I try to use cast iron cookware whenever possible. It has excellent heat dispersion properties, life long build quality, and an inherent ability to cook foods with exceptional control at both high and low heats. It works on all kinds of stoves, electric, gas, induction - even a fire pit while camping.
The only snag about cast iron (if you can really call it that) is the seasoning process. "Seasoning" cast iron refers to a process of building up some amount of material, which I'll call a finish on the pan that aids in cooking, creates a semi-nonstick surface on the pan, and protects the cast iron pan against any possible rust.
There are lots of theories on seasoning cast iron, from complex rounds of heating and oiling with different types of vegetable and animal fats, to doing nothing at all. Having tried many of these seasoning processes myself, I feel inspired to write about the flax seed oil method. It's the most durable and straight forward seasoning process that I've found, and the science behind the process agrees.
The only snag about cast iron (if you can really call it that) is the seasoning process. "Seasoning" cast iron refers to a process of building up some amount of material, which I'll call a finish on the pan that aids in cooking, creates a semi-nonstick surface on the pan, and protects the cast iron pan against any possible rust.
There are lots of theories on seasoning cast iron, from complex rounds of heating and oiling with different types of vegetable and animal fats, to doing nothing at all. Having tried many of these seasoning processes myself, I feel inspired to write about the flax seed oil method. It's the most durable and straight forward seasoning process that I've found, and the science behind the process agrees.
Step 1: Flax Seed Oil
You can find flax seed oil in the refrigerator aisle at the grocery or health food store. Flax seed oil is the edible version of linseed oil, a very durable, hard drying finish that painters and woodworkers have been using for a very long time. As Cheryl Canter writes on her site: "The seasoning on cast iron is formed by fat polymerization, fat polymerization is maximized with a drying oil, and flaxseed oil is the only drying oil that’s edible."
What that translates to in practical terms is a durable finish, that even after just a few coats and short term heating results in a deep glassy black seasoning on the cast iron that has held up to months of my daily usage and cooking abuse.
As with any other cast iron pan seasoning, You don't want to use soap on the pan when cleaning it, but with this method, I've found that using a mildly abrasive sponge when doing the dishes doesn't seem to affect the finish at all.
What that translates to in practical terms is a durable finish, that even after just a few coats and short term heating results in a deep glassy black seasoning on the cast iron that has held up to months of my daily usage and cooking abuse.
As with any other cast iron pan seasoning, You don't want to use soap on the pan when cleaning it, but with this method, I've found that using a mildly abrasive sponge when doing the dishes doesn't seem to affect the finish at all.
Step 2: Oil the Pan
Pour a small amount of the flax seed oil into the pan. Less is more with this stuff, so shoot for more than just a few drops, but no more than a tablespoon. Start with a teaspoon and go from there. Then, using a paper towel or rag, spread the oil evenly throughout all the surfaces of the pan, including the bottom of the pan, the sides, and even the handle.
The pan should have a slight sheen to it, but no standing puddles of oil or thick areas of build up. If you're really feeling inspired, use your bare hands to spread the oil around and envision yourself back in the old world. Follow the rule of thumb for any other finish - shoot for a nice thin even coat. You can always apply more, and, as you'll soon see, you will.
The pan should have a slight sheen to it, but no standing puddles of oil or thick areas of build up. If you're really feeling inspired, use your bare hands to spread the oil around and envision yourself back in the old world. Follow the rule of thumb for any other finish - shoot for a nice thin even coat. You can always apply more, and, as you'll soon see, you will.
Step 3: Bake at 500F for 30 Minutes
Place the oiled pan inside a 500F degree oven for 30 minutes. Some sources say to heat the pan for longer, but, if you've put on a thin coat of oil I've found that 30 minutes is plenty long enough.
The pan will smoke a bit during this process. That is completely fine and natural, your oven will not catch fire.
The hot flax seed oil will smell a bit strange. That is also completely fine and natural, the smell will go away.
PRESS ON!
The pan will smoke a bit during this process. That is completely fine and natural, your oven will not catch fire.
