Gummy Surface on Cast Iron

[JGDean]

I just pulled out a skillet that I haven't used in awhile. The surface has a weird gummy feel. How do I deal with it other than soap and scrubbing??

[CWS4322]

If you heat it, the gummy stuff will soften. Once the gummy stuff is softened, I use coarse salt and a clean pad (one of those round, plastic ones). I then wipe it with a paper towel, and then reseason it.

[JGDean]

OK. Thanks much!

[JGDean]

Which type of oil or fat do you find to work best when seasoning?

[Katie H]

You might want to start from scratch seasoning your pan. It's not difficult, especially if you have a self-cleaning oven and/or an outdoor barbecue grill.

You could run it through a cycle of oven cleaning with your self-cleaning oven to remove all the old seasoning or put it on your outdoor grill on "blast" temperature for a little while to achieve the same end.

Once you've done that, wipe it down and reseason with a nice even coating of Crisco. That's what I use. Put it in your oven turned upside down, with a layer of foil under to catch any drips, and "cook" it at about 325F for about 2 hours. Check it at about 15 minutes to see if there are any drips you might want to dab off. Let cool completely.

If you're starting from scratch, you might want to go through this process a couple of times to build up the seasoning.

After that, use it, use it, use it and, in time, it will be just as nice as any Teflon pan you could find anywhere.

[Dawgluver]

I followed a similar process after accidently leaving my little cast iron grill out in the rain. I used bacon grease. Took some time, but it worked.

[JGDean]

So, use real fat. I was going to use grapeseed oil. Do you think it would work ok?

[Dawgluver]

Originally Posted by JGDean

So, use real fat. I was going to use grapeseed oil. Do you think it would work ok?

There's a thread here somewhere with more information. I had asked about restoring my grill and got good advice. I don't think grapeseed oil was mentioned.

[taxlady]

Originally Posted by JGDean

So, use real fat. I was going to use grapeseed oil. Do you think it would work ok?

I think any food oil or fat with a high smoke point would work. I have no idea what the smoke point is for grape seed oil.

[justplainbill]

FWIW, Lodge states they use "a proprietary soy-based vegetable oil to season our cookware. The oil contains no animal fat or peanut oil. The seasoning is functional application and slight inconsistencies may appear in the seasoning finish. The inconsistencies will not affect cooking performance".