The science of cast iron seasoning

[redfox]

I found this post to be quite fascinating! She explains the chemistry of well seasoned cast iron, and how to do it.

http://sherylcanter.com/wordpress/2010/01/a-science-based-technique-for-seasoning-cast-iron/

[bae]

That totally rocks! Thanks, I will send this on to People Who Need To Know :-)

[catherine]

Interesting! I absolutely love cast iron. In fact, I learned to love it at my great-aunt's summer cottage, where I spent my summers from age 5 to age 20. When I was a teenager, she wanted to buy me the first thing for my hope chest (some of you may know what those are), and I asked for a cast iron frying pan--not exactly an elegant choice for a hope chest, but that's what I wanted! So it was the very first thing "home" thing I ever had.

I'll have DH read this because he's big on seasoning our pans, but this may be a little too much science for his brain to wrap around.

[bae]

Related bunny trail: I have a lame older electric cook top. It is quite unsatisfying to cook on using the otherwise-fine Calphalon skillets and pots I've used for decades. (Buy once at Macy's deep discount sale, cry never...).

However, since I have switched to using cheap-cheap Lodge cast iron cookware, and a couple pieces of not-cheap-at-all Le Creuset enameled cast iron pots, I am able to make good use of the cook surface. The trick is to "pre-charge" the cast iron with "enough" heat to accomplish your mission, then go for it - they have such huge heat capacity that I can now successfully sear or stir-fry again.

Plus the cast iron works great atop the wood stove, well, when the wood stove isn't trying to burn my house down.

[new2oregon]

I love cast Iron skillets and use them in the oven also to bake in.

[redfox]

... Plus the cast iron works great atop the wood stove, well, when the wood stove isn't trying to burn my house down.

You're a particular man, m'dear! We too cook on our wood stove, as it has a soapstone top. I love having heat and cooking ability that's separate from the grid. Unusual in the city, it's a skill from both my husband's rural childhood & my years on the island.

[lhamo]

I used her method to re-season a cast iron pan I got at Value Village ($7.99!!). It was horribly rusted. I used the oven cleaner in a bag method to get most of the grit off, then scrubbed with steel wool, and then did multiple baking rounds in the oven using coconut oil as the seasoning oil. Turned out marvelously, though my husband messed up the seasoning a couple of months ago by letting the pan soak in the sink. I need to re-season again, and will use the same method.

[ToomuchStuff]

I am not a big fan of cast iron for everything, but IMHE, it can't be beat for fried chicken.

[Dhiana]

I did her method about 4 years ago with a new pan I bought using linseed oil. It seemed like it worked ok, not as well as I had hoped. Scrambled eggs still stuck and I had to still use oil which I don't like the flavor of.

There was one little spot that just didn't take and it just kept getting bigger so it was going to need to be totally stripped down and to start the process all over :( I gave it to my nearest thrift shop as I was moving and wouldn't be able to obtain the linseed oil again at a reasonable price here in Japan. Nor could I count on having an oven that would get hot enough to complete the process properly.

A healthier rust remover option is to use 1 part molasses to 8 parts water. It does take a bit longer and more than one treatment may be needed but it does work.

[zeaxmays]

i use all le creuset ,love the stuff.

as far old school cast iron i have my great-grandmas pan, it has a wore down spot on the rim where i think she beat her spoon on it.

ive only cooked one thing it it, and that was tarte tatin, and i about caught the house on fire when i burned the sugar. lol

[iris lily]

I would just like to say to those who may be intimidated by the whole "never wash your cast iron pan" thing, as I once was:

Just use the cast iron and wash it out if you like. It's not going to hurt anything. While it is lovely to have a perfectly seasoned pan, I was never able to achieve that kind of perfection and I am happily resigned to that. :)

I still love the cast iron for the way it cooks things, gently , because it is so heavy. I've got my mother-in-law's cast iron pans and use them regularly.