when you're frying eggs you can table a table knife to the membrane of the egg whites that surround the yolk (11:19), as long as you're careful you won't bust your egg and it will help you to cook the egg faster and more evenly
Avocado oil has a smoke point of 520 degrees f. Cooking it at 350 doesnt get hot enogh to bond the oil to the pan during the seasoning process. Also coat the outside of the pan as well when you season it. :) happy cooking!
When my son was in his mid to early twenties (about two years after he left home) I gave him his inheritance early: my lodge cast iron cookware (most of it). After teaching him the Ten Commandments of cooking in cast iron he quickly learn to love the pans as much as I do. He really got hooked when he cooked his first steak on his own and now preaches the gospel of cooking in cast iron to anyone who will listen, lol.
My story is the opposite of yours. My mom has an old lodge CI pan that she never uses because "everything sticks to it and it's a pain in the A**." She's brillo'd the thing for years, so it's got this nice polished cooking surface. I thought, before i move back out of their house (long story), i'm gonna get that pan working right for her, and teach her how to make it work well. I've been using it on eggs and pancakes and french toast for a couple of weeks, keeping it lightly oiled and cleaned. Now the thing is better than teflon. Crack an egg into it, wait 30 seconds, jiggle the pan and the egg just floats around the surface of the pan, like it would on brand new teflon. Yesterday, she'd seen how well it's working, so she seared some tenderloins in it. What does she do after she's done with them? Chucks the scalding hot pan into a sink of dirty dish water. I'm like "You can't just do that to cast iron, it's gonna work like crap because of that" Her response? "So? Who cares?" I wanted to crack her head with the thing, but i refrained. Oh well... I tried.
Brian Cooney OMG! She committed a cardinal sin. You should ask her to give you than pan since she clearly doesn’t appreciate cast iron. It’s better off in your loving custody.
I've got my great grandmother's cast iron that been seasoned with bacon fat since day one.. The bottom is smooth as glass and nothing sticks.. People have offered to buy my pans and I tell them they don't have enough money to buy those pans!! Over 120 years of love and family history is in those pans.
I too use bacon to keep mine seasoned. I also use lard. Mine are Lodge from the very early 1980’s. It is nice that we have a choice of four made in USA cast iron skillets.
One thing that gets a lot of people about cast iron is their not patient with it at first. Cast iron cookware will get better the more you use it unlike all other non-stick cookware that gets worse the more you use it.
@@C5ndle Yea, but it takes less than a minute to clean a cast iron pan. - Right off the heat under running water, and gently scrub the pan. Them residual heat will help bring up just about anything on it. - Use a bit of dish soap if you have to, as long as it doesn't have lye in it (most do not), if you really need to. It's the lye in older dish soaps that made everyone's grandmothers scream about using soap in a cast iron skillet - Dry it well with a towel (throw it on a low flame if you want to be 100% sure) - Wipe a very thin layer of oil into the pan - Put it away. Easy, and takes less time to do than it does to read this comment.
@@JordonBeal You should never put water, hot or cold in a hot cast iron pan. The difference in temp will stress the cast iron and eventually it will crack. Let the pan cool and them clean with Eco-friendly dish soap (I use liquid castille soap), and use a sponge. Never use steel wool (a scotch green scrubber is okay occasionally) and for stuck on food, coarse sea salt in the pan and rub it around with a paper towel and the salt will remove the stuck on food.
I have been using cast iron for around 30 years. I have seasoned many pans from new without any pre-seasoning on them and even brought a few old ones back from being totally rusted. I don't know why so many people try to scare others into not using cast iron. It is one of the best things to cook with. It really doesn't take that much to season a cast iron pan. I pretty much just use Crisco shortening. I have seasoned cast iron over a bed of hardwood coals and in the oven. As long as you put the oil on in thin layers and wipe off the excess there is no problem. A lot of people leave too much oil on their cast iron when seasoning it. I just use a paper towel to rub the oil on and it works fine. I also use metal and bamboo utensils in my cast iron without any problems. I do not like to use plastic utensils with my cast iron. Some things need to be cooked at a higher temperature and plastic utensils can start to melt. A nice thick steak is one of the finest things you will ever eat when cooked in a cast iron skillet. I like to melt pats of butter over mine and keep spooning the melted butter over the steak as you cook it. The steak will come out with a beautiful crust and be one of the most tender steaks that you have ever eaten.
I don't get it either. I've used cast iron skillets for years with no problems. I think what most people make the mistake of doing with cast iron is they don't get the skillet hot. Seasoning is easy too if you do it correctly.
Nice to hear that crisco does the job because I'm planning on using that to season my pans which my dad bought me. I had wanted a cast iron pan since I was about 21 but a lot of people warned me that it's very hard to take care of a cast iron pan. That's why only now, I'm 33 do I get to use my very first cast iron pan.
I don't think you're supposed to season on the pan, should be out of the pan. I know for stainless, salt is supposed to "pit" the metal and at the very least it will cause sticking the more you season in the pan.
I remember my grandmother always kept her cast iron items lightly covered in vegetable shortening, they ALWAYS looked nice + new, 50 years later they still work the same, an egg will slip with ease, pork chops from them are divine, season your cast iron items on your grill, grandmother would approve of this and ALWAYS fry BACON in your cast iron items!!Carl Avon Park FL
My camping pans are Lodges. Soon as I got them I did season them three times using grapeseed oil and I've no problems cooking with them. My pans for home are mostly antique, those one actually work better because they're smooth.
After being raised eating food in a cast iron skillet I can tell you that it is no big deal to use a cast iron skillet. I recently purchased a new 10.5" skillet, and two cast iron 12" dutch ovens for cooking indoor and outdoors. I got tired of the non stick steel cookware having the material coming off into the food and having to be thrown out in two years or less and having to be replaced. I already have one skillet which my grandmother, and mother used during their lifetime, and love it so much.
I always understood from my grandparents and great-grandfather that to season properly, you want to bake the pan at higher than the smoke point of the oil for the hour, then turn the oven off and let it cool in the oven as it cooled. Then you were ready to either cook early, or do it again several more times to get best results. I have pans from a 3" up to this mega one I have to get my hubby to lift for me with the drip lid. My favorite pans ever!
My granny was actually going to TOSS her grandmother's big collection of iron, (dating from about 1870 to 1885 ) .. lucky for me, she asked me to haul them to the Salvation Army store, to donate. "Umm, may I have them?" ..."Well, sure, but why would anyone want such heavy old junk?" ... I love 'em, even the enormous kettle with its impossible-to-season interior - I use that as a winter-long humidity source, slowly steaming over a low fire
I've been using a Wagner set of three 4 almost 30 years. The set was 12 dollar at the time. I am keeping them for display now. Now I am using lodge 4 the past 2 years and have the 6, 8, 10, and 12 inch cast iron pans along with a lodge 12 inch carbon steel pan. Very rarely use my all clad stainless. Love them.
$12 in 1994 is worth $24.97 today "I am keeping them for display now." "I keep less then $24.97 worth of high carbon steel on display" As MJCarrilloCastor said: Holy cow "Now I am using [cast iron brand] 4 the past 2 years and have the 6, 8, 10, and 12 inch cast iron pans along with a [cast iron brand] 12 inch carbon steel pan." I mean if you and me did our first cast iron pan it's going to be brittle and just a bad cast iron, but give the company 2-3 years to cast iron, any brand loyalty is insane. My new pan in 2024 cost $19, there's about $6 in production and transport to a big port in the EU (let's face it it was cheaper back in the 90's to under pay workers after shipping)
I have lodge and I removed the preseason with sand papers of successive finer grits (50, 150, 250, 500, 800, 1000, 5000). After the surface appeared to shine from the finest grit, I washed it, dried, and seasoned it with Flax seed oil. You have to use an oil that has a lower smoke point so that it easily burns. After the oil burns, it transforms into a nonstick coating that has a higher temperature resistance. If you use high smoke point oils such as avocado, you need to heat your skillet to a considerable temperature before you could get the oil to burn. Heat the flaxseed oil to as high a temperature as possible. I suggest you do it outdoors because the flaxseed will catch fire. Let the fire burn all of the oil. Once the fire is out, you are left with a strong patina. The layer could be very thick. While still hot, scrape the surface with a straight spatula to level off the patina. Spread some of it on the sides. Take caution because it is very hot. Once the pan cools down, you are left with an almost indestructible patina that you could use detergent on. A good patina will not come off even if you use detergent. Just don't use anything that could scratch it much like what you would do to a teflon non-stick pan. People who don't use soap on their pans because they believe the soap will ruin the patina, are not only fools but also disgusting. If your patina does come off when you use soap, it's not a good seasoning.
@@albertqt Yes. That's exactly what I'm saying. The finest grit will give your pan a very smooth surface which makes a world of difference when you season it. But don't expect a well seasoned cast iron pan to perform as good as a non-stick (teflon) pan. When you cook food that have lots of salt on the surface, like fish, the burned salt seems to stick to the pan but you can wash it off with water and the salt will dissolve, leaving your seasoning intact. Get one of those dish brushes to facilitate removal. It seems salt binds with the seasoning for some reason. Nothing is perfect. But other than that, frying steaks, pork chops, eggs, etc are great. Don't cook sauces in Cast iron pan as the acids will eat away the seasoning. Just use cast iron pan exclusively for frying. It's the best fryer out there (next to non-stick) but unlike non-stick, this will outlast your entire family. If you can season it well following the succession of grits, you can pass it on to your sons and grandsons, and your grandsons' grandson and so on.
