Cast Iron Seasoning

[Anonymous No.8137166]

How do you guys season your cast iron? I have a shitty Lodge skillet and eggs always stick to it. How to season it so I can make myself delicious chicken period breakfast?

[Anonymous No.8137175]

>>8137166
You need to salt it before you oil it.
Most people don't do this and thus never season their skillet properly.

[Anonymous No.8137186]

Cook a shitton of bacon in it

[Anonymous No.8137202]

>>8137175
Pitting much?

[Anonymous No.8137279]

>>8137175
Whats the point of the salt?

[Anonymous No.8137286]

>>8137279
Salt is an abrasive cleaner that you can use to clean dirty CI cookware without harming the seasoning like soap could so it's commonly recommended for cleaning dirty cast iron.

But the idea that you must salt it before you oil it is pure nonsense. The salt has nothing whatsoever with the seasoning process. Seasoning is the polymerization of fat into a hard coating. That requires only two things: a food-safe fat and heat.

[Anonymous No.8137307]

>>8137286
Yeah, I'm aware of it's use for cleaning the pan, the idea that you could use it to season the pan was what I was asking about.

I've been using Crisco to season my pan and eggs still stick. Maybe it's because of the grainy surface of Lodge skillets. Gotta either pay 150~ for one of the new smooth ones or hit up antique sales and hope you get lucky with a vintage one.

[Anonymous No.8137326]

>>8137307
Grainy surface doesn't matter one bit.

The two problems that I've encountered most often when helping friends with their CI is either they used too much oil/fat when seasoning, and/or they didn't heat it up high enough during the seasoning process.

What does the inside of your pan feel like when you touch it with your fingers? It should feel rock-hard and slippery. If it feels soft, sticky, or oily then you have the aforementioned problem.

[Anonymous No.8137329]

>>8137307
>Gotta pay 150~
>or hope you get lucky
Sand it smooth yourself. Are you a fucking retard?

[Anonymous No.8137336]

>>8137166

http://sherylcanter.com/wordpress/2010/01/a-science-based-technique-for-seasoning-cast-iron/

Organic flaxseed oil.

I like to cook a throwaway batch of hot Italian sausage to christen new cast iron anyway...

But the organic flaxseed oil is the tits.

[Anonymous No.8137598]

Just a reminder that soap will not damage a properly seasoned pan and leaving old oil in a pan after juat wiping it down is gross and disgusting

[Anonymous No.8137823]

I tried to season my copper fry pan but I have this same issue. Tips?

[Anonymous No.8137837]

>>8137329
Don't have the tools.


>>8137326
What temperature do you recommend to use? It feels rough, not quite slippery or oily. I'm in the process of getting a couple of layers on it right now. Using 350 heat and wiping off all of the fat before putting it in the oven.
>>8137336
I've read mixed reviews on flaxseed. Some swear by it and others say its flaky and not as long-lasting as something like Crisco. I'm going to try to make Crisco work first before I move to other fats because plenty of people have had success with it so I'm hopeful that I'll figure it out.

>>8137598
Thanks

[Anonymous No.8137849]

>>8137837

Buy the tools so when you fuck it up again you can fix it again.

[Anonymous No.8137903]

>>8137166
Like any relationship, the best way is to just stop caring. Don't soak it, put it in a dishwasher, or use really soapy water. But don't priss it up and worry about having to salt/oil/low heat dry every time. You can cook acidic tomato sauce in it if you're doing a quick poached eggs in red sauce, just don't make hours-long sunday gravy in the thing.

Leave it out on the stove for a few days if you can't be bothered. Just quick rinse and use your cast-iron suicide brush to get the gunk off, and use. Yeah, sometimes you should oil it, or wipe with salt if it's getting gunky. But who cares.

After time, you'll start to notice that it's a lot more black and slick instead of that faded grey, through no effort of your own other than cooking on it. That is the key.

[Anonymous No.8137921]

>>8137903
good advice. It was actually starting to get non-stick after a couple of days of using it but the seasoning didn't look even to me so I overthought it and assumed I did something wrong and needed to reseason it. After reseasoning it, it seemed to have lost the non-stick feel that it had accumulated before. So, after I finish this multiple layer seasoning I'll stop caring about the appearance and just use it.

