/ck/ - Food & Cooking

>he fell for the cast iron meme
This is medieval shit that needs to be babysat at all hours. First, you need to take care of the coating and bake an oil film into it. Second, this forces you to clean it with only salt, and a paper towel. If you use a physical towel like pic related, if it's new it will have chemicals that leach into the pan, and if it has been washed, leftover detergent will disrupt and strip the oil coating in parts. There is no ability to throw it in the dish washer. It can take a while to heat up. If you neglect it, it will rust. Maybe if you're a basketcase that just collects disability, sure, you can piss around with this shit.

If you're a real chef, stainless steel is the superior option. No nonsense, no hassle.

>>17396883
love my cast iron, basically all i use. some people are too retarded to oil their pan?

>>17396940
OP here

I use my cast iron with induction plate.
Everything seems to be awesome so far.
It doesn't take that long to heat up.

>>17396952
do you really have to put oil on it and burn it on it after you clean it? every day?

how do you clean it?

>>17396997
nah, i just cook with it. the seasoning develops by itself overtime. i cook, if necessary i wash it out with water, i apply a thin layer of oil to the surface. that's it.

>>17396883
because its ancient gay faggot shit that doesn't work as well as modern technology. kill yourself with your zoomer retro shit.

>aplying oil before storing
lmao
That's only for the first week when the seasoning is super weak, or if you live by the sea/humid places.
I literally NEVER oil my cast iron unless I'm about to cook with them.

>>17397011
how do you clean it out when you're done cooking with it?

>>17397028
>>17397011
>>17396997
>>17396969
>>17396952
>>17396940
After I cooked with it, I cleaned it out using the salt and non-metallic scrubber method. I noticed a bit of the seasoning came off(I could see more silver than black) so I did what the internet told me to do and I put oil on it, wiped it off with a paper towel and then put it on the stove max heat for like 20 minutes.
It developed this discoloration circle in the middle.
What the fuck is this shit? Did I ruin it?

>>17397072
rekt

>>17397072
>max heat
lol no
also what oil did you use

>>17397085
>>17397079

canola

This video with 22 million views told me to do all of these things.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLGSLCaksdY

>>17396883
kys shill

>>17397091
yeah fuck big cast iron and their iron!

>>17397096
name 1 good reason why one of the following wouldn't be shilling cast iron on the internets most popular cooking forum
>ArcelorMittal USA,
>AK Steel,
>Carpenter Technology,
>Commercial Metals Company,
>Nucor,
>Steel Dynamics
>U.S. Steel.

>>17397116
You can say this about any product ever.
Take your meds schizo, holy fuck.

>>17396883
I like Cast Iron, and don't really bother to season it for "optimal" use, but it is a bit of a hassle to dry it off after every use to make sure no rust forms. Parents told me horror stories of having to clean cast irons when they were younger, and I don't know what in the world they would have to make to want to bury it in the backyard rather than clean it.

>>17397125
Just put it over a burner on high to dry it out. Not difficult

>>17397072
Yeah it's fucked. Throw it out and get a decent Teflon pan. Don't fall for meme shit again

>>17397118
>You can say this about any product ever.
well yeah you gullible fool, what do you think the internet is for?

>>17397072
Ignore the other posters. The discoloration is because you applied too much heat. Next time apply heat until you see very little smoke coming out of the pan then turn it off. You may apply a second layer of oil with a paper towel and a wooden spatula if you want to.
Also you can just wash it normally with a brush and dish soap and scrape anything stuck to the pan with a wooden spatula. Just remember to properly dry the pan.

>>17397130
So don't use the internet because everyone is trying to sell you products?
So don't use any product ever because they're made by businesses? What is your point?

>>17397127
Yeah, but that's something I have to watch out for after cooking/ eating when I just wanna relax after a meal.

>>17397128
>Teflon pan.
kek
I'd rather have tasty food that isn't just boiled, thanks.

>>17397134
Did I ruin the seasoning? Will it still be non-stick?
>You may apply a second layer of oil with a paper towel and a wooden spatula if you want to.
Will this get rid of the discoloration?

>Also you can just wash it normally with a brush and dish soap and scrape anything stuck to the pan with a wooden spatula.
I used one of those green scrubber things and I noticed it took off some of the seasoning. That's why I reapplied the oil.
Should I even worry about this?

>Just remember to properly dry the pan.
Do I have to put oil on it every single time I'm done with it?

