I just received my FIRST NEW cast iron grill pan. Until now every cast iron pan I’ve had was a a used “pass down” gift.
So how do I “season” a new cast iron pan
? Thanks all!
So how do I “season” a new cast iron pan
? Thanks all!
How to Season a New cast Iron frying pan
- Thread starter old bear
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Thin coat of oil inside and out as thin as you can get it
Place on a rack in the middle of the oven (cookie sheet on the shelf below) upside down at 400° for an hour. Turn off the oven and let it cool down in there. Do another thin coat if you like the same way
Place on a rack in the middle of the oven (cookie sheet on the shelf below) upside down at 400° for an hour. Turn off the oven and let it cool down in there. Do another thin coat if you like the same way
Send it to me with a pound of bacon.
Srruger762
Member
I just received my FIRST NEW cast iron grill pan. Until now every cast iron pan I’ve had was a a used “pass down” gift.
So how do I “season” a new cast iron pan
How To Season A Cast-Iron Skillet | Southern Living
There are many opinions, the method that was worked the best for me goes like this:
Put dry pan in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes or so to get it hot
Wipe on some Crisco. A thin coat is all that is needed. Since the pan is hot the Crisco will melt quickly.
Wipe out the excess with a clean dry towel. The pan should look nearly dry.
Put the pan back in the oven for an hour. Repeat a couple times if you really want to get a good start on the seasoning.
Let it cool in the oven. Wipe it down with your now oily towel and put it away.
Too much fat/oil will pool in the bottom of the pan and create a sticky mess. Less is better.
I have never found bacon to be a good method to season a pan. Most is cured with sugar and other chemicals, and the result is bacon bits burned to the bottom and swimming in a pool of gooey bacon fat. I have scrubbed off more seasoning by cleaning up the mess than cooking bacon has ever helped. There are much better ways of seasoning pans.
One of my favorite foods to cook to help a pan seasoning:
Fry a steak in butter. When steak is done, remove. Melt more butter in the pan, scrape up any burned on bits to make a sauce (de-glazing). Pour over steak.
You should be able to just wipe down the pan with a paper towel. At worst, a quick rinse, dry, and wipe down with an oily rag.
Be sure to clean the pan while it is still warm. Letting a pan cool down with stuck on food is much harder to clean up.
Ignore the myths about cast iron being perfectly non-stick. It's not teflon, but stuck on food is fairly easy to clean up.
Put dry pan in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes or so to get it hot
Wipe on some Crisco. A thin coat is all that is needed. Since the pan is hot the Crisco will melt quickly.
Wipe out the excess with a clean dry towel. The pan should look nearly dry.
Put the pan back in the oven for an hour. Repeat a couple times if you really want to get a good start on the seasoning.
Let it cool in the oven. Wipe it down with your now oily towel and put it away.
Too much fat/oil will pool in the bottom of the pan and create a sticky mess. Less is better.
I have never found bacon to be a good method to season a pan. Most is cured with sugar and other chemicals, and the result is bacon bits burned to the bottom and swimming in a pool of gooey bacon fat. I have scrubbed off more seasoning by cleaning up the mess than cooking bacon has ever helped. There are much better ways of seasoning pans.
One of my favorite foods to cook to help a pan seasoning:
Fry a steak in butter. When steak is done, remove. Melt more butter in the pan, scrape up any burned on bits to make a sauce (de-glazing). Pour over steak.
You should be able to just wipe down the pan with a paper towel. At worst, a quick rinse, dry, and wipe down with an oily rag.
Be sure to clean the pan while it is still warm. Letting a pan cool down with stuck on food is much harder to clean up.
Ignore the myths about cast iron being perfectly non-stick. It's not teflon, but stuck on food is fairly easy to clean up.
Another comment - if the new pan is a Lodge, they come pre-seasoned. Just use it.
As far as cleaning it all I do is toss a little water in it when I’m done cooking and after eating I rinse it out under the faucet (hot) and wipe with paper towels to clean and dry it. Add a little oil afterwards if you want to.