I took the factory seasoning off of my Lodge with a 60 grit orbital sander and re-seasoned it with Avocado oil for 3x1 hour seasonings at 375. The result is MARKEDLY BETTER than the factory finish. After a couple of weeks of daily bacon and steak (go carnivore diet!) the pan is amazing and cleans up faster than ever. There is a real benefit to taking down the rough factory seasoning and starting fresh.
My Dad purchased my first cast iron skillet and it is a large 13"-14". I was excited I finally got a cast iron skillet. But then I was like this thing is massive. I typically use it for baking biscuits or pizza. I need to properly season it again. How's the cooking going on your 13"?
22 year old avid cast iron user here. I inherited my first lodge 8 inch skillet at 18 and I’ve used it just about everyday since I got it. The inside is pretty smooth just from cooking with it. No sanding needed. Lol
For as long as I can recall, my Grandmother and Mother seasoned their cast iron fry pans so quick and easy, it was something that I took for granted! Folks work way too hard in this "seasoning" business, it's very simple and here is how its done where I come from.... Place the clean and unseasoned or washed and dryed cast iron fry pan on a large burner on your stove. Turn the burner to high. When the pan starts to smoke, pore in or place in a dollop of Crisco vegetable oil, remove pan from burner and turn the burner off. Use a folded paper towel to mop the oil around the bottom and sides of the pan. and set aside to cool. The next time you use your fry pan, eggs will not stick. I have used this method for nearly 50 years and its quick, easy and very, very effective. You can't screw it up! We always use a good vegetable oil and I have never found any reason to change to any of the new "high temp" oils. See if this method is as easy and effective as I say it is and you will be glad that you did if you are having issues with seasoning your cast iron....
I'm not sure I'd put a cold pan on high to start with especially on an electric stove as doing so might bow the bottom of the pan--probably not a problem on a gas stove but definitely on on an electric stove.
Ralph Meyer that’s what I was thinking. I have a glass top and wouldn’t want to risk cracking or warping my old Griswolds or Wagners. But of course start from low then work it up
I am from the Deep South and I use 150 year old cast iron with a century and a half of seasoning now. I don’t even have to use any oil at all now when I fry an egg. I will give you some hints. Don’t EVER PUT WATER IN YOUR PAN TO CLEAN IT. Just wipe it out. When you season it in the beginning use LARD! A very fine layer. Wipe all of it out. Then put it on your eye or in the oven and let it get hot as fire. Then wipe any remaining lard out. Fry bacon or sausage in it everyday and just wipe it out. Your great grands will be using those pans in the next century. One last tip. Get a pan especially for biscuits and corn bread and never cook ANYTHING else in it. I am giving you pearls here!!
I've used Cast Iron cookware for over 50 yrs. (53 to be exact). Cast Iron is thee very best cookware to use! I was going to say: ahh, crackin the egg, in the pan, gives you eggshell pieces w/ your eggs. You can use the handle to crack the eggs, and you wont get the shell, w/ your egg. Lodge is phenomenal cookware. My husband and I ate at the Cracker Barrel often. (He's passed away now) And, I, shopped in the store. Nowdays, I have an HCA, and when a new lady comes, I always ask if she knows how to care for, cook with Cast Iron?... If she does not know, she is not allowed to touch my Cast Iron. Period! If she stays for some time, I teach her how to use Cast Iron cookware. I always season my pans, no matter what. I use Canola oil for seasoning. Sometimes, Crisco. I cook w/ EVOO. My pans, Dutch oven, skillet, and grill pan, are shiny black, slick looking, and Completely Non-stick ❤ I am one happy grandma ❤ , with my Cast Iron. Lodge, is especially well made cast iron. All my Lodge cookware except 1, I got at Cracker Barrel Store. Happy cooking n Good eating, y'all 🎉
I agree with you, there is really no problem to using, cooking in, or cleaning cast iron skillets. It's only a matter of 'learning how to'. I have 5 of them, 3 of them I've been using for well OVER 50 years, and they were 'used' when I got them from my parents, and they're still better than new. Far too many people think you must go to all kinds of crazy extremes to season, care for, and use them. Not so, they're just wasting their time and effort, I think they're watching too many 'how to' UA-cam videos! :)
WTF????? I'm totally shocked and impressed. i've been using cast iron skillets for decades and have prefect seasonings and have not been able to cook an egg that cleanly. i''m blown away by this video.
The reason the newer pans like Lodge have a rougher surface is so it's easier to season them at the factory. Older pans had a smoother finish, so this is where the long time to season part comes from. The smoother finish will eventually have a better non-stick surface but will take more time. A lot of people buy Lodge now because it's cheap and then sand down the surface. I did this to mine and it's far better.
@@themonsterunderyourbed9408 Lodge is the cheapest, except maybe for some Chinese brands. Lodge cost about $20 at Walmart. My Stargazer 12" cast iron skillet is $145.
Bought a 9 inch Lodge cast iron skillet today. Heated my oven to 450°. oiled my entire pan lightly with EVOO.put it in the oven for 45 minutes. Let it cool down completely.put it on the heat,added a pat of butter and crack an egg in. It fried perfectly and didn't stick at all. And I hear it only (with proper care) gets better from there.by the way,the egg smelled better while cooking and tasted better too.
Great video and great points about the difficulty of cast iron. I had no idea Lodge did such a good job on their pans. I bought a Finex and it basically arrived "bare metal" and it cost about 12 times more than a Lodge. Of course we do all know that you have to heat the oil "above" the smoking point, because that's how you get the black seasoning. You need to destroy the oil, called polymerization. You can't do this below the smoke point. You have to use at least 400F. But 450F or 500F is better.
With the avocado oil, you needed to heat the pan up to 550 in the oven because when seasoning a pan, you have to go above the smoking point. Avocado oil smoking point is 520, so heat your oven up to 550 for an hour and then leave it in the oven to cool for several hours. Works great.
apparently (according to cook culture so it's just hearsay) it's not necessary for the oil to smoke in order for polymerization to occur im not literate with organic chemistry nor am I up to date to with the literature on the topic, tho
Yeah not true. Polymerization and combustion are completely different chemical processes. If you've ever looked at a chart showing the smoke points of different oils, you may have noticed that refined and unrefined versions of the same oil have different smoke points and the unrefined is always lower. That's because all the other plant matter in there burns at a lower temp than the oil itself. So if that's what's burning when you're seasoning a pan, that's probably a good thing because you'll end up with polymer infused with carbon which makes it harder. But if it's the oil itself that's burning, there won't be any polymer left because you incinerated it.
All I use is Cast Iron for the last 15 years. I find mine at yard sales. I had a few that where so rusty I had to sand it all down. All mine are non stick at this point. Very easy to take care of. The rusty yard sale one's after sanding I oil and put on my gas grill for a few hours on low and applying oil every 15 min or so till you get a deep rich black. it is the only way to cook. You need to get a cast iron POT and use it to cook bread's or stew we use are pot a lot.
I soak the rusty ones I find at garage sales in a plastic tub just a tad bit bigger than the pan with distilled vinegar just over the surface for about 24 hours straight. I wipe it down & rub it real good to see what I've got. Only twice out of countless pans did I have to do a second soak. Vinegar is relatively cheap if you have a good sized bin to put it in. I've been known to put many glasses with rocks in them around the bin so as displace the vinegar some so as to not to use as much. One friend of mine rubs after the first few hours & uses fresh vinegar, but I find that totally unnecessary. KISMIF- Keep it simple, make it fun.
I fry 2 eggs every morning in a 6 and a half inch Lodge cast iron frying pan. I use olive oil and butter and the eggs will slide around in the pan. The more you do it the easier it is. My pan is 10 or 12 years old. But I can put years of seasoning on a cast iron pan by doing it outside on a portable inductive burner like a NUWAVE burner in 15 minutes.
Considering the pioneer folks only had animal lard (no exotic oils back then,) my guess it it's fine for use today. Thanks 4 the demo. My first egg try totally stuck on tiny skillet so I banished it 2 the pantry. I will try ur method. Tyfs.
I have two Wagners I use all the time, love em. You are the first and only to convince me to purchase and experiment with a Lodge. Keep it up, Good show.👍
I took your advice on a new Lodge chef skillet and I'm convinced that sanding isn't necessary. Made an omelet with some lambs quarter and not a single spec of egg stayed in the pan. To say I'm impressed is an understatement. Previously I had sanded two other Lodges to improve the finish. I can't say I'm disappointed with those two because they are great but your advice had me intrigued and had to give it a shot. Thanks for the video.
I got myself a little 3-foot pot (Poitjie)- poykee, last year. Seasoned it six times over a fire, then made popcorn. One of my most happy moments. Turned out so well, that I'm now using my mom's cast iron cookware with confidence.
After reading about the negatives of nonstick pans, I carefully seasoned my Lodge pan, and made home fries in it. Loved the way the potatoes slid around without sticking. My next experiment was making refried beans. They actually stuck LESS than with the nonstick pan. They washed off right away. Love it.
I have had nothing but bad luck with iron skillets. I've tried them over decades and have never gotten them properly seasoned. Until I tried Lodge's latest pre-seasoned pans. I bought three different sizes and they all have been a miracle. They restored my faith in iron pans. Thank you, Lodge! I'll never use anything else.
The one that works best for me is just good old lard. I get the best results with that. People plop an egg into the pan and then try to flip it and make a mess, and blame the pan. But they don't let the pan do its thing. First it's going to grab the food, then sear it, then it will let go. At this point you can move out around.
I am so happy I found your Channel. Thank you ! My Lodge cast iron pan will be delivered today, and I was dreading spending hours seasoning it. I‘ll go with the first method you used on the small pan, and I guess in time, my pan will improve with use.