[Anonymous No.8137931]

>>8137903
i got a 30 year one from my dad and shit always sticks to it. unless your're a god at heat management shits going to stick to it. They're great for searing and frying (i.e., if it's not floating it's not frying). I wouldn't stress about pancakes not being able slide off your fish and potato seasoned pan.

[Anonymous No.8137988]

>>8137166
When I first got my cast iron pan I always had a problem with eggs and things sticking. I must've reseasoned my pan 4 or 5 times before I finally realized what was going on.

First off, you absolutely need some sort of fat to cover the pan when you're cooking. When I cook my eggs (2 of them, plus sausage), I use half a tablespoon of butter. I put it on medium heat and let it the butter melt. When its melted I make sure to tilt the pan back and forth to get the butter to cover the whole surface.

Then I let it sit on the heat. <--- crucial part

Turns out I was using too little butter/fat/oil and wasn't letting the pan heat up enough. I usually wait 1-2 minutes, enough let the butter start to brown just a bit.

When I crack my egg onto my pan, it takes but a second or two to turn white. If it isn't solidifying/cooking that quick, you need to wait long.

Once you've cooked enough this way, the oils/fats get into the pan and you probably don't need to wait as long or need to use as much oil/fat. I can actually just tilt my pan and have eggs slide out onto a plate as if the eggs were allergic to the iron.

[Anonymous No.8138451]

[Anonymous No.8138466]

>>8137166
nice dubs

nice thread

[Anonymous No.8138549]

>>8137336
>muh gmo free skillet seasoned with organic harmonized flaxseed oil

[Anonymous No.8139082]

>believing in psuedo cooking science of yesteryear
>Not just using the dishwasher like the modern man

[Anonymous No.8139129]

>>8137279
The salt draws moisture out of the metal.
You put about a half inch in the skillet and heat it up as hot as possible.
Clean it out and then oil the pan.

[Anonymous No.8139157]

Is it weird that I actually made corned beef hash and eggs this morning?

As to seasoning my cast iron, I rub it liberally with a high smoke point oil, heat the oven to 500 degrees, and put the pan in upside down. About twenty minutes is usually sufficient.

That's just the primer though. The real seasoning happens over time as you use the pan. As has been mentioned, always cook with a liberal amount of oil/butter. My eggs literally slide right out of the pan now.

[Anonymous No.8140078]

>>8139157
is that a lodge? I have one of those silicone holders they come with and the thing gets too hot to hold on to when I cook. Plus I noticed it melted a bit.

[Anonymous No.8140321]

>>8140078
get one like this. it's basically an over mitt just for the handle.

the one I've got has lasted me 2+ years.

[Anonymous No.8140344]

Is it a mistake to rinse the pan out with warm water? I tried to do so the other day on my pan and I noticed some of the shinys were gone from the surface.

[Anonymous No.8140345]

>>8139129

completely unnecessary.

1) cast iron doesn't absorb moisture
2) even if it did, the act of heating it up would remove the moisture without the need for salt.

[Anonymous No.8140347]

>>8137837
>What temperature do you recommend to use?

Any temp will work so long as it is higher than the smoke point of the oil you are using.

[/ck/ Observer No.8140370]

>>8137202
Never an issue.
Do it right or don't bother.

[Anonymous No.8140373]

>>8140321
This. I do a lot of drunk cooking and used to burn the shit outta my hand all the time when I first started using cast iron because I was so used to a regular pan that wouldn't scald the ever living fuck outta you when you cooked with it. Those little cloth bastards are a life saver and are the only reason I don't have 3rd degree burns all over my hands. Yes, I'm an idiot. I have accepted this. But god bless cast iron. Gonna season my home and camping cast iron skillets tonight tonight actually.

[Anonymous No.8140380]

>>8139082

[Anonymous No.8140381]

>>8140373
drunk cooking is based but dangerous

[Anonymous No.8140387]

>>8137166
Cooks Illustrated has an excellent foolproof way to season CI, it takes damn near all day: https://www.cooksillustrated.com/how_tos/5820-the-ultimate-way-to-season-cast-iron

[Anonymous No.8140416]

>>8140381
I concur. When I lived back home I'd cook a shitload for my parents and buddies when they'd come over. A lot of fish too since salmon is was so affordable. I was always outside bullshitting and drinking while using the cast iron on the grill when it was nice outside and I must have done that shit a dozen times. Or pulling it out of the oven or something. Retarded.

