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Cast Iron
- Thread starter Black Titan
- Start date
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- Sep 15, 2023
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If it were mine I would probably do a run of 60 then come back up to 80 to try and get some more of that black out on the bottom. Sides look good. But how does it feel? If you drag a metal spatula across it does it feel/sound real smooth?
You can try and run with it how it is. Can always re-do it later.
BT
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Mine move around like this but im not doing any flipping like that.
Scrambled
I pre-heat my pan for about 5 minutes and like to add my oil/butter at around 250ish degrees. I check it with an infrared thermometer. I use just a teaspoon or so of avocado oil then a 1/4" thick pad of butter. The butter is the key to the non-stick. The oil keeps the butter from burning. Once the bubbles calm down in the butter I add my eggs that have been sitting on the counter for about 10 minutes or a little longer. I never crack them into the pan straight from the fridge.
BT
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The first picture is a little deceiving but other than the black spots you could see that are a little further down it really is quite smooth. I may end up going back until it is all flat, but running with it for now.
And I went ahead with the first seasoning and it despite wiping pretty much everything off it still has the “sticky” look. Now I will say this, it isn’t tacky at all. I may do a light scotch brite and 2nd seasoning pass and see how it does.
This is all for fun and learning so not much effort and no sweat if it doesn’t work out.
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Was the pan warm when you added the seasoning? Try warming it up a little on the stovetop before seasoning.
I had one that looked like that after the first couple of seasonings. It will even out with continued seasoning. I do mine at 450 for an hour, upside down, pull it out, let it cool till I can handle it but its still fairly warm, wipe on oil wipe off, then back in the oven it goes for another hour. I sometimes do this 4 or 5 times in a row. The last time I just shut the oven off and let it cool down with the oven.
BT
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- 10,559
I did warm it before the bake but I had it face up. I will try a second bake!
mschultz373
Well-Known Member
Keep going? Angle grinder 60 grit. Would need another wheel to keep it going. I don’t have a sander
You can always go to hand sanding. I used those little foam sanding blocks like they use for drywall on one of my old ones and it worked very well. They are available in different grit.
Weldabeast
Well-Known Member
I've never sanded any of mine. I used a course wire wheel on the grinder
mschultz373
Well-Known Member
Hit more with flapper disc, boiled with vinegar and ready to season. I plan to use tallow
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I just sanded a skillet today and though I'd add my thoughts to the hive mind.
I've cooked in cast iron since I was frying eggs in my dad's skillet at age 8 or so. I've also cooked in stainless, nonsticks of various chemistry, and carbon steel. Briefly had a copper comale too. I use all of them now depending on my mood and what technique I'm going for. I have handled most of the cooking in my marriage for going on 11 years, and in the past 3-4 have done 99% of it. I cook daily, and it almost always involves a skillet.
IMO, Seasoning is malarkey. Hogwash. BS. Nonsense. Navel gazing. The result of too much free time and access to the internet. It's not magic. It's not hard. You don't have to "learn the ways of the iron." It doesn't matter what fat you use. You don't have to bake it repeatedly.
Why do I say that? Because I've cooked in stainless steel, which is just naked metal with no seasoning, and stuff doesn't stick if you keep it clean and preheat it and use a little oil.
I am literally eating lunch right now. I fried two eggs in a skillet and am eating them over rice. They were fried in a 10" cast iron pan that I just sanded, progressing from 80-220 grit to make a fairly smooth surface. Washed it until a paper towel didn't stain and cooked in it. ABSOLUTELY ZERO SEASONING. I preheated the pan for 5-7 minutes while I warmed up my rice, made a cup of coffee, and got my eggs out of the fridge. I threw a small dab of butter in there. I cracked the eggs in the pan, and...they didn't stick. No real difference in food stickability between it and my PFAS pan. Because the pan was clean, smooth, preheated, and I had a (small) amount of oil.
A clean pan that doesn't have residual grease cooked onto it or rust on the surface, that is preheated, and lightly oiled, is not going to stick in a meaningful way whether it's made of iron or steel or copper. A dirty/rusty pan, or a cold pan, or a completely oil free pan...is probably going to stick.
IMO, oiling or "seasoning" a pan should be thought of more in terms of oiling a knife than trying to build some kind of PFAS-free, magically nonstick coating. I scrub and dry my pans after use, and keep a level of oil on them comparable to what I try to keep on a knife or firearm or other tool. Clean it, dry it, wipe some oil on, wipe it off. It should look a little shiny and feel not-dry, but not make your fingers oily. This is mainly to prevent rust, which will make a pan that can oxidize (cast iron or carbon steel) stick.
