Christmas break project: smooth new Lodge skillets

[Mikhail]

I hear you, BBAADAT. I just threw out my second set of Calphalon nonstick 10 and 12" skillets in a couple years. My daughter bought me set of Henkels Granitium coated pans for Christmas. So far they work well, very nonstick and are supposedly very tough. You can use steel instruments on them, but I won't.

 

[Cook]

Does the food taste better from one pan vs. another?

I can't say how eggs taste when cooked in cast iron. I use carbon steel, and haven't had an egg in iron in nearly 30 years (decades of non-stop before going with carbon steel about 5 years ago).

The funny thing is that I CAN taste a difference in eggs cooked in our carbon pans. They're great. I'll fry eggs at my parent's house in their ceramic pan and am amazed at the lack of flavor...I'm just used to the taste of eggs fried on steel now...and I like it.

 

[TravelingJ]

I used the Self Clean to strip the pans, not for the seasoning cycle. I used one of the links above and used very thin layers of oil, then tried to wipe it all off, then baked at 350 for an hour, then turned it off and let it sit for 2-3 hours before I opened the doors. It was 2 days to get 5 layers on one pan, and 2 layers on another.

I'm just over it. I might try a carbon steel pan. I don't see any advantage to these cast irons. I have triple ply pots and pans that heat up more evenly, and hold heat longer. If I want a good hot sear...I use the grill. I try to cook a bunch, but then if I have to cook bacon in one pan, then get another for eggs...all the convenience is long gone.

 

[Smokie185]

I'm an avid garage sale junky and have acquired a nice collection of vintage cast iron, my wife has a love/hate relationship with it, she loves the way it cooks, hates the weight, but I have tossed all of our "modern" non-stick stuff out gradually. Generally when a "new" cast iron pan comes into the house it either gets run through the propane grill for several hours, shoved into the coals of the smoker (now that I have one I'll try it eventually) or put through the self clean cycle. If you do the self-clean cycle, cold days are best, and be ready for SMOKE, lots and lots of SMOKE. I'll try and get some pictures of my collection when I'm not at work and think about it.

My Mom told me that when ever they would burn a brush pile and stuff, she would throw her cast iron on the fire. She said she never had a build up problem.

 

[Cook]

I used the Self Clean to strip the pans, not for the seasoning cycle. I used one of the links above and used very thin layers of oil, then tried to wipe it all off, then baked at 350 for an hour, then turned it off and let it sit for 2-3 hours before I opened the doors. It was 2 days to get 5 layers on one pan, and 2 layers on another.

I'm just over it. I might try a carbon steel pan. I don't see any advantage to these cast irons. I have triple ply pots and pans that heat up more evenly, and hold heat longer. If I want a good hot sear...I use the grill. I try to cook a bunch, but then if I have to cook bacon in one pan, then get another for eggs...all the convenience is long gone.

You are correct in that cast iron does not heat very evenly...contrary to what most like to think...

 

[tchilton]

I have a Lodge pan I use all the time and it is basically nonstick at this point. I use hot water and a piece of chain mail to clean it, then dry with a paper towel. My experience is you have to use it a lot over several years and it gets to where you want it. It’s not an instant gratification type deal.

Also, with nonstick pans I wouldn’t buy a real expensive one because the nonstick surface will wear out before the pan does. You can get a good T-Fal nonstick pan at TJ Maxx for around $10 (not always, depends what’s in stock).

 

[Blue Kettle]

My Lodge skillets were already sort of messed up so I said the hell with it and used a stainless steel scouring pad one time to get some fried egg residue off. Suffice to say they weren't actually as bad as I though before I did that.

 

[One Drop]

I used the Self Clean to strip the pans, not for the seasoning cycle. I used one of the links above and used very thin layers of oil, then tried to wipe it all off, then baked at 350 for an hour, then turned it off and let it sit for 2-3 hours before I opened the doors. It was 2 days to get 5 layers on one pan, and 2 layers on another.

I'm just over it. I might try a carbon steel pan. I don't see any advantage to these cast irons. I have triple ply pots and pans that heat up more evenly, and hold heat longer. If I want a good hot sear...I use the grill. I try to cook a bunch, but then if I have to cook bacon in one pan, then get another for eggs...all the convenience is long gone.

I leave mine in the oven for 1 hour, then let it cool down with the oven door open for about ½ hour until its hand warm again, then you can re-season and repeat. I did the 5 or 6 initial coats comfortably during one cook, it takes 5 minutes of your time every hour or so, no big deal at all.

There doesn't seem to be any reason for you to be using one if you have all of your needs covered already and you don't have any desire to maintain one, even though maintenance is really minimal and way overstated.

For example, it is rare I have to do anything but wipe the pan out with a towel or paper towering, sometimes a bit of coarse salt or the chain mail pad to knock some cooked bits off the surface, a rub down with lard and back on the fire for a minute while plating the food. I takes literally 1 minute and it can be put away without worries.

Personally I leave mine out on the hob, it's my everyday pan and gets more use than anything else I own these days.