Time for my Griswold Cast Iron Issue

[Isaac]

I have had this pan for a few years. When I originally bought it, it was rusted over. I opted for the Lye bath to strip. I seasoned using the Pam method, which for the life of me I can't remember at this time. It was more or less heating the pan to around 200 degrees taking it out...spraying Pam and wiping till it was bone dry and baking at 400 degrees (step repeated a few times and dont quote me on the temp)

Now the pan did develop a nice patina, except on the inside. It has always been a bit on the dull side. Furthermore, even after all this time, I am still lacking the nonstick function. Bacon tends to stick...dont get me started on eggs. I have learned that you should not put cold eggs into a hot pan though, this is automatic sticking.

I thought I would run it by you all to see what you think.

Here are pics of the pan. On a side note, there are occasions where I may leave grease in the pan for up to a week reusing it.

 

[mretzloff]

For a cast iron skillet to work properly you need:

1. A good seasoning. Read this.
2. A good amount of fat.
3. Use the skillet often.

If you do all three above, there is no reason why food should stick to the skillet.

 

[Isaac]

yeah..i have done that over the years...but you see the finish I have The outside looks awesome..but for whatever reason the inside has never really took. This is with frequent use as well.

 

[VerbaVolant]

...I thought I would run it by you all to see what you think....

Looks like your pan is not properly seasoned.
I am no expert so take everything I say with a grain of salt.
I would do this:
Start from fresh by cleaning the inside of the pan with coarse salt. Scrub a bit and see what you get. If the salt comes clean, stop and start seasoning.
Rinse and dry your pan very well. Give is a very light film of vegetable oil. Place the pan in the oven, upside-down, on a cookie sheet. Set the oven for 370-380 and set the timer for an hour or so.
After that, turn the oven off and leave the pan inside to cool down.
I use the pans almost every day, mainly frying eggs, and clean them after each use. I use a nylon brush and gently scrub the inside while rinsing with hot water, for 5 maybe 10 sec. I always heat up the pan before start cooking. The pan is hot when its handle is too hot to hold.
It is possible that you get stuck food because you do not heat up the pan to proper temperature.

Fried eggs are best cooked in cast iron pans.
I hope this helps and will wait for more "seasoned" cooks give their advice.

 

[MondoJ]

For a cast iron skillet to work properly you need:

1. A good seasoning. Read this.
2. A good amount of fat.
3. Use the skillet often.

If you do all three above, there is no reason why food should stick to the skillet.

+1 on step 1

 

[Alacrity59]

Nice shine on those shoes. Yes the pan should look the same.

You have almost no seasoning there. How are you cleaning your pan? I suspect you are overdoing it. As far as heat goes eggs, bacon, pancakes . . . medium is about right. . . let the pan heat up. You can burn off the seasoning on a stove top on high. (that is my experience . . . and I will not use my cast iron at screaming high temps to sear off steaks . . . I use my stainless steel for that) The article the guys have pointed out is good but not magical.

Move the bacon around in the pan when you lay it in. It sticks less that way. Hot dogs are great in cast iron and add to the seasoning as do hot dog buns with a bit of butter to toast the inside of the buns.

I don't think you need to strip that pan down . . . just build it up.

 

[Warpiper]

For a cast iron skillet to work properly you need:

1. A good seasoning. Read this.
2. A good amount of fat.
3. Use the skillet often.

If you do all three above, there is no reason why food should stick to the skillet.

Good article, thanks for sharing it. I know what I'll be doing this weekend. I wonder if cod liver oil would work, its supposed to be high in omega 3s.

 

[lwt210]

Stick with flaxseed oil.

I have seasoned a pan that I needed quick and it worked pretty good.

I bought a couple of new, modern Lodges over the last few days and seasoned them with Crisco. They still need some more coats but flaxseed (if you can stand the smell) has, in my experience, been much faster to get a nice, stick free coating.

 

[Warpiper]

Thank, flaxseed it is. Wonder if I can get SWMBO out of the house for a while. She doesn't do well with strong smells.

 

[mmack66]

Be careful if you use towels with the linseed/flax oil. The oil can heat up as it dries, and the towel may spontaneously combust.

 

[lwt210]

Thank, flaxseed it is. Wonder if I can get SWMBO out of the house for a while. She doesn't do well with strong smells.

Do it outside on a grill.

And if you do use flax....do real thin coats. Those instructions on that website are a good guide on how thin your coating should be.

 

[mretzloff]

And if you do use flax....do real thin coats. Those instructions on that website are a good guide on how thin your coating should be.

HUGE +1. Your coats should be very thin. When I seasoned mine (eggs never stick), I did about ten ultra thin coats. The only downside to this method is that flaxseed oil is expensive. Doing it on the grill is a good suggestion, but if you do it inside, there should be no smell.

The most important part, though, is using the skillet. If you use it once every so often, food will stick no matter how good of a seasoning you have. I would also avoid making any type of sauce in it, at least for the first few months.

 

[Warpiper]

Do it outside on a grill.

And if you do use flax....do real thin coats. Those instructions on that website are a good guide on how thin your coating should be.

Thanks lwt210. That will work too.

 

[atlanta_hoo]

The grill is my preferred method for seasoning cast iron, as well. Indirect heat is a key. I use crisco that has been worked into a paper towel. I use a pair of stainless tongs to wipe the paper towel inside the pan.

I will have to try salt the next time I come across a rusted pan. I have always used play sand in combination with steel wool.

 

[Isaac]

I had used Grapeseed oil when I originally seasoned the pan. I did do a great deal of steak searing and baking...perhaps that stripped the finish on the pan.

 

[Warpiper]

Flaxseed oil in Walmart's vitamin section, $5.88 for a 8 fl oz bottle.

 

[lwt210]

Thanks lwt210. That will work too.

You are quite welcome.

I season them all the time in a charcoal grill. Works great.

 

[craig87c]

I thinking about stripping the seasoning off one of my skillets and redoing it with flax seed. I got the pan off a lady at a garage sale and it was never properly seasoned. Can't wait for it to cool off so I can toss it in the oven during a self cleaning cycle.

 

[OkieStubble]

If you don't want to spend the money on flax seed oil or can't stand the smell of it, Canola oil is a very good substitute. It has a high smoking point just as flax seed oil does and that is what's most important in the seasoning process along with making sure the coatings of oil are very thin.

 

[Warpiper]

You are quite welcome.

I season them all the time in a charcoal grill. Works great.

I was cleaning out the garage yesterday and came across a small bag of charcoal. I know how I'm going to use it.