For fucks sake cast iron doesn't have high maintenance like any dumb fucking retard on this board likes to believe. Just clean it however the fuck you want, dry it, and coat it with some olive oil or whatever shit you normally use to cook when you're done so it doesn't rust. Had mine for 6 years now and there's no rusting or flavor drop.

>>17397160
This right here. Shits made of iron.
Listen OP. I don't even clean mine.
Oil, Cook, let it cook down, if all i did was fry something? its clean already. some crumblies? let it cool down and wipe it out with a cloth or paper towel. its clean. if it's actually messy, water, scrub it out, go easy try not to remove too much of the seasoning. DRY IT ( iron rusts yeah? ) and apply a thin layer of oil to keep her pretty. but 90% of the time, i don't even need to wash it, heat, add oil, cook, heat, add oil, cook.. just use the fucking thing and it'll be beautiful, like black opal.

>>17397203
I was told to use animal fats or butter.

>>17396952
tranette no passto

>>17397249
i use avocado oil, high smoke point. most others swear by lard, or bacon grease

>>17397336
Would doing what >>17397203 says work with lards and fats like that? Mine is a passed down one and I want to use the right stuff.

>>17396997
literally just use it, also you can clean it just fine the seasoning is way stronger than people give it credit for when you do it right. All the cautionary steps are way way way fucking overblown, basically everything this retard said is bullshit >>17396940

>>17397072
Anon, this isn’t as much an equipment problem, it’s a you problem. You are (apparently) expecting a rapid spread of heat outwards from the main center coil. You should not expect this. This kind of pan was historically simply dumped onto campfire coals, and never subject to extreme electromagnetic, weird induction schemes. Tre reason cast is fun to cook on is because heat doesn’t spread sideways well. It really comes from the bottom and spreads sideways slowly.

Typically what you want to do is heat slowly, getting the entire pan up to minor achievements before going crazy with max. And when you go max, which maybe you shouldn’t, make sure there’s some food (steak) that can absorb it rather than leaving some faggot ring in your pan. Good luck.

>>17397771
I just cook an entire package of bacon and then cook a couple bunches of green onions in the oil. the green onions do some magic to make it super slick asians do it on woks

>>17397809
I don't even have to wash? Like in >>17397203

>>17397116
>internets most popular cooking forum
There’s like 12 people who shitpost here

>>17396997
>clean it
Lmao you don't thats the best part. You just heat it up, drop some cold water in, wipe, and add some butter before you cook.

>>17397116
Dude a lodge is like 20 bucks at walshart and lasts forever

>>17397838
Nah. Washing is gay.

Protip: you only need to really do a proper seasoning (oil followed by bake at your ovens max temp for an hour) a couple times when you first get it, or if you ever intentionally strip the seasoning with solvents.

You do not need to treat this pan like a baby. I literally treat this pan (maintenance wise) like my stainless or Teflon, and I guarantee you it's seasoned as well as any anon in this thread.

No fucking stupid salt scrubs. No dumb specialty oils. No care. Do you think your great grandparents would waste precious oil or salt?

>>17397924
It's like a grill in a way, the black layer protects the metal.

>>17397128
>Recommending the retard that managed to burn the fucking seasoning on a cast iron pan to use teflon instead.
That's ultimately just indirectly killing anon. Kind of based.

>>17397072
You burned the seasoning. Cast iron is highly heat resistant, but not indefinitely so and the seasoning is less resistant than the iron itself. >>17397134 is absolutely right.
>>17397158
>Did I ruin the seasoning? Will it still be non-stick?
Probably. You must have gone absolutely insane in terms of heat to get this, but basically you (at least partially) burned away the polymerized fats. If you ruined the seasoning depends on how much you burned away. Hard to tell from the image.
>Will this get rid of the discoloration?
No, it will be like a coat of fresh paint. It will essential paint "over" the old seasoning, unless you remove that first. Also a single layer of seasoning will not be enough to make it perfectly uniform, that looks like it'd need somewhere between 2-5 layers is my guess.
>That's why I reapplied the oil.
You should basically always reapply some oil, though you don't need to burn it in afer normal use. I will post my basic routine after this post. Small damage to the seasoning doesn't matter, it will even out and get reapplied over time naturally. Only severe and large damage might make it reasonable to reclean and reseason.
>Do I have to put oil on it every single time I'm done with it?
With proper seasoning, no. Though I often do, especially if I store it for a while. The oil acts as a slight protection from moisture (though the seasoning already prevents rust if its made properly) and it's also a plus that it helps with the natural reseasoning when cooking with it the next time.

>>17397041
You don't

>>17396883
>Why doesn't everyone use this shit?
Because better options, like stainless steel/aluminum sandwiches, exist.

