Cast Iron Experts - Please chime in

[johngalt]

I suspect the red may have come from the debris that was left from the sanding/wire wheel. I don't think it has anything to do with the heat. Iron needs to get to around 2000 degrees before it is affected.

I have both an ancient Lodge skillet that is glass smooth and and a newer one that has the rough pebbly surface. Much to my surprise, the rough one is still decently non-stick. I can fry eggs (in butter) and they don't stick.

 

[bdGreen]

When you put oil on new or cleaned cast iron, this only starts the seasoning process.. when you're cooking on a solid black, smooth surface, only then is it seasoned. Then you'll be cooking on pure carbon.

I agree.

I believe having tried the stove top seasoning method with this large skillet wasn't as effective as it should have been.
I will go through the exercise probably a couple more times doing the high temp, greased up, upside down method in the oven again.

bdGreen

 

[glenwolde]

Not sure about the red. I use cast iron (Lodge) quite a bit and don't have any problems with it. If you want to start over the easiest way to strip a cast iron pan is put it your oven on the self-cleaning cycle. That will strip it down.

 

[1morethan8]

My cast iron has never seen soap.. and I never use steel wool to clean them, only a plastic scrub pad if needed. I clean them while still hot by running tap water in them after removing the grease.. wipe dry with dish towel.. wipe down with cooking oil if not used in a day or two.

 

[SweetMK]

Our first piece was a charcoal fired Lodge dutch oven,,, around 1990,
that was fun, something to do outside.

Then, the wife got the first Lodge pan,,, we have owned 3 total, but, only use 2 now.
They are both 10 inch.

The "big" one, probably 14", is sitting wrapped in the basement.

After use, then washing, the pan is dried on the gas range burner for a few minutes.

While still warm ( kind of hot!!?? ) one of us will grab a piece of wax paper,,
and rub some lard on the pan.

The lard does not go bad, and the pan is oiled for its next use.
PLUS, the lard makes the pan look great sitting on the stove top.
Seasoning the pans this way, they are incredibly non-stick.
We have not used "Teflon" for over 15 years.
We use a stainless steel pan for cooking asparagus, or broccoli,, etc,,, (steaming)

That is our total about 2 decade use of cast iron.

I did buy a 6 quart enameled dutch oven this past July.
We use it once a week, great for browning meat, making stews, spaghetti sauce,, etc.
We have no opinion on the enameled oven,, yet, other than it works.
Ask us about that piece in five years!! LOL!!

Oh, yea, we did try a couple "flea market" cast iron purchases,,
we heard the old ones were SO much better,,
NOT!!
They look nice, but, the Lodge pans just seem to be the "go to" pan.
The flea market purchases are in the back of some closet,,, somewhere,,,

In our opinion,, cast iron is not for a neatness fanatic,,,
you have to be willing to roll with the punches to use CI!!

 

[Old TexMex]

I'm a neatness fan! (I thought, 'till the maid came yesterday. You should've seen the dust bunnies that came out from under the beds)

Night

 

[ExcitableBoy]

I would venture to say that when "curing" your pan at high heat, the chemical composition of Crisco created the visible "Red Tide". All the hydrogenated oils that comprise Crisco (originally "crystallized cottonseed oil") are not recommended for very high heat. They will produce a polymer (plastic-like coating) that imparts off-flavors to food. Flaxseed oil is recommended for curing at high heat and will give cast iron cooking surfaces the seal you are looking for. However, I have never used it myself because I really don't need a temp of over 375`F for anything.

I have a a bunch of cast iron pans and dutch ovens, some of them 100+ years old, and use them every day. A couple of years ago I found a round 12" Lodge skillet at a garage sale for $5. It had the same Lunar texture as you described. It went to the shop immediately to be smoothed out with varying grits of discs mounted to the pad on my angled air grinder. It took a while, but it smoothed out satisfactorily and now gets the most use of the bunch. Scrambled eggs with cheese are even an easy cleanup.

My cast iron never sees soap or metallic scrubbers. If something sticks a little bit I just fill the pan about halfway with water and put it on boil for a couple of minutes, scrape the offending gunk with a metal spatula, and dump the water and debris down the sink, then rinse with hot water, wipe dry and apply a little olive oil with a paper towel. The pan goes back on the semi-hot burner to freshen the seasoning.

I hope this helps you out some.

 

[rwsmith]

My first guess......

...would be some form of Iron Oxide mixed with some of the seasoning but it is REALLY red. So red it reminds me of red lead paint.

 

[Rpg]

Years ago I began collecting Griswold cast iron cookware.

The Griswold cooking surfaces are uniformly fine, smooth, almost polished.

The Lodge cookware I've seen is like rough concrete.

No wonder OP took a grinder to it.

 

[Old TexMex]

Years ago I began collecting Griswold cast iron cookware.

The Griswold cooking surfaces are uniformly fine, smooth, almost polished.

The Lodge cookware I've seen is like rough concrete.

No wonder OP took a grinder to it.

That's exactly why Griswold is so smooth. It's polished.
Only reason my Lodge stuff is smooth is because it's been used, had steel spatulas shoved around on it, washed and scrubbed, heated and dried, then oiled again, for what fifty, sixty years. I'd probably buy smooth cast iron if I was doing it today.
I might even buy myself a Griswold chefs pan for Christmas. If I can take out a loan, since they go for hundreds of dollars for one frying pan.

 

[Rule3]

Maybe the iron itself had impurities that are leaching out. Did you contact Lodge to ask them?

