MY MAN. You are a champion. The pan was so slippery, that the first time I used it after following this, I was CONFUSED at what was going on! I didn't even get as many layers of seasoning on it as I needed to!
I do this with all of my modern cast iron pans. I don't go super smooth, there's no need to. Just knock the roughness down a little and go through a few seasoning cycles and you're good to go. Doing this has helped a lot, especially with cleaning. The roughness tears up paper towels but not after you smoothen the pan. Thank you for the video.
I truly believe Lodge’s “Seasoning” serves two purposes - makes rust formations more difficult to occur in retail stores and most importantly the rough seasoning hides the pits and imperfections that occurs in the manufacturing.
@@bradsmith4279you get what you pay for. I have a pre-acquisition finex I use it everyday and if the house is burning it would probably be the second thing after my dog I grabbed
At the beginning of the 1900's, Sears Roebuck (?) had a listing of various sizes and grades and prices of skillets, with the most expensive listed as " best quality with ground and polished cooking surfaces " priced at $1.45 Their "regular value " model is listed at 75 cents. This is for #8 skillets Yeah, not a new concept. I can only hypothesize that all these recent cast iron cooking vessel myths were on some cooking show on television in the last few years. I just got through using a griddle I bought new and sanded and polished ( not a lot) and you can slide eggs around on it as if it were teflon coated ice. It's an import I bought a bunch of on clearance for $3.00 and change. Works as well as any expensive one I've ever used
I'm glad you posted this video. What a great idea, now it's like the older cast iron! I get excited whenever I find an older cast iron pan, Warner or Griswold; they knew how to make them back then ---Smooth. Lodge is really too rough to cook with brand new. That was a great seasoning job. It's really sad that a lot of people think that the rough surface is great, when the company is just cutting corners to lower production costs. It's like how you pay for a half gallon of organic milk and they jip you by half a cup every time and didn't think anyone would notice.
What? Organic milk is a half a cup shy? Maybe that's why I use the regular stuff :) I've been looking for an old pan, but have never come across one. Thanks for coming around Oswald!
Yeah, I make my own kefir at home that's how I found that out about the milk. Keep looking at thrift stores or flea markets and you'll find an old pan eventually. If it's really rusty or dirty throw it in the fire place (or on the coals in your grill with the lid on for a while) and it will clean right up, then season it. If the pan has any imperfections like a crack in the base it might warp in the fire, so look at it closely before you clean it that way. I only had that happen once on a small skillet. Good luck!
Back in the 1920's Lodge used to offer their cast iron in raw, polished, and mirror polished variations. Today they only offer raw, then pre season it with a polymer coating, in effect they are unfinished!
@@thegreatelberto You're comment served zero purpose whatsoever outside of wasting UA-cam's and your Internet Provider's (along with their other customers) data.
I've had my new Lodge 12-inch cast iron skillet for about 2 years. And has the factory finish. I seasoned it according to the instructions that state do it three times in the oven at 350 degrees. I always heat the pan up first wiping a light coating of olive oil and then add a little bit of butter. Did this this morning and had perfect eggs no stick just like Teflon. I'm not saying that polishing inside surface won't work but I guess whatever floats your boat. I'm leaving mine the way I bought it.
I am very late to the party, but thanks for the video. I will do this polishing to my set and then do others to give the. out as presents. I have cooked many things that have stuck to the pan regardless of following Lodge's instruction. It is a pain to clean and re-season.
The rough texture is a result of cast iron manufacturers cutting corners to save money, it's NOT done to get the seasoning to stick better. Up until the early 1900's skillets were sold unseasoned. When made, the skillets used to sit in the mold for up to 2 days, sometimes more, and the polishing/smoothing process would take about 24 hours. This would give new skillets an almost glass like texture. When customers wanted manufacturers to provide pre-seasoned pans, they changed the process cut a 3-4 day processing time down to about 90 minutes.
If you take a new Lodge skillet and rub the surface with a paper towel it will leave paper crumbs in the pan. That will not be nonstick. All you really have to do is knock down those little fingers that will grip your eggs. If you can apply some oil with a paper towel and not have it crumb it will be good. I was able to do this by just scraping the surface with a steel spatula. I suppose a power tool applied gently will have the same effect faster.
If you heat cast iron before applying the oil it opens up the pores and the oil will soak in. If seasoning could not be applied to smooth cast iron then the older pans could not have been machined smooth. I have heard (But do not know for sure) that Lodge does not finish their cast iron to a smooth finish because by not going all the way they can sell their products cheaper. It is an easy matter to machine them smooth and they will last forever and a day as long as they are cared for properly.
This method works well on cast iron AND on carbon steel pans (my preferred material). The 'seasoning' applied by the manufacturer is more rust proofing than seasoning, designed to prevent product returns due to improper storage at the retailer. I have a carbon steel pan that I purchased with a finish like glass and find the seasoning is always brittle. I have had to strip and re-season that pan a couple times a year. My Lodge carbon steel pans arrive rough just like the Lodge cast iron. I sand those down to more of an orange peel texture and find the nonstick properties to be equal to the smooth pan but the seasoning seems to be stronger. My theory is that orange peel provides more surface area for the seasoning to stick. I can flip eggs in those pans just like teflon.
Good points Roger. You are right, it does take a bit more effort to keep the seasoning on a really smooth pan. If it gets too hot, it's more likely to flake off. I've had good luck with my smooth carbon steelpan and haven't had any seasoning issues.
I watch all this video's of sanding down a cast iron. I cooked eggs and Sunny Side up and never had a problem with the eggs sticking. I even clean the pan with dawn dish soap and still season the pan with avocado oil and still have the same result a non stick surface. So I bought 5 of the same pans in different sizes. Hey if it works then it works, if you leave it original and you always reheat and season it and it works. Which ever one you do, do it.
I totally agree. The idea of making your pans smooth is pretty divisive and it's a personal choice. From my experience. It takes a long time to make a cast iron pan completely non stick no matter the method you use.
Grill Top Experience I respect that also I have a carbon steel pan. I hear they are way better than cast iron, but I am trying to steer away from the horrible aluminum pan. Aluminum is really poison to the mind. Oh the first time I got my cast iron non stick it only took one or two days depends on how well you clean the cast iron. I clean then 6x before I finally season it.
Only improperly applied seasoning doesn't stick well. Most people just slather a thick layer of crisco or oil on the pan and throw it into the oven for 30-45 minutes. The application being too thick, only the exposed surface of the grease gets polymerized. This results in a sandwiched layer of unpolymerized grease between the cast iron and the polymerized surface layer of seasoning. So taking a spatula to this just peels off the surface seasoning layer because it was just floating on top of the grease and non actually properly bonded to the cast iron in the first place.
You’re washing this with dish soap and water I’m guessing and towel drying right away. Any issues with rust because I have a few lodge pans and I’m thinking of doing it.
After cleaning in the sink and then oiling to start seasoning, did you paper towel appear grey? Like it was picking up CI dust still? I ground/polished mine until I was satisfied, and then I cleaned it with a brillo pad. I scrubbed it twice actually. I dried it. Heated it in the oven for 3 minutes to make sure it was dry, and then I applied oil. My paper towel was dark grey after oiling the inside. I oiled the outside with a new paper towel, and it was white.
It sounds like you've done everything right and you've probably gotten all of the metal shavings out. One of the reasons to season cast iron is because it is so reactive. My paper towel came out orange because the iron had a thin coat of rust already. I'd bet you are seeing the same thing.
You’re just picking up ferrous particles. Not poisonous at all, it’s the same elemental mineral we need in our bodies, for oxygen binding capacity in our blood.
Anyone who says it won't stick, there are stainless steel baking sheets, and oil will burn to the surface and won't come off. That is basically a spot of seasoning. So it should stick.
Over time the cast iron skillet will be smooth as glass and still have that rough surface look which is cool. And non stick. My cast iron skillet looks just like that. I wouldn't grind the surface.
