Making and Feeding Scrambled Eggs to Parrots

[entrancedbymyGCC]

I've found that the "pre-seasoned" part about cast iron pans is a joke. They are still terrible at first and the pre-seasoning really is just a waxy coating to keep the iron looking good at the store until you get it.

This is not my experience, although the quality of the pre-seasoning does vary. I got an expensive Emerilware grill pan that was not well seasoned at all to start with. It had some coating started, but was not very nonstick. However, I have a couple of relatively inexpensive Lodge Logic skillets that were pretty close to usable out of the package.

Even with a pre-seasoned pan, they need to be oiled and heated, but a completely unseasoned pan will be sticky as Hades, dull grey rather than black, and it will need HOURS of oil, heat, oil, heat, oil, heat until it turns black and begins to develop a patina. You are right that the pre-seasoning may, or may not, be sufficient, but it is actually hard to find non-pre-seasoned cast iron other than from professional restaurant supply houses. Woks are more often a start-from-scratch proposition, but there are folks who swear by their own special process. I think for the average person, pre-seasoned at least gives you a good jump up on the process. MHO.

[Michael]

Ah ok. Well then I think the ones I got were sold as "pre-seasoned." But practically speaking it took 6 months of use to reach perfection. It took several uses before things would even remotely not-stick. To me it seems that the pre-seasoning they come with is just a protective finish rather than a non-stick kind of seasoning. Of course I haven't sampled as many brands as you so I cannot speak for all the products out there. To me it seems that actual use is the absolute best seasoning.

[entrancedbymyGCC]

. To me it seems that actual use is the absolute best seasoning.

No argument with that!

[pchela]

Okay, anybody want to share their seasoning techniques? My cast iron skillet still sticks. I wash after each use and then spray some Pam in it and rub with a paper towel. Am I doing it wrong?

[Michael]

Don't wash it

[pchela]

But... what about all of the bits of food???

[Michael]

Typically what I do is scrape off anything stuck to the pan with a knife or something. Any dried things stuck to it pop off easily because of the seasoned coating developed underneath. Then I pour a bit of cheap vegetable oil into the pan after use and then wipe it back off with a paper towel. The oil catches crumbs and picks them up. Hopefully this wipes everything out. And the oil you rub into it makes it not stick the next time around you use it. Of course if I had a sauce or something really messy stuck in the pan I'll wash it. But if I wash it, I re-season it by flooding with oil and running heat on it for 5-10 minutes. If I don't wash it, then just rubbing oil around is fine. I try not to wash the pan more than once per four uses. Also I spray a bit of cooking spray prior to cooking on the pan to prevent sticking but I wipe most of it back off so that it doesn't make food soggy. You only need a little between the pan and food once the seasoned coating is developed.

[Jenny]

But... what about all of the bits of food???

I was taught that you can "wash" cast iron, but like Michael said, you just don't use any dishsoap. And I've found that until my cast iron pans get good & seasoned, I sometimes need to do more than rub water around. In those instances, I fill my pan 3/4 full of water & put it back on the stove. Bring the water to a full boil & then drain the water off. That usually loosens any food that was remaining stuck on the pan. Then do the standard oiling, heating, & wiping process before putting the pan away.

Oh yeah, & unless you're spraying a ton of Pam on the pan, you should use something like vegetable oil or even Crisco. You want a pretty heavy layer of oil on there to really seep in.

[Michael]

Yeah, you don't have to cook on a ton of oil, but you do need it to season. Pam is good to use at time of cooking to prevent sticking, that's all. Cooking a few burgers, bacon, etc really helps season the pan. I've found that varying the kinds of fats/oils you use on the pan does the best seasoning job.

I'm not so sure about boiling water in it though... I just use a wire brush to scrape everything out of it. I always heard to use minimal amount of water/soap possible. If you use the pan right, once seasoned, these kinds of hard scraping sessions should become minimal.

Oh and NEVER put cast iron pans in dishwasher!

[pchela]

Well, I rarely use dishsoap but I do scrub it out every time I use it. I guess I'm not using enough oil. I read online how to season it but I guess online info isn't always accurate. Thanks guys! Will try your suggestions.