I bought my last "non-stick" skillet 6 months ago, and it's already a piece of junk after using it nearly daily. I've got 7 kids, so it saw a lot of use. I finally broke down and bought a cast iron dutch oven from Lodge to use at my skillet, because I make so much in a single serving. It didn't do eggs quite as nicely as yours at first, but 5 days in and I made up an entire egg breakfast for the kids with no stick. Wish I had gone with cast iron years ago.
I use grapeseed oil for high heat cooking. It is the healthiest oil you can get, but it's expensive. It is actually healthier than olive oil is. It has a high 450 degree flash point so it's good for hot stir frying.
Low heat and adequate fat layer is key. The pebbling makes sense, although most people hate it, because it’s simply a matter of surface area. Race cars use slick tires because they want to maximize traction. Same applies to cast iron, more surface contact between your food and the pan equals more sticking.
So impressed! Just got a Lodge cast iron at a flea market. Seasoned it, and now checking videos to see if I’ve done everything right before cooking…. Thank you.. Looking forward to giving it a go….
100%. Gotta let the thing cook, and then it'll come away from the pan without issue. And yea, a lot of people use too high a heat for a lot of their cooking.
Am currently going through my own new Cast Iron pan break-in. I was not so lucky as you as there was sticking. However, I used only a very thin coating of oil - wiped to a simple coating. Also, I only pre-warmed for a minute or two and then at a very low heat (a habit from using non-stick pans.) Tomorrow I will pre-heat longer and at a higher temp and see how that works.
Pro tip... Take a bit of FINE sandpaper, and sand the “Pre-Season” til the inside is smooth, but don’t take it down to bare metal. A few specks of metal showing is fine, just wanna get it smooth. Wash it with soap and water, then bake it with their directions. (Upside down, 350 degrees) Use a Lint Free rag and coat it with flaxseed oil to pre season. It’ll give you a nice layer that’ll keep your food off the nasty polymers they use to treat their pans...
I will also testify to the fact that with cast iron the non-stick gets better and better with use. With my Lodge and also my Stansport after around 5 uses they’ve become like Teflon. However my Lodge skillet / frying pan is my better pan. Love Lodge!! I’m buying a Lodge griddle next week. 😬
I have for the most part used Lodge.Which is my favorite. I have always been able to cook eggs.The key to always cook in your cast iron is to always heat 1st.Lodge always comes pre seasoned....all I have ever done with (new) is to start out by cooking Bacon in it.If you cook anything acitdy like Tomatoes, Fish with Lemon etc.is when I do then I do Re/Season process, or if I have not use the pacific pan in a while. Happy Iron Cooking....
I just got a lodge 12" and first thing I did was do a quick season with avocado (same brand) as yours, then I did sunny side eggs and it didn't stick at all. Impressed! For seasoning, all I did was clean the pan then heat it up on high heat on the stove, poured some avocado oil in it and spread it out with a paper towel all over and when it smoked, I took it off and wiped out down again. It was good to go. You seem to be cooking at really low heat. I heat my pan super hot and then turn down to medium and do all my cooking.
Avocado oil wouldn't be my go-to for seasoning; its smoke point is around 520F, which is higher than most consumer ovens can really reach. You need to go over the smoke point to get the oil to polymerize, which is where the 'seasoning' comes from. Great for frying, bad for seasoning. Flaxseed oil is a much better option from my experience; it has a relatively low smoke point, and is a drying oil which only helps the process along and develops a tougher seasoning than most other options like crisco or lard.
This is very typical of a Lodge pre-seasoned pan. They can be, and should be used immediately. This gentlemen also used a correct heat range for an egg - low/medium. If the egg hits the pan and pops and snaps, it'll likely get lacey brown and stick. Low and slow is the way to use cast iron or carbon steel to keep sticky foods from sticking. And, yes, you have to use oils of some kind - personal preference. Non-stick means easy clean up - not that foods of certain types will just slide right out with no oil used. There is no need for a smooth surface. The sand blasted pebbled surface retains cooking oil under the food better than a smooth surface, but both work well. I will only add this constructive comment that the bigger pan is the one to use for eggs as it is simply easier to get under it with the spatula.
Hello Nancy. There are a couple things that work better with a smooth surface, one is some deserts like pineapple upside down cake and derivatives. Things like that tend to release more evenly than a pebbled surface.
OutnBacker Lodge pans aren't sand blasted to get that finish. They are cast in a sand mold. Lodge is just too cheap to spend the extra dollar or less to sand it smooth. And plenty of things cook better with a slick metal finish, and a rough surface will never be as nonstick as a smooth surface.
Sand or bead blast, or sand casting leaves the same or somewhat similar finish. The surface has little to do with how a skillet takes to seasoning or how it performs. As to Lodge being too cheap to preform a final surface grinding operation, I would rather term it as competitive pressure, as I believe it to be more likely. Lodge products are not the most expensive CI cookware available, but they do the job as well as any of those. If you want a more refined skillet, you can get it. All you need to do is pay more. Or, you can scour the second hand shops as I have done, to acquire some vintage Lodge or other brands like Wagner or Griswold, which generally were ground smooth ( I just now finished with a restorative re-seasoning of an old lodge #7, smooth as glass). Still, the results in performance are the same. Iron heats and behaves the same no matter the brand. We forget that the chef is the one who determines the majority of outcomes.
I like lodge, for the price, the only thing is they're rough in the bottom, i sand that down with a da sander and reseason the pans those oils you mentioned are ok for seasoning but are trouble in the long run.. but there's nothing wrong with animal fats for seasoning. Lard though not crisco. Lodge pans are pre seasoned. Hint if you put butter or bacon grease, and wait until the pan is good and hot then leave the egg alone it won't stick. The trick is the egg never touches the pan it cooks on top of the oil...I always use butter or bacon grease on a seasoned pan. My pans never need re seasoning. I don't abuse them and I hardly ever wash i mean almost never I just wipe them out. If I do wash them I heat them up reoil with bacon grease 90% of the time then put them up. I only cook sausage, bacon, eggs, omelets, corn bread and seldom chicken or ham in my pans. I don't use olive- canola, flaxseed. Veggie, crisco, corn oil, because they have no flavor, and leave a sticky residue in the pan. Only butter or bacon grease add any real flavor to food. But that's just me. My grandma had a frying pan 50 years I never seen her wash it and she cooked on a wood cook stove. Using lard, bacon grease and butter. I watched her carefully, because she knew what she was doing. If I could see her today I'd hold her hand kiss her cheek and tell her how much I love her and what she means to me. I'd do the same for my grampa. Cast iron frying pans is what I have to remember my grand parents that and an old buck eye shotgun. And thousands of great memories.
I have a cabinet of TEFLON NON STICK pots and pans and I have aluminum pans -- last year I purchased a LODGE Cast Iron 13 inch -- then an 8 then a Ribbed Grilling pan then 6 - 6 inch pans for individual pies and then 4 fajita skillits -- I LOVE THEN ALL AND NEVER USE THE OTHER POTS AND PANS ANY MORE
The non stick effect lives and dies with traces and residues of oil, fat, soot, fixed in a matrix of iron oxide. Heating the iron fastens the process of controlled producing a more or less even nanometer layer of this amorphous iron oxide. The oil or fat penetrates the thin layer of oxides and later prevents the adhesion of foodstuff. Using unsaturated (lineseed, vergine olive, etc.) results in a more oxidative curing and more water resistant layer, animal fat or coconut oil does not polymerize. The more you use the pan the more the "adhesion preventive layer" gets a refresh, and after a while it's a mixture of fatty acids, partially catalytically cured by mineral salt kationes. Whatever you do, forget about all this chemistry, use the pan as often as possible, wash the salt out using hot water as soon as possible after use because it causes pitting or general corrosion, dry it immediatelly and once or twice a year give it some maximum heat, until slightly smoke appears. I use an old cast iron pan since 35ys, got it from my Grandma. She changed to aluminium pans because it took less effort to hit Grandpa with them. Haha. German humor...
I'm new to cast iron, and I noticed that with all of these "cast iron tutorial" videos, *everyone* was saying something different. This oil, that oil, 300 degrees, 500 degrees. So my takeaway is that its not that important to follow specific steps and instead just use the dang pan.
I now have several cast iron skillets, and dutch ovens and use them regularly for cooking in and they work just fine. Lodge does make great products and ones which people like myself can afford.
Cast iron pans are great!!! Properly seasoned and maintained they last well beyond a lifetime. Everything cook in them tastes great!!! One safety tip: NEVER crack and egg INSIDE the pan. Always use the edge of the pan, or bowl or whatever receptacle you will place the egg into. (You'll avoid getting the shell in your food that way)
I've been using my first lodge pan ever for a month now ,love it it was preseasond but I've been cooking bacon ,steaks,sausage,eggs and even baked cornbread in it, I'm hooked now food taste way better.
Got a new lodge baked biscuits, then cooked bacon, drained most of the grease to use on next pan of biscuits, or corn bread, poured two eggs into hot skillet. I like my eggs, over medium, with brown crust, but not scorched. Slide out eggs onto plate, cover with grits, pull biscuits apart, put in bacon slices.
I have no knowledge of cast iron skillets, though I've been using my ol' hand me down for the last 10 years, just retired it recently, and as of today I bought me a Lodge Cast Iron at Target for $20.49, certainly a price most can afford, as opposed to the over priced alternatives offered by greedy corporations. First thing I did, was bought some tortillas, eggs, and hot sauce, peeled the label off, washed it, dried it, then heated my tortillas, after which I added olive oil and cooked my scrambled eggs, didn't stick at all, unlike my previous pan. Well worth the buy in my opinion.