Are you asking about the Weber Gourmet Grilling System? I haven't looked at it to see if it's rough enough to need it, but the process would still be the same. I've done this to pans and dutch ovens with good results.
Your first seasoning showed that you used a little too much oil. You need to vwipe off the oil until you feel it's all gone. It's not. There's still a microscopic layer present. That's all you need to polymerise it past it's smoke point. It'll look dark but not dirty. Repeat it a few times and it'll be black but not blotchy. 450* for an hour is a waste of gas. You just need to see smoke and the color change to lay down seasoning. 5-10 minutes a layer of seasoning is all you need. I do it stovetop and in twenty minutes I'm done. About 4-5 layers. Smoke it then turn down the heat. Use a laser thermometer. When the temp goes down to about 150* you add another layer of oil then wipe off. Crank up the heat to about 250* (for flaxseed oil) and let it smoke. Ten minutes later no more smoke and it's much darker. Repeat.
Mik902 I did the 5 layers with flaxseed oil and did the 1 hour at 400* then tried to cook an egg and it was stick to the pan 😑 do you think I need to keep with the layers?
I did the foot thing too lol. I used a drill based sanding disk with sandpaper. Though I had to do the sides by hand. That was horrible but the results were worth it.
I've seen people put a screw through the hold in the handle and two on the sides to keep it in place. The foot thing works in a pinch! Enjoy your smooth pan.
Good video. I took the manufacturers pre seasoning off of my newest 12 inch cast iron pan and seasoned it 3 times the other day. I used a sander with various grits of sand paper and then a wire wheel on my cordless drill. It worked well at smoothing it out. Last night I tried cooking on it and a third of the seasoning came off after cooking with it. I warmed up some potatoes which worked fine but when I added eggs and some slices of roast beef they both stuck to the surface a bit. I guess the temperature was a bit too high and that is why it stuck. There are clean patches on it now. The cooking surface looks blotchy. :( I oiled it to protect the surface but will it darken evenly with time? Or should I take it down to no seasoning and start all over again? It hasn't gotten close to being black like the original finish was. Any suggestions on how I might get it to a glossy black finish?
A smooth pan is harder to get seasoned at first, but carbon steel is smooth and will blacken eventually. The one benefit is a the color doesn't necessarily mean it's non stick. The food won't stick as readily to the surface either. One change I've made is I switched to flax seed oil for seasoning pans. I wipe some oil on when the pan is just hot to the touch. Then I wipe as much of it off as possible before baking it. That creates a really thin coating, which is more likely to fully polymerize than a thick coat. I've found that it's more durable too.
@@GrillTopExperience Thanks for the additional info. I will try getting some flax seed oil and give that a try... its a bronze colour now. Right in the middle of the pan the food sticks pretty bad. I used olive oil and coconut oil.
Hey Steve, welcome to the cast iron club. The trick with cast iron is changing the way you cook. To reduce sticking you have to preheat the pan for 5-10 minutes, then add oil. New pans are seasoned, but will stick more than a well seasoned pan. Mine worked a lot better after I ground it out and reseasoned. Give your new pan a try and if you aren't happy with its performance you can look at smoothing it out.
I did this with my new lodge griddle and I had to do the majority of it by hand because my drill is weak. I have a 9" lodge skillet that I had mixed results with over the past 10 years because of that annoying texture. The whole time I was thinking "why am I doing this?" Mine didn't come out nearly as polished looking as yours but I went through 60-120-300-600 grits and it was very smooth to the touch. So smooth that I cooked an egg (no seasoning!) with only olive oil and it was the slickest cast iron I'd ever used. Didn't even preseason it, rather just let the seasoning come naturally over time. My only feedback is you went heavy on the coats of oil for preseason. Definitely do much lighter coats because problems arise with thick layers...
You are totally right about the seasoning. I've learned my lesson and use much thinner coats of oil. Even if you don't get it perfectly smooth, it'll still be better than the factory finish. A little bumpy seems to be a good balance of getting the seasoning to stay on and keeping it non-stick.
That should get the seasoning off, but I don't know if it would be abrasive enough to sand down the metal or not. There is only one way to find out . . .
Why not putting a layer of Teflon? I don't think my great grandma used a cordless drill on their cast iron. The reason your egg is sliding, is because of too much oil.
1. Teflon is bad for you. 2. That drill HAS a CORD (not cordless)... 3. Basically everyone cooks eggs with oil or butter; however, they will still stick in a bad pan. 4. Do you even cook?
You don't put on Teflon because Teflon is poisonous, and never stays where you put it, long-term. You create minute flakes of Teflon in your food by scraping it with a spatula, even a non-metal one designed for Teflon. Over time, a significant fraction of the Teflon that was put on the skillet has wound up in your food.
@@Destiny4511 Correction, Teflon is not poisonous like you say. Teflon is used in making heart valves and artificial arteries to name a few things that are put in a human body. Teflon that has been overheated, as is likely in a skillet used by people who have forgotten the instructions that came with the product, might be transformed into an undesirable product to ingest but not a poison. All this is rather irrelevant because there are no longer any teflon coated being produced since more than twenty years. The non stick products now available are ceramic coated, much more heat and abrasion resistant and also totally innocuous.
I have a cheap dutch oven that had some sugar burnt on and it ripped the seasoning off with it. Yesterday, I got my grinder out and now I have a smooth dutch oven. I hope it works out well for you. Building the seasoning on a smooth surface takes some patience.
I just bought a new 10 inch cast iron skillet from Dollar General a few days ago for $10. It's far smoother than the Lodge, Mainstays, and Ozark Trail brands from Walmart.
Just a quick comment, I find if after 10 minutes in the oven, I wipe the skillet one more time, it reduces those streaks and the seasoning is more even. Nice job. Lodge is great at seasoning skillets so people won’t use them. Your 15 minutes plus reasoning does mean that your children will fight for them. Skillet
That's a good tip to wipe it off again. I've adjusted my technique a bit and use a much thinner layer of oil now and that can make a difference. I'm excited to use my Lodge for a long time.
I have a buddy at work that used his Lodge twice in two years. Everything stuck. I also going the seasoning off and made it smooth, a 6 pack and a hot oven later, he’s cook breakfast every weekend. Cheers, Skillet
its the seasoning that makes a skillet nonstick...grinding isnt necessary...im 56 ..got lots of cast iron...totally nonstick...no grinding on a single piece.
You may THINK it's non-stick, but you haven't experienced what you're seeing here. It's like Crocodile Dundee saying "Non-stick?? Naah, THIS is Non-Stick". My son gave me a LCS3 Chef's Skillet for Christmas last year which he bought and applied this technique to. He's become quite the aficionado of buying old cast-iron cookware and restoring it. Lodge and others used to make skillets with a smooth interior. Not as smooth as you'll get with this process, but not with the rough sand-cast surface, either. There was a problem in that people didn't see or know about the importance of proper seasoning, and those that DID were not impressed with the effort required to make their new cookware actually suitable. Because of initial seasoning issues a lot of people were highly-dissatisfied with their recent purchases , and the same with others who knew the value but didn't like the time and effort. Their their gripes all over the internet prevented a lot of future sales. Then manufacturers discovered that if they made a rough surface on their cookware, they could apply oil like spray paint to a batch of skillets, bake them a little while and "Voila! Pre-seasoned Skillets!" The seasoning would stick to the skillet easily, along with any food cooked in it later, and the seasoning was minimal but a lot better than none. These skillets get better with prolonged use, because owners actually complete the seasoning process by cooking things with oil after purchase. They never EVER get THIS slick though. It took me about three months of making omelettes in my new Christmas present to get used to it, because it was a Chef Skillet, with sloped sides, and slicker than ceramic. I couldn't fold the omelette because every time I got a spatula under one side, the whole thing would slide away from me as soon as I started to lift. And the omelette would not only run away from me, it would climb up the sides. I had to fold with one spatula and hold it in place on the other side with a second spatula. Somewhere along the line, I developed "The Technique", and it's no longer a problem. For a few months, though, I was skeptical about the value to me of that skillet. Now, it's reserved as "My Omelette Skillet". It's only used for that, and I have two other another 10" skillets used for everything else, like baking cornbread and sauteeing things, etc. The LCS3 is only for omelettes and fried eggs. FWIW, I bought an Avanti Quick-Strip, some protective paper masks, and about four bucks worth of protective eyewear, but haven't yet gotten around to applying this process to every cast-iron skillet I own; a 12", 8", and additional 10" with vertical sides.
