cast iron - pre seasoned or not

[anu]

So, I don't know why but we've never had a cast iron and now I'm trying to rid my house of teflon as I read more about its uncertain safeness (thegreenguide.com).

So there's not much of a price difference between the Lodge pre-seasoned and "original." if I want to be able to fry eggs within a few months, what are the thoughts.

thanks in advance as I know CI pans are discussed often.

[Sassafras]

My two cents: Use solid shortening (Crisco, for one) instead of liquid oil for the post-cooking wipe down, to keep things from getting sticky. Veg oil always got tacky, no matter how little I use.

I was taught to steer clear of soap; it'll eat away at the cure. Just heating the pan back to smoking hot after wiping down with a little shortening, I find that kills any lingering food odors, and it ought to kill any stray nasties.

[Foodielicious]

Type the words "seasoning cast iron" into Google and you'll come up with a bunch of articles. If you have nasty/rusty/old cast iron and want to bring it back to life, you can just put the pan in your oven and turn on the self-cleaning cycle. That super-heats the oven and burns off all the rust and build-up on your pan, leaving a fine coat of ash. You can then wash/brush it off, reseason the pan, and it will be as good as new. I got this tip from America's Test Kitchen / Cooks Illustrated.

[pikawicca]

I used this technique a few years ago to rescue three dutch ovens that my local Boy Scout council had discarded due to extreme rust -- worked like a charm.

[shanagain]

I love my Lodge preseasoned pan. For some reason the idea of rehabbing an old pan has always stressed me out, so the preseasoned pan was an ideal fit. (I have an old dutch oven outside that's rusted - everyone says "oh, just build a fire and reseason with a rub of oil, it'll be fine" but there it sits, still.)

[toodie jane]

There were many threads on cast iron the last couple of years on the old CH. Here is a thread with some solid scientific and anecdotal information:

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/...

if you search 'cast iron' you'll find a ton more. It's a weightly subject. >gack<

[PicklingJessica]

I scrub my pan out with soap (I know - blasphemy basically) but it gets rid of residual flavour. I add some regular cooking oil to a kitchen towel and wipe the inside of it. I don't re-season it.

[adamclyde]

I think this is ok to do lightly, and only after you have a good seasoning. But frankly, I've not found it necessary once my pans are good and seasoned. A splash of hot water usually lifts almost everything out. I have a non soapy scrubber for the rest. And never have problems with smell/flavor.

Your description of adding some cooking oil after you wash it is what, I think, most folks mean by reseasoning. The starting-from-scratch seasoning where you bake the oily thing in a super hot oven, is really only necessary if it gets rusty or screwed up seasoning wise. Otherwise, reseasoning, as you refer to here, is all that is needed to keep it good between cooks.

[PicklingJessica]

I should have said that I don't do it all the time. Maybe once a week or less.
To me re-seasoning for real is to repeat the whole fill-pan-up-with-oil-thing. I was terrified it would catch fire. I have never kept lids and wet towels so close as I did when I seasoned a pan a few years ago.

[adamclyde]

I've never heard that method. It does sounds scary. All I did was scrub it clean, oil the whole thing - top to bottom, outside and handle - really liberally, and put it in a 500 degree oven for a while. Take it out, wipe the excess, then, once a little cooler, give it its normal wipe of oil and that is it. Filling the whole thing with oil sounds like a tricky process.

[Jacquilynne]

I reseason my pans periodically - as often as I clean my oven. I make sure they're perfectly clean and dry (often using soap for the clean part), rub them with a thick layer of oil and then put them in the oven when I set it to self-clean. That gets them up to seriously high heat and really cooks the oil into them.

[adamclyde]

you won't need to wait months until you can fry eggs in it... you'll be ready in a few weeks if that. Fry lots of fatty foods, but if you want to do eggs, just use a little more oil...

[j2brady]

Do you wash the CI pan? With soap and water? Afterwards do you have to re-season?

Jenna

[michele cindy]

I bought the pre-seasoned pan too. You just take a plastic scrubbing brush, and clean with water. Don't use soap. Dry it thoroughly. I spray it with canola oil, then rub the light coating of oil in with a clean lint free cloth, or paper towel. I keep it in the oven when I am not using it.

[josh L]

the secret is as soon as your done cooking and the pan is blistering hot, have some hot to boiling wayer ready and poor it in the pan. Everything will come up, then simply wipe it down and oil up. Presto.

[Dommy]

I recieved a Lodge Pre-Seasoned for Christmas and LOVE it! I struggled with seasoning my cast iron grill, this one has taken to seasoning like NOTHING ELSE!!

--Dommy!

[Bobfrmia]

I bought a pre-seasoned. I love it. I did it after someone on this site did a comparison between a newly bought pre-seasoned and an old well used skillet. Several different foods. It was pretty much a tie. Try doing a search, you might find the post.

[pikawicca]

If you're a novice, go with the pre-seasoned. The first ten-or-so times you use it, make dishes that require lots of fat: this will help you further season the pan and prepare it for "drier" cooking.

[Pupster]

Check out Amazon as they seem to have the best prices on Lodge. At least that's where I got most of mine.