>>17397158
>>17398442
(cont.)
Basically how to season:
* If your pan is not new, and you want to reseason a pan that is heavily damaged (such as with rust), remove any seasoning and rust on it first. Clean it thoroughly, then wash it. After that dry it.
* If your pan is in okay shape and you just want to add some seasoning layers for whatever reason, no need to do any of that. Clean as normal, make sure no dirt is stuck to it and dry it.
* If you pan is factory new and claims to be pre-seasoned, wash thoroughly with soap, factory seasonings tend to be ass
Now you have two options: Oven or stove. Oven is more even and easier in my opinion, while stove is faster. Get some oil ready. Almost any oil will work, though cheap vegetable oil is a decent choice. There's also flaxseed/linseed oil, which is said to make to a stronger seasoning, though also one that splinters off more easily. I personally use linseed for cast iron with a rough surface and normal vegetable oil for stuff like carbon steel (DeBuyer) or with a smooth surface. I have no experience with wrought iron pans, though I would probably use vegetable oil. Don't use the oven method if the grip or anything on the pan can't handle heat (like if its made from wood or something).
>Oven method:
* heat oven to 100 ºC (or slightly above) and let it come up to temp for 30 minutes. This removes any moisture left over and may help with seasoning stickage
* Using a paper towel apply a thin layer of oil all over the pan. Using a clean paper towel wipe off as much as you can again off of the pan. This second step is important. The pan should almost look dry again.
* Heat oven to 250ºC. Optionally place some aluminium foil at bottom of oven.
* Place pan in oven, inverted is best to minimize contact with anything.
* Leave in oven for roughly 1h (45 minutes should be enough though)
* Let cool for another 15-30 minutes
* Repeat for any additional layer you want.

>>17398489
cont.
>Stove method
* Make sure your stove is well ventilated. The burning of the seasoning creates a lot of smoke.
* Use the biggest section of your stove. It should, if possible, be as big or bigger than the pan.
* let pan come up to heat at medium setting to dry completely.
* Add thin layer of oil with paper towel, using a fresh one wipe off again until it looks almost dry again.
* Increase temp, 2/3rds of max should be enough
* It will start smoking. Watch it form for 5-10 minutes. If your stove isn't applying heat consistenly (they rarely do) move pan around to try and get the seasoning everywhere equally
* Do not go full hog on the heat or you will burn shit. Enough to see the smoke and a bit further. No more heat is needed.
* Repeat for any additional layer wanted
If your seasoning is sticky you either applied too much oil or too little heat (or too little time). If its white you applied too much heat. If it's sticky, reheat on the stove a bit further this time, to finish the polymerization.

For daily use/care:
Take pan, heat, cook. That's it. If it's new and doesn't have the greatest seasoning yet, add some more oil/fat than you normally would.
After cooking, clean. I use water and a soft sponge which is often enough. If that's not enough I use a wok brush, though any rough brush would work. If I am lazy I use the abrasive side of the sponge, thought that slightly damages the seasoning. You can probably use soap if you need to as long as it does not contain lye. That being said I don't even have a need to. After washing, dry with a towel. You can technically already place it in storage now. Personally I tend to place the pan on the still hot stove though, so it looses any moisture from the heat. If your seasoning is good this is not needed. If I want to do a bit more work or I know I will store the pan for a while and not use it soon, I wipe it with another layer of oil similarly to how I would for seasoning, but without heating it. That's all.

>>17398442
>>17398489
>>17398520
jeez, kill yourself

>>17398525

>>17396883
nonstick is gay and will result in you and your pets getting cancer
everybody that bitches and moans about cast iron's maintenance or its intolerance for acidity is retarded and the extent of their cooking is usually "i use nonstick because otherwise my over-easy egg breaks!"

I figured out the Great American Chain tequila-lime steak tips in penne pasta recipe the other day and cooked it in my fucking Lodge. Flank steak, fucking dripping with vinegar and marinade, into the pan. cooked shallots and garlic then deglazed with sherry, white wine vinegar, and beef stock. The sauce consists of: 1:1:2:1 lime juice, tequila, cream, butter, added into the pan with the shallots.
there was nothing but fucking acidity in that pan, and it wiped clean with salt and an old credit card scraper

if it comes out of the sink with a little red-brown on it, just stick it straight on the stove and wipe it with a thin layer of canola oil from a microfiber cloth, take it up to its smoke point, and smoke it while moving it around circularly until it stops smoking.
also, if you're sautéing, use a fucking carbon steel pan.
nonstick is the jack of no trades, master of none. Taking it up to flame or sauté heat is dangerous, it doesn't retain heat, can't be put in the oven, and is fragile as fuck if you need to whisk in it. it's only purpose is ensuring that retards don't permanently burn their scrambled eggs onto the pan.

reject false dichotomy of teflon vs cast iron
embrace third way, carbon steel
Verification not required.