The cast iron skillet buffs are guilty of scaring each other. Get a new cast iron skillet or Dutch oven? Add oil or some kind of fat and start cooking. Period. The pebbled as-cast surface works against ready food release but not by much. If it matters to you, use a home center purchased paint removal disk you use in an electric drill. Keep the tool moving so you don't scour trenches in the cast iron. A mirror polish isn't necessary. The object is to wear down the pebbled finish so it's smoother. Be warned, this is a dirty dusty process to be performed outdoors while wearing old clothes and PPE. Your polished pan will require seasoning. Follow the Lodge recommendations. After cooking, wipe the pan out with a paper towel. If you damage the seasoning making spaghetti sauce or stew, it's not the end of the world. Wash (or scour) the pan in soapy water and re-season it. If you use the pan often for general purpose cooking you can figure on re-seasoning at intervals. If you use it for frying only, you may never need to re-season it. Seasoning takes 2 minutes spreading the nearest available oil (I use peanut because it like it but any - ANY - vegetable oil will do) and sticking the skillet in a hot oven - which is a good place to store it. But what do I know. I'm 77 and come from a long line of family cooks all who used cast iron. I still have my dad's 14" skillet he took hunting. His brother stole it from a CCC camp in 1935. 83 years? Still cooks and releases with only casual attention. People who obsess about cast iron and the exact proper way to season and care for a cast iron skillet need to be subjected to loud scornful laughter, then ignored as you go on with you cooking. Remember, it's an effin' frying pan. Don't overthink it. Add oil and cook... something. It's damn near a universal cooking implement.
I agree. It's a skillet, nothing mysterious there. But UA-cam is whacky and full of disinformation. I even came across a video where a woman explained how to season her stainless steel skillet!
I sanded mine but had no choice to... My mom was given a 9.5 or 10 inch Lodge skillet many years ago and never used it, then stored it in the basement right under some leaky pipes for several years. *Facepalm* It was plenty rusty but not nearly as bad as you might imagine. She thought it was ruined (but thankfully didn't bother throwing it out) but something kept telling me there was a way to save it. About two years ago I finally did some research and sanded it down with everything I had on hand. Lots of low grit sandpaper and about a half dozen worn out Dremel bits later, LOL, I got it as smooth as I was going to and began seasoning it. Then I realized I was pregnant and so have been busy enough over the last two years and put the CI project aside. I just picked it back up yesterday and have already got a dark bronze-like finish on it, not quite black. Used Crisco @ 500*F, 1hr per coat. I think I have about 7-8 coats on it so far, including the 2 I did a while back. I'm still nervous about cooking in it...more so, cleaning it...even more, keeping hubby's hands FAAAR away from it! But I need to stop being a wuss and start frying something greasy in it ASAP! Hubby eats eggs, brats and breakfast sausage EVERYDAY, and we have bacon almost every weekend, so I feel like a dummy for waiting so long, and it will be getting used almost everyday from now on. My bday is in a few days and I just might try steaks on it too! Sorry for the novel...lol
It doesn’t stick because they come seasoned from origin. Actually you don’t have to scrub with the brush, you just rinse with hot water briefly then in the top stove until it smokes a little and add the oil for your cooking. No secret though.
This was what finally convinced me to buy a cast iron pan after years and years of using the same cheap stainless steel set I bought from Chinatown. My oven is broken so I can't season very well.
Light olive oil actually has a really high smoke point, around 465f. It's extra virgin olive oil that has a low smoke point, and you don't want to use that for applications with much heat anyways, since it destroys the flavors you got evoo for anyways.
growing up, my folks cooked in cast iron daily. we scrubbed the skillets with dawn and steel wool or sos pads and then butned them dry on the stove. i still do this today. i bought a new lodge 10 years ago and its smooth as silk now we cook in it daily. we always use oil
350's not ideally hot enough. You want that oven high as it'll get, hopefully around 500. Or use an outdoor grill. People say their cast iron gets better with use because they did not completely "polymerize" the oil when seasoning, and the heat from using it does this gradually. Also, you're holding the egg sideways. To crack an egg with one hand put the fat end in your palm and curve your fingers around the little end in a claw grip. Now you can crack it and by pushing with your hand and pulling with your finger tips to easily separate the two halves. Learned that in Army basic training doing KP ("Kitchen Patrol") duty and having to crack about 500 eggs in one sitting. Great video!
I’m 58 and many years cooking on cast iron. It was 30 years before I heard use high heat to season. I always used about 125 and Crisco overnight and it always seasoned fine. I also wash them every time in hot soapy water, hell yes! And let them drip dry. Rust has never showed up. Last pan I bought had directions for high then medium then low heat for seasoning, cmon. These are not delicate flowers. If it’s your pan, use it your way.
Damn only 500 eggs at one sitting! You must have have had a difference set up and what we did. Jesus we must have run 800 to 1200 or better. I didn't crack many eggs, I was pretty good size so they always put me on taters you know how the Army was, taters ever meal!
I use 6 cycles at 500 F with either flax seed oil or lard and all my pans work so well. No sticking at all. But you must let them cool completely between each cycle.
This thread of replies has it right, at least by the science. You have to blow by the smoke point to polimerize. Not only does flaxseed oil polimerize to the hardest lattice structures (chemical level) if seasoned in very thin layers, but it has a desirable LOW smoke point. Still, I stick (no pun) with 450-500 for an hour and let cool in oven like you did 4-5 times.
I have used Lodge Cast Iron all my life. I have one that qualifies as antique. It was my Grandmothers , then my Mothers and mine many years ago ( I'm 74 ) . I was curious about the Carbon Steel pans. I acquired a Lodge Carbon Steel ( for meats ) , pre-seasoned pan. I took a sanding pad and sanded all of the pre-seasoning off it. The pre-seasoning on the Lodge was as rough as a cob. Then re-seasoned it and it's just as good as my cast iron and even lighter in weight. Then I purchased a Matfer Bourgeat 10 1/2 inch Carbon Steel for eggs and seasoned it as suggested by the manufacture. It's just as good as a Cast Iron and in fact better since it is lighter
@@MichaelBrooksmsb400 I've learned through experience that cracking the egg on the rim is much more likely to give you shards of egg shell in your egg. Cracking on a flat solid surface like the pan itself works great! The best method I've seen is to crack an egg using ANOTHER egg. Just tap them together. Only one will crack and you won't end up with eggshell in your egg.
I just happened to buy a small one over the weekend. I like the cast iron because you can go from the stove to the oven. I used to make a frittata or if you want to finish cooking fish or brown something. Anyway, thanks for the demonstration, I was skeptical that the pan said already seasoned and ready to use.
If one wants lighter pan, but one that is just as non-stick as cast iron, and that you treat (wash, clean, season, oil, heat, etc.) the same as cast iron, one can get a Carbon-steel pan. They're great too! Much preferred over Teflon IMHO. The only thing one must watch (as with cast iron) is to NOT put them cold on a blazing hot burner or an element above Medium (on an electric stove) as once they are bowed by doing that, they'll never sit flat again. Always heat them slowly and never over medium heat until fully heated all the way across the bottom of the pan. (How do I know? ...Don't ask! ;^) )
In the 40's, the only thing one had to cook with was an iron skillet and some iron kettles. We seasoned them with lard but didn't bake it like that. We put the lard in the pan and set it on the coal burning cook stove and let it sit there for a long time (don't remember how long), then took part of a feed sack and wiped it clean. They were rarely washed but really didn't need to be. There was no running water inside so a good wipe with whatever was handy did the job. They might be heavy but they are the best thing on the market. I use a 8" Lodge skillet to cook my steaks and they come out incredible. I put a little bit of oil in the pan along with a dollop of butter and heat over medium heat for 7-8 minutes. Toss my steak in and quickly cover with a screen. Let the steak cook 3 minutes on each side and that's it! If there is only one of you, this is a great way to fix a steak! lodge is the best brand!
Growing up with farm eggs you learn to always crack eggs into a ramekin, never directly into other food. Why, you ask? Well, when it happens you'll know.....
I bought a cheaper cast iron pan from Walmart and it’s already got rust spots just from taking it out of the box and exposing it to moisture in the air. I haven’t even cooked in it yet! Your brunch looks good. Gonna make some for myself today. Thanks for the video! : p
Even old Lodge Cast Iron pans that have been re-seasoned many times, are still good pans to cook in. I have a ten inch and an eight inch, both very old (over 20 years), and I have re-seasoned them at least six times each year. I don't heat my pans as hot during seasoning as we see here. 350 F is really hotter than is needed in my experience. I do 275 F for up to 2 hours, and then turn off the oven and allow it to cool in the oven. Seasoning the outside? Well I only do that if it is absolutely needed. One does not cook on the outside of a pan, so seasoning that part is not as necessary as the inside. Once a year or so is good enough. Once you have cooked a good many meals in one, your pan should be even smother on the inside bottom. Season it when needed, and after each time cooking in it, wipe the excess oil out, and try not to need to wash it. Water and Iron allowed to sit will begin to react as the pan cools, and then you'll be stuck with a bigger cleaning job and a two to three coat seasoning job. If you do need to wash one, dry it as soon as you get done washing it, and put it on low heat to get any moisture out of the pores of the pan. Then while it is hot, rub some oil of your choice into it, and put it in your oven on whatever heat works for you. Up side down works well, but I usually just do right side up. bake for whatever time you find effective. I find the two hour time to be best on 275 F, as it allows to seasoning to harden better. Two to three coats will add extra protection to your pan If you care for your cast iron pans actively, you will be cooking great meals in them for a lifetime, and longer.