>now i can drunk cook all the time and keep the use of my hands

Captcha
>Woodburn St

[Anonymous No.8140448]

>>8140380
It may not be pretty, but works just as fine without all the """seasoning""" work

[Anonymous No.8140456]

>>8140448
Mmmmm.... iron oxide.

[Anonymous No.8140474]

Is it possible to season a pan in an apartment without setting off the smoke alarms

[Anonymous No.8140482]

>>8140474

Sure. You don't need very much oil at all. THIN layer. Shouldn't smoke appreciably.

[Anonymous No.8140492]

>>8140474
Mine hasn't set off the alarms yet. It smokes very little, if at all. Turn on the fan over your stove (if you have one) or open some windows. Maybe some of the excess oil is dripping onto the heating element? Put a piece of aluminum foil under your pan to catch any drippings. Also, maybe sure it's turned upside down. Maybe you're just cooking your oil in the pan if you have it right side up? Not sure, just a couple possible remedies depending on what you're doing.

[Anonymous No.8140538]

Lodge are shitty pans these days, and have been since the 80s. get a wire brush and a flap wheel and polish all the rough stuff off the inside of the pan. the bottom should feel like glass. Then reseason and it'll be about as good as you can get it.

or buy a Chinese one off amazon, because the Chinese still know how to cast a proper iron mould and get a smooth surface, unlike us.

[Anonymous No.8140594]

ITT: people who think iron is a type of wood

[Anonymous No.8140813]

>>8140594

I like to think I know what tf I'm talking about when it comes to my cast iron pans.

[Anonymous No.8140925]

>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46nRKacPWPs
based Martha Stewart, use a solid shortening to season so it doesn't get oily at 350 degrees for at least an hour.

>http://www.seriouseats.com/2016/09/how-to-clean-maintain-cast-iron-pan-skillet-cookware.html
contrary to popular belief soap doesn't harm cast iron

>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZmJu3FuE3E
if you still don't buy it then just use jewish kosher salt method

finally just buy a lodge 12in for about $30, you can find these at literally any Shart Mart

>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZmNyOCzpC8
if you want a polished cast iron (makes it non stick) you'll have to get a stargazer 10.5 in for about $80 plush shipping

although you can just polish a lodge pan at home, or look for a half decent Chinese manufacturer.

[Anonymous No.8140935]

>>8139157
THAT THERE IS SOME DAMN FINE CORNED BEEF HASH ANON.

care to share recipe? my ratios are always fucked.

[Anonymous No.8141181]

>>8140538
link me one of these smooth Chinese pans you speak off

[Anonymous No.8141301]

>>8140373
out of curiosity did you also splash a bit of whiskey while cooking while drunk?

[Anonymous No.8141368]

>>8137166
It takes time to get a real seasoning on your pan. Sure, you can season it in the oven with fat, but the best thing to do is cook food in it.

I wouldn't suggest eggs right now if you're having that much trouble. Cook sausage, bacon, steak, burgers, stuff with a higher fat content. Fry chicken, make stir fry, find excuses to cook with fat, and over time your seasoning will improve.

Use is the best thing. The reason you see fifty year old pans with slippery black season all over the surface is because of years and years of use.

When you finish cooking, wipe out the crusty shit with a soft pad or brush and water, heat it up again to evaporate the water, grease it again with a small amount of oil, and you're done. I recently started using mine again after getting discouraged and little by little the seasoning has improved. I cooked some cornbread in it the other night and it didn't stick at all.

[Anonymous No.8141541]

>>8141368
good advice but

>Use is the best thing. The reason you see fifty year old pans with slippery black season all over the surface is because of years and years of use.
They actually used to make em like that. I think the costs of smoothing out the bottom outweigh the benefits for Lodge so they don't do it.

[Anonymous No.8141753]

>>8141181

www.amazon.com/Enameled-Cast-Skillet-Island-Spice/dp/B01BU2V85M

>wa la

[Anonymous No.8141768]

>>8141753
>enamel coated
ughhhhhh.......

[Anonymous No.8141819]

>>8141541
It's just more cost-effective to mass produce them in molds than forge them for real and grind them smooth. A shame that I missed out on my grandma's skillet but someone else got it after her house burned.

