Cast Iron Skillet question?

The friendliest place on the web for anyone that enjoys cooking.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Okay, it is seasoning at 375ish while we speak...
I hope I used enough crisco. I fully covered it, but really wiped off any excess. It was just shiny when it went in. I figured any excess would just drip off anyway.
I wiped some on with a paper towel, then rubbed the pan with a cloth towel - does this sound right?
Yep that sounds right on the money.

Also, don't waste your money on lard unless you will use it for other things. The Crisco you bought will do the exact same thing as the lard.
 
Goodweed.....

Of course you are right my good friend! The Lodge family of Dutch Ovens, Chicken Fryers, and a specialty item or two do in fact come with a lid as part of the complete piece --- Lodge cast iron skillets/lids on the other hand are not marketed (by Lodge) as a single piece. They are separate pieces, with separate prices in their catalog as well as on their website. Lids for skillets are optional, if available to the consumer, at the time of the original purchase, or at a later time --- Skillets do not come with lids --- but lids are available...as an option... for a price.
 
Well the dark deed was done last night - the seasoning, that is.
I was a bit nervous about smoking, smell and general mayhem, but nothing untoward happened:rolleyes:
I actually cranked the heat to about 400 after a while and left it in there for 1.5 hours. This morning, it didn't look alot different: definitely shinier, not at all sticky. I didn't use it today, feeling kind of under the weather and had soup for dinner.
Even before I did the reseasoning last night, I cooked up my other buffalo burger and had really great results. I got the pan alot hotter before adding the oil and the burger. Not a bit of sticking and I actually got a good crust on the meat - a first for me. I will share something with all of you - I am not really any kind of cook. I do alot of frozen vegetables and tuna! The stove and oven kind of scare me.
My mother tells me that she is in possession of a skillet purchased by my grandmother over 60 yrs ago! It is not seasoned as my mother gave it a good soapy scrub after each use. She is going to give it to me as she never liked it. She said there was no marking she could see on the bottom, so I don't think it was a wagner/griswold, prob a knockoff.
I am excited to get a vintage pan though.

Thanks again for all of the advice! It really helped. I will be doing a couple of stovetop treatments with the lard/crisco.
 
...It is not seasoned as my mother gave it a good soapy scrub after each use...

Thanks again for all of the advice! It really helped. I will be doing a couple of stovetop treatments with the lard/crisco.


I'm glad it worked out for you, riley. Just because the vintage pan was washed with soap does not mean it is unseasoned. If it's smooth and black, it's seasoned. If it's gray and rusty, it's not.


Also, I don't think you need to do any special added seasonings on the stovetop. Just keep cooking with it. Each buffalo burger or etc. you cook will add to the seasoning automatically.
 
Goodweed.....

Of course you are right my good friend! The Lodge family of Dutch Ovens, Chicken Fryers, and a specialty item or two do in fact come with a lid as part of the complete piece --- Lodge cast iron skillets/lids on the other hand are not marketed (by Lodge) as a single piece. They are separate pieces, with separate prices in their catalog as well as on their website. Lids for skillets are optional, if available to the consumer, at the time of the original purchase, or at a later time --- Skillets do not come with lids --- but lids are available...as an option... for a price.

If all of my Northern, Western, and Eastern friends were as courteous as you are, then indeed, the world would be a better place. I could never live in the South due to my intolerance of heat. But you make it hard not to try. You are an example that every Southern man should emulate.

So I raise a glass of milk (my favorite beverage) to you, in front of all the good people at DC and state: Uncle Bob is a man worth knowing, and a knowledgeable friend.

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North
 
Once cast iron is seasoned properly, nothing compares to cooking with it! Biggest mistake I made was storing my dutch oven with the lid on it. The fat turned rancid and I had to reseason the lid and pot both. I was also concerned about cooking with my cast iron once I switched my stove to glass top. No issues yet. Good thing, because I'm not giving up my cast iron!
 
I agree. So far, my experience with it has been positive. I also think the history behind it is really cool. I like the fact that this type of cooking implement has been around for centuries. I think my lodge skillet is really beautiful too, I keep it on the back burner of my stove. I have had to use some oil in cooking, but I did with my stainless too. I haven't been able to use teflon for over a decade: I have a pet bird, and I heard early on that over-heated teflon will kill birds.
I just wish I made more of the stuff that is really suited for the CI, i.e. cornbread, bacon, fried chicken...
 
A piece that most people will argue over, but I have tried and worked quite well, is that the oil that you use should be lower than the smoke/flash point of the fat used. Where most will use canola oil or shortening, I have used clarified butter to use it, as it has a very high smoke/flash point, but has a much lower fat content than the rest, being one drawback of using it.

In the end, it would be a way to assure that your kitchen will not fill with smoke. Also, if you cook something fatty afterwards, you shouldn't have a problem after with the seasoning

Back at my school in Cincinnati, I was instructed by my instructor (executive chef) to use his skillet instead of the ones provided. I made the comment that "since it was his skillet that it should already be perfectly seasoned?" The students found it amusing; he was not so thrilled with the comment, but I did well nonetheless
 
tried PAM on it?

PAM is the spray stuff containing lecithin, which is a "phospho-lipid" meaning it is an oil with phosphate added. It it very good for your skin. It might help the skin of the skillet too, not sure I have not tried it on cast iron. Works great on everything else I have tried it on. It is a super-lubricant with extremely high melting point. For that reason it is great as a cutting tool lubricant as well. I use it instead of shaving cream. Several ladies I know copied this and are now getting marbly-smooth legs without nicks or cuts. The razor lasts longer as well.

Ok, well my latest pan is cast iron, but with a Honey-comb surface. Made by Staub, this pan browns meats perfectly without any sticking at all. It is almost non-stick in operation. Staub designed the surface using a computer, the pans came out around 2007. They are spendy, but worth every penny. They need no seasoning, as the surface is covered with crystaline enamel which gives it a greater surface area and higher searing effects. I am a hobbyist with this, so I do spend money like water on whatever is the next thing, so understand this may not be for everyone else who just wants a nice burger without an arm and leg into it. I paid about 140 total for the 12" Staub Honeycomb cast iron skillet. It's the best searing tool ever devised as far as I can tell. Though cast iron is good, and I have a lot of well-seasoned cast iron, this is a new-era product, almost in a different league. If you love seared meats especially then try to get your hands on a Staub Honey combed cast iron skillet, the larger the better so you can put the onions and things around the meat while it sears. Once done, add a little water and deglaze the pan onto the meat. No need to clean the pan, just wipe with paper towel and store uncovered, leave whatever remains in the pan to add to the flavors next time. If it gets builtup, clean with brush and hot water, no soap.

I use only a bamboo spatula, no metal on the crystalline enamel surface.

cheers,
Bob
 
I've always done mine - commercially pre-seasoned or not - the way GB advised. At 350 degrees for an hour & then allowed to cool down naturally in the turned-off oven. Never had a smoke problem. I think you'd get smoke if you used too much shortening. Only a thin film is needed.

I also try to make the first few uses recipes that require or produce a certain amount of oil/grease - i.e. pan-fried oysters/fish, bacon, fried chicken, pan-fried burgers, etc. I wait until the pan is better seasoned before using it for things like cornbread or recipes that contain acid ingredients like tomatoes.
 
Back
Top Bottom