Thanks for posting hardcore cast iron pan myself have tried all kinds of non-stick pans they work about a year and a half I have said this before we can put a man on the moon or man in space but have yet to make a real non-stick pan cast iron stainless steel
Yes, these Lodge skillets are REALLY pre-seasoned and you can cook immediately without doing anything extra- the factory seasoning works perfect. Never had a problem with any Lodge skillet using it only after a light scrubbing like was shown on this video. No point in doing any more seasining.
Cast Iron FACTS and MYTHS Everyone Should Know ua-cam.com/video/DmhMEjabWZg/v-deo.html
when you're frying eggs you can table a table knife to the membrane of the egg whites that surround the yolk (11:19), as long as you're careful you won't bust your egg and it will help you to cook the egg faster and more evenly
Avocado oil has a smoke point of 520 degrees f. Cooking it at 350 doesnt get hot enogh to bond the oil to the pan during the seasoning process. Also coat the outside of the pan as well when you season it. :) happy cooking!
They have two cast-iron skillets at Costco just like this I'm definitely going to buy them today
I used this product and was very satisfied. You can get from this link:amzn.to/2ZhUDCl
@@boombapattack vv''g
When my son was in his mid to early twenties (about two years after he left home) I gave him his inheritance early: my lodge cast iron cookware (most of it). After teaching him the Ten Commandments of cooking in cast iron he quickly learn to love the pans as much as I do. He really got hooked when he cooked his first steak on his own and now preaches the gospel of cooking in cast iron to anyone who will listen, lol.
Bruce Leroy liveplayeat.com/10-commandments-cast-iron/
My story is the opposite of yours. My mom has an old lodge CI pan that she never uses because "everything sticks to it and it's a pain in the A**." She's brillo'd the thing for years, so it's got this nice polished cooking surface. I thought, before i move back out of their house (long story), i'm gonna get that pan working right for her, and teach her how to make it work well. I've been using it on eggs and pancakes and french toast for a couple of weeks, keeping it lightly oiled and cleaned. Now the thing is better than teflon. Crack an egg into it, wait 30 seconds, jiggle the pan and the egg just floats around the surface of the pan, like it would on brand new teflon.
Yesterday, she'd seen how well it's working, so she seared some tenderloins in it.
What does she do after she's done with them?
Chucks the scalding hot pan into a sink of dirty dish water.
I'm like "You can't just do that to cast iron, it's gonna work like crap because of that"
Her response? "So? Who cares?" I wanted to crack her head with the thing, but i refrained.
Oh well... I tried.
Brian Cooney OMG! She committed a cardinal sin. You should ask her to give you than pan since she clearly doesn’t appreciate cast iron. It’s better off in your loving custody.
@@sonjawright518 Yeah, i'll steal it when she croaks. LOL
Brian Cooney you should buy her a nonstick pan and trade her for it.
I've got my great grandmother's cast iron that been seasoned with bacon fat since day one.. The bottom is smooth as glass and nothing sticks.. People have offered to buy my pans and I tell them they don't have enough money to buy those pans!! Over 120 years of love and family history is in those pans.
What a treasure to have! I would love to have one that has been passed down. The new lodge ones are terrible but better than the Cabella's.
lol if someone were to break in to your house they wouldn't be there for the tv, they'd be there to take the pans haha
How do you seasoned them with bacon?
Hey Can I buy those pans ?😒
I too use bacon to keep mine seasoned. I also use lard. Mine are Lodge from the very early 1980’s. It is nice that we have a choice of four made in USA cast iron skillets.
One thing that gets a lot of people about cast iron is their not patient with it at first. Cast iron cookware will get better the more you use it unlike all other non-stick cookware that gets worse the more you use it.
You can’t use a dishwasher with it, and it rusts, a lot of attention when i just wana cook an egg.
@@C5ndle Then buy a stainless still pan
@@Kryptix exactly.
@@C5ndle Yea, but it takes less than a minute to clean a cast iron pan.
- Right off the heat under running water, and gently scrub the pan. Them residual heat will help bring up just about anything on it.
- Use a bit of dish soap if you have to, as long as it doesn't have lye in it (most do not), if you really need to. It's the lye in older dish soaps that made everyone's grandmothers scream about using soap in a cast iron skillet
- Dry it well with a towel (throw it on a low flame if you want to be 100% sure)
- Wipe a very thin layer of oil into the pan
- Put it away.
Easy, and takes less time to do than it does to read this comment.
@@JordonBeal You should never put water, hot or cold in a hot cast iron pan. The difference in temp will stress the cast iron and eventually it will crack. Let the pan cool and them clean with Eco-friendly dish soap (I use liquid castille soap), and use a sponge. Never use steel wool (a scotch green scrubber is okay occasionally) and for stuck on food, coarse sea salt in the pan and rub it around with a paper towel and the salt will remove the stuck on food.
"The only time to be afraid of a cast iron skillet is when your wife is holding it over your head."
Do u speak from experience? 🤣🤣🤣
It has to be experienced to know it would hurt???? 😆
🤣
😂😂😂😂
just make sure it is wayyy heavier than what your wife can handle and you are safe
I have been using cast iron for around 30 years. I have seasoned many pans from new without any pre-seasoning on them and even brought a few old ones back from being totally rusted. I don't know why so many people try to scare others into not using cast iron. It is one of the best things to cook with. It really doesn't take that much to season a cast iron pan. I pretty much just use Crisco shortening. I have seasoned cast iron over a bed of hardwood coals and in the oven. As long as you put the oil on in thin layers and wipe off the excess there is no problem. A lot of people leave too much oil on their cast iron when seasoning it. I just use a paper towel to rub the oil on and it works fine. I also use metal and bamboo utensils in my cast iron without any problems. I do not like to use plastic utensils with my cast iron. Some things need to be cooked at a higher temperature and plastic utensils can start to melt. A nice thick steak is one of the finest things you will ever eat when cooked in a cast iron skillet. I like to melt pats of butter over mine and keep spooning the melted butter over the steak as you cook it. The steak will come out with a beautiful crust and be one of the most tender steaks that you have ever eaten.
yep, steaks with butter on cast iron is really the best.
U made me hungry lol
I don't get it either. I've used cast iron skillets for years with no problems. I think what most people make the mistake of doing with cast iron is they don't get the skillet hot. Seasoning is easy too if you do it correctly.
Nice to hear that crisco does the job because I'm planning on using that to season my pans which my dad bought me. I had wanted a cast iron pan since I was about 21 but a lot of people warned me that it's very hard to take care of a cast iron pan. That's why only now, I'm 33 do I get to use my very first cast iron pan.
Because they are seen as old fashioned. I have two cast iron pans and (One of them a Lodge comal) and eggs slip and slide around in them.
I know we’re talking about seasoning the cast iron, but how could you forget to season the eggs?
Dood is as white as you can get.
@@Hype_Incarnate lol, right?
@@Hype_Incarnate not as white as your profile pic.
I don't think you're supposed to season on the pan, should be out of the pan. I know for stainless, salt is supposed to "pit" the metal and at the very least it will cause sticking the more you season in the pan.
@@Hype_Incarnate So am I and proud of it!
I remember my grandmother always kept her cast iron items lightly covered in vegetable shortening, they ALWAYS looked nice + new, 50 years later they still work the same, an egg will slip with ease, pork chops from them are divine, season your cast iron items on your grill, grandmother would approve of this and ALWAYS fry BACON in your cast iron items!!Carl Avon Park FL
My camping pans are Lodges. Soon as I got them I did season them three times using grapeseed oil and I've no problems cooking with them. My pans for home are mostly antique, those one actually work better because they're smooth.
After being raised eating food in a cast iron skillet I can tell you that it is no big deal to use a cast iron skillet. I recently purchased a new 10.5" skillet, and two cast iron 12" dutch ovens for cooking indoor and outdoors. I got tired of the non stick steel cookware having the material coming off into the food and having to be thrown out in two years or less and having to be replaced. I already have one skillet which my grandmother, and mother used during their lifetime, and love it so much.
I recently purchased Lodge Cast Iron set and it is just amazing. I use everyday to cook various dishes. Me and my family absolutely love it!
Amen!
Normal cooking and cleaning is all you need to do!
I always understood from my grandparents and great-grandfather that to season properly, you want to bake the pan at higher than the smoke point of the oil for the hour, then turn the oven off and let it cool in the oven as it cooled. Then you were ready to either cook early, or do it again several more times to get best results. I have pans from a 3" up to this mega one I have to get my hubby to lift for me with the drip lid. My favorite pans ever!
My granny was actually going to TOSS her grandmother's big collection of iron, (dating from about 1870 to 1885 ) .. lucky for me, she asked me to haul them to the Salvation Army store, to donate. "Umm, may I have them?" ..."Well, sure, but why would anyone want such heavy old junk?" ... I love 'em, even the enormous kettle with its impossible-to-season interior - I use that as a winter-long humidity source, slowly steaming over a low fire
You have a gold mine. Griswold that old are worth a lot of money, some extremely valuable.
Bless you my child!!!
My great grandmother used to keep a marble in the kettle
SpellboundTonight what does the marble do?
They are heavy old junk. The only people liking cast iron are the ones that only knew teflon / other nonstick disposable pans.
I've been using a Wagner set of three 4 almost 30 years. The set was 12 dollar at the time. I am keeping them for display now. Now I am using lodge 4 the past 2 years and have the 6, 8, 10, and 12 inch cast iron pans along with a lodge 12 inch carbon steel pan. Very rarely use my all clad stainless. Love them.