Anyway, I've had a lot of trial and error getting my Lodge pan the way I want it but it's finally starting to look right and above all cook the right way.

[Anonymous No.8141843]

>>8137988
This is literally basic cooking 101 oh my god

[Anonymous No.8142006]

>>8141819
>forge them

>cast iron

niggauwat.jpg

[Anonymous No.8142023]

>>8139129
>The salt draws moisture out of the metal.

kys

[Anonymous No.8142151]

>>8140935
About 6-8 oz. of Corned Beef, diced. (I made it the day before in my crock pot.)
1 medium bell pepper, diced.
1 small onion, diced.
2 small potatoes, diced.
1 clove of garlic, minced.
Salt and fresh ground pepper.

[Anonymous No.8142155]

>>8142023
>/ck/ still doesn't know how to season cast iron.

[Anonymous No.8142168]

>>8142006
You're a fucking idiot, Son.

[Anonymous No.8142169]

>>8142168
>cast

>forged

>not two different metalworking methods

m8

[Anonymous No.8142482]

>>8141843
not really mate. when i used a non-stick pan, I didn't have to wait nearly as long for the pan to heat up as I did for cast-iron.

[Anonymous No.8142720]

>>8141301
Possibly. I happen to be a whiskey/bourbon drinker. Do I know you señor?

[Anonymous No.8142724]

Seasoning is actually not a thin layer of oil, it's a thin layer of polymerized oil, a key distinction. In a properly seasoned cast iron pan, one that has been rubbed with oil and heated repeatedly, the oil has already broken down into a plastic-like substance that has bonded to the surface of the metal. This is what gives well-seasoned cast iron its non-stick properties, and as the material is no longer actually an oil, the surfactants in dish soap should not affect it. Go ahead and soap it up and scrub it out.

The one thing you shouldn't do? Let it soak in the sink. Try to minimize the time it takes from when you start cleaning to when you dry and re-season your pan. If that means letting it sit on the stovetop until dinner is done, so be it.

Science, FTW.

[Anonymous No.8142729]

>>8137166
>strip completely in camp fire or oven cleaning cycle
>clean throughly with soap and water, maybe abrasive spronge
>light coat of cold pressed un-processed flax seed oil
>upside down in oven to 500 degrees for 3 hours
>cool 12 hours
>repeat 5+ times or until happy with results

[Anonymous No.8142791]

>>8140925
>although you can just polish a lodge pan at home, or look for a half decent Chinese manufacturer.
second time this is mentioned in this thread, do you by any chance know any Chinese manufacturer that makes smooth pans?

[Anonymous No.8143065]

>>8142482
No fucking shit

[Anonymous No.8143143]

>>8143065
and you need to use more butter too

[Anonymous No.8144397]

>>8137166
>How do you guys season your cast iron?

Just fry up stuff in the pan like bacon, corned beef hash, Spam, etc. and wipe it clean with a paper towel, do NOT wash it (I haven't washed my cast iron pan in years).

No need for elaborate "seasoning" procedures.

[Anonymous No.8144550]

>>8144397
You don't even rinse it off with some water?

[Anonymous No.8145012]

>>8138466
checked

nice post

[Anonymous No.8145131]

>>8137307
Use more oil when cooking your eggs. You need more than a spray of oil from a can.

[Anonymous No.8145605]

>>8144397
>I haven't washed my cast iron pan in years).

What about all the food bits?

[Anonymous No.8145735]

>>8144397
disgusting pig

[Anonymous No.8145793]

>>8137307
Don't cook eggs in it for a little while and just stick to cooking bacon and meats with shitloads of fat. After about 5-10 times of this, start cooking eggs again. They should cook just fine without sticking. Just gotta build up that seasoning

[Anonymous No.8145810]

>>8145605
>wipe it clean with a papper towel

what part of that sentence did you not understand?

[Anonymous No.8145842]

>>8137166

The best advice I have heard and will pass on is just use the dang thing. I have a flat pan I struggled with and it is just now starting to come around. Also the washing it with heat, oil and salt helped a lot.

[Anonymous No.8145876]

I'm actually seasoning a cast iron today. It's an old vintage pan, was really gunked up with crud so I used some oven cleaner (with lye) to remove it. Going to be trying out flax seed oil for seasoning.

I have a similar vintage pan with original seasoning, so it'll be interesting to compare.