>>17396940
Fucking monkey slaves could figure out cast iron 200 years ago and here you are getting filtered by it in 2020+2
Proper cast iron seasoning is durable as hell, it's literally BURNED ON OIL. Have you ever tried to clean stains off of baking sheets? That's also burned on oil, the exact same thing.
If you can strip your cast iron seasoning off with just soap then you need to fucking do it again. Use LARD and bake it at 400.
>but it's gonna smoke waaahhh
YEAH THAT MEANS IT'S WORKING, GET THE FANS OUT AND OPEN YOUR WINDOWS
quick tip, you can tie a plastic bag around your smoke detectors to keep them from going off if you don't want to/can't unplug them

>>17398906
tell that to my fucking Calphalon, stop buying nonstick from fucking Walmart

>>17396883
>Why doesn't everyone use this shit?
Because stainless is better.

>>17396940
All I do to clean it is deglaze with cheap vodka, wipe with a paper towel and tongs, and leaving it on the hot burner for a few minutes. I haven't seasoned it in months because cooking with it frequently is good enough.

>>17398932
You shouldn't reply to copypasta like that with effortposts.

>>17396940
You're mentally ill

It took me 6 months to get a good coating on my pan. After that it's been completely non stick for 5 years going. I scrub it lightly with oil and kosher salt between uses. Anyone who says it's easy or impossible are both lying.

I want one, but I'm poor

Hey related question cast iron bros:
The seasoning on my cast-iron griddle seems to be getting uneven -- as in one area seems to be getting thicker than the rest. Is it better to strip it all off and restart it from scratch or would doing something like sanding down just the thicker area with some super-fine grit paper be possible? I've never tried the latter and have no idea if it would work.
Or, do I just let it ride and see what happens?

>>17396940
>First, you need to take care of the coating and bake an oil film into it
Nah, it comes pre done and all you have to do is add some oil when cooking something. Which you always do anyway because it's a fucking frying pan.
>forces you to clean it with only salt
Soapy water and steel wool. You're not tricking anyone into thinking steel is delicate.
>strip the oil
Just dont use the pan to boil tomato sauce for 4 hours, instead use it to fry shit, it's a frying pan.
>There is no ability to throw it in the dish washer
Do it faggot
>It can take a while to heat up
You're retarded. It's number 1 at heating up.
>If you neglect it, it will rust
Mines older than me, I've never seasoned it, I've done everything you've told me I can't and it's never rusted.

>stainless steel
Sticks like crazy.

>>17397160
>just clean it
Thanks for the tip. So dishwasher? Detergent and a metal scouring pad?

>>17398954
I literally just rinse mine with water until it's cool enough to wipe with a paper towel, then put it on the stove to heat the water off so it doesn't rust.

>>17398489
which oil are you using? i did the oven method several times using peanut oil and the seasoning is coming off like crazy after using once.

>>17396940
>rinse with water
>scrub off big bits
>dry
>lightly oil all of it
>Bake 400F for an hour
>repeat once more during the year
You're right, it is slightly more involved than the dishwasher.

>>17397946
It's precisely the same, the black gunk on your grill grates that protects the grate from rust is polymerized oil. Same as the seasoning on cast iron. Anywhere you see baked on grease basicly

>>17396883
yeah, cast irons are great, gotta take care of it though and a lot of people just aren't into maintaining their property anymore

>>17400233
ahahaha another one fell for the meme

>>17400233
Jesus fucking christ that looks bad anon.
I use linseed, though I don't use a debuyer/carbon steel pan. Just normal cast iron. Linseed and oven is a good choice for that because the rough surface gives it plenty physical resistance to grip onto.
I've heard that for carbon steel the stove method is better and that the supposed issues of linseed (chipping and peeling) get worse on it, so I'd use something like canola or sunflour probably. That being said I only ever seasoned one debuyer (for my parents) after they had similar issues, though not quite as bad as yours. They say it's holding up, but I can't say for sure without seeing it in person.
Looking at the walls of yours a guess I might have is that the layers may have been too thick, the inconsistency in coloring is what sometimes happen when you have too much oil and it seperates into different areas (not sure how to describe it in english). I'd say reset your pan by removing what seasoning you have there, preferably all over, buy on the bottom would be enough. Then I would roughen it up a bit if it didn't get roughened up by the washing process (use steel wool or sandpaper or some shit), to help with oil sticking. Then try it on the stove. I have no idea about peanut oil, but intuitively I see little reason why it shouldn't work compared to rapeseed or sunflower. But if it didn't work for you last time, try another one this time.
From there it's the usual - no acidic foods for long times and maybe don't use metal tools until the seasoning had some time to settle in. Good luck anon.