12 dollars for a Wagner set?? Holy cow... I found one 10 inch from 1955 I believe super rusty for 15 bucks and I had to restore it lol
$12 in 1994 is worth $24.97 today
"I am keeping them for display now."
"I keep less then $24.97 worth of high carbon steel on display"
As MJCarrilloCastor said: Holy cow
"Now I am using [cast iron brand] 4 the past 2 years and have the 6, 8, 10, and 12 inch cast iron pans along with a [cast iron brand] 12 inch carbon steel pan."
I mean if you and me did our first cast iron pan it's going to be brittle and just a bad cast iron, but give the company 2-3 years to cast iron, any brand loyalty is insane.
My new pan in 2024 cost $19, there's about $6 in production and transport to a big port in the EU (let's face it it was cheaper back in the 90's to under pay workers after shipping)
I have lodge and I removed the preseason with sand papers of successive finer grits (50, 150, 250, 500, 800, 1000, 5000). After the surface appeared to shine from the finest grit, I washed it, dried, and seasoned it with Flax seed oil.
You have to use an oil that has a lower smoke point so that it easily burns. After the oil burns, it transforms into a nonstick coating that has a higher temperature resistance. If you use high smoke point oils such as avocado, you need to heat your skillet to a considerable temperature before you could get the oil to burn.
Heat the flaxseed oil to as high a temperature as possible. I suggest you do it outdoors because the flaxseed will catch fire. Let the fire burn all of the oil. Once the fire is out, you are left with a strong patina. The layer could be very thick. While still hot, scrape the surface with a straight spatula to level off the patina. Spread some of it on the sides. Take caution because it is very hot. Once the pan cools down, you are left with an almost indestructible patina that you could use detergent on.
A good patina will not come off even if you use detergent. Just don't use anything that could scratch it much like what you would do to a teflon non-stick pan.
People who don't use soap on their pans because they believe the soap will ruin the patina, are not only fools but also disgusting.
If your patina does come off when you use soap, it's not a good seasoning.
Hi. Does this mean you sand your pan starting from 50 to 5000? I ordered mine and will arrive soo. Do you suggest me doing it? It's my first ci
@@albertqt Yes. That's exactly what I'm saying. The finest grit will give your pan a very smooth surface which makes a world of difference when you season it.
But don't expect a well seasoned cast iron pan to perform as good as a non-stick (teflon) pan. When you cook food that have lots of salt on the surface, like fish, the burned salt seems to stick to the pan but you can wash it off with water and the salt will dissolve, leaving your seasoning intact. Get one of those dish brushes to facilitate removal. It seems salt binds with the seasoning for some reason. Nothing is perfect.
But other than that, frying steaks, pork chops, eggs, etc are great.
Don't cook sauces in Cast iron pan as the acids will eat away the seasoning. Just use cast iron pan exclusively for frying. It's the best fryer out there (next to non-stick) but unlike non-stick, this will outlast your entire family.
If you can season it well following the succession of grits, you can pass it on to your sons and grandsons, and your grandsons' grandson and so on.
I took the factory seasoning off of my Lodge with a 60 grit orbital sander and re-seasoned it with Avocado oil for 3x1 hour seasonings at 375. The result is MARKEDLY BETTER than the factory finish. After a couple of weeks of daily bacon and steak (go carnivore diet!) the pan is amazing and cleans up faster than ever. There is a real benefit to taking down the rough factory seasoning and starting fresh.
I just got a 13" lodge about three months ago. I've seasoned it three times. This just motivated me to actually use it now 😂
My Dad purchased my first cast iron skillet and it is a large 13"-14". I was excited I finally got a cast iron skillet. But then I was like this thing is massive. I typically use it for baking biscuits or pizza. I need to properly season it again.
How's the cooking going on your 13"?
22 year old avid cast iron user here. I inherited my first lodge 8 inch skillet at 18 and I’ve used it just about everyday since I got it. The inside is pretty smooth just from cooking with it. No sanding needed. Lol
Is it necessary to season a cast iron lid?
For as long as I can recall, my Grandmother and Mother seasoned their cast iron fry pans so quick and easy, it was something that I took for granted! Folks work way too hard in this "seasoning" business, it's very simple and here is how its done where I come from.... Place the clean and unseasoned or washed and dryed cast iron fry pan on a large burner on your stove. Turn the burner to high. When the pan starts to smoke, pore in or place in a dollop of Crisco vegetable oil, remove pan from burner and turn the burner off. Use a folded paper towel to mop the oil around the bottom and sides of the pan. and set aside to cool. The next time you use your fry pan, eggs will not stick.
I have used this method for nearly 50 years and its quick, easy and very, very effective. You can't screw it up! We always use a good vegetable oil and I have never found any reason to change to any of the new "high temp" oils. See if this method is as easy and effective as I say it is and you will be glad that you did if you are having issues with seasoning your cast iron....
I'm not sure I'd put a cold pan on high to start with especially on an electric stove as doing so might bow the bottom of the pan--probably not a problem on a gas stove but definitely on on an electric stove.
Ralph Meyer that’s what I was thinking. I have a glass top and wouldn’t want to risk cracking or warping my old Griswolds or Wagners. But of course start from low then work it up
Paper towels leave lint and lint will get trapped in the seasoning over time. Most people have bad eyes though so I don't expect them to see it.
Crisco is an industrial lubricant oil, it has no business being in a kitchen, unless you want to die from heart disease.
Korben Dallas show me a machine lubricated with crisco
I am from the Deep South and I use 150 year old cast iron with a century and a half of seasoning now. I don’t even have to use any oil at all now when I fry an egg. I will give you some hints. Don’t EVER PUT WATER IN YOUR PAN TO CLEAN IT. Just wipe it out. When you season it in the beginning use LARD! A very fine layer. Wipe all of it out. Then put it on your eye or in the oven and let it get hot as fire. Then wipe any remaining lard out. Fry bacon or sausage in it everyday and just wipe it out. Your great grands will be using those pans in the next century. One last tip. Get a pan especially for biscuits and corn bread and never cook ANYTHING else in it. I am giving you pearls here!!
I’ve always heard to just wipe it out but I worry about food poisoning or bacteria from rancid fat sitting on your pan. Thoughts?
I've used Cast Iron cookware for over 50 yrs. (53 to be exact).
Cast Iron is thee very best cookware to use!
I was going to say: ahh, crackin the egg, in the pan, gives you eggshell pieces w/ your eggs.
You can use the handle to crack the eggs, and you wont get the shell, w/ your egg.
Lodge is phenomenal cookware.
My husband and I ate at the Cracker Barrel often. (He's passed away now) And, I, shopped in the store.
Nowdays, I have an HCA, and when a new lady comes, I always ask if she knows how to care for, cook with Cast Iron?... If she does not know, she is not allowed to touch my Cast Iron. Period!
If she stays for some time, I teach her how to use Cast Iron cookware.
I always season my pans, no matter what. I use Canola oil for seasoning. Sometimes, Crisco.
I cook w/ EVOO.
My pans, Dutch oven, skillet, and grill pan, are shiny black, slick looking, and Completely Non-stick ❤ I am one happy grandma ❤ ,
with my Cast Iron.
Lodge, is especially well made cast iron.
All my Lodge cookware except 1,
I got at Cracker Barrel Store.
Happy cooking n
Good eating, y'all 🎉
I agree with you, there is really no problem to using, cooking in, or cleaning cast iron skillets. It's only a matter of 'learning how to'. I have 5 of them, 3 of them I've been using for well OVER 50 years, and they were 'used' when I got them from my parents, and they're still better than new. Far too many people think you must go to all kinds of crazy extremes to season, care for, and use them. Not so, they're just wasting their time and effort, I think they're watching too many 'how to' UA-cam videos! :)
WTF????? I'm totally shocked and impressed. i've been using cast iron skillets for decades and have prefect seasonings and have not been able to cook an egg that cleanly. i''m blown away by this video.
I like your video. Answers a lot of questions for us “non” cast iron users.
My great granny used lard (the only thing they had back then) to season and cook with …… like 6 decades ago and her old CI ………. still good as new
The reason the newer pans like Lodge have a rougher surface is so it's easier to season them at the factory. Older pans had a smoother finish, so this is where the long time to season part comes from. The smoother finish will eventually have a better non-stick surface but will take more time. A lot of people buy Lodge now because it's cheap and then sand down the surface. I did this to mine and it's far better.
Lodge is one of the most expensive cast iron brands out there so I don't know wtf you're talking about.
@@themonsterunderyourbed9408 Lodge is the cheapest, except maybe for some Chinese brands. Lodge cost about $20 at Walmart. My Stargazer 12" cast iron skillet is $145.
@@themonsterunderyourbed9408
Got the lodge 5 piece set at Walmart for like 75 bucks.
Bought a 9 inch Lodge cast iron skillet today. Heated my oven to 450°. oiled my entire pan lightly with EVOO.put it in the oven for 45 minutes. Let it cool down completely.put it on the heat,added a pat of butter and crack an egg in. It fried perfectly and didn't stick at all. And I hear it only (with proper care) gets better from there.by the way,the egg smelled better while cooking and tasted better too.
Great video and great points about the difficulty of cast iron. I had no idea Lodge did such a good job on their pans. I bought a Finex and it basically arrived "bare metal" and it cost about 12 times more than a Lodge. Of course we do all know that you have to heat the oil "above" the smoking point, because that's how you get the black seasoning. You need to destroy the oil, called polymerization. You can't do this below the smoke point. You have to use at least 400F. But 450F or 500F is better.
