My first cast iron piece. Rancid?

[Trench]

I received my first piece of cast iron cookware this Christmas in the form of a 12" skillet. I've been looking forward to this for a while due to reading some threads here on B&B.

While attempting to educate myself on the fine art of seasoning my cast iron, I found myself wondering if there was any concern about the oil used to create the seasoning going rancid. I never saw anything here to indicate that to be the case. However, after doing some further research since receiving my new skillet, one website did say if you're not using your cookware daily, you should wash it (with soap!) before each use as the oil coating will have gone rancid.

Any cast iron experts care to weigh in?

 

[Topgumby]

Hmmm. Bacon fat, sometimes several days between uses, and never had a problem.

Then again, I let it heat up before I use it.

 

[htownmmm]

If you season it properly, there should not be any problem. I use crisco to season my skillet, grill pan, and dutch oven. They get used when they get used-not everyday and I have yet to have a problem with any of them.



marty

 

[Greybeard]

Usually new pans come with a wax coating to prevent premature rusting. You have to scrub this coating off to the bare metal before you can season the pan. Seasoning should be done with something high in saturated fat. Crisco, lard and palm oil are good. If done properly it's not very likely to go rancid.

Dish soap and water for clean up won't hurt it. If you scrub it with steel wool you may remove part of the seasoning. You will then have scrub the whole pan to the bare metal and re-season it again.



- Peter

 

[Topgumby]

Lodge pre-seasoned cast iron pieces are ready to use. Don't scrub off the seasoning on that!

Here's Woody Guthrie's advice on what to do...

[YOUTUBE]KBaJw8-JPc4[/YOUTUBE]

 

[Greybeard]

Lodge pre-seasoned cast iron pieces are ready to use. Don't scrub off the seasoning on that!

Here's Woody Guthrie's advice on what to do...

[YOUTUBE]KBaJw8-JPc4[/YOUTUBE]

I've heard the Pete Seeger version.
I remember it more for "Keep her good and drunk and goozy all the time".



- Peter

 

[dpm802]

Lodge pre-seasoned cast iron pieces are ready to use.

No, they're not.

The seasoning that Lodge puts on at the factory is primarily to make the cast-iron look pretty, and to keep it from rusting while it sits on the store shelf prior to sale.

I wouldn't cook on it without seasoning it myself once I get it home.

For seasoning a fresh, or newly cleaned piece, I use an oil with a high smoke-point, such as Canola, Grapeseed or Peanut oil.

For cooking in a pan that's already seasoned, I use butter or olive oil (but not EVOO.) If I've just cooked something that has a high fat content like bacon or duck, I leave the rendered fat in while I make something else, like scrambled eggs or potatoes.

 

[herbnerd]

However, since I got married and my wife and her family insist of scouring the hell out of everything rather than a soft wipe with a damp cloth or just leaving them for me.

But if I could train them to leave my pans alone - I would go back to cast iron.

I just used to season with peanut oil or coconut oil rather than anything else. Season 2-3 times to build up a good coat and re-season should one need to scrub.

 

[Topgumby]

No, they're not.

Lodge says they are, as in you rinse 'em out with water, no soap, add some oil, let it heat up and cook.

I was skeptical, but the pre-seasoned dutch oven I have has worked as well using Lodge's recommendations as bare skillets that had repeated seasoning in the oven, followed by months of careful use to build up that black patina.

Of course, YMMV, but I was prepared to scoff at the pre-seasoning as a gizmo and it worked a treat for that dutch oven.

 

[luvmysuper]

Lodge says they are, as in you rinse 'em out with water, no soap, add some oil, let it heat up and cook.

I was skeptical, but the pre-seasoned dutch oven I have has worked as well using Lodge's recommendations as bare skillets that had repeated seasoning in the oven, followed by months of careful use to build up that black patina.

Of course, YMMV, but I was prepared to scoff at the pre-seasoning as a gizmo and it worked a treat for that dutch oven.

That is how I read it.
From the web site;

"Using Your Lodge Cast Iron

Rinse with hot water (do not use soap), and dry thoroughly.

Before cooking, apply vegetable oil to the cooking surface of your pan and pre-heat the pan slowly (always start on low heat, increasing the temperature slowly).

Once the utensil is properly pre-heated, you are ready to cook.

If for some reason your utensil develops a metallic smell or taste, or perhaps rust spots (maybe a well-meaning relative washed your utensil in the dishwasher or with soap thinking they were being helpful), never fear. Simply scour off the rust using a very fine grade of sandpaper or steel wool and refer to our section Re-seasoning Your Lodge Cookware."

 

[TimMechEngr]

The cast iron pans I have used for decades now and my mother used for decades before me haven't seen soap of any type since they were originally seasoned. I use a plastic scouring pad and water to clean tough stuck on food and then dry it with paper towels. My Mom and my Grandmother both said frying bacon was the best seasoning for cast iron. Of course, frying chicken, pork chops, etc. doesn't hurt either. Just pour off the grease and wipe them out real good. Cover them when not in use to keep out dust and insects.

 

[Kouros]

I wipe my pans down with Pam cooking spray and a paper towel after scrubbing with a stiff brush and water and it works just fine.

 

[ratcheer]

However, since I got married and my wife and her family insist of scouring the hell out of everything rather than a soft wipe with a damp cloth or just leaving them for me.

But if I could train them to leave my pans alone - I would go back to cast iron.

Just kick some asses.

Tim

 

[Trench]

My new skillet is an Emeril brand made by All-Clad. It came pre-seasoned. The first thing we cooked in it was grilled cheese sandwiches. After giving it a light rinse we heated it up with a thin coating of vegetable oil. The sandwiches came out great. For clean up, I just wiped it with some paper towels and stored it upside down in my oven.

Later that night, we browned some diced beef and made stroganoff. Some of the sauce stuck to the bottom of the pan in a circle where the gas ring from the burner was. I was able to scrub it off with some salt and a damp towel, but it took a lot of elbow work. When I was done, I put a coat of vegetable oil over the entire pan, pre-heated it in an oven to 400 degrees, and let it bake for 30 minutes.

We're about to make some burgers in it right now.

I should also mention that for the time being, we probably won't be using it more often than once a week (even though we're about to use it for the third time in as many days). Will that be enough usage to keep the oil coating from going rancid?

 

[thebikingengineer]

I've left my cast iron for over a month without any rancid flavors. It's got a few years of seasoning on it and I don't see it being a problem ever.

 

[ratcheer]

My new skillet is an Emeril brand made by All-Clad. It came pre-seasoned.

I got one of those a month or so ago. I really like mine.

Tim

 

[Trench]

I have a question about cleaning. What am I trying to clean out, and what should I be leaving in?

 

[_JP_]

I have a question about cleaning. What am I trying to clean out, and what should I be leaving in?

All that needs to be cleaned out is stuck on food. What you don't want to do is scrub it down to bare metal, which would mean the seasoning has been stripped.

 

[Trench]

All that needs to be cleaned out is stuck on food. What you don't want to do is scrub it down to bare metal, which would mean the seasoning has been stripped.

I guess the problem I'm having is discerning what is stuck on food and what is the newly forming layer of non-stick goodness.

Obviously, I don't want big chunks of food, or even crumb sized morsels. But there are some films that are left over after cooking that could be considered borderline.

 

[thebikingengineer]

As long as there's no exposed metal (dull gray or shiny) a film is good. If you can't get it off with a stiff nylon brush it shouldn't concern you. The only thing you'll want to watch out for is highly acidic foods like tomatoes. Those'll strip seasoning. Don't use your cast iron for that.