I take my cast iron to a friend who has an electrical process he doesn't reveal. Stuff that is rusty and apparently worthless comes out like new after a number of hours in the bath. What is left in the solution is almost scary.

It is not hard to do. Many videos on it.

Cast Iron Cleaning With Electrolysis - The Cast Iron Collector: Information for The Vintage Cookware Enthusiast

 

[johngalt]

That's exactly why Griswold is so smooth. It's polished.
Only reason my Lodge stuff is smooth is because it's been used, had steel spatulas shoved around on it, washed and scrubbed, heated and dried, then oiled again, for what fifty, sixty years. I'd probably buy smooth cast iron if I was doing it today.
I might even buy myself a Griswold chefs pan for Christmas. If I can take out a loan, since they go for hundreds of dollars for one frying pan.

Lodge stuff used to be polished smooth also, especially if it is 50 or 60 years old. They stopped when they started selling them preseasoned from the factory. Apparently their seasoning process requires a rough surface for it to stick. Even their preseasoned carbon steel pans are rough, compared to European made pans that are not seasoned but very smooth.

 

[Jessie]

That's exactly why Griswold is so smooth. It's polished.
Only reason my Lodge stuff is smooth is because it's been used, had steel spatulas shoved around on it, washed and scrubbed, heated and dried, then oiled again, for what fifty, sixty years. I'd probably buy smooth cast iron if I was doing it today.
I might even buy myself a Griswold chefs pan for Christmas. If I can take out a loan, since they go for hundreds of dollars for one frying pan.

This is the key to cast iron. Time. It's not going to be instant non stick like teflon.
Those pores in the Lodge eventually fill in and round off and it becomes smoother each time you use it.
I use HOT water and a plastic scrubber to clean, then warm it up and rub some oil/ grease back in it and wipe off any excess.
Don't put cold cast iron on direct flame. It may crack. I know this from experience at camp.

 

[ImprovedModel56Fan]

I wash my skillets, yep I do, then I put them right back on the fire to het them good and dry, then wipe them with olive oil. No problems with sticking, ever. Why? Cause "Thats the way Mom did it".

Very interesting. What limited reading I did on the subject seemed to indicate that grease was called for, not oil. Yet I do the same as you, with olive oil, except that I don't always even reheat the skillet. No problems. Lodge, BTW, about 45 years old.

 

[nachogrande]

NO METALLURGIST OR CAST "EXSPERT".

Right off I'd say, too much heat. The patina looks burnt & uneven. As to the surface being smooth, the patina should eventually fill in roughness & become a nice smooth even black color like Ariks. SOAP IS A BIG NO NO! (as if you didn't know already). I BELIEVE over scrubbing removes more patina than anything else. What I do is use it, take it right from the stove while still hot & brush it out with a nylon brush/water, then return it to the still hot but turned off burner to dry, coat it with oil/grease if needed. My favorite cast skillet is so old the handle is worn down from generations of hands holding it. A good patina will take time, be patient. About the red, who knows/cares, a good patina will keep it in & any iron that leeches into your food is good for you.

 

[bagga]

i had as many as 30 griswold pans at one time. they're the best there is. flea markets and garage sales are the best places to find them. if you find one and it's loaded with too much patina, get a gallon of liquid "oven cleaner and cut it with as much water as needed to completely submerge the pan. the grime will come off after several days. reseason it with the oven upside down oven method and you will be very happy. griswold would be the "cadillac" of cast iron.

 

[FredBart]

Lodge pans are inexpensive. They do have a rough interior finish. If that bothers you, sand it with an orbital sander/grinder before using it. In Garden and Gun magazine ( an upscale southern lifestyle magazine), you can find brand new $300 plus hand formed iron pans. Lodge pans sells for about $25.00.

Seasoning can be done with many of the methods above. You are building up a layer of hard carbon on the bottom and sides. I found a tip that works for me. Use Kosher salt as a grinding compound when cleaning the pan. Remove salt and rinse out with NO dish soap. Apply a thin coat of fat or cooking oil and place pan in a warm spot to dry.

There is a good business in finding old Griswold pans, cleaning them and reselling them to professional chefs. You are then in the several hundred dollar range. There are internet sites devoted to this practice. They are found at yard sales then put into a self-cleaning oven. Some shatter and some come out perfect, according to the websites.

Lodge is pretty good quality for a pan you can buy at WalMart.

 

[nachogrande]

THAT IS SEASONING.

personally, i never bother with seasoning.
what i do is fill it with oil n make french fries. i keep doing this until i wanna toss the oil. i then wipe it down n i have a non stick surface.

More than one path to get to the same place.

 

[johngalt]

Just a couple guesses, but what I've read indicates that cast iron can take on a red color if someone put it in a fire thinking that would burn the crud off. A fire can hit well into 1000-2000 degrees, which is too hot. 475 is no where close enough to do any damage.

When sanding it with a power sander how hot does it get from the friction? I've read opinions that power sanders can damage the surface. But we all know about opinions...

I think the blotchy appearance is from using too much oil/grease to season it. When seasoning, you want a very thin layer - it should almost look dry. Many thin layers is much better than 1 thick layer.

 

[nachogrande]

NOW YOU'RE COOKING WITH GAS.

Truer words never spoken! Using cast on a glass surface electric cooktop STINKS ON ICE! To avoid scratching the new cooktop, and cook better/faster/more evenly, I've taken to using the old Coleman 2 burner propane camp stove outside, AND LOVING IT! A Cast iron wood burning stove may be even better but almost an extinct skill.