Destiny4511 Thanks for taking the time to explain all that. You are right on the money. A lot of people are confused and think this process isn’t necessary because they have a Lodge that works perfectly fine. And sometimes they’re right and this is because if they own a Lodge that was made prior to 2002, then it *is* smooth. Lodge did not start the pre-seasoned rough surface until 2002. So sometimes people are literally arguing about nothing due to that misunderstanding. But aside from that misunderstanding, I have actually got into quite a few arguments with Lodge owners who do you have rough surfaces and strangely continue to insist that grinding them to a smooth surface isn’t needed and doesn’t improve things. It is very very strange to think or argue that a smooth surface isn’t better for non-stick then a rough surface. Just very very strange. It’s almost like saying bald/slick tires stick to the road just as good as new fresh tread tires. Just not logical.
Destiny4511 Someone had a video (maybe this same guy) and in that video he said that he was criticized about his earlier video for showing how non-stick this process is by showing eggs that were swimming in butter. People would say that eggs were never going to stick to anything when they were in that much butter. So he'd made a second video without the butter. It worked the same.
Wrong. I have both factory smooth and factory pebbled. They are equally nonstick. You don’t have to waist your time and grinding equipment. It’s all about seasoning.
Makes you wonder why the higher end pans go through the extra effort to make the pans smooth. Everyone is free to do what they'd like with their own pans. For me, it made a big difference.
The disc used is only for removing the manufacturers polymer coating, it is specifically designed NOT to remove metal! To make the pan truly polished, one must then use a sander to remove the rough surface, and polish it.
No, the Avanti Quick-Strip, and probably the 3-M equivalent for auto body work DO remove metal. They are both designed to remove rust and corrosion from metal, and that involves removing some of the metal itself. The Avanti says it's for wood and fiberglass in addition to metal, but anything which polishes metal does so by removing some of it's surface. Even a wire brush works that way.
Destiny4511 You are correct. It does indeed remove the metal. I just did two yesterday. And I used the Avanti on one and the other the 3M. And actually the 3M worked better surprisingly than the Avanti, for me anyways. But yes there was proof when I was done that it removed metal. There was iron dust everywhere LOL!
It does make it harder for the seasoning to stick, but nice thing layers help with that. You also don't need as thick of a seasoning to make it non-stick.
This is not enough tbh. After using that stripping disc you need to use an assortment of silicon carbide sandpaper from coarse to extra fine and the polish it with 5000 grit corundum sandpaper. Once you get a mirror like surface then you can have the most non-stick surface possible.
Do you have any pictures of the finished product? I'd love to see it. I took more of a get it most of the way there approach, which is significantly better than original, but probably not as good as what you've done.
Or leave it the F alone and use it like it is and have a nonstick pan trust me Lodge has been doing to longer than we have been alive and it has always been nonstick.
It means he ruined the factory seasoning that made it non stick, to begin with, and now he has to reseason it about five times to get it back to the original nonstick seasoning that it came with. do not do this he is an idiot.
@@wildmanofthewynooch7028 The factory seasoning is a lot of BS and nothing precious to keep. Lodge applies it for one reason and one reason only and it is to keep their pans from rusting in storage and shipping. Now they use BS marketing to make you believe they did a "pre seasoning" for you. They made a business decision to reduce their cost by not hand finishing their pans. The previous manufacturers like Griswold went bankrupt when their labor costs increased 60 years ago. Kudos to Lodge, they came through hard times and are still in business in the USA. They offer a good product that does the job but you get what what you pay for. Grinding your Lodge pan gives you a quicker efficient seasoning than one you would have to build up much longer in a rough one.
Funny how the other company updated their smooth pans with a new, rough surface, version and here you are making the already rough surface smooth... Now I'm confused and cannot decide which way to go -_-'
Gotcha, a lot of carbon steel pan manufacturers sell smooth pans. You'll notice they come at a higher cost too. I used this same method on my Lodge carbon steel pan and saved the cash. In the end, it's up to you what you'd like to do to your pans.
I’m no further ahead with my new Lodge pan than before. Every person on here with conflicting advice sounds like know it alls. Who is right? The pan in the video sure seems splotchy after five seasonings.
It takes a long time to build up seasoning after you strip a pan an that is true if it is sanded or not. There are many people who are happy with their pans as is and others who prefer to sand them. In the end it doesn't matter as long as you end up with a pan that works for you.
that's bc his oil was too thick while trying to create a seasoning. if you check your skillet about ten minutes in and notice spotting you have too much oil and need a thinner coating. 375 to 400 the first few coats then crank it up to 500 to 550 to really darken it up
Well of course it didn't stick did you see how much grease he has in that pan? lol. I fry eggs on my unpolished Lodge pans with zero sticking and I don't use half the grease that he did. I preheat the pan (already seasoned with olive oil), and then add a little butter. Just enough to coat the bottom. Works perfectly every time.
Someone had a video (maybe this same guy) and in that video he said that he was criticized about his earlier video for showing how non-stick this process is by showing eggs that were swimming in butter. People would say that eggs were never going to stick to anything when they were in that much butter. So he made a second video without the butter. It worked the same.
Not the best idea here. The long term affect of this, is your seasoned surface will eventually flake off in your food. The reason for the sand cast finish, is so the seasoning will have something to bond to. Just like the paint on your car. You use primer first, then sand between coats. Paint will eventually flake off of a smooth surface. The best method is, season the rough surface, then sand the seasoned surface by hand until smooth. End result...smooth seasoned surface, bonded to a rough surface.
All these videos of people grinding off the lodge seasoning are ridiculous. I've been using modern Lodge for years and have no problem with food sticking.
It will not be AS not-stick as this, not even if you've completed Lodge's initial seasoning process by cooking in it for several months and have enough melted butter in it to deep-fry an egg. I have both modified and stock Lodge skillets. It's like night and day.
I absolutely agree here. I have rough sand cast skillets. If you season, and prepare the pan correctly, nothing sticks. I mean nothing. Eggs any style are on ball bearings with little fat.
I will give you an advice : you put wayyyyy too much oil ,the layer of oil for the burning process must be super thin ,almost non existent. It turn out amazing if you do it like that. And you don't need 1 hour , just do 5-10 minutes is enough.
You are right, way less is way better. I used less in the video I did restoring grandma's cast iron after her house burned down. UA-cam doesn't let you alter videos once it's done.
@@GrillTopExperience I did a ghetto video of my " seasoning " 😂 Sad thing is that a lodge costs 70$ here ☹️. I did the sanding by hand , being a poor fella 😇 And I used grapeseed oil , worked very well
@@GrillTopExperience thanks for the reply. It did, however, raise a few more questions. What do you do between seasoning cycles? Just remove from the grill - let cool - re-apply oil and put it back in? 4-5-6 times? How do you know when you're done? And - once seasoned, how do you clean without ruining everything you just accomplished? Your answer might make a good video. Thanks for your time.
The exact same thing happened to me. Eggs stuck like crazy, and I wondered why the heck I did this in the first place. I suppose that over time it will be much better, but looking back I wonder why even smooth it out in the first place. With the rough surface, won't oil droplets settle in before the food is placed on top of it, hence more non-stick, than with a smooth surface?
@@KarlBAndersen Most of these types of videos recommend up to about five times, and that is your starter layer of seasoning. To clean, never use soap, rinse with hot water and use either a cast iron scraper or a chain mail cast iron cleaner to preserve the seasoning. You can buy these online for a few bucks each.