>>17397085
not him, but what oil should you use? some people say you can use any oil, but I've also read that the heating causes a certain reaction creating a certain substance from the oil that is what is useful, and I imagine that means theres an oil better suited to doing that than others

>>17401073
>>17398442
>polymerized
thats the word I was looking for. are certain oils better to achieve polymerization than others?

>>17399893
I saw one at Big 5 for $20. its just iron, so idk if it really varies that widely based on price. the only thing I could see really making a difference is if the bottom is smooth or textured

>>17400032
>Nah, it comes pre done
most resources say to use a scouring pad to remove factory rust-prevention. maybe not all, but I imagine most companies dont use shit thats good to leave on there. spray it with whatever to stop it from rusting, and let the consumer deal with properly treating it

>>17401100
>are certain oils better to achieve polymerization than others?
Yes, though the differences aren't nearly as pronounced as the online discourse would make you believe. The advice I have always heard is that "as long as it's a plant based, unrefined oil it should be fine. A lower smoke point seems to be preferable. High amounts of polyunsaturated fatty acids are what make up "drying oils" and the claim is these are better, due to their lower smoke point (which basically means the polymerization happens at lower temperatures). I always hear linseed/flaxseed oil recommended, because the patina that gets created is harder I have this link (lib3.dss.go.th/fulltext/Journal/J.AOCS/J.AOCS/1999/no.10/oct1999,vol76,no10,p1211-1216.pdf) (warning, direct pdf download) saved in my notes that apparently claims that linseed results in a harder polymerized layer, though in fairness I never actually read it. All I know is that it works for me.
And there are claims that this hardness of the polymerized layer on the other hand makes splintering of the layer more likely if there's a bad mechanical bond between the pan and the polymer layer.

Basically my advice, though far from scientifically optimized, is this:
For genuine cast iron (rough surface), use linseed/flaxseed. For others like wrought iron or carbon steel (debuyer), use any vegetable oil with high amounts of polyunsaturated fatty acids like sunflower oil, though I have had great results from canola personally with a carbon steel wok.

>>17399893
If you don't buy into the hype, cast iron is about the cheapest pan you can get. 20$ new, below 5$ used (though some work to clean those) at pawnshops. There's boutique ones available that have little upside to cheaper ones. The only "real" uptick in price is once you try to get pre-chernobyl vintage cast iron cookware sometimes. Though even those often are quite cheap.

>>17396997
>do you really
no. you just cook with it, clean it with warm water and a sponge, then put it back on the stove to dry off and put a drop or two of cooking oil on it and rub it down. they will gradually become more and more seasoned with use. the more you use a cast iron pan, the better it becomes.

>>17400032
>Nah, it comes pre done
It does, but you shouldn't really rely on the factory coating. Especially because usually there's an additional rust prevention over that seasoning for long term storage.
Use steel wool and soap to clean a factory new pan and give it a intense scrub. Then add 1-2 fresh layers of seasoning and you are good to go.
>>17401195
Correct. You want to clean a new pan and add 1-2 new layers before using it.

>>17397118
>t. Carpenter Technology

>>17399960
>The seasoning on my cast-iron griddle seems to be getting uneven
it is cooking well? then who cares?
>Is it better to strip it all off
fuck no. the popularity of stripping and seasoning videos on youtube is completely out of whack with the actual necessity, I think it's simply because these are something different about cast iron compared with say teflon or stainless.
>Or, do I just let it ride and see what happens?
yeah.