Clean carefully, minimal soap, never use steel wool or metal implements. Dry completely after cleaning and lightly oil. I think Lodge uses canola oil. That’s what I use. The pan will continue to improve over time. I like to season my cast iron on the grill outside to keep the smoke where it belongs.
OP
Thanks All! Got the plain set..
Valmet
Member
For a new pan, best piece of advice I can give you is to cook bacon in it.
I've tried all the oven seasoning methods and what works best for me is put it on a stovetop. Get it hot (above the smoking temp of the oil. ( a high temp oil like peanut works well).
Put on a thin layer of oil and heat until the oil smokes.
Remove from heat and wipe the pan with a paper towel.
Let cool for an hour, then repeat. 3 times is good.
cooking bacon in it for the first few uses helps build up the coating.
Our cast iron never gets washed , just scraped clean and wiped.
Put on a thin layer of oil and heat until the oil smokes.
Remove from heat and wipe the pan with a paper towel.
Let cool for an hour, then repeat. 3 times is good.
cooking bacon in it for the first few uses helps build up the coating.
Our cast iron never gets washed , just scraped clean and wiped.
riverrat38
US Veteran
I like to sand the inside of my Lodge cast iron to get rid of the high spots. Not necessary, but smoother is better in my thinking. I use 60 grit on an orbital sander, and do the corners by hand. Then, a few quick passes with finer paper. I have heard that cast iron cooking implements used to come with a smoother inside. I don't have anything old enough to tell the difference.
Wash well. and rub in generous amount of oil. I put pans in gas grill at 500 F for an hour or so. The pans are upside down, so excess oil will drip off. Some internet sites recommend using pure food grade Linseed oil, which is sold as Flaxseed oil in whole food stores. One site recommends repeating six times. This oil smokes quite a bit, and thus the outside grill.
73,
Rick
Wash well. and rub in generous amount of oil. I put pans in gas grill at 500 F for an hour or so. The pans are upside down, so excess oil will drip off. Some internet sites recommend using pure food grade Linseed oil, which is sold as Flaxseed oil in whole food stores. One site recommends repeating six times. This oil smokes quite a bit, and thus the outside grill.
73,
Rick
LoboGunLeather
US Veteran
Always remember that fried food is really, really bad for you.
Some people say that red meat is bad also, but I always tell them to avoid the green fuzzy meat they find in the back of the refrigerator. That is really bad for you, but red meat is usually pretty good.
Some people say that red meat is bad also, but I always tell them to avoid the green fuzzy meat they find in the back of the refrigerator. That is really bad for you, but red meat is usually pretty good.
"Some internet sites recommend using pure food grade Linseed oil, which is sold as Flaxseed oil in whole food stores. One site recommends repeating six times. This oil smokes quite a bit, and thus the outside grill."
That is what I use.....
That is what I use.....
My favorite cast iron pan is an old Griswold. The finish is much smoother than my Lodge and is much easier to maintain
You are right, the old ones were (are) smooth. I have an assortment of Wagner and Griswold cast iron and they're very smooth. I don't know when cast iron started showing up with the rough, pebbled surface but I'm guessing Lodge started it after the 1980's or so. I bought some Lodge around that time and they were quite smooth. I still like the older stuff better though.
The slickest of the bunch are the ones Mom used to cook her eggs in. For years she used margarine until it became a no-no and she went to butter. She'd put them in the dishwasher right along with other dishes! The heat and detergent didn't affect these skillets a bit. They are almost as slippery as Teflon.
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Yeah, I've heard about fried foods and red meat too. But.... Ya gotta die of something! If it's too many pan-fried ribeyes with herb butter that take me down, at least I'll be smiling!
riverrat38
US Veteran
But, a piece of Arctic cod, sautéed in Olive or Avocado oil, is about as healthy as it gets. I use a little Pankro breading, with grated Parmesan cheese.
Roasted vegetables on the side.
73,
Rick
So is mine. That's a #14 Griswold skillet that I used for chili cookoffs for browning my meat, peppers and onions.