There is a huge difference if you knock down the bumps that come from the factory. It doesn't have to be perfectly smooth, but leaving it as it comes isn't ideal.
@@thenarrator1984, you will be surprised... VERY surprised a the difference, if you haven't done this yet. I have four skillets, one of them a Lodge LCS3 Chef skillet which my son gave me for Christmas last year, after watching this video and modifying that skillet. Lodge's "pre-seasoning" is minimal. They spray-paint a batch of skillets with oil, bake them once, then pack for shipping. Lodge counts on that getting the customer by until prolonged use actually completes the seasoning. Even then difference between my well-used skillets and this one from my son, brand new except for his smoothing modifications, is unbelievable.
Nope as a chef and long time cast iron user the quality of the casting creates a good seasoning. What he just did is what every great grill master and chef does if they don't want to have to spend thousands on a pan. It's also what most cast iron companies did to there pans in the old days that is why old cast iron is in such a demand.
All of my vintage cast iron are smooth as glass, some are over 100 years old.... I do this with my new lidge as well and they work great. Most of the lodges have massive imperfections that need to be smoothed out, bis lumps of raw casting ect. This procedure makes them better.
No, they certainly are NOT meant to be smooth, because if they were smooth, that would make it impractical to ship them pre-seasoned. Older ones used to be smooth, and a LOT more non-stick than current pre-seasoned ones, but still not AS non-stick as one that has been through this smoothing process. The seasoning oil doesn't stick well to a smooth surface. When my son made one for me, he said he had to season it seven times (using grape seed oil) to get the job done. If Lodge did that, the prices for their skillets would start at about $200, and start getting expensive from there on up. So they sand-cast, to deliberately give it a rough surface, spray a batch down with oil, and bake it once before packing for shipment. This hopefully gets the customer through until they compete the seasoning with frying over a prolonged period. No amount of "Prolonged Period", or depth of oil used in frying will ever approach the degree of non-stick gained by smoothing and re-seasoning. Cast-iron skillets, Lodge and everyone else, USED to come with smooth inside surfaces, and instructions on how to do your own seasoning before first use. They are not as non-stick as this process creates, because you can smooth the surface almost to a mirror finish. But compared to the current rough sand-cast pre-seasoned skillets of today, they WERE very non-stick.
Wrong!!!! Check out any of the new pans from FINEX, Smithey, or the classic pans from Griswold. Smooth as a polished mirror. I have a 100+ year old Griswold that is like high polished black glass. Get the good high quality or vintage pans and you will see a 180 degree difference from the $20 Lodge Wal-Mart pans.
This is so completely unnecessary, and I feel, it's almost like... Way to ruin a brand new pan! Lodge cast-iron comes preseasoned. All you have to do is a traditional seasoning maybe three times using the fat of your choice -- whatever that may be -- in the oven. Then you pre grease it with oil and butter before cooking, and it will be just about as nonstick as any Teflon pan. No need to sand it down.
First, the Lodge skillets com pre-seasoned, but not FULLY seasoned. They spray on one coat of oil and bake once, then ship it out. There is a video here on YT somewhere that shows their manufacturing process. They count on the user to complete the process by using the skillet, with lots of grease or oil, over time. Secondly, after this process has been done, it like night and day. You THINK you have non-stick now, but only because you've never used a REAL non-stick cast-iron skillet. I have one skillet which this has been done to, and others that are stock, just bought and used as they came from Lodge. Using them is like cooking on concrete by comparison, no matter HOW long ago I got them or how much oil I use to fry things in.
@@Destiny4511 You can cook an egg right in a new pan. take the label off add a little oil and no stick this guy is an idiot! that says you need to sand down a lodge skillet.
MY MAN. You are a champion. The pan was so slippery, that the first time I used it after following this, I was CONFUSED at what was going on! I didn't even get as many layers of seasoning on it as I needed to!
I'm glad it worked for you. There are a lot of haters in the comments! It'll get better as it seasons.
I do this with all of my modern cast iron pans. I don't go super smooth, there's no need to. Just knock the roughness down a little and go through a few seasoning cycles and you're good to go. Doing this has helped a lot, especially with cleaning. The roughness tears up paper towels but not after you smoothen the pan. Thank you for the video.
I have a pan that I haven't done this too. I regret it every time I try to clean it! Thank you for the feedback.
I truly believe Lodge’s “Seasoning” serves two purposes - makes rust formations more difficult to occur in retail stores and most importantly the rough seasoning hides the pits and imperfections that occurs in the manufacturing.
Lodge could solve a lot of arguing between its customers, by making a smooth version and a porous version for people to buy what they want
That's why they bought Finex
@@availabledarkjust looked that company up and they sell $300 + pans. Is it really just a smoother $30 pan though?
If it can't cook eggs it's no good. I did this and now my cast iron is more non-stick than my "non-stick pans"
@@bradsmith4279you get what you pay for. I have a pre-acquisition finex I use it everyday and if the house is burning it would probably be the second thing after my dog I grabbed
At the beginning of the 1900's,
Sears Roebuck (?) had a listing
of various sizes and grades and prices of skillets, with
the most expensive listed as
" best quality with ground and polished cooking surfaces "
priced at $1.45
Their "regular value " model
is listed at 75 cents.
This is for #8 skillets
Yeah, not a new concept.
I can only hypothesize that all
these recent cast iron cooking
vessel myths were on some
cooking show on television
in the last few years.
I just got through using a griddle I bought new and sanded and polished ( not a
lot) and you can slide eggs
around on it as if it were
teflon coated ice. It's an import
I bought a bunch of on clearance for $3.00 and change. Works as well as any
expensive one I've ever used
I'm glad you posted this video. What a great idea, now it's like the older cast iron! I get excited whenever I find an older cast iron pan, Warner or Griswold; they knew how to make them back then ---Smooth. Lodge is really too rough to cook with brand new. That was a great seasoning job.
It's really sad that a lot of people think that the rough surface is great, when the company is just cutting corners to lower production costs. It's like how you pay for a half gallon of organic milk and they jip you by half a cup every time and didn't think anyone would notice.
What? Organic milk is a half a cup shy? Maybe that's why I use the regular stuff :) I've been looking for an old pan, but have never come across one. Thanks for coming around Oswald!
Yeah, I make my own kefir at home that's how I found that out about the milk. Keep looking at thrift stores or flea markets and you'll find an old pan eventually. If it's really rusty or dirty throw it in the fire place (or on the coals in your grill with the lid on for a while) and it will clean right up, then season it. If the pan has any imperfections like a crack in the base it might warp in the fire, so look at it closely before you clean it that way. I only had that happen once on a small skillet. Good luck!
Back in the 1920's Lodge used to offer their cast iron in raw, polished, and mirror polished variations. Today they only offer raw, then pre season it with a polymer coating, in effect they are unfinished!
We don’t live in the 1920’s. Duh
@@thegreatelberto
You're comment served zero purpose whatsoever outside of wasting UA-cam's and your Internet Provider's (along with their other customers) data.
@@thegreatelberto If you think that was the point of the comments then you're a dumb fuck piece of shit.
I've had my new Lodge 12-inch cast iron skillet for about 2 years. And has the factory finish. I seasoned it according to the instructions that state do it three times in the oven at 350 degrees.
I always heat the pan up first wiping a light coating of olive oil and then add a little bit of butter. Did this this morning and had perfect eggs no stick just like Teflon. I'm not saying that polishing inside surface won't work but I guess whatever floats your boat. I'm leaving mine the way I bought it.
It's been fun reading the comments with all the different opinions. You are right, everyone should do what works for them.
Thank you for a great video. There are so many junk videos out there that it’s a relief when you get someone with communication skills.
Thanks! That is one of the reasons why I got started. I've really appreciated the good videos out there and wanted to contribute.