The biggest problem I see people having is over-maintaining their cast iron. most times all I do is wipe it out with a paper towel, if I've cooked burgers or something that leaves a gummy residue then I'll wash it out with hot water. these things got their non-stick reputation by people in the wilderness with nothing but water to keep them clean. just cook with it and don't obsess over it. don't fuck around with special oils (those rapeseed and grapeseed oils make a glossy, hard, and *brittle* seasoning that will chip and flake), don't fuck around with trying to sand them smooth (it's not needed for the non-stick properties and it can make it tough for the seasoning to stick). just use them.

i fucked up my seasoning and now any new fat i put in it turns black and tar-ish
the fuck do i do

>>17401327
immerse yourself in piss

>>17401335
thanks bro

>>17401316
>the popularity of stripping and seasoning videos on youtube is completely out of whack with the actual necessity
probably either people seasoning it poorly to where shit is sticking and causing problems, or slight sticking/discoloration that doesnt cause problems that visually looks like a problem

then again, I've only used an ex-roommates cast iron and most likely left it worse-off than it was. when i seared a steak, it looked like it left some shit, so I scrubbed it pretty hard and reapplied some oil. dont know if that was my fault, it was already there, or if he had a shitty seasoning

>>17401244
>You want to clean a new pan and add 1-2 new layers before using it.
especially with the standard lodge pans. their seasoning is done in a hurry and while it's thick enough and works well (you can cook scrambled eggs in it without it sticking) i find it's a little soft right out of the box. The best way to finish breaking in brand new lodge skillet is to wash it off with soap and water to make sure you've gotten it clean, then make cornbread in it.

>>17401352
>it looked like it left some shit
burgers and some patty sausages will do that too. get the skillet hot on the stove then put it under hot tap water (as hot as your tap will get). the steam will blast off almost all of the gummy crud on the pan, and anything left will be soft enough that a sponge will get rid of it. I normally do this as part of the cooking process, when the meat is about done I turn the hot water on, and by the time I take the meat off the tap is hot and I just put the pan under the hot water and it's done, takes 15 seconds.

>>17401395
nice, good to actually learn something while i piss away my free time on this garbage website

>>17401352
>probably either people seasoning it poorly
the biggest culprit seems to be excessively smooth pans or using meme oils for that "maximum hardness seasoning" that just chips off. I fucked up and bought a Smithey skillet when they first came out, and goddamn that thing just would not take seasoning, it would flake off if you looked at it wrong. I stripped it, put some salt water in it, and left it outside on the porch for a week to rust, then scrubbed the rust off with rock salt and seasoned it with crisco and that fixed it. I eventually sold it to a coworker who was enamored with extra heavy pans for searing steaks, and bought a lodge chef skillet for making omelettes, which was easily twice the skillet of that smithey. first omelette I made it just slid right out clean as a whistle, no extra seasoning needed. it was easily the equal of my old BSR chef skillet I got from my grandmother.

>>17401441
>"maximum hardness seasoning" that just chips off
are you a different poster from the one recommending linseed oils on coarser pans, that did mention it would be more likely to splinter? was the pan you sold smooth?

I'm finally going to take the plunge soon, having been convinced seasoning isnt that complex and care is minimal, so I'm trying to run through all the information I can

>>17401458
>are you a different poster from the one recommending linseed oils on coarser pans
yes. never used linseed oil, and would be hesitant to use it on cookware because it's toxic. I would only use food grade oils.
>was the pan you sold smooth
define "smooth". when it was new it was way too smooth, it came with a surface ground cooking surface and a rapeseed seasoning, and a plastic spatula would chip that shit off. I tried adding layers of canola seasoning and that was better but it would still chip and peel. smooth is nice but not necessary, a skillet will get smoother with use anyway as the seasoning gradually fills in the roughness. My first skillet was a Wagner 1891 I bought from Academy in the late 80's, within a few years it was as glossy smooth as my grandmother's vintage Wagner skillets.

In the case of my problematic Smithey skillet, rusting a bit roughened the surface enough for the seasoning to stick. Lodges used to be pretty smooth from the factory. my first lodge - also bought in the 1980's before they started preseasoning them - was much smoother new than my wagner 1891. Lodge went to the rougher finish when they started seasoning them at the factory. the roughness doesn't affect its nonstick properties enough to matter, and greatly improves the ability of seasoning to stick to them.

Some of the $$$ boutique skillet makers have finally figured this out, for example stargazer used to come with a mirror finish and they recently bailed on it and went with their "proprietary" roughened finish because of this problem. I've heard that Smithey's are also not nearly as smooth as they originally were, because they got a bad reputation for their inability to hold seasoning.