The hot flax seed oil will smell a bit strange. That is also completely fine and natural, the smell will go away.
PRESS ON!
Step 4: Repeat 4 to 7 Times
Once you've "cooked" the pan for 30 minutes, remove it from the oven and let the pan sit until it's cool enough to touch. When you're sure it's not still hot, reapply a thin coat of oil using the same method described in step 2, put it back into the oven and cook it for another half an hour.
Keep repeating this process until you've gone through as many cycles as you'd like. I've found that 4 to 7 rounds was enough to result in a semi-gloss, beautifully smooth, tough, black finish that is ready for use.
Keep repeating this process until you've gone through as many cycles as you'd like. I've found that 4 to 7 rounds was enough to result in a semi-gloss, beautifully smooth, tough, black finish that is ready for use.
Step 5: Do All Your Cast Iron at Once
Final tip - do all your cast iron pans at once. In my opinion, if you're gonna crank the oven up to 500F for several hours and make the house smell a little funny, you might as well make good use of it and season all your cast iron cookware at once. The good part is that you won't have to repeat the process very often. I've been going on the same seasoning session for several months now and they still look great.
Step 6: Use the Gas Grill
*update 1/30/12*
I now feel foolish for saying that this was the "best way" to season cast iron without mentioning this important tip that was brought up in the comments: if you want to avoid making your house smell like smoking oil - USE THE BBQ!
What a great idea - thanks to everyone who suggested this. Next time, I'm definitely gonna use the grill.
photo attribution
I now feel foolish for saying that this was the "best way" to season cast iron without mentioning this important tip that was brought up in the comments: if you want to avoid making your house smell like smoking oil - USE THE BBQ!
What a great idea - thanks to everyone who suggested this. Next time, I'm definitely gonna use the grill.
photo attribution
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I cooked on medium and no smoke or sticking! INCREDIBLE! Better than a non stick pan and less worry about teflon flakes in the food.
when its time to re-season the pan I will appreciate having your instructable to refer to,Thanks so much!
I just had to let you know that your "description" of your problems was really funny. Actually LOL'd. :-) Maybe the coconut oil is not good for seasoning. I used canola and it worked well for me.
They are as good as or better than any non-stick pan I've used for cooking eggs and pan frying, and they have also been good for baking - I've made some great cornbread and pizza - great, even heating with no problems sticking.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Iron-Skillet-Seasoning-Modification/
My question is how can I make the inside of the new pans smooth like the old ones without buying expensive tools to do it?
I guess it depends on what you are cooking (a large chicken?) but I have yet to find something I can't bake, fry, cook or sear in cast iron. Unlike non-stick, they can go from stove to grill to oven, everywhere but the dish washer.
Once butter, oil, etc, the fats have infused the iron, they polymerize and prevent the oxidation of the metal. It won't leak, smell or go rancid as the high heat burns away the products that go rancid.
And since it was only developed in 1938, non stick does not have the history or information behind it that cast iron has which has been in use for at least since the 18th century.
It is food grad linseed oil, which is what oil paints are made of. Although it does season the pan, it leaves a weird taste on the food and make the pans smell a bit off.
There are hundreds of methods on seasoning cast iron, but each one uses the same way - it's heat, grease, repetition, and cool down. that's it. Whether you use vegetable shortening (which I recommend), lard, or Flaxseed oil, it's all the same principles.
Warm the pan on top of the stove, grease the inside of the pan using vegetable shortening and a cotton cloth, then increase the temperature to about 7 and allow to smoke for 10 - 12 seconds, wipe the inside of the pan again, and put in the oven to cool down. It's that simple and this will give you a good pan in which to cook.
Here's a good link I found:
http://www.purely-cast-iron.com/cast-iron-seasoning.html
Robert
Thanks for these tips.
Those pans look beautifully seasoned, even better looking than the pans that come pre-seasoned. I've seasoned my pans using high smoke point oils, thinking that they'd give me a better seasoning, but I still ran into the same problems, where the seasoning seemed to be weak and prone to failing upon a single mistaken cleaning with detergent, or in the worst case, being run through the dishwasher (by roommates who had no idea how to care for cast iron).