I am very late to the party, but thanks for the video. I will do this polishing to my set and then do others to give the. out as presents.
I have cooked many things that have stuck to the pan regardless of following Lodge's instruction. It is a pain to clean and re-season.
The rough texture is a result of cast iron manufacturers cutting corners to save money, it's NOT done to get the seasoning to stick better. Up until the early 1900's skillets were sold unseasoned. When made, the skillets used to sit in the mold for up to 2 days, sometimes more, and the polishing/smoothing process would take about 24 hours. This would give new skillets an almost glass like texture. When customers wanted manufacturers to provide pre-seasoned pans, they changed the process cut a 3-4 day processing time down to about 90 minutes.
If you take a new Lodge skillet and rub the surface with a paper towel it will leave paper crumbs in the pan. That will not be nonstick. All you really have to do is knock down those little fingers that will grip your eggs. If you can apply some oil with a paper towel and not have it crumb it will be good. I was able to do this by just scraping the surface with a steel spatula. I suppose a power tool applied gently will have the same effect faster.
I used flapper disc on angle grinder and finished off with this method. Then used crisbee puck to season. It was good to go after.
If you heat cast iron before applying the oil it opens up the pores and the oil will soak in. If seasoning could not be applied to smooth cast iron then the older pans could not have been machined smooth. I have heard (But do not know for sure) that Lodge does not finish their cast iron to a smooth finish because by not going all the way they can sell their products cheaper. It is an easy matter to machine them smooth and they will last forever and a day as long as they are cared for properly.
Yeah, it's all about money. People got greedy instead of doing what they stood for. Went from having an amazing product to being among the mediocre
This method works well on cast iron AND on carbon steel pans (my preferred material). The 'seasoning' applied by the manufacturer is more rust proofing than seasoning, designed to prevent product returns due to improper storage at the retailer. I have a carbon steel pan that I purchased with a finish like glass and find the seasoning is always brittle. I have had to strip and re-season that pan a couple times a year. My Lodge carbon steel pans arrive rough just like the Lodge cast iron. I sand those down to more of an orange peel texture and find the nonstick properties to be equal to the smooth pan but the seasoning seems to be stronger. My theory is that orange peel provides more surface area for the seasoning to stick. I can flip eggs in those pans just like teflon.
Good points Roger. You are right, it does take a bit more effort to keep the seasoning on a really smooth pan. If it gets too hot, it's more likely to flake off. I've had good luck with my smooth carbon steelpan and haven't had any seasoning issues.
Did this with a $5 disc on my drill and then went to town for a 5 minutes with 180 grit sandpaper. Much smoother than the factory finish. Thanks
The sandpaper finish is a nice touch!
after the hard wait you did . will the pan always appear dirty?
I watch all this video's of sanding down a cast iron. I cooked eggs and Sunny Side up and never had a problem with the eggs sticking. I even clean the pan with dawn dish soap and still season the pan with avocado oil and still have the same result a non stick surface. So I bought 5 of the same pans in different sizes. Hey if it works then it works, if you leave it original and you always reheat and season it and it works. Which ever one you do, do it.
I totally agree. The idea of making your pans smooth is pretty divisive and it's a personal choice. From my experience. It takes a long time to make a cast iron pan completely non stick no matter the method you use.
Grill Top Experience I respect that also I have a carbon steel pan. I hear they are way better than cast iron, but I am trying to steer away from the horrible aluminum pan. Aluminum is really poison to the mind. Oh the first time I got my cast iron non stick it only took one or two days depends on how well you clean the cast iron. I clean then 6x before I finally season it.
Only improperly applied seasoning doesn't stick well. Most people just slather a thick layer of crisco or oil on the pan and throw it into the oven for 30-45 minutes. The application being too thick, only the exposed surface of the grease gets polymerized. This results in a sandwiched layer of unpolymerized grease between the cast iron and the polymerized surface layer of seasoning. So taking a spatula to this just peels off the surface seasoning layer because it was just floating on top of the grease and non actually properly bonded to the cast iron in the first place.
You’re washing this with dish soap and water I’m guessing and towel drying right away. Any issues with rust because I have a few lodge pans and I’m thinking of doing it.
Once you get a good seasoning on it you should be good. Just make sure it's dry before you put it away.
After cleaning in the sink and then oiling to start seasoning, did you paper towel appear grey? Like it was picking up CI dust still? I ground/polished mine until I was satisfied, and then I cleaned it with a brillo pad. I scrubbed it twice actually. I dried it. Heated it in the oven for 3 minutes to make sure it was dry, and then I applied oil. My paper towel was dark grey after oiling the inside. I oiled the outside with a new paper towel, and it was white.
It sounds like you've done everything right and you've probably gotten all of the metal shavings out. One of the reasons to season cast iron is because it is so reactive. My paper towel came out orange because the iron had a thin coat of rust already. I'd bet you are seeing the same thing.
You’re just picking up ferrous particles. Not poisonous at all, it’s the same elemental mineral we need in our bodies, for oxygen binding capacity in our blood.
Thanks Ryan for this video, will purchase that Avanti Pro to do my lodge pans!
Nice! I have one really smooth pan and one that is mostly They both work well, but the slightly bumpy pan has held the seasoning better.
I’ve never had a sticking problem with my unmodified Lodge pans.
Anyone who says it won't stick, there are stainless steel baking sheets, and oil will burn to the surface and won't come off.
That is basically a spot of seasoning.
So it should stick.
I’m going to try this. I’m very close to throwing my small 6” cast iron pan out the window
Over time the cast iron skillet will be smooth as glass and still have that rough surface look which is cool. And non stick. My cast iron skillet looks just like that. I wouldn't grind the surface.
YUP, it happens naturally over time with use.
This offended me
@@simplyemily8251 LMAOOOOOOOOO
Yeah, I gues the point here is, invest 30 min of grinding and like 2-4 seasoning cycles and you save up 3 months of cooking with it.
Is that a normal drill or an impact drill?
Great question. It's a normal corded drill.
Have you thought about making the Weber cast iron Non stick? The one that fits in the center of the grill.
Are you asking about the Weber Gourmet Grilling System? I haven't looked at it to see if it's rough enough to need it, but the process would still be the same. I've done this to pans and dutch ovens with good results.
Did you attach it to your driller?
Yes. Much easier than doing it by hand.
Your first seasoning showed that you used a little too much oil. You need to vwipe off the oil until you feel it's all gone. It's not. There's still a microscopic layer present. That's all you need to polymerise it past it's smoke point. It'll look dark but not dirty. Repeat it a few times and it'll be black but not blotchy. 450* for an hour is a waste of gas. You just need to see smoke and the color change to lay down seasoning. 5-10 minutes a layer of seasoning is all you need. I do it stovetop and in twenty minutes I'm done. About 4-5 layers. Smoke it then turn down the heat. Use a laser thermometer. When the temp goes down to about 150* you add another layer of oil then wipe off. Crank up the heat to about 250* (for flaxseed oil) and let it smoke. Ten minutes later no more smoke and it's much darker. Repeat.
Mik902 I did the 5 layers with flaxseed oil and did the 1 hour at 400* then tried to cook an egg and it was stick to the pan 😑 do you think I need to keep with the layers?
I did the foot thing too lol. I used a drill based sanding disk with sandpaper. Though I had to do the sides by hand. That was horrible but the results were worth it.
I've seen people put a screw through the hold in the handle and two on the sides to keep it in place. The foot thing works in a pinch! Enjoy your smooth pan.
Did you use a regular drill for that?
Yes. It's a regular inexpensive 3/8 inch corded power drill.
@@GrillTopExperience ok cool 👍🏼 I’ll give this a try!
Good video. I took the manufacturers pre seasoning off of my newest 12 inch cast iron pan and seasoned it 3 times the other day. I used a sander with various grits of sand paper and then a wire wheel on my cordless drill. It worked well at smoothing it out.