Smooth and clean, enough oil to flavor whatever you're cooking without making it greasy, and a proper preheat is the key to practical nonstick cooking. I may not be able to slide my eggs around like they're on ice, but that's performative cooking for instagram, not feeding the chilluns. You're never going to make cast iron as nonstick as something using PFAS, but you can cook whatever you want in it and not have it turn into a forsaken mess that needs to be soaked in the sink.
I've cooked in cast iron since I was frying eggs in my dad's skillet at age 8 or so. I've also cooked in stainless, nonsticks of various chemistry, and carbon steel. Briefly had a copper comale too. I use all of them now depending on my mood and what technique I'm going for. I have handled most of the cooking in my marriage for going on 11 years, and in the past 3-4 have done 99% of it. I cook daily, and it almost always involves a skillet.
IMO, Seasoning is malarkey. Hogwash. BS. Nonsense. Navel gazing. The result of too much free time and access to the internet. It's not magic. It's not hard. You don't have to "learn the ways of the iron." It doesn't matter what fat you use. You don't have to bake it repeatedly.
Why do I say that? Because I've cooked in stainless steel, which is just naked metal with no seasoning, and stuff doesn't stick if you keep it clean and preheat it and use a little oil.
I am literally eating lunch right now. I fried two eggs in a skillet and am eating them over rice. They were fried in a 10" cast iron pan that I just sanded, progressing from 80-220 grit to make a fairly smooth surface. Washed it until a paper towel didn't stain and cooked in it. ABSOLUTELY ZERO SEASONING. I preheated the pan for 5-7 minutes while I warmed up my rice, made a cup of coffee, and got my eggs out of the fridge. I threw a small dab of butter in there. I cracked the eggs in the pan, and...they didn't stick. No real difference in food stickability between it and my PFAS pan. Because the pan was clean, smooth, preheated, and I had a (small) amount of oil.
A clean pan that doesn't have residual grease cooked onto it or rust on the surface, that is preheated, and lightly oiled, is not going to stick in a meaningful way whether it's made of iron or steel or copper. A dirty/rusty pan, or a cold pan, or a completely oil free pan...is probably going to stick.
IMO, oiling or "seasoning" a pan should be thought of more in terms of oiling a knife than trying to build some kind of PFAS-free, magically nonstick coating. I scrub and dry my pans after use, and keep a level of oil on them comparable to what I try to keep on a knife or firearm or other tool. Clean it, dry it, wipe some oil on, wipe it off. It should look a little shiny and feel not-dry, but not make your fingers oily. This is mainly to prevent rust, which will make a pan that can oxidize (cast iron or carbon steel) stick.
Smooth and clean, enough oil to flavor whatever you're cooking without making it greasy, and a proper preheat is the key to practical nonstick cooking. I may not be able to slide my eggs around like they're on ice, but that's performative cooking for instagram, not feeding the chilluns. You're never going to make cast iron as nonstick as something using PFAS, but you can cook whatever you want in it and not have it turn into a forsaken mess that needs to be soaked in the sink.
Over 70 years cooking and I respectfully disagree ^. I believe a well-seasoned cast iron skillet to be superior to any non-stick skillet I've ever used. Not suggesting anyone change their favorite method of frying, just my opinion.
Take a cold cast iron pan, crack an egg in in with no fat in the pan, turn the heat on, and cook it. Now do it in nonstick.
Not saying I don't love cast iron. I do most of my cooking in that or carbon steel, because I agree that they're superior in a lot of ways. But they're not as nonstick. I don't think that generally matters.
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But why would you even do that? lol
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I think I’m somewhere in the middle between the purists and don’t season it at all lol. The cult like following some modern cast iron enthusiasts treat seasoning and cleaning them makes one think it’s dang near impossible to do and therefore creates a bearer to even trying. So I’m all for breaking down the ‘don’t wash the cast iron skillet’ myth while still encouraging a couple seasonings. I’ve gotten to the point where I don’t cook anything on any pan without preheating it, and I always use a little tallow, oil, or bacon grease. The wife has been using them a ton too!
mschultz373
Well-Known Member
Sadly I used too much oil on my first seasoning coat. Black spots appeared due to pooling. I tried to burn off as much as I could on the grill, then seasoned again. I cooked bacon in it this morning and while it looks much cleaner than before, it did not cook in anyway different than before my refinishing. Unsure if I will redo it or just let it lay. I’m disappointed
mschultz373
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It will take. Just takes a little time. Most important step ive noticed in the process is to wipe off all the excess oil after wiping it on. It should have a slight sheen to it, but not glossy like its wet. Kinda like applying wax to a car. Wipe it on, buff it off.
You can try and remove the sticky piled up seasoning with some soap and steel wool. It won't hurt it.
Bacon sticks. The sugar content in the curing process makes it so. It will release when it wants to. Yes, it cooks the same but once the pan is well seasoned you should notice it cleans up much easier with very little scrubbing. I put bacon in a cold pan. Everything else gets a pre-heated pan.
BT