higher temp ones are the best maybe ?
 
#6 ·
Thanks Locutus, I spent about a hour doing the prep. this morning and went with what I had at hand grease wise .

After some research I decided to go with bacon grease and not EVOO .

I have had it in the oven at more than 350 and less than 400 the last hour or so .

I will recoat it and do it another two times before the day is over after letting it slowly cool each time .

The cooking surface looks a tad blotchy for now and I will report back later today after a few more coats and bakes .

The last time I did this pan I use 1 coat of vegtable oil and it came out like a champ .

I may go with my Pompeian Imported EVOO for the next coat or two depending on how the mood suits me .

Any thoughts on that ?

Thanks again for your imput .
 
#7 ·
i use avocado oil for seasoning only. I cook in bacon grease mostly.I will use EVOO in certain situations. i save it all. if you run it thru a coffee filter a few times to get out all the debris, it won't need refrigeration

FYI when you get rust again use a brillo pad and water to remove. hand dry and put in a 500 degree oven to dry completely. the heat will open any pores in the pan. Remove and coat with oil and put it back in for an hour. after an hour shut off the oven, leaving the pan in till its cool [the oven]
 
#8 ·
I have seasoned many cast iron pans over the years using various methods and it always seems to turn out about the same. But, you never really get the good shiny non stick base until you just plain use it a lot. I have my one main pan which has about 50 years of seasoning and works better than Teflon. I also have a couple others that I use on the grill, over a fire camping and generally mistreat. Those work pretty well but they get scorched once in a while so I can never get them to stay just right.
 
#9 ·
First, never use olive oil. Only Crisco, peanut or lard.

I have seen Lodge pans dug up from the dirt and restored to perfect. A Lodge pan can always be restored to good working condition. And it sounds as though your pan can use a ground up restoration. Remove everything on the inside (bottom and sides) with steel wool starting with 0 and then go to 0000. Ignore the outside unless the rust bothers you, then brush it off with a stiff brush.

Wash and dry, coat the inside lightly with Crisco or Crisco oil and in the oven at 450F for a couple of hours. Remove, wash with water, dry and repeat. And, as was said above, use it for everything until it has its nice seasoned glaze back.

BTW, for scorched on meat residue, use a flat steel spatula (no abrasives or soaps) and scrape if all off until flat. Then wash with water as usual, lightly coat with oil and off you go.
 
#10 ·
Thanks for your input Wilson and I will do the next two seasoning today with the bacon grease instead of he OO, because as I said, I will go with what I have got at hand .

Bacon grease is not a real stretch, as far as lard, so far as I can tell at this point ?

The main reason my frying pan has rusted may well be because I have not used it for several years .

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lard
 
#11 ·
Bacon grease is every bit the same as lard for this purpose. It has a little smokey residue which will linger for only one use, so go ahead with the bacon grease.

For light surface rust, which I have gotton on some of my cast iron pans, I wet a paper towel with Pam and rub vigorously. But, if the rust feels like sandpaper you need to cut it down with steel wool. I don't use any soap on these pans, ever, even when reconditioning them. So, for me, Brillo and SOS are out.
 
#14 ·
Ouch, note to myself, it is a very bad plan to try to shift the pan by the handle while curing it in the oven at 400 degrees .

My left index finger is not a very happy camper right now .

I just spanked my own a$$ again damn it .

Live and learn, sigh .
 
#48 ·
After mine is reasonably clean, I just spray a little PAM on it after drying it. Just dont ever cook tomatoes in one.
Why not cook tomatoes in a cast iron skillet... because of the acid in them? Is here anything else I shouldn't cook in one? I've just gotten a new cast iron skillet for camping because they're great for use over the campfire and the open flame on my campstove.
 
#17 ·
If your pan is too bad you can always re-season it, I do this to any of the ones I buy used like old Griswalds or Wagners. I just get a fire nice and hot and put the pan in the coals, it burns everything off including the rust, just be careful not to get it too hot and crack it, then I clean it with warm soapy water then throw it in the oven to get it completely dry. I try to use the oil that has the highest smoke point for the seasoning.
 