Last night I tried cooking on it and a third of the seasoning came off after cooking with it. I warmed up some potatoes which worked fine but when I added eggs and some slices of roast beef they both stuck to the surface a bit.
I guess the temperature was a bit too high and that is why it stuck. There are clean patches on it now. The cooking surface looks blotchy. :( I oiled it to protect the surface but will it darken evenly with time? Or should I take it down to no seasoning and start all over again? It hasn't gotten close to being black like the original finish was. Any suggestions on how I might get it to a glossy black finish?
A smooth pan is harder to get seasoned at first, but carbon steel is smooth and will blacken eventually. The one benefit is a the color doesn't necessarily mean it's non stick. The food won't stick as readily to the surface either.
One change I've made is I switched to flax seed oil for seasoning pans. I wipe some oil on when the pan is just hot to the touch. Then I wipe as much of it off as possible before baking it. That creates a really thin coating, which is more likely to fully polymerize than a thick coat. I've found that it's more durable too.
@@GrillTopExperience Thanks for the additional info. I will try getting some flax seed oil and give that a try... its a bronze colour now. Right in the middle of the pan the food sticks pretty bad. I used olive oil and coconut oil.
Etch the iron with vinegar before seasoning and it wont flake off.
Hell yeah. Need to do mine this weekend
Best of luck! As many if the commenters have said, use less oil than I did when you season it.
What oil did you use?
A really thin layer of Flax Seed Oil is my favorite, but just about any cooking oil will work.
What a relaxing voice you have, I love watching your videos, a lot of great information 💖
Thanks! It's hard to listen to yourself, so I'll have to take your word for it. I think I just put people to sleep ;)
Grill Top Experience “put people to sleep” 😂 not at all, it would be nice to listen books with your voice for sure.
He needs to make ASMR videos
Slow_Cars Garage right!
I'm more of a fan of Lodge's carbon steel skillets. Smooth surface, lighter and has the same properties as their cast iron.
I have a lodge carbon steel pan too and use it all the time. I love the weight and how quickly it heats up.
does it stick it its new?,just bought myself a skillet,my very first one
atb
steve
Hey Steve, welcome to the cast iron club. The trick with cast iron is changing the way you cook. To reduce sticking you have to preheat the pan for 5-10 minutes, then add oil. New pans are seasoned, but will stick more than a well seasoned pan. Mine worked a lot better after I ground it out and reseasoned. Give your new pan a try and if you aren't happy with its performance you can look at smoothing it out.
I did this with my new lodge griddle and I had to do the majority of it by hand because my drill is weak. I have a 9" lodge skillet that I had mixed results with over the past 10 years because of that annoying texture. The whole time I was thinking "why am I doing this?" Mine didn't come out nearly as polished looking as yours but I went through 60-120-300-600 grits and it was very smooth to the touch. So smooth that I cooked an egg (no seasoning!) with only olive oil and it was the slickest cast iron I'd ever used. Didn't even preseason it, rather just let the seasoning come naturally over time. My only feedback is you went heavy on the coats of oil for preseason. Definitely do much lighter coats because problems arise with thick layers...
You are totally right about the seasoning. I've learned my lesson and use much thinner coats of oil. Even if you don't get it perfectly smooth, it'll still be better than the factory finish. A little bumpy seems to be a good balance of getting the seasoning to stay on and keeping it non-stick.
would sandblast work?
That should get the seasoning off, but I don't know if it would be abrasive enough to sand down the metal or not. There is only one way to find out . . .
Why not putting a layer of Teflon? I don't think my great grandma used a cordless drill on their cast iron. The reason your egg is sliding, is because of too much oil.
1. Teflon is bad for you.
2. That drill HAS a CORD (not cordless)...
3. Basically everyone cooks eggs with oil or butter; however, they will still stick in a bad pan.
4. Do you even cook?
The pan your great grandma had was machined flat before it went to the store to be sold.
You don't put on Teflon because Teflon is poisonous, and never stays where you put it, long-term. You create minute flakes of Teflon in your food by scraping it with a spatula, even a non-metal one designed for Teflon. Over time, a significant fraction of the Teflon that was put on the skillet has wound up in your food.
@@Destiny4511 Correction, Teflon is not poisonous like you say. Teflon is used in making heart valves and artificial arteries to name a few things that are put in a human body. Teflon that has been overheated, as is likely in a skillet used by people who have forgotten the instructions that came with the product, might be transformed into an undesirable product to ingest but not a poison. All this is rather irrelevant because there are no longer any teflon coated being produced since more than twenty years. The non stick products now available are ceramic coated, much more heat and abrasion resistant and also totally innocuous.
My Lodge was pretty good the first time I used it. Then issues started. Surface is way too rough.
Need to do this! Thanks for the vid.
I have a cheap dutch oven that had some sugar burnt on and it ripped the seasoning off with it. Yesterday, I got my grinder out and now I have a smooth dutch oven. I hope it works out well for you. Building the seasoning on a smooth surface takes some patience.
Got new cast iron skillet today...very rough.
A lot of them are rough out of the box. Now the question . . . to grind or not to grind? It's your skillet.
I just bought a new 10 inch cast iron skillet from Dollar General a few days ago for $10. It's far smoother than the Lodge, Mainstays, and Ozark Trail brands from Walmart.
Very interesting! Thx for the cool video! =)
Just a quick comment, I find if after 10 minutes in the oven, I wipe the skillet one more time, it reduces those streaks and the seasoning is more even. Nice job. Lodge is great at seasoning skillets so people won’t use them. Your 15 minutes plus reasoning does mean that your children will fight for them. Skillet
That's a good tip to wipe it off again. I've adjusted my technique a bit and use a much thinner layer of oil now and that can make a difference. I'm excited to use my Lodge for a long time.
I have a buddy at work that used his Lodge twice in two years. Everything stuck. I also going the seasoning off and made it smooth, a 6 pack and a hot oven later, he’s cook breakfast every weekend. Cheers, Skillet
I'd try it!
Let me know how it works for you. The pan I did it to has a really good seasoning on it now.
YOU... ARE... RIGHT!!!
Excellent
its the seasoning that makes a skillet nonstick...grinding isnt necessary...im 56 ..got lots of cast iron...totally nonstick...no grinding on a single piece.
You may THINK it's non-stick, but you haven't experienced what you're seeing here. It's like Crocodile Dundee saying "Non-stick?? Naah, THIS is Non-Stick".
My son gave me a LCS3 Chef's Skillet for Christmas last year which he bought and applied this technique to.
He's become quite the aficionado of buying old cast-iron cookware and restoring it. Lodge and others used to make skillets with a smooth interior. Not as smooth as you'll get with this process, but not with the rough sand-cast surface, either.
There was a problem in that people didn't see or know about the importance of proper seasoning, and those that DID were not impressed with the effort required to make their new cookware actually suitable.
Because of initial seasoning issues a lot of people were highly-dissatisfied with their recent purchases , and the same with others who knew the value but didn't like the time and effort.
Their their gripes all over the internet prevented a lot of future sales.
Then manufacturers discovered that if they made a rough surface on their cookware, they could apply oil like spray paint to a batch of skillets, bake them a little while and "Voila! Pre-seasoned Skillets!"
The seasoning would stick to the skillet easily, along with any food cooked in it later, and the seasoning was minimal but a lot better than none. These skillets get better with prolonged use, because owners actually complete the seasoning process by cooking things with oil after purchase. They never EVER get THIS slick though.
It took me about three months of making omelettes in my new Christmas present to get used to it, because it was a Chef Skillet, with sloped sides, and slicker than ceramic.
I couldn't fold the omelette because every time I got a spatula under one side, the whole thing would slide away from me as soon as I started to lift. And the omelette would not only run away from me, it would climb up the sides. I had to fold with one spatula and hold it in place on the other side with a second spatula. Somewhere along the line, I developed "The Technique", and it's no longer a problem. For a few months, though, I was skeptical about the value to me of that skillet. Now, it's reserved as "My Omelette Skillet". It's only used for that, and I have two other another 10" skillets used for everything else, like baking cornbread and sauteeing things, etc. The LCS3 is only for omelettes and fried eggs.