>>17401521
>because it's toxic
just to clarify - i know that once it's polymerized this doesn't matter because it's no longer linseed oil anymore, but it still bugs me. and it's not like canola oil and bacon grease aren't readily available in your average kitchen, and they do a perfectly fine job of seasoning.
when I got married my wife had a cheap chinese skillet that was incredibly rough, it made lodge look like a vintage skillet. But it was perfectly nonstick. I've got vintage BSR's and Wagners from my mom and grandmom, and my own Lodges and Wagner 1891, and they all work essentially identically. IMO a much more important factor is the handle and to some extent the weight, the smoothness of the pan is way down the list. My favorite skillet is my Wagner 1891 even though they don't have a great reputation. it came from the factory very rough (though within a few years of use it was a smooth as a vintage pan), and it isn't particularly light (about like a standard lodge) - but it has an absolutely fantastic handle, extremely comfortable and long enough that heat isn't much of an issue. IMO the next best handle is on the lodge chef line, and third best handle are the old BSR's.

>>17401521
>>17401578
alright, thanks. some more things to ponder. I originally thought a rough surface would be bad for non-stick purposes, but when it comes seasoning adheration, and how that will smooth it out, it makes sense

>>17401589
I'm sure there's some level of roughness that would cause a skillet to stick, but whatever that hypothetical roughness level is it's way worse than anything you can find out there.
as long as it's got some seasoning - and it doesn't take as much seasoning as you'd think - it'll be nonstick. I think the "rough is bad" idea came from people who got their first cast iron and tried to cook fish or eggs on it without knowing the trick (preheat the pan, and let the food cook for a few minutes before trying to move it), and started looking for something besides themselves to blame. since the vintage skillets were smooth and their new lodge was rough then that was an obvious scapegoat, the missing knowledge factor was not as obvious and so got overlooked. the mass of "how to sand your skillet" and "here's how to get the hardest bestest seasoning" videos on youtube simply compounded the mistake.

>>17401521
>>17401578
my first cast iron was an Ozark Trail, that's the Walmart camping brand, it was 7 dollars and "rougher" than any /ck/ has ever bitched about.
But nothing ever sticks, you just literally cook in it and it gets better and better with time. literally just cook. simple as.

here's an old pic I took, buttered up the bottom of one skillet to place on top of another, to make paninis in the oven.

>>17401044
>I use linseed
this is the kind of shit people rub into gunstocks, people use it for fucking cookware?

>>17401646
this is a good post.
yeah the mild roughness is actually better at "releasing" food that's properly cooked on it (like you say - moving it around prematurely fucks the whole thing up) and any difference you'd notice would only be on a brand new pan and eliminated within a matter of weeks with even semi-regular use.

>>17401745
Don't confused pure linseed oil with boiled linseed oil (BLO) which contains toxic chemical drying agents.

>>17400183
I've been told that spraying cold water on a hot cast iron pan risks cracking it, but it's probably fine.

>>17396883
because its an extra 5 minutes of maintenance that are better spent doing something else

>>17396940
I could not imagine being a nitpicking fag like you holy hell

Because I live in a humid country and I use tomatoes a lot. I use aluminum filled/layered stainless steel instead.

>>17396940
Shouldn't be putting any pans in the dishwasher anyways.

>>17401735
I had a texsport chinese skillet that was like that, the surface was like 20 grit sandpaper. seasoned it up with crisco and took it camping and it was as nonstick as anything.

>>17396940
>If you neglect it, it will rust.
>>17397160
>coat it with some olive oil (...) so it doesn't rust
>>17397203
>apply a thin layer of oil
>just use the fucking thing
>>17397791
>literally just use it
>>17401223
>the more you use a cast iron pan, the better it becomes

This is what people bitching about "high maintenance" mean that you don't understand.
Cast iron keeps itself hostage and forces you to use it or else it'll go to shit.
I own one CI pan but I already regret buying this shit. The
>just apply a layer of oil if you don't plan to use it soon
is bad advice. Oil exposed to air in room temp will go rancid. A few weeks after you put the pan away you may realise it smells bad and so will any food you cook in it. I had to rely on just drying it off before storage.
I left my pan secured in its box at the bottom of a closet for maybe 10 weeks and fuck me, the bottom is covered in a layer of rust. I doubt I'll ever use it again, even assuming I find a way to get the rust off.

Cast iron is not a tool, it's a pet that you need to constantly keep in mind.

I hate cooking in general because it takes pans too long to heat up, and cast iron is even worse. I've never had a gas stove but I know they are better than what I've had.

>>17403020
it's a poor craftsman that blames his tools

>>17403020
>10 weeks
you're hit on a real weakness of cast iron. it is really works better for people who cook more than 5 times a year.