With the avocado oil, you needed to heat the pan up to 550 in the oven because when seasoning a pan, you have to go above the smoking point. Avocado oil smoking point is 520, so heat your oven up to 550 for an hour and then leave it in the oven to cool for several hours. Works great.
It takes you an hour to cook 1 egg??
@@AJBuddha he's clearly talking about seasoning the pan
apparently (according to cook culture so it's just hearsay) it's not necessary for the oil to smoke in order for polymerization to occur
im not literate with organic chemistry nor am I up to date to with the literature on the topic, tho
Yeah not true. Polymerization and combustion are completely different chemical processes.
If you've ever looked at a chart showing the smoke points of different oils, you may have noticed that refined and unrefined versions of the same oil have different smoke points and the unrefined is always lower. That's because all the other plant matter in there burns at a lower temp than the oil itself. So if that's what's burning when you're seasoning a pan, that's probably a good thing because you'll end up with polymer infused with carbon which makes it harder. But if it's the oil itself that's burning, there won't be any polymer left because you incinerated it.
cowboy Kent Rollins on youtube. A chuck wagon cook forever and a cast iron genius.
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My lodge stuck every time. Used the technique rollins suggested... Worked very first time.
I’m glad you did this video. So many people on UA-cam are just repeating negative comments they’ve heard without ever trying it themselves. Good job.
Great demo! You have inspired me to invest in some cast iron, thank you!
All I use is Cast Iron for the last 15 years. I find mine at yard sales. I had a few that where so rusty I had to sand it all down. All mine are non stick at this point. Very easy to take care of. The rusty yard sale one's after sanding I oil and put on my gas grill for a few hours on low and applying oil every 15 min or so till you get a deep rich black. it is the only way to cook. You need to get a cast iron POT and use it to cook bread's or stew we use are pot a lot.
Craig C Thanks for the great tips! Will have to get a cast iron pot next. ☺
I soak the rusty ones I find at garage sales in a plastic tub just a tad bit bigger than the pan with distilled vinegar just over the surface for about 24 hours straight. I wipe it down & rub it real good to see what I've got. Only twice out of countless pans did I have to do a second soak. Vinegar is relatively cheap if you have a good sized bin to put it in. I've been known to put many glasses with rocks in them around the bin so as displace the vinegar some so as to not to use as much. One friend of mine rubs after the first few hours & uses fresh vinegar, but I find that totally unnecessary. KISMIF- Keep it simple, make it fun.
@@WatchingMyLifeFlashB thanks for the tip. I just bought my first used cast iron pan and it has old crust. I'll try your method!
How often do u have to 'season/maintain' a cast iron???
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I fry 2 eggs every morning in a 6 and a half inch Lodge cast iron frying pan. I use olive oil and butter and the eggs will slide around in the pan. The more you do it the easier it is. My pan is 10 or 12 years old. But I can put years of seasoning on a cast iron pan by doing it outside on a portable inductive burner like a NUWAVE burner in 15 minutes.
The best part is that pan is gonna last . Don’t have to buy any other ones
Considering the pioneer folks only had animal lard (no exotic oils back then,) my guess it it's fine for use today. Thanks 4 the demo. My first egg try totally stuck on tiny skillet so I banished it 2 the pantry. I will try ur method. Tyfs.
I have two Wagners I use all the time, love em. You are the first and only to convince me to purchase and experiment with a Lodge.
Keep it up, Good show.👍
I knew a family of Standridge's once. They lived in Arkansas, murdered their neighbor with a shot gun and an ax. Dangerous bunch they were.
I thought you were going to say murdered their neighbors with a cast iron skillet 😂😂
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That breakfast looks great! Just received my first cast iron skillets this Christmas. This vid was very helpful. Thank you.
I took your advice on a new Lodge chef skillet and I'm convinced that sanding isn't necessary. Made an omelet with some lambs quarter and not a single spec of egg stayed in the pan. To say I'm impressed is an understatement. Previously I had sanded two other Lodges to improve the finish. I can't say I'm disappointed with those two because they are great but your advice had me intrigued and had to give it a shot. Thanks for the video.
If you think Lodge is good, get your hands on an old Wagner when they took the time to grind them thin and smooth. Now that is cast iron.
I got myself a little 3-foot pot (Poitjie)- poykee, last year. Seasoned it six times over a fire, then made popcorn. One of my most happy moments. Turned out so well, that I'm now using my mom's cast iron cookware with confidence.
After reading about the negatives of nonstick pans, I carefully seasoned my Lodge pan, and made home fries in it. Loved the way the potatoes slid around without sticking. My next experiment was making refried beans. They actually stuck LESS than with the nonstick pan. They washed off right away. Love it.
I have had nothing but bad luck with iron skillets. I've tried them over decades and have never gotten them properly seasoned. Until I tried Lodge's latest pre-seasoned pans. I bought three different sizes and they all have been a miracle. They restored my faith in iron pans. Thank you, Lodge! I'll never use anything else.
The one that works best for me is just good old lard. I get the best results with that.
People plop an egg into the pan and then try to flip it and make a mess, and blame the pan. But they don't let the pan do its thing. First it's going to grab the food, then sear it, then it will let go. At this point you can move out around.
Replying to Glenn S: You just taught me something. Thanks!
I am so happy I found your Channel. Thank you ! My Lodge cast iron pan will be delivered today, and I was dreading spending hours seasoning it. I‘ll go with the first method you used on the small pan, and I guess in time, my pan will improve with use.
I bought my last "non-stick" skillet 6 months ago, and it's already a piece of junk after using it nearly daily. I've got 7 kids, so it saw a lot of use. I finally broke down and bought a cast iron dutch oven from Lodge to use at my skillet, because I make so much in a single serving. It didn't do eggs quite as nicely as yours at first, but 5 days in and I made up an entire egg breakfast for the kids with no stick. Wish I had gone with cast iron years ago.
💐🍾😎👏
I don’t know what to say. I’m speechless. THANK YOU for this video does not satisfy how I feel!
I use grapeseed oil for high heat cooking. It is the healthiest oil you can get, but it's expensive. It is actually healthier than olive oil is. It has a high 450 degree flash point so it's good for hot stir frying.
Grapeseed oil is my fav. I use it to cook everything.
I also use grapeseed for everything. I don't think it's very expensive though at all, not compared to avocado or flax see oil. Those are crazy priced
I use lard I’m 79 been using it since the 1940s
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Low heat and adequate fat layer is key. The pebbling makes sense, although most people hate it, because it’s simply a matter of surface area. Race cars use slick tires because they want to maximize traction. Same applies to cast iron, more surface contact between your food and the pan equals more sticking.
Lodge also makes scrapers and handle covers you might like. The more you use your cast iron, the more you'll love it.
M Uziklvr thanks for the reminder. I'm going to order that stuff today. I'm afraid I'll forget about the hot handle and grab it LOL
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OMG! So **THATS** what a clean oven looks like!😲
I restored, seasoned an old antique cast iron pan yesterday. I cooked 2 eggs. They did not stick. Making that non stick coat took me about an hour.
So impressed! Just got a Lodge cast iron at a flea market. Seasoned it, and now checking videos to see if I’ve done everything right before cooking…. Thank you.. Looking forward to giving it a go….
You left it long enough to separate from the surface. That’s half the issue when people use Cast Iron. Too hot too quick. Low and slow wins the gold.
100%. Gotta let the thing cook, and then it'll come away from the pan without issue. And yea, a lot of people use too high a heat for a lot of their cooking.
Am currently going through my own new Cast Iron pan break-in. I was not so lucky as you as there was sticking. However, I used only a very thin coating of oil - wiped to a simple coating. Also, I only pre-warmed for a minute or two and then at a very low heat (a habit from using non-stick pans.) Tomorrow I will pre-heat longer and at a higher temp and see how that works.
Pro tip...
Take a bit of FINE sandpaper, and sand the “Pre-Season” til the inside is smooth, but don’t take it down to bare metal. A few specks of metal showing is fine, just wanna get it smooth. Wash it with soap and water, then bake it with their directions. (Upside down, 350 degrees) Use a Lint Free rag and coat it with flaxseed oil to pre season. It’ll give you a nice layer that’ll keep your food off the nasty polymers they use to treat their pans...
I will also testify to the fact that with cast iron the non-stick gets better and better with use. With my Lodge and also my Stansport after around 5 uses they’ve become like Teflon. However my Lodge skillet / frying pan is my better pan. Love Lodge!! I’m buying a Lodge griddle next week. 😬
That oven is spotless 😁
Never used
I have for the most part used Lodge.Which is my favorite. I have always been able to cook eggs.The key to always cook in your cast iron is to always heat 1st.Lodge always comes pre seasoned....all I have ever done with (new) is to start out by cooking Bacon in it.If you cook anything acitdy like Tomatoes, Fish with Lemon etc.is when I do then I do Re/Season process, or if I have not use the pacific pan in a while. Happy Iron Cooking....
Thank you great idea . How but chicken steaks ??
@@RavenWolfDrum69 I cook everything anything in iron...bake in oven ,over camp fire,top of stove.❤️✌️😉
I just got a lodge 12" and first thing I did was do a quick season with avocado (same brand) as yours, then I did sunny side eggs and it didn't stick at all. Impressed!
For seasoning, all I did was clean the pan then heat it up on high heat on the stove, poured some avocado oil in it and spread it out with a paper towel all over and when it smoked, I took it off and wiped out down again. It was good to go.
You seem to be cooking at really low heat. I heat my pan super hot and then turn down to medium and do all my cooking.
