Flaking on new cast iron grill pan

[lbb87]

I just bought a cast iron grill pan and after using it once it's flaking. That's not supposed to happen is it?

Here's what happened: the pan was pre-seasoned but the instructions said to wash it with soap and water and then season it. I washed it, dried it, rubbed a thin layer of Crisco in it and put it in the oven upside down at 250 for 1 hr. Then I took it out and wiped out the remaining oil.

The next day I decided to cook some burgers in it. I preheated it on my electric (coil) range on medium heat for 15 minutes. I heard that it should only be used on medium for electric ranges. So then I placed the burgers in it which are supposed to take 4 minutes per side. The first side took about 10-15 minutes but the other took about 5 minutes, one of the burgers stuck a little. I used a wooden fork to remove the stuck food. When they were done I placed the pan on a hot pad until I finished eating. Then I poured out the grease and tried to wipe out the pan. There were too many food pieces in it so I rinsed it out with hot water. Then I wiped it while drying it on the range. This is when I noticed flaking in the spots where the burgers were cooked. I'm sure it was the pan flaking rather than particles of food, but I could be wrong. The little pieces looked like flaking from the pan, kind of like the way flaking Teflon looks. I looked at the pan and there was a little discloration in some spots where the burgers had been cooked, but maybe that's normal. When I was wiping the pan, there was a lot of black residue. Anyway, I wiped another thin layer of Crisco in it and put it in the oven upside down on 250 for about 50 minutes, then wiped out any remaining oil.

Does it sound like the pan is flaking? Have I done something wrong?

 

[Andy M.]

Wash the pan out, coat it with crisco and put it into a 350 F oven for an hour. Your 250 F oven was not hot enough.

 

[letscook]

this time of the year, i season pans on the gas grill outside. doesn't stink up the house.
also i often find a good buy on cast iron at garage sales.
I have use steel wool, a drill with a wire brush on it to clean these when i find them then season them and they work great.

If it still flakes i would use steel wool on it clean real good then reaseason it
or you got a bum pan and take it back to the store.

 

[Russellkhan]

Even 350 sounds a bit low to me. Doesn't it need to be above the oil's smoke point to properly burn on? I think I've usually done it around 450 F.

Of course, I've never done it with Crisco and I don't know Crisco's smoke point. I've always seasoned with lard or palm oil.

 

[Andy M.]

Lodge Cast Iron seasoning instructions specify 350F

 

[quicksilver]

I think it (the shortening) will pull away from the pan if too hot and layed on too thick.
I coat lightly,and cook for an hour low (250), pull out of oven, wipe again, then cook higher (350) 1-2 hours more.
I do this when I'm going to cook something that takes awhile so the house doesn't stink, plus the cast iron doesn't smoke with this process. Only if you coat too thick does it smoke, otherwise it is absorbed into the metal and really seasons the pan.
I rewipe the pan very thinly after use after I've cleaned it.

Everybody has there own tricks, but my guess is when you find them at garage sales, as I have, it's because people don't know how to take care of them and do consider them a pain.
I wouldn't give mine up for anything!​

 

[Russellkhan]

OK. I haven't done it in awhile so I probably just remembered wrong.

 

[Lizannd]

I think it must be burned food. If you preheated the

pan over medium heat for 15 minutes and cooked burgers on it for about 20 minutes they must have been burned. I have just a normal stove, not restaurant style and I know that if I cooked burgers that long they would be burned. Scrub the pan with steel wool and reseason. And unless you are blackening food then a 15 minute preheat is way to long based on my experiences with cast iron.

 

[Uncle Bob]

Here's what happened: the pan was pre-seasoned but the instructions said to wash it with soap and water and then season it. I washed it, dried it, rubbed a thin layer of Crisco in it and put it in the oven upside down at 250 for 1 hr.

The pre-seasoned cast iron that I am familiar with says wash with hot water..do not use soap. ...Coat the cooking surface with a little oil, or vegetable spray and start cooking. It is after all pre-seasoned for use right out of the box. Any addtional seasoning is optional.

As others have stated 250 is not hot enough..350* is the general level of heat for seasoning.

Then I took it out and wiped out the remaining oil.

Why?? If you coated it properly there shouldn't be any remaining/excess oil. After seasoning at 350* for an hour (at least)..turn the oven off and go to bed...leave it alone....let it cool in the oven. It should have a slightly brown color to it...it's ready to cook in. However; if you want it darker then repeat the process two or three more times.

This is all preliminary seasoning to start using your pan...The real seasoning comes after repeated use over several weeks, months, and years...

At this point I would say go back to square one...Thoroughly clean the pan...lightly coat with crisco...place it in a pre-heated 350* oven for 1 hour...turn the oven off....leave it alone, and let it cool. Repeat if you want too.

Have Fun and Enjoy!

 

[lbb87]

pan over medium heat for 15 minutes and cooked burgers on it for about 20 minutes they must have been burned. I have just a normal stove, not restaurant style and I know that if I cooked burgers that long they would be burned. Scrub the pan with steel wool and reseason. And unless you are blackening food then a 15 minute preheat is way to long based on my experiences with cast iron.

After preheating for 15 minute on medium heat, the pan wasn't very hot. It only takes 5 min or less for my other pans. The burgers weren't burnt but the grill marks on them were black. I don't know if I'd consider that burnt.



I'll try seasoning it with the stove set to 350. Should the pan be turned upside down or not?

 

[Uncle Bob]

At this point I would say go back to square one...Thoroughly clean the pan...lightly coat with crisco...place it in a pre-heated 350* oven for 1 hour...turn the oven off....leave it alone, and let it cool. Repeat if you want too.

Yes, turn the pan upside down while in the oven....place a cookie sheet or foil underneather it.......

 

[dyscjocki]

I know growing up that we did pans at 200 for 5 hours. That was over 20 years ago but it seems to work fine for me. I do not do this in the summer mind you but in the spring winter or fall its not bad aside from the smell.