I started using a lodge cast iron pan about a year ago. I purchased the pan probably five years ago, but it didn’t see much use. I decided to try to move away from cooking with non-stick skillets and it took a while to get comfortable, but now I use it routinely. I have some questions about care.
The photo shows where the finish looks like it is missing. I’m guessing it is the oil coating that should build up, but I would like a second opinion. What should I do about it? Just start seasoning it until it all looks good?
I bake eggs in my oven (on a cookie sheet in ramekins) nearly every morning for family breakfast. I’m thinking I could just integrate seasoning into that existing ritual. My tentative plan is to apply a thin coat of oil to the cast iron pan and put it in the oven while it preheats to 375 (about 15 minutes), the eggs cook (another 15 minutes) and then turn off the oven and let the pan sit in the oven while it cools down. Will that be enough heat to get the oil to do what I want? I’m trying to not waste a lot of electricity and have something I can do basically every day until I am happy with the seasoning on the pan. Can I just use the cheap canola oil I already have?
I would love any feedback or thoughts.
What I am about to say is controversial I know but there is a lot of misinformation out there about seasoning, cleaning and more. I hope you’ll hear me out because I recently changed my rutine completely and are getting way better pans out of it.
Now to it!
What i see on the picture is NOT seasoning breaking off! It is charred on food. Proper seasoning is microscopic thin and smooth and quite resistant to a lot of things. But fear not! It should be easy to rectify.
I would clean the gunk I see off with a steel sponge but with light pressure and I would use soap. Yes normal dish soap! If it comes off with dish soap and
lightbrushing with a scrub (not steel) it is NOT proper seasoning and it deserves to come off. I only suggest steel now because you seem to have quite a lot of charred build up that I would takke off. On a daily basis i only use steel if i ever see a tiny spot of charred on food that is stuck. Any food left on the pan will inhibit a proper seasoning to build up so really do clean it. Modern dish soap does NOT destroy seasoning, that is only old style soap.But here is the important bit. Now the pan has absolutely no protection if there are tiny gaps in your seasoning and it will rust really easily ( especially because the sesoning is maybe not super good and if you used a steel sponge here the first time you might actually damage the seasoning a bit but that is not really a problem because we’ll repair it immediately).
Always dry the pan with a teatowel. Make sure it is completely dry. (Note if the teatowel get dirty when drying it is not clean and it’s back to washing with soap and brush)
Now use a drop of oil (basically anything will do but not olive oil I think) and use a paper towel to spread a super thin layer of oil. Take a clean paper towel (or flip it over) and wipe any excess oil off. You want barely any oil left. Only a subtle shine.
You can now do one of two things
One: If you trust your pan to have good undamaged seasoning you can just put it away.
Two: put it on the stove and heat it up for 10-15 min on medium-hig heat. The oil starts smoking and this is where the seasoning is being created. The super thin layer of oil burns and creates a microscopic smooth surface of polymerized oils that binds to the steel. You can ONLY do this on a proper clean pan with no charred on food.
Since I started cleaning with dish soap to get proper clean pans and a fresh layer of oil, I have pans that are so much more consistent and non stick than ever before because the seasoning can be created properly on a smooth and clean surface every single time.
My pan is already in the oven on self clean, but I appreciate your advice. I do think the black crud is some sort of buildup as I could feel it with my fingertips. It’s the more silver part that I think is a complete lack of seasoning.
But I don’t really know!
I wouldn’t say it’s completely without seasoning. It still has a light brow color which is already the first layer of seasoning. You don’t really need hundreds of layers for good performance. My carbon steel pan i just bought I started using after just 2-3 layers and it is working really well already. They key is to stop worrying so much and just use it, and don’t forget to clean it really well so the layers don’t get too think. It is when the layers get too think or if too much food gets charred stuck it can flake off like that. So just clean/scrub it well, and give it a suuuuper thin layer of oil afterwards. Then when you preheat the pan next time you use it that thin layer of oil will be you next layer of seasoning.