I thought that they were only extracted and kept tanked under argon etc., until bottling.
And there are lots of things that FEED on nitrogen and nitrogen compounds.
I am not saying this is totally correct as I know heaps but I can't be bothered to clarify stuff I have not dealt with in a long time....
But FUEL goes off in storage tanks, and the atmosphere is 80% nitrogen....
And this may in part come from the intiation of cross linking etc, from the oxygen etc.. but the only FUEL PRESERVATIVES are BIOCIDES.
Yeah from what I can gather Nitrogen is used to reduce the oxygen content to 3% and below.....to limit spoilage by oxidisation.
I have seen the wine makers shift to argon because it's heavier and it blankets the wine in the large tanks.
Anyway too much bullshit about seasoning cast iron cookware.
Just oil it and cook it.
And get a life.
uncle frogy
I usually season it every two or three years, not because it needs it regularly but because it usually suffers some kind of abuse like having something salty left in it (usually soy sauce) overnight or if the patina gets too thick and I have to clean it in the self-cleaning oven and then reseason it.
I will agree that you never want to use a brillo or other abrasive cleaner (comet, chore boy, etc.) on your iron. It's not as much the metal but the "soap" is much too aggressive. If whatever is in there is that caked on, just soak overnight in the sink, clean in the morning and wipe dry without allowing water to pool on it.
Me, I just use olive oil to season it. Flax oil is "edible" but so is mineral oil and I wouldn't want to use that in my pan.
One thing that looks different from my pans is that the pans in the picture don't appear to have a machined inner bottom, they look more rough, direct from the mold. Perhaps that's just the camera, but when the bottom of your pan isn't flat, you need to fill all of the nooks and crannies with oil to keep stuff from sticking. You have to look a lot harder to find pans with machined bottoms.
None of this comment is meant to be disparaging to the original poster and I'm sure your process works well for you and your pans. But please be aware that too many people are scared away from iron because they think it's too temperamental. I put my iron pans and dutch oven into harms way (melting candy sugar, using soy sauce, scrubbing with dish soap, sauteeing directly on the grill, frying potatoes, caramelizing pork butts, all kind of hot, acidic, salty food and they come through it just fine with little more than an oil wipe down before use and another if it's looking "tired" after washing, followed by a quick heat on the burner to about 300 degrees, then let it cool off in place.
However, as long as pots are *thoroughly* rinsed in hot water, such films shouldn't form.
Since there's a risk in using soap, and little health risk in not using it (but otherwise following good black iron maintenance procedures), people say "no soap at all!". YMMV; sometimes I use soap for removing excess tar-like burnt oils, but usually I go soap-free on black iron.
You don't say.
All the pan bases I have ever seen are machined.
That is to make them FLAT for better contact with the heating surfaces on electric type stoves etc., and so they don't rock or wiggle on the pot supports of gas stoves.
There is NO secret - only your BS.
Hey, I'm happy people are using cast iron instead of some fancy ultra-slick junk that wears out in a year.
To me that reads base, which is as distinct as using a term such as, "a machined cooking surface" or "has been machined flat on the inside."
Point taken - I just have never seen a pan without the inside being machined.
Some of the skillets, or some of the big pots / ovens yes - but they have rippled surfaces for searing meat or are too deep for frying in the "frying pan" sense of the word.
Perhaps a redraft and a repost.
I will remove my own clutter..... MMmm perhaps not, the discussion is useful for clearer thinking and better use of language.
Compare the pictures I posted of pans with machined cooking surfaces with the pictures posted at the top of the instructable. The pans at the top don't have a machined cooking surface, they are exactly as they came from the molds, but possibly sanded flat on the stove side to sit flat on an electric burner. Granted, one has the "grill bars" that help lift greasy food up out of it's grease (and are great for pork chops or burgers), but the others are just sand cast.
I wanted to buy a nice pan for my step brother's house warming and can't find anyone still selling machined pans brand new. I had to buy a used one from eBarf and clean and reseason it myself. It was still cheaper than a new one. (But shipping wasn't cheap...)