#18 ·
Easiest way I've found to reseason is to put them in a tote with lye and water overnight. Pretty much everything comes off and there's no danger of cracking.

Then heat to 250 for about 20 minutes to dry then cool and proceed with whatever seasoning practice you like.
 
#19 ·
I just cleaned up a rusty dutch oven. I removed the rust with a mixture of 1 part molasses and 8 parts water. Let it soak about a week and that took off all of the rust. Washed it in hot soapy water and put it in the over at 300 for a few minutes to dry. Then, while still hot coated it with Crisco and back in the over at 450 for 2 hours. Did that treatment twice. Turned out great.
 
#24 ·
I bought a 110 year old Wapak at a flea market for $10 reseasoned it and use it almost daily with no food sticking. How many ceramic/stainless/Teflon pans do you think will be around that long and still cooking?

Seriously though try to find older stuff, while I have a Lodge pan that's a few years old the 70+ year old stuff has a much nicer finish and are usually weigh less if that's a concern.
 
#22 ·
1) Made of Iron. This thing is sturdy. You can drop it and it won’t be damaged. You don’t have to worry about scratching it or discoloring it (it’s black already you see). It’s possible that it can rust, but you can easily clean it. Cast iron skillets will take any and all abuse and still last forever. In fact, your skillet will probably outlast even you.

2) It Can Take The Heat. Most cookware comes with heat warnings. Even most stainless steel cookware isn’t supposed to go over 450/500 degrees in an oven. Cast iron? I mean… yea… eventually it’ll melt. But seriously you can cook on an open campfire with this thing. Try that with a nonstick pan. Oh wait. Don’t. I don’t want any lawsuits.

3) It’s Nonstick. Speaking of nonstick, cast iron skillets are nonstick if you season them correctly. Season your skillet by wiping it down with a thin layer of canola oil and then baking it in a 250 degree oven for about 90 minutes. Let it cool and wipe it down and this will be as good as any nonstick pan out there. Go ahead. Try a fried egg on it.

4) It’s a Grill. For us city folk, having a yard is not always an option. But because you can get a cast iron skillet really hot, it can effectively be used as a grill. For example, I cooked this steak in my cast iron and it was just as good as if it’d been cooked on a grill. Perfectly medium rare with a really nice crust.

5) It’s Economical. I think some people are actually turned off by cast iron because they think it’s cheap as in low quality. But the reality is that they just happen to be cheap to make which makes them economical, but not cheap. If you pay more than $40 for one, you are getting super-screwed. Not to mention that a lot of people sell perfectly good cast iron skillets at yard sales just because they don’t know how to season them.

6) It’s Versatile. You can make hundreds of completely delicious things in this one pan. For starters, you can make the best biscuits and gravy. You can make really good french toast. You can brown chicken in it for a salad. You can even fry in it (donuts). I’d guess I’ve easily used it for a few dozen recipes on Macheesmo.

7) Save on Soap. Once your skillet is seasoned, it actually hurts it to wash it with soap. The soap will break up the tiny oil molecules that are embedded on the pan and make it not-so-nonstick. It’s also possible that the next thing you cook it will have a slightly soapy taste to it! So save on the soap. If you need to scrub your cast iron pan, use salt!

8) It’s Vitamin Rich. This is a stretch, but since it’s made out of iron, a little bit of mineral iron does get transferred over during cooking.

9) Heat Distribution. This is maybe one of the most important reasons you should own one of these guys. People spends thousands on pots that evenly distribute heat. A cook’s nightmare is a pan with a really bad hot spot on it so half of your food is burned and the other half raw. Cast iron does such an amazing job of evenly distributing heat that you’ll never have this problem.

10) It’s Sexy. Call me crazy but I find these things kinda hot. There’s something rustic about them. Like a guy with a great beard. When you see someone working with a big heavy pan, it’s a turn on. Or at least… that’s
 
#341 ·
1) Made of Iron. This thing is sturdy. You can drop it and it won't be damaged. You don't have to worry about scratching it or discoloring it (it's black already you see). It's possible that it can rust, but you can easily clean it. Cast iron skillets will take any and all abuse and still last forever. In fact, your skillet will probably outlast even you.