[Anonymous No.8145912]

>>8140373
>>8140321

I beg to differ

[Anonymous No.8146971]

>>8145912
w-what happened

[Anonymous No.8147193]

>>8144397
Except when those oils break down and fucking go rancid in your pan. Nothing like the smell of rotting meat to add some flavor to your food.

[Anonymous No.8148114]

>>8147193
i think if you use it frequently you'd be fine.

[Anonymous No.8148117]

>>8147193

What oils going rancid in the pan? Did you miss the part where you wipe the pan clean?

[Anonymous No.8149738]

>>8141819
>house burned down
>skillet remained stronk

[Anonymous No.8149821]

Best oil/temperature? I have a lodge that never really got a good season on it and wanted to strip and re-season it, but I've only got olive, canola, peanut, and avocado oil around.

[Anonymous No.8149926]

For the next 2 weeks:

Place pan over a low burner, after 3 minutes place 3 strips bacon in pan. Let cook (this will take some time due to the low heat, but it will render the fat without burning)
After bacon is cooked, pull and place on paper towels to drain.
Swish bacon fat around pan, coating the sides also. Pour out fat.
Add 1 Tbls of cooking oil, raise burner to medium
Just before pan is going to start to smoke add in 1 Tbls butter, swish oils to coat evenly.
Break 2 eggs into pan, flip soon for over easy
Repeat every day for two weeks.

Pan will be in good shape by then.

Then go out and get yourself a de Buyer Mineral Fry Pan, and forget all about cast iron.

https://youtu.be/n4o_HbZvCMM

English:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHA4MSMKKoA&t=0s

[Anonymous No.8149930]

>>8149926
or you can just season your pan.

[Anonymous No.8149951]

>>8149930

Excellent point you made there.

But with my method you are eating out of it every day, while building up the non-stick base.

[Anonymous No.8150035]

I bought a Weber Q the other day. What's a good way to season and maintain the grill? Should I use spray oil or just lots of fatty meats?

[Anonymous No.8150065]

>>8150035
>I bought a Weber Q the other day. What's a good way to season and maintain the grill? Should I use spray oil or just lots of fatty meats?

Not much you can do...the grate is porcelain coated cast iron. Don't bang it around, be gentle with utensils so as not to chip it. It will never really season as straight cast iron does. Just grease it up after it gets hot, I'd use just straight cooking oil. I usually dip half an onion in the oil, use that to apply to the grate.

[Anonymous No.8150144]

>>8137166
If it's a new lodge seasoning it won't do shit until you take a few flap discs and a palm sander to the cooking surface

[Anonymous No.8150734]

Why don't you people use Carbon Steel like real cooks do?

[Anonymous No.8150736]

>>8142724
If you cook something acidic and it breaks down this coating and it gets into your food, is this a bad thing?

[Anonymous No.8150818]

Wish I had a before picture, this pan had a good quarter inch of gunk the bottom and eighth inch inside.

Stripped it down to bare iron with oven cleaner.

Six coats of flax seed oil.

And now it looks great.

[Anonymous No.8150823]

>>8150818
And the bottom

[Anonymous No.8150825]

>>8150818
meme seed oil

[Anonymous No.8150855]

>>8150825
I guess I'll find out. But things tend to become memes for a reason yo.

[Anonymous No.8150930]

>>8149926
>cookware with rivets

[Anonymous No.8151110]

>>8150144
I have had a lodge for a couple years, is sanding/grinding down then re-seasoning worth the effort?

[Anonymous No.8151144]

>>8151110

Nope. The rough finish doesn't matter one bit. People complaining about it are fucking up their seasoning in some other way.

In my experience it's nearly always one of two problems:

1) they apply too much oil/fat
and/or
2) they don't cook it long or hot enough after application.

[Anonymous No.8151155]

>>8140448
Nigger please be baiting. Washing castiron in the dishwasher is like the worst fucking thing you can do. You are basically poisoning yourself with the iron.

[Anonymous No.8151164]

>>8150930
>animu on a food and cooking board

[Anonymous No.8151360]

>>8151144
It does matter, but not as much as the seasoning itself. A well seasoned smoother vintage pan is going to be much nicer than an equally well seasoned rougher new pan.

