Cast Iron fry pans

The main problem, similar to our knives, is to keep it from disappearing in to the dishwasher. Not sure about the whole seasoning malarkey. I'll give a couple of good burns and let regular usage do the rest. Basically that's all I ever did with the wok and that works just fine.
 
I'd give it an oil rub, heat up til it gets angry, then cool down, then do one more. I just did that with this $15 iron cheap and bugger me, if it hasn't already done a nice egg non stick - with a rough as guts base to cook on too. Pan was a bit hot so a tad overcooked for me, but I'll get to grips with that.

This is the overkill vid for the deBuyer I had a look at. Same process as I suggested, but he went at it 11 times.

 
Well, that's how I did it, without the anal repetition.

Just did some scrambled eggs this morning. As good as any non stick already, and I only need a low heat and 2 minutes max for the pan to heat. I never really expected it to be this good. I'm sold. Only the untouchable handle is a downside, but I'll get a silicon sleeve for that.

I had a cast ridged grill from a big brand til a few years ago and that was poor even with steak sticking badly. . I've used a flat grill in the BBQ and the same story. I do remember only seasoning the ridged one, but not heating the crap out of it, lest it didn't look new and special anymore. I suspect both would have been better if I'd have abused them properly.
 
Just took delivery of the carbon steel De Buyer pan. Went way beyond smoking point on the first go so need to scour it clean and start again. It developed gummy patches. Tried it with an egg and it stuck on the gummy patches.

Serious bit of metal this thing. Industrial indeed! Like it a lot. Thank you Drubster.
 
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I think that vid was a good one to follow. I did, without the excess repetition. Veg or canola seems to work fine, but you need a thin film well rubbed in, or it gums up. I think I even took the spray can to mine inside and out too. I threw it on the BBQ on high with the lid down and it went deep brown, and the base almost black. Works really well. I did some chicken for tacos last night and that stuck a bit as the chicken browns, but no more so than my non stick does. But being hotter it cooks it quicker, so the strips don't dry out.

I'm tossing up whether to bother getting the Lodge cast Iron or try the deB, so interested to hear how it goes.
 
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I'm just using Olive oil. It's a complete pain getting rid of the initial cock up layer. Needed sandpaper.
 
I wouldn't use OO. I think you need an oil with a high smoke point, so the pan can get real hot before the oil changes its chemistry. I'd suggest starting over with Veg or canola. Flaxseed and veg shortening seem popular but doesn't seem to be on every supermarket shelf. Not in my pantry either...

There's a few vids on YT using different methods, some massively OTT, and some cover how to strip seasoned pans. But what I've done was pretty simple and minimal and worked.
 
Tried to find flaxseed but other than a food supplement bottle of pills which cost nearly as much as the pan itself I haven't had any luck. I'll redo with canola. Yeah I wasn't using my noggin when I grabbed the olive oil.
 
I found a 50mL bottle of Flaxseed Oil but it was in a health food shop.

I don't think we use it in Aus to cook with.

Would Peanut Oil work well? That's pretty good in lieu of OO.
 
Gents, do yourselves a favour and skip to either canola or grapeseed. Flaxseed oil is the best scientifically speaking, but also probably not worth the premium you pay to get it. Canola and grapeseed have similar smoke points, and are both (relatively) high in the ALAs that you want to maximise the 'hardness' of your seasoning and are also cheap. Also, if you're ending up with sticky/gummy patches, you're using too much oil. Make sure you're wiping it almost clean before heating.

Jug, you could use peanut oil, but it's pretty low in those fatty acids that are ideal. That's not to say that it won't work, it'll just take more coats to get an equivalent coating.

Flaxseed oil isn't meant to be a cooking oil as far as I know, it's a health food/supplement. New-age voodoo for people who don't eat right in the first place.
 
Drubbing said:
Were you stingy with the canola and rub it in? The Vollrath graduate did it ok
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I thought that was what you're supposed to do. Just a thin layer otherwise it turns gunky. Tried to fry a simple egg and it not only stuck, it actually went straight through the seasoning layer and stuck to the bare metal of the pan. I think it could be a while before this thing becomes a useful pan. I think I'll just have to sand it all off again and try again. Not sure what I'm doing wrong although I find it hard to determine the smoking point. As there's bugger all oil there's bugger all smoke.
 
I've had (good) woks do the same, and ended up throwing them away. Hopefully there is enough metal in yours not to need that.

I then went and bought a non stick wok, and that lied too.

I'd love a cast iron pan, but Mrs Egg has over-ruled me as she is too weak to pick one up.
 
Hmmmm....wel personally even after seasoning up well I think you'll find that it will need a good 'run in period' of naturally building up extra layers of oil etc before it's really able to handle foods prone to sticking. I've read others finding it this way as well - a year or so into mine and its very good but I still tend to use the non-stick pan for very tricky sticky-ish foods (though thats very rare).

One thing that folks often overlook when using a cast iron or SS pan is that you have to allow the food to cook a lil while and build up that skin/crust/caramelisation layer BEFORE you go trying to turn/move/play with it.

In a non-stick pan you can drop an egg in and move it around INSTANTLY and you'll have no issues - but with a properly seasoned cast iron pan you have to let it sit for a lil bit BEFORE you try and move/flip it etc or you will get a tear and sticking.

It's such a different cooking material that it's kinda logical that you have to change your technique a lil when using it - again thats why home users find non-stick easier as it's 'foolpoof' but commerical places love cast iron and SS and you can get superior results and better mileage from the cookware if you know what you're doing. Hang in there. :)
 
Thanks for the encouraging words Nick. It's such a nicely made pan and for that reason alone I'll stick with it (pun intended).
 
Eggs should really be doable from a couple of seasoning cycles, as least with my Cast experience. I've done fried, scrambled and omelettes just as well as I did with non stick.

Chicken and steak will still stick a bit, but as said, if the pan's hot and you leave it to sear and seal, this is minimal and will improve as it's used. I really like how cast does steak. I can get the pan really hot, sear and seal, and then it's far easier to get the meat as you like it. A cooler pan like non stick can tend to 'poach' the meat more, as you have to cook it longer and slower.

Now unsure whether I try the dB or just go get another cast. The only downside is they do get very hot and even the silicon holder can't cope when the pan's left on for a while.
 
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