FWIW, I bought an Avanti Quick-Strip, some protective paper masks, and about four bucks worth of protective eyewear, but haven't yet gotten around to applying this process to every cast-iron skillet I own; a 12", 8", and additional 10" with vertical sides.
Destiny4511 Thanks for taking the time to explain all that. You are right on the money. A lot of people are confused and think this process isn’t necessary because they have a Lodge that works perfectly fine. And sometimes they’re right and this is because if they own a Lodge that was made prior to 2002, then it *is* smooth. Lodge did not start the pre-seasoned rough surface until 2002.
So sometimes people are literally arguing about nothing due to that misunderstanding.
But aside from that misunderstanding, I have actually got into quite a few arguments with Lodge owners who do you have rough surfaces and strangely continue to insist that grinding them to a smooth surface isn’t needed and doesn’t improve things. It is very very strange to think or argue that a smooth surface isn’t better for non-stick then a rough surface. Just very very strange.
It’s almost like saying bald/slick tires stick to the road just as good as new fresh tread tires. Just not logical.
A well seasoned pan and nothing sticks. Maybe it doesn’t fly like it’s on skates, but it doesn’t stick when I fry with fats.
So cook something with out the butter or grease.
whatahowl1 why would you cook anything without butter???🤔🤔🤔
Destiny4511
Someone had a video (maybe this same guy) and in that video he said that he was criticized about his earlier video for showing how non-stick this process is by showing eggs that were swimming in butter. People would say that eggs were never going to stick to anything when they were in that much butter.
So he'd made a second video without the butter. It worked the same.
Wrong. I have both factory smooth and factory pebbled. They are equally nonstick. You don’t have to waist your time and grinding equipment. It’s all about seasoning.
Makes you wonder why the higher end pans go through the extra effort to make the pans smooth. Everyone is free to do what they'd like with their own pans. For me, it made a big difference.
I'm going to put my abrasive attachments in a drill press and press down on my pan.
get ready for a pan handle to fly into yourself.. lol
The disc used is only for removing the manufacturers polymer coating, it is specifically designed NOT to remove metal! To make the pan truly polished, one must then use a sander to remove the rough surface, and polish it.
No, the Avanti Quick-Strip, and probably the 3-M equivalent for auto body work DO remove metal. They are both designed to remove rust and corrosion from metal, and that involves removing some of the metal itself. The Avanti says it's for wood and fiberglass in addition to metal, but anything which polishes metal does so by removing some of it's surface. Even a wire brush works that way.
Destiny4511 You are correct. It does indeed remove the metal. I just did two yesterday. And I used the Avanti on one and the other the 3M. And actually the 3M worked better surprisingly than the Avanti, for me anyways. But yes there was proof when I was done that it removed metal. There was iron dust everywhere LOL!
i thought the rough they are the easily they get tough non stcik coating .the smooth they are their non stick coating get easily destroyed
It does make it harder for the seasoning to stick, but nice thing layers help with that. You also don't need as thick of a seasoning to make it non-stick.
Smooth as a double wide
It looks like the disk you used flattened out the metal quite well, however, those disks aren't designed to take metal off. What's the deal?
Not everyone has an angle grinder. There are lots of things people use in ways other than what was intended ;)
I cant tell if this guy is 20 or 40.
Often the truth lies somewhere in between!
This is not enough tbh. After using that stripping disc you need to use an assortment of silicon carbide sandpaper from coarse to extra fine and the polish it with 5000 grit corundum sandpaper.
Once you get a mirror like surface then you can have the most non-stick surface possible.
Do you have any pictures of the finished product? I'd love to see it. I took more of a get it most of the way there approach, which is significantly better than original, but probably not as good as what you've done.
Or leave it the F alone and use it like it is and have a nonstick pan trust me Lodge has been doing to longer than we have been alive and it has always been nonstick.
@@wildmanofthewynooch7028 I think people aren’t using enough animal fats in their cooking.
So when u say seasoned 5 time does that mean u cooked on it or u put it on the grill 5 times
I seasoned it 5 times before cooking on it. You could start cooking something with some grease after 1 or two times.
dang I messed up I did what u did once and cooked on it but it didn't do to bad but thanks buddy
It means he ruined the factory seasoning that made it non stick, to begin with, and now he has to reseason it about five times to get it back to the original nonstick seasoning that it came with. do not do this he is an idiot.
@@wildmanofthewynooch7028 The factory seasoning is a lot of BS and nothing precious to keep. Lodge applies it for one reason and one reason only and it is to keep their pans from rusting in storage and shipping. Now they use BS marketing to make you believe they did a "pre seasoning" for you. They made a business decision to reduce their cost by not hand finishing their pans. The previous manufacturers like Griswold went bankrupt when their labor costs increased 60 years ago. Kudos to Lodge, they came through hard times and are still in business in the USA. They offer a good product that does the job but you get what what you pay for. Grinding your Lodge pan gives you a quicker efficient seasoning than one you would have to build up much longer in a rough one.
Funny how the other company updated their smooth pans with a new, rough surface, version and here you are making the already rough surface smooth... Now I'm confused and cannot decide which way to go -_-'
Which company switched from smooth to rough surface pans?
This one. Beginning at around 3:45
ua-cam.com/video/MyPSR-RyGMU/v-deo.html
Gotcha, a lot of carbon steel pan manufacturers sell smooth pans. You'll notice they come at a higher cost too. I used this same method on my Lodge carbon steel pan and saved the cash. In the end, it's up to you what you'd like to do to your pans.
And, your pan came out as blotchy as hell, and I hate that. I want it to look uniform and evenly black with its patina.
It's not blotchy now. It takes time to build a good seasoning from bare metal. That's true if it's a rough surface or smooth.
It's not about how it looks. It's how it cooks.
Anyone who says the seasoning won't stick obviously doesn't understand why you're coating it with oil in the first place 🤣
So true!
Damn I have never heard of this before, I have been oven seasoning my lodge pan and I would have liked to try this method to see.
I have lodge cook ware that is smooth as silk never ground smooth just seasoned properly
This is what I'm talking about.
Why don't ppl cook an egg after al the work and prove it works
I’m no further ahead with my new Lodge pan than before. Every person on here with conflicting advice sounds like know it alls. Who is right? The pan in the video sure seems splotchy after five seasonings.
It takes a long time to build up seasoning after you strip a pan an that is true if it is sanded or not. There are many people who are happy with their pans as is and others who prefer to sand them. In the end it doesn't matter as long as you end up with a pan that works for you.
you should season once if you do it right.
You don't know what you're talking about.
leave it alone and just follow the directions from lodge it is nonstick already seasoned and ready to go!
that's bc his oil was too thick while trying to create a seasoning. if you check your skillet about ten minutes in and notice spotting you have too much oil and need a thinner coating. 375 to 400 the first few coats then crank it up to 500 to 550 to really darken it up
Well of course it didn't stick did you see how much grease he has in that pan? lol. I fry eggs on my unpolished Lodge pans with zero sticking and I don't use half the grease that he did. I preheat the pan (already seasoned with olive oil), and then add a little butter. Just enough to coat the bottom. Works perfectly every time.
Someone had a video (maybe this same guy) and in that video he said that he was criticized about his earlier video for showing how non-stick this process is by showing eggs that were swimming in butter. People would say that eggs were never going to stick to anything when they were in that much butter.
So he made a second video without the butter. It worked the same.
Not the best idea here. The long term affect of this, is your seasoned surface will eventually flake off in your food. The reason for the sand cast finish, is so the seasoning will have something to bond to. Just like the paint on your car. You use primer first, then sand between coats. Paint will eventually flake off of a smooth surface. The best method is, season the rough surface, then sand the seasoned surface by hand until smooth. End result...smooth seasoned surface, bonded to a rough surface.