>>17401745
I'm never sure how to translate shit. Dictionary claims the stuff I use can be translated as "linseed" or "flaxseed". Whatever the difference is, the shit I use is food safe, that's all I know. It's often sold as a "healthy" oil by people who are into organic food. That being said it is also often used to treat cutting boards, so it would make sense that people might use it for wooden gunstocks as well.

>>17398906
>will result in you and your pets getting cancer
guess what also does that
polymerized oils, which you're eating every time you cook on cast iron because the "seasoning" is just that

>>17403020
Use it more than twice a year and don't use a oil that goes rancid immediately and this is a literal non-issue. In the offchance that you need to store it for longer, add a single fresh layer of seasoning to make sure (this is optional though provided the old seasoning is still intact) and store after drying. If you want 110% security add a dessicant pack or some rice to a plastic bag and put the pan in there.
I keep my cast iron and carbon steel cookware with minimal maintenance in the kitchen (so higher than average air moisture) and leave some of the cast iron tools for months at a time in storage. Never had any issues.
The whole crying around the maintenance of cast iron is insanely overblown, using cast iron is some effort the first day you get it and from there it is marginally more maintenance than having a teflon pan.

>>17403946
>Comparing eating something that has been proven to contain potent carcinogens and leech into your food with the potential worry that the marginal amounts of polymerized and oxidized oils that get into food may have adverse health effects over a long time of usage (which no study to my knowledge has been able to prove so far).
That's like saying: "Living in a city with vehicles driving on the roads is bad for your health because of particulates that they emit, so we might as well just eat asbestos". The levels we are talking here are not even remotely comparable. Dosage makes the poison and if you want to be safe, use glass cookware or maybe stainless steel. Saying there is no difference between suboptimal and bad is retarded.

>>17401441
>excessively smooth pans
Vintage cast iron is sought after because it's so smooth. You can get better polymerization on flat surfaces.

>>17403898
That's flaxseed oil you have then

>>17404049
Is linseed something fundamentally different then? Thought it was just another name for it.

>>17398906
How was the steak tips? I've been looking for a decent recipe?

>>17404042
>bunch of baseless tinfoil shit
ok retard
enjoy eating your burnt plastic cancer shit

>>17404365
Post studies or shut the fuck up. You made the claim, you post proof.

>>17404055
Same plant, different extraction methods, and generally flaxseed oil or flax oil is what it's marketed as when it's in edible form while linseed oil is what it's called when it's used as a furniture finish & protectant. The latter not being for eating and will start a fire if enough rags soaked in it are left in a pile.

>>17404410
Good to know, thanks. I always just used those two interchangeably in the past.

>>17397041
Pour water, scrap with a wood spatula like your deglazzing, run water over the faucet, wipe down with paper towel and put back on still warm burner to evaporate any residual moisture.

You can also use soap if it’s especially bad. Contrary to myth, mild dish soap doesn’t remove seasoning.

>>17397087
anon you said you were using an induction stove? If so, that's probably the explanation; it's possible you got your pan so hot it started bluing. No harm done, just reseason and continue.
Cast iron pans are literal sheets of fucking iron, it's impossible to destroy them with normal household appliances. Short of hammer and chisel, worst case scenario, put it in your oven, run the cleaning cycle, then start over.

>>17404575
>mild dish soap doesn’t remove seasoning.
No soap will remove seasoning unless it contains lye or a similarly strong alkaline

>>17396883
Wash it with cold water and a scrub brush

>>17396940
I feel bad for people that can't take care of a literal hunk of iron, it's not hard dude, it literally amounts to "don't leave it wet" that's it and you have something that will outlast you and your kids.

I use carbon steel more for a regular flat pan lately. I like using a cast iron grill pan sometimes though.

>>17404047
vintage cast iron is sought by collectors because it's vintage.
>You can get better polymerization on flat surfaces.
bullshit. polymerization happens at the molecular level, millions of times smaller than the scale of the surface textures we're talking about. meanwhile you can make a lodge skillet have a glassy smooth interior just by making cornbread in it a few times, the polymerization happens primarily in the valleys of the texture, and rapidly fills in any irregularities.

This is all you need for cleaning no matter how fucked it is

>>17403021
>it takes pans too long to heat up
you can turn the stove on when you start prepping your ingredients....

>>17397158
your green scrubber took off some oil left on top, theres basically zero chance you removed the actual seasoning that way
the seasoning is not just a regular oil layer

>>17407894
i do this when i buy a cast iron at a flea marker or garage sale because i have no idea what they have been using it for.
I knew a guy that used a cast iron dutch oven to drain his cars oil into then he gave it to me, i must have took a 1/4" off that thing before i cooked food in it