[Anonymous No.8151453]

>>8151360
Is there even a potential for a newer pan to become as nice as an old one? Even with sanding down a new rough hewn one?

[Anonymous No.8151464]

>>8151453
use it long enough that it becomes an old man

[Anonymous No.8151468]

>>8151360

It only matters as far as aesthetics go. I have some old Griswold pans that are several decades old, as well as some new Lodge. They perform identically in my experience.

>>8151453
Old pans weren't made any differently than current ones. It's not as if sand-casting technology has appreciably changed since then. The ones that are smooth are that way due to years of use. (or also: years of grime that was never properly cleaned from the pan). You could sand a new pan if you wanted it smooth. That would be a pretty simple job. Doesn't really help anything though.

[Anonymous No.8151476]

>>8151468
>Doesn't really help anything though.
I just see a lot of pseudoscience about cast iron, because some swear by old pans, and some argue that new ones are fine and just need more use. I'm just wondering if there would be any appreciable use to smoothing a pan.

[Anonymous No.8151640]

>>8140448
rip anon
he was retarded from the start.

[Anonymous No.8151652]

>>8151164
do we really need to keep on making the point this entire website was made because of the japs?

[Anonymous No.8151750]

>>8151468
I find my old pans much easier to keep clean and somewhat more nonstick with the smooth bottom. Don't really use the Lodge at all since it's just not as good.

Seasoned them all myself the same way.

The sand casting DID change, by the way. They used to use jewelers sand which resulted in a much smoother pan. The technology still exists, but it's not used anymore in the US. Even new old stock pans are perfectly smooth. They're also perfectly smooth when stripped to bare iron, it's not buildup.

[Anonymous No.8151825]

Why does my seasoning keep peeling off? My process is as follows:

1. Heat the pan in a pre-heated 250 C oven for 30-45 minutes.
2. Apply canola oil with a paper towel. Use a layer that's thin enough that it doesn't pool or form into droplets on the surface of the pan, but still thick enough that I can see that there's something on there.
3. Put it back into the 250 C oven, upside down. Bake it for 1 hour, then turn the oven off and let it cool without opening the oven.
4. After about 5 hours the pan is cool enough to remove from the oven but still warm to the touch. The surface feels dry and there's no sticky residue or anything.
5. Repeat this process a few times to build up more layers.

Every time I get to layer 4 or so, the seasoning spontaneously breaks in the middle of the pan and chips off. I stripped the whole thing in a lye bath and seasoned it again, this time only for 2 layers. I tried frying a steak in it (with a very well pre-heated pan and loads of oil), but it immediately stuck to the pan and wouldn't release even after minutes of frying. When I pulled it off the pan, the seasoning came off with it and left a steak-shaped hole in the seasoning all the way down to the bare metal.

I've stripped the pan a couple of times now but it's the same problem every time. Last time I was paranoid that there may be a thin layer of rust on the pan after the lye bath, so I soaked it in 5% vinegar for 6 hours to dissolve any rust, then rinsed it and dried it well with towels. I though it may also be moisture getting trapped under the first layer, so I dried it at 250 C for a full hour before seasoning. But the seasoning still starts peeling off as soon as you've added more than 3 layers, or if you try to fry anything in it.

[Anonymous No.8151868]

>>8151825

The idea of seasoning in "layers" is wrong. Only the first layer--the one that's actually in contact with the bare metal--matters. Anything beyond that is just a dirty pan.

"peeling layers" suggests to me one of two things:
-Pan wasn't clean before you started (though given your description of what you did that seems unlikely)

-Your oil layer was too thick

The oil layer can be super thin--the only way you can tell it's there is the color change from the oil "wetting" the metal. There should be absolutely no signs of "liquid" oil, and certainly no blobs, pools, drips, etc.

[Anonymous No.8151880]

>>8151868
If layers don't matter, then what's with the "well-seasoned" meme? Isn't an old pan supposed to be better specifically because it has built up a thicker layer of seasoning during use, in effect gaining a new thin layer every time you fry something in it?

[Anonymous No.8151882]

>>8151476
>I just see a lot of pseudoscience about cast iron
Yeah, same here.

>>because some swear by old pans, and some argue that new ones are fine and just need more use.

