Thread: Cast Iron Seasoning

Hi all. Over the holidays I decided to de-rust and re-season a old cast iron skillet, not the one I used to melt lead mentioned in a previous post.
I followed some rust removing instructions from a cast saucepan I recently purchased but also used a copper wire brush in a drill to really get in the little pits in the metal. Then again following the instructions from the saucepan I attempted to re-season, washed out all traces of rust, dried, coated entirely with vegetable oil (all I had), placed in oven for a hour, allowed to cool a bit, 2nd coat of oil and back in oven for another hour. The inner sides and outside developed that nice black finish but there a lot grey areas in the bottom (seen in photos). I've only used it twice, once to cook eggs and the other to reheat leftover roast meat. The first side of the eggs cooked nicely but I like me eggs over-easy and the other side had a lot of blacks spot.
Fells like I've done something wrong?

Maybe the copper wire brush has left some residue behind?
Nice skillet though.
I recently bought my first...a Lodge 12".
Does a nice job when the kitchen overseer allows me to use it!

you burnt the eggs

Get some lard from butcher or bludge lamb fat from round kidney of sheep. Same stuff as I understand. Melt and spread, let cool. Repeat.

Black spots will be the season coating lifting possibly.
When you coat with oil you want to wipe out as much as humanly possible, there should only be a micro film of oil which bakes and becomes the hard non stick coating. The uneven layer is normally because there is too much oil prior to baking.
Try scour out the cooking surface again with a scourer then just re season. Or just keep cooking with it, it’ll season itself eventually.

Proper seasoning takes quite a few repeats to build up those micro layers of baked oil.

Yep. Animal fat is the trick.
But also, the bottom looks a lot rougher than my cast iron pans. It possibly needs some sand paper love first, then season it

The grey areas are just in need of more seasoning.
Repeat the heat and oil process again, several times if you want to.
Some of my camps ovens have been seasoned 4 or more times over the period of a week or so to get a good black layer of seasoning.
Light coats of oil are the key. Too thick and the reult is disappointing

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Originally Posted by Three O'Three

Hi all. Over the holidays I decided to de-rust and re-season a old cast iron skillet, not the one I used to melt lead mentioned in a previous post.
I followed some rust removing instructions from a cast saucepan I recently purchased but also used a copper wire brush in a drill to really get in the little pits in the metal. Then again following the instructions from the saucepan I attempted to re-season, washed out all traces of rust, dried, coated entirely with vegetable oil (all I had), placed in oven for a hour, allowed to cool a bit, 2nd coat of oil and back in oven for another hour. The inner sides and outside developed that nice black finish but there a lot grey areas in the bottom (seen in photos). I've only used it twice, once to cook eggs and the other to reheat leftover roast meat. The first side of the eggs cooked nicely but I like me eggs over-easy and the other side had a lot of blacks spot.
Fells like I've done something wrong?
Attachment 242015

yes - not cured properly- needs more - well traditionally bacon fat was the go to -vege oil personally I would steer clear -modern stuff who knows what is in it - my Chinese chef mate told me to cure new woks they use peanut oil so that could be a go -- but cast camp ovens are a pain - hard to look after -they were only ever wiped out or at worst some boiling water and season again with bacon fat - Ingrid 51 is onto it and lard pure lard would be good - super heat and apply bacon fat or lard - do not allow anyone near it with dish washing liquid - if you are rescuing a rusty one take it to a place that does it and have it sand blasted - straight home hot open fire and bacon fat or lard - repeat that again and again - then for cleaning only ever wipe it out - I use an alloy camp oven ( allumask ) its what we used culling - much easier to look after - I cook 3-5 times a week in it - good roast I dont clean and chuck in the pork chops two days later - nose first though if the fat residue in it smells okay I am cooking -your cast will take some time to cure well - real fat bacon or mutton and keep using it - but no bloody dish washing liquid or any cleaning compound natural fat only

The wire brush may have effected it as it may have taken the top seasoning layer off.
Frying up bacon or any fatty meat is a great way to season.
I would do a couple more re-seasoning and see if it helps

Fill it up with a cm or two of oil and leave in over at 180 for and hour or two might force they oil in faster

hope your not a vegeterian....

I agree with the comment of "just keep using it, it will season itself" I generally cook with tallow or lard or butter. If not then it's coconut or sunflower oil but I would stick to the animal fats for seasoning a pan.

To clean and i guess re-season, cast iron:
while it's hot, the crud gets scraped out with a putty trowel (a la bunnings hardware), scrubbed with half a cut onion and oil, mopped with scrunched newspaper.

If I want to be really fussy then it gets paper-toweled, then oiled and used again. Sometimes takes a couple of onions if it is particularly filthy or I want it specially clean.

And never clean with a dishwash just scrub and dry out on stove and lightly oil

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Originally Posted by 25/08 IMP

And never clean with a dishwash just scrub and dry out on stove and lightly oil

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If you’ve got it seasoned properly dishwashing liquid won’t do shit to it. It was the older dish soaps with lye that would wreck the seasoning. The dish soap these days is good as gold.

You’re never going to hurt the layer of carbonised oil/fat with a nylon dish brush and dish soap. Just don’t use a metal scourer.
I’ve got a couple Griswold fry pans from the 1940s and regularly use soap. They’re still black and shiney and as non stick as they always were. The older pans were hand poured and finished and the cooking surfaces were polished like glass.

Originally Posted by McNotty

If you’ve got it seasoned properly dishwashing liquid won’t do shit to it. It was the older dish soaps with lye that would wreck the seasoning. The dish soap these days is good as gold.

You’re never going to hurt the layer of carbonised oil/fat with a nylon dish brush and dish soap. Just don’t use a metal scourer.
I’ve got a couple Griswold fry pans from the 1940s and regularly use soap. They’re still black and shiney and as non stick as they always were. The older pans were hand poured and finished and the cooking surfaces were polished like glass.

Well I've learnt something tonight.
My were all hand poured by myself I guess I need to season them better

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