Equally shocking, but you should season your non-stick pans as well:
this is the article i refer people to when they ask how i season my cast iron. i LOVE using my cast iron because they are seasoned so well now. they clean up so easily, too.
“with SCIENCE”.
For a given value of “science”…
I used this method for our cast iron, but with one variation: I used our grill rather than the oven. I can get higher temps, meaning I’ve only got 15 minutes between layers (when it stops smoking, I use a flaxseed soaked wad of paper towel to quickly smear another thin thin layer on). I can do 8 layers in a couple of hours, and the house isn’t stinky.
my video on restoration, small bit on seasoning:
i have good and consistent results on 10+ pans with almost any oil, just make sure it’s really thin coat. after 15 mins, wipe it again, especially on the cooking surface.
this is less important on crappy pans like the lodge pans she shows in the article. lodge isn’t all bad, they just aren’t as well machined on the cooking surface as vintage pans (griswold, etc).
i’m doing a video right now on machining cheap modern pans to get a smoother surface before seasoning.
great advice here. i just don’t do it above 450 and i let it roast for an hour between layers and i wipe the oil off after 15 mins to get a nice smooth surface. after 15 mins the extra oil beads up and burns in little peaks. they can still be smoothed off at this time, not later.
I own a ton of Lodge brand pre-seasoned cast iron pans. I’ve never had to re-season them thanks to being careful with them, but I give them a quick wipe of peanut oil after every use. same with my wok.
Yup, I sand my new pans down, to 220 grit, make a big difference (not the old Griswold I got though, that was already nice and smooth).
Buy an organic flaxseed oil. You don’t want to burn toxic chemicals into your cookware to leach out forever more.
This is where I stopped reading.
Ahhhh their is really nothing involved in seasoning a cast iron pan, and by nothing I mean don’t use any soap when cleaning all the natural oils and fats from your food will make a beautiful patina and taste, with no fancy smancy flax seed oil. That just boggles my mind this is one of the more primative and easy to use pieces of cookware. It’s honestly all about not using soap when cleaning your pan, just a little hot water and a wipe. Boom done.
You are using the wrong kind of non-stick pan.
http://scanpan.eu/en-GB/Shop/Scanpan/Cookware/Product-groups/Frying-pans.aspx
With the ceramic titanium coating it’s held up great. I don’t season it and I use metal utensils in it, after almost 10 years of light use it only has a few light scratches in it. They used to have a video showing how the coating was put on, but the best I could find was a copy on youtube with horrible audio. It looks like some kind of plasma spray, pretty cool.
I find sometimes I have a little excess of grease on the pan when it is done, so I’ll use a mildly soapy sponge (from previous dishes) to wipe it off and then reapply a bit of fresh oil to keep it all nice and even. My cast iron pans are better at preventing stuck food than any nonstick pan I’ve ever used now. I don’t go crazy with organic flaxseed oil and multi day treatments either. Just some vegetable oil and a paper towel.
I am in love with cast iron. I found an article years ago about how to clean it so it doesn’t become rusty, but also isn’t not clean, which has never set right with me.
My technique: Wash with dish soap. Rinse. Pour out excess water. Put on stove burner with heat on until the water evaporates. Every so often, wipe at this point with some oil.
It stays clean and seasoned.
…I presume this technique will work equally well on woks ?
Todays post brought you by spampan…errrrspanhams? Wait a minute this post of 100 conffusing steps to season your old cast iron pan? No they wouldn’t…or could they???
Gritting my teeth, I made it to “Heat the pan in a 200°F oven to be sure it’s bone dry and to open the pores of the iron a little.”
Just curious, is that because of the antique temperature system? or because “opening up the pores” sounds like a facial cleanser ad?
Yea, that’ pretty much what I do.
Also, though I love a steak on the weber over coals, I think the best steak comes off a rocket-hot cast iron skillet (outside on a burner) for a real awesome crust.
LOL thanks yeah - I was just about to post something about “organic != nontoxic/good/whatever” so appreciate you saving me the effort … figured the next para was probably “Also remember not to use GMO’s in your pan or it will be forever tainted and your fried eggs will be franken-ova that will kill your unborn children in their sleep.”