Use metal polish, and a buffer. make it like a Mirror! nothing will stick to it.
Nice Eddie, I want to see my face in it! I got pretty good results without going that far. But you are next level.
Fine, if you have a drill and an oven...
And a grinding disk, and a mask, and shoes. You have to wear shoes if you are going to hold it with your feet!
All these videos of people grinding off the lodge seasoning are ridiculous. I've been using modern Lodge for years and have no problem with food sticking.
Well that makes two of us. The best part is we are both happy with our pans.
A smooth surface doesn't mean non stick it can be rough as hell and seasoned right it will be non stick
It will not be AS not-stick as this, not even if you've completed Lodge's initial seasoning process by cooking in it for several months and have enough melted butter in it to deep-fry an egg. I have both modified and stock Lodge skillets. It's like night and day.
I absolutely agree here. I have rough sand cast skillets. If you season, and prepare the pan correctly, nothing sticks. I mean nothing. Eggs any style are on ball bearings with little fat.
Use grape seed oil when seasoning your pan. It has a higher smoke point so it won’t smoke up your house
I will give you an advice : you put wayyyyy too much oil ,the layer of oil for the burning process must be super thin ,almost non existent.
It turn out amazing if you do it like that.
And you don't need 1 hour , just do 5-10 minutes is enough.
You are right, way less is way better. I used less in the video I did restoring grandma's cast iron after her house burned down. UA-cam doesn't let you alter videos once it's done.
@@GrillTopExperience I did a ghetto video of my " seasoning " 😂
Sad thing is that a lodge costs 70$ here ☹️.
I did the sanding by hand , being a poor fella 😇
And I used grapeseed oil , worked very well
By hand! That's a ton of work. Grapeseed is a great option.
@@GrillTopExperience I used silicone carbine sandpaper ( the black one ) wich works faster :)
Ever hear about golfball logic?
I worked on mine for about 2 hours yesterday until I could see myself in the reflection. Everything sticks to it like glue.
It can take a bit to get a good seasoning when it's that smooth. I've found it takes a bit more oil for the first few cooks.
@@GrillTopExperience thanks for the reply. It did, however, raise a few more questions. What do you do between seasoning cycles? Just remove from the grill - let cool - re-apply oil and put it back in? 4-5-6 times? How do you know when you're done? And - once seasoned, how do you clean without ruining everything you just accomplished? Your answer might make a good video. Thanks for your time.
The exact same thing happened to me. Eggs stuck like crazy, and I wondered why the heck I did this in the first place. I suppose that over time it will be much better, but looking back I wonder why even smooth it out in the first place. With the rough surface, won't oil droplets settle in before the food is placed on top of it, hence more non-stick, than with a smooth surface?
@@KarlBAndersen Most of these types of videos recommend up to about five times, and that is your starter layer of seasoning. To clean, never use soap, rinse with hot water and use either a cast iron scraper or a chain mail cast iron cleaner to preserve the seasoning. You can buy these online for a few bucks each.
This is stupid, I have several lodge cast iron pans and Dutch ovens and none of them stick. Doesn’t need to be 100% smooth.
There is a huge difference if you knock down the bumps that come from the factory. It doesn't have to be perfectly smooth, but leaving it as it comes isn't ideal.
If you're going to do all that why not buy a Teflon
Teflon can't get very hot or it will flake off into your food. They also don't last very long before they start breaking down.
damn dude way to jack up a skillet iv been using lodge iron for year and eggs/cheese dont stick trick is preheat the damn thing
and the rough surface allows for bubbles and oil to move around.
it works fine. but i have like 15 cast iron pans im gonna try this once for fun.
@@thenarrator1984, you will be surprised... VERY surprised a the difference, if you haven't done this yet.
I have four skillets, one of them a Lodge LCS3 Chef skillet which my son gave me for Christmas last year, after watching this video and modifying that skillet. Lodge's "pre-seasoning" is minimal.
They spray-paint a batch of skillets with oil, bake them once, then pack for shipping.
Lodge counts on that getting the customer by until prolonged use actually completes the seasoning.
Even then difference between my well-used skillets and this one from my son, brand new except for his smoothing modifications, is unbelievable.
Completely unnecessary. Not sticking in cast iron has more to do with technique vs smooth pan and seasoning.
Nope as a chef and long time cast iron user the quality of the casting creates a good seasoning. What he just did is what every great grill master and chef does if they don't want to have to spend thousands on a pan. It's also what most cast iron companies did to there pans in the old days that is why old cast iron is in such a demand.
Get a real skillet griswold
Mighty hard to find considering the original company sold the business in 1957.
@@GrillTopExperience I find them at the flea markets pretty reasonable. They are great cookware.
They aren’t meant to be that smooth
All of my vintage cast iron are smooth as glass, some are over 100 years old.... I do this with my new lidge as well and they work great. Most of the lodges have massive imperfections that need to be smoothed out, bis lumps of raw casting ect. This procedure makes them better.
I bought a cheap ozark trail one at Walmart for 8 bucks it's rough I seasoned it good doesn't stick a bit
No, they certainly are NOT meant to be smooth, because if they were smooth, that would make it impractical to ship them pre-seasoned.
Older ones used to be smooth, and a LOT more non-stick than current pre-seasoned ones, but still not AS non-stick as one that has been through this smoothing process.
The seasoning oil doesn't stick well to a smooth surface. When my son made one for me, he said he had to season it seven times (using grape seed oil) to get the job done.
If Lodge did that, the prices for their skillets would start at about $200, and start getting expensive from there on up.
So they sand-cast, to deliberately give it a rough surface, spray a batch down with oil, and bake it once before packing for shipment.
This hopefully gets the customer through until they compete the seasoning with frying over a prolonged period. No amount of "Prolonged Period", or depth of oil used in frying will ever approach the degree of non-stick gained by smoothing and re-seasoning.
Cast-iron skillets, Lodge and everyone else, USED to come with smooth inside surfaces, and instructions on how to do your own seasoning before first use.
They are not as non-stick as this process creates, because you can smooth the surface almost to a mirror finish. But compared to the current rough sand-cast pre-seasoned skillets of today, they WERE very non-stick.
@@O-Heyguys - Because Rayray1001 is a stupid fuck and doesn't have clue to what he is talking about.
Wrong!!!! Check out any of the new pans from FINEX, Smithey, or the classic pans from Griswold. Smooth as a polished mirror. I have a 100+ year old Griswold that is like high polished black glass. Get the good high quality or vintage pans and you will see a 180 degree difference from the $20 Lodge Wal-Mart pans.
This is so completely unnecessary, and I feel, it's almost like... Way to ruin a brand new pan! Lodge cast-iron comes preseasoned. All you have to do is a traditional seasoning maybe three times using the fat of your choice -- whatever that may be -- in the oven. Then you pre grease it with oil and butter before cooking, and it will be just about as nonstick as any Teflon pan. No need to sand it down.
First, the Lodge skillets com pre-seasoned, but not FULLY seasoned. They spray on one coat of oil and bake once, then ship it out. There is a video here on YT somewhere that shows their manufacturing process. They count on the user to complete the process by using the skillet, with lots of grease or oil, over time.
Secondly, after this process has been done, it like night and day. You THINK you have non-stick now, but only because you've never used a REAL non-stick cast-iron skillet.
I have one skillet which this has been done to, and others that are stock, just bought and used as they came from Lodge.
Using them is like cooking on concrete by comparison, no matter HOW long ago I got them or how much oil I use to fry things in.
@@Destiny4511 You can cook an egg right in a new pan. take the label off add a little oil and no stick this guy is an idiot! that says you need to sand down a lodge skillet.
Wildman of the Wynooch post a video of that. I'd love to see it.
Pretty ugly splotchy seasoning.
You made a video to show people what to do and you didn't even know what to do?
That looks like garbage.. are you kidding?
Terrible advice.