I'm of the opinion that most of the people who swear by old pans are likely to have gotten one that was already very well seasoned by a previous owner. They then compare it to "new" cast iron which either came with crappy factory seasoning, or they seasoned it themselves incorrectly. They think the old pan cooks better because it's old or smooth or whatever, but in reality the cause is the difference in seasoning quality.

>>8151750
>The sand casting DID change, by the way
I disagree. And you can see this by looking at old CI pans and comparing them to modern ones. Often times the inside cooking surface on the old pans is smooth--this is due to years of wear with a metal spatula. And the bottom of the pan might also be smooth--again, from wear against the range top. But the outside surface of the pan (where there was no contact wear) has the exact same sort of rough texture as, say, a modern Lodge.

[Anonymous No.8151900]

>>8151880
The seasoning forms as a chemical reaction: the iron pan catalyzes the polymerization of the oil into a hard, slick, surface. That can't happen for subsequent "layers" because they aren't in contact with the iron of the pan, they are only in contact with the layer below them.

What I do think you get from "re-seasoning" or "old well-seasoned pans" is this: the surface of the pan is rough. Not on the level you can see with your eye, but on a microscopic level. There are surely little spots here and there that may not have seasoned well the first time. But over time subsequent use gets those areas.

The reason I mentioned "layers don't matter" is because I have seen many people deliberately try and build up a thick layer of what they call "Seasoning", but in reality is just a bunch of excess oil burnt onto the pan. That's misunderstanding how seasoning works. Anything thick enough that you could call it a "layer" or have it peel off in flakes is just grime on the pan.

[Anonymous No.8151902]

>>8151882
Please take five seconds to look up "new old stock griswold", the pan is visibly very smooth. Moreso than the vintage ones even.

[Anonymous No.8151903]

>>8151868
Oh, I forgot another possibility:

Your oven could be set too hot so that it's burning the oil before it gets a chance to polymerize.

I don't use canola oil so I don't know what temp would be appropriate for it.

[Anonymous No.8151917]

>>8151902

I own a couple. One is a normal skillet, the other is theoretically for muffins, but I use it for yorkshire puddings and popovers. They don't look appreciably different from the new 12" extra-deep Lodge that I recently bought. In fact, the "muffin" one is actually a bit rougher.

Though perhaps these depend on exactly where/when they were made? I know there are people who collect old CI stuff and apparently there are all sorts of variations in the shapes, numbers, and other details cast into the pan that can be used to identify where/when it was made. Perhaps some versions are better than others? Sort of like how many factories in Germany made Mauser rifles for the war, but some factories were known for higher quality than others.

[Anonymous No.8151926]

>>8151917
NEW OLD STOCK. This means mint right out of box with zero use. Not what you own.

Look at this dutch oven with the original sticker still on it.

[Anonymous No.8151941]

>>8151926
>NEW OLD STOCK.

Yes, I know. I've only used the skillet twice since I bought it last year, and I've used the muffin pan maybe 5-6 times. I doubt that my very light use changed the finish of the iron.

>>Look at this dutch oven with the original sticker still on it.
How I am I supposed to make a meaningful comparison of texture using such a tiny picture?

[Anonymous No.8152160]

>>8151941
So your Griswold pan was purchased brand new, never used by former users, and you used it for the first two times?

Since my point is that the vintage stuff is perfectly smooth brand new.

[Anonymous No.8152632]

>>8144397
Isn't leftover oil unhealthy because of the carcinogen created? name of it starts with an m.

[Anonymous No.8152648]

>>8149926
>Then go out and get yourself a de Buyer Mineral Fry Pan, and forget all about cast iron.
You mean Teflon.

[Anonymous No.8152900]

>>8151155
>Cook fatty foods like bacon
>Greasing coats everything
>Now ""seasoned"" while cooking

Same thing desu. These are basically free at Goodwill so have fun with your rituals

[Anonymous No.8153621]

>>8152900
> These are basically free at Goodwill so have fun with your rituals

I never find any at thrift stores, i feel like the employees snatch the best pieces for themselves.

[Anonymous No.8153640]

>>8152900
>basically free
Bullshit, used cast iron at a thrift store costs as much as new Lodge unless the owners are retards.

>>8153621
Nah. Any chain place - Goodwill, VV, Sally Ann, whatever - is going to have a rule against that. Maybe some small podunk church thrift store might do that.
In any case, the people that go there often know when they put items out and go clean them out almost immediately.