2) It Can Take The Heat. Most cookware comes with heat warnings. Even most stainless steel cookware isn't supposed to go over 450/500 degrees in an oven. Cast iron? I mean… yea… eventually it'll melt. But seriously you can cook on an open campfire with this thing. Try that with a nonstick pan. Oh wait. Don't. I don't want any lawsuits.

3) It's Nonstick. Speaking of nonstick, cast iron skillets are nonstick if you season them correctly. Season your skillet by wiping it down with a thin layer of canola oil and then baking it in a 250 degree oven for about 90 minutes. Let it cool and wipe it down and this will be as good as any nonstick pan out there. Go ahead. Try a fried egg on it.

4) It's a Grill. For us city folk, having a yard is not always an option. But because you can get a cast iron skillet really hot, it can effectively be used as a grill. For example, I cooked this steak in my cast iron and it was just as good as if it'd been cooked on a grill. Perfectly medium rare with a really nice crust.

5) It's Economical. I think some people are actually turned off by cast iron because they think it's cheap as in low quality. But the reality is that they just happen to be cheap to make which makes them economical, but not cheap. If you pay more than $40 for one, you are getting super-screwed. Not to mention that a lot of people sell perfectly good cast iron skillets at yard sales just because they don't know how to season them.

6) It's Versatile. You can make hundreds of completely delicious things in this one pan. For starters, you can make the best biscuits and gravy. You can make really good french toast. You can brown chicken in it for a salad. You can even fry in it (donuts). I'd guess I've easily used it for a few dozen recipes on Macheesmo.

7) Save on Soap. Once your skillet is seasoned, it actually hurts it to wash it with soap. The soap will break up the tiny oil molecules that are embedded on the pan and make it not-so-nonstick. It's also possible that the next thing you cook it will have a slightly soapy taste to it! So save on the soap. If you need to scrub your cast iron pan, use salt!

8) It's Vitamin Rich. This is a stretch, but since it's made out of iron, a little bit of mineral iron does get transferred over during cooking.

9) Heat Distribution. This is maybe one of the most important reasons you should own one of these guys. People spends thousands on pots that evenly distribute heat. A cook's nightmare is a pan with a really bad hot spot on it so half of your food is burned and the other half raw. Cast iron does such an amazing job of evenly distributing heat that you'll never have this problem.

10) It's Sexy. Call me crazy but I find these things kinda hot. There's something rustic about them. Like a guy with a great beard. When you see someone working with a big heavy pan, it's a turn on. Or at least… that's
You are my Hero Sir .
 
#25 ·
11) Heat retention over other type pans, if you try to sear a steak or something you practically have to take the meat out and wait for it to get back hot again before you can sear the other side well with thin pans .

Penta, go to walmart .com and do a search on cast iron pans and you will see that you can get a big Lodge skillet, griddle etc. for cheap to get you started in the wonderful world of cast iron cooking .

You have a Jeep, if you go camping a cast iron pan and a Dutch Oven are a big must have and as stated all you do is clean them with salt .

Locutus thanks for your excellent write up here on the whys of C I cooking and you are right they are sexy and look so cool hanging on a kitchen wall .

Edit: 12) Unlike teflon it is perfectly fine to use metal utensils with cast iron and may be healthier to do so .

There is a big debate about the health dangers of teflon and none with cast iron .

Also, don't buy Chinese made Cast Iron for a couple of reasons .
 
#28 ·
After decades of eating their famous fried chicken on Saturdays (the special) at the Echo Restaurant (a local landmark), the owner took me into the kitchen for a quick look. Guess what? Rows of cast iron skillets on commercial cook tops half filled with lard and chicken frying away. No deep fryer. The chicken resting on the cast iron in the bottom was the secret.
 
#32 ·
Phit,

How'd the pan turn out? I have an old Erie (my great grandmas) I've been meaning to pay attention to for quite some time, but never got around to it...sounds like my rust is a little heavier than yours

Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App
That's a nice old Griswold made sometime between 1880-1905.
 
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