Avocado oil wouldn't be my go-to for seasoning; its smoke point is around 520F, which is higher than most consumer ovens can really reach. You need to go over the smoke point to get the oil to polymerize, which is where the 'seasoning' comes from. Great for frying, bad for seasoning. Flaxseed oil is a much better option from my experience; it has a relatively low smoke point, and is a drying oil which only helps the process along and develops a tougher seasoning than most other options like crisco or lard.
Lard is my favorite
Really? Mine goes up to 550F, but it takes a bunch of time.
This is very typical of a Lodge pre-seasoned pan. They can be, and should be used immediately. This gentlemen also used a correct heat range for an egg - low/medium. If the egg hits the pan and pops and snaps, it'll likely get lacey brown and stick. Low and slow is the way to use cast iron or carbon steel to keep sticky foods from sticking. And, yes, you have to use oils of some kind - personal preference. Non-stick means easy clean up - not that foods of certain types will just slide right out with no oil used.
There is no need for a smooth surface. The sand blasted pebbled surface retains cooking oil under the food better than a smooth surface, but both work well. I will only add this constructive comment that the bigger pan is the one to use for eggs as it is simply easier to get under it with the spatula.
OutnBacker I totally agree that you don't need to sand a Lodge. They work so wonderful just the way they are. Sanding is a waste of time.
Hello Nancy. There are a couple things that work better with a smooth surface, one is some deserts like pineapple upside down cake and derivatives. Things like that tend to release more evenly than a pebbled surface.
OutnBacker ok thanks
OutnBacker
Lodge pans aren't sand blasted to get that finish. They are cast in a sand mold.
Lodge is just too cheap to spend the extra dollar or less to sand it smooth.
And plenty of things cook better with a slick metal finish, and a rough surface will never be as nonstick as a smooth surface.
Sand or bead blast, or sand casting leaves the same or somewhat similar finish. The surface has little to do with how a skillet takes to seasoning or how it performs. As to Lodge being too cheap to preform a final surface grinding operation, I would rather term it as competitive pressure, as I believe it to be more likely. Lodge products are not the most expensive CI cookware available, but they do the job as well as any of those. If you want a more refined skillet, you can get it. All you need to do is pay more. Or, you can scour the second hand shops as I have done, to acquire some vintage Lodge or other brands like Wagner or Griswold, which generally were ground smooth ( I just now finished with a restorative re-seasoning of an old lodge #7, smooth as glass). Still, the results in performance are the same. Iron heats and behaves the same no matter the brand. We forget that the chef is the one who determines the majority of outcomes.
I like lodge, for the price, the only thing is they're rough in the bottom, i sand that down with a da sander and reseason the pans those oils you mentioned are ok for seasoning but are trouble in the long run.. but there's nothing wrong with animal fats for seasoning. Lard though not crisco. Lodge pans are pre seasoned. Hint if you put butter or bacon grease, and wait until the pan is good and hot then leave the egg alone it won't stick. The trick is the egg never touches the pan it cooks on top of the oil...I always use butter or bacon grease on a seasoned pan. My pans never need re seasoning. I don't abuse them and I hardly ever wash i mean almost never I just wipe them out. If I do wash them I heat them up reoil with bacon grease 90% of the time then put them up. I only cook sausage, bacon, eggs, omelets, corn bread and seldom chicken or ham in my pans. I don't use olive- canola, flaxseed. Veggie, crisco, corn oil, because they have no flavor, and leave a sticky residue in the pan. Only butter or bacon grease add any real flavor to food. But that's just me. My grandma had a frying pan 50 years I never seen her wash it and she cooked on a wood cook stove. Using lard, bacon grease and butter. I watched her carefully, because she knew what she was doing. If I could see her today I'd hold her hand kiss her cheek and tell her how much I love her and what she means to me. I'd do the same for my grampa. Cast iron frying pans is what I have to remember my grand parents that and an old buck eye shotgun. And thousands of great memories.
I have a cabinet of TEFLON NON STICK pots and pans and I have aluminum pans -- last year I purchased a LODGE Cast Iron 13 inch -- then an 8 then a Ribbed Grilling pan then 6 - 6 inch pans for individual pies and then 4 fajita skillits -- I LOVE THEN ALL AND NEVER USE THE OTHER POTS AND PANS ANY MORE
Totally agree!
Same here
Good for you, and those those Teflon pans in the trash. They are so bad for your health!
@william james rap
Get rid of those teflon pots... they bad for health.
Gl 🤙🏼
I just bought my first 2 Lodge cast iron skillets 10 and 15 inch, thank you for the video. It was really interesting.
The non stick effect lives and dies with traces and residues of oil, fat, soot, fixed in a matrix of iron oxide. Heating the iron fastens the process of controlled producing a more or less even nanometer layer of this amorphous iron oxide. The oil or fat penetrates the thin layer of oxides and later prevents the adhesion of foodstuff. Using unsaturated (lineseed, vergine olive, etc.) results in a more oxidative curing and more water resistant layer, animal fat or coconut oil does not polymerize. The more you use the pan the more the "adhesion preventive layer" gets a refresh, and after a while it's a mixture of fatty acids, partially catalytically cured by mineral salt kationes. Whatever you do, forget about all this chemistry, use the pan as often as possible, wash the salt out using hot water as soon as possible after use because it causes pitting or general corrosion, dry it immediatelly and once or twice a year give it some maximum heat, until slightly smoke appears.
I use an old cast iron pan since 35ys, got it from my Grandma. She changed to aluminium pans because it took less effort to hit Grandpa with them. Haha. German humor...
I'm new to cast iron, and I noticed that with all of these "cast iron tutorial" videos, *everyone* was saying something different. This oil, that oil, 300 degrees, 500 degrees. So my takeaway is that its not that important to follow specific steps and instead just use the dang pan.
@@CerpinTxt87 don't heat it to maximum heat. It can warp
I now have several cast iron skillets, and dutch ovens and use them regularly for cooking in and they work just fine. Lodge does make great products and ones which people like myself can afford.
I'm gonna get Dutch oven xlg skillet
Cast iron pans are great!!! Properly seasoned and maintained they last well beyond a lifetime. Everything cook in them tastes great!!!
One safety tip: NEVER crack and egg INSIDE the pan. Always use the edge of the pan, or bowl or whatever receptacle you will place the egg into. (You'll avoid getting the shell in your food that way)
I've been using my first lodge pan ever for a month now ,love it it was preseasond but I've been cooking bacon ,steaks,sausage,eggs and even baked cornbread in it, I'm hooked now food taste way better.
To pick up a piece of shell use another piece of shell.. it really works!
Jeanne Jenniges great advice!
That's exactly what I do. My mom taught me this trick :)
@@clairehachey2189 Something about moms.. they either know everything for some reason or nothing at all lol
Could you explain more? Ended up with a second piece of shell in there. :D
@@zdenek3010 you weren't holding your mouth right lol
Got a new lodge baked biscuits, then cooked bacon, drained most of the grease to use on next pan of biscuits, or corn bread, poured two eggs into hot skillet. I like my eggs, over medium, with brown crust, but not scorched. Slide out eggs onto plate, cover with grits, pull biscuits apart, put in bacon slices.
Fry an egg? One word for ya, BUTTER! Nice vid!
Or bacon fat 👍
Thank you!!!
I have no knowledge of cast iron skillets, though I've been using my ol' hand me down for the last 10 years, just retired it recently, and as of today I bought me a Lodge Cast Iron at Target for $20.49, certainly a price most can afford, as opposed to the over priced alternatives offered by greedy corporations. First thing I did, was bought some tortillas, eggs, and hot sauce, peeled the label off, washed it, dried it, then heated my tortillas, after which I added olive oil and cooked my scrambled eggs, didn't stick at all, unlike my previous pan. Well worth the buy in my opinion.
Bro pulled out all the damn spy gadgets to cook an egg. I love it.
When I've seasoned my iron, I've slathered it Crisco grease/ lard, then baked it for ever how long. Seems to have worked well.
I season my cast iron skillets with lard too. It works great.
The cast iron skillet buffs are guilty of scaring each other. Get a new cast iron skillet or Dutch oven? Add oil or some kind of fat and start cooking. Period.
The pebbled as-cast surface works against ready food release but not by much. If it matters to you, use a home center purchased paint removal disk you use in an electric drill. Keep the tool moving so you don't scour trenches in the cast iron. A mirror polish isn't necessary. The object is to wear down the pebbled finish so it's smoother. Be warned, this is a dirty dusty process to be performed outdoors while wearing old clothes and PPE. Your polished pan will require seasoning. Follow the Lodge recommendations.
After cooking, wipe the pan out with a paper towel. If you damage the seasoning making spaghetti sauce or stew, it's not the end of the world. Wash (or scour) the pan in soapy water and re-season it. If you use the pan often for general purpose cooking you can figure on re-seasoning at intervals. If you use it for frying only, you may never need to re-season it. Seasoning takes 2 minutes spreading the nearest available oil (I use peanut because it like it but any - ANY - vegetable oil will do) and sticking the skillet in a hot oven - which is a good place to store it.
But what do I know. I'm 77 and come from a long line of family cooks all who used cast iron. I still have my dad's 14" skillet he took hunting. His brother stole it from a CCC camp in 1935. 83 years? Still cooks and releases with only casual attention.
People who obsess about cast iron and the exact proper way to season and care for a cast iron skillet need to be subjected to loud scornful laughter, then ignored as you go on with you cooking.
Remember, it's an effin' frying pan. Don't overthink it. Add oil and cook... something. It's damn near a universal cooking implement.
For
Very well said! Made me laugh too.
I agree. It's a skillet, nothing mysterious there. But UA-cam is whacky and full of disinformation. I even came across a video where a woman explained how to season her stainless steel skillet!
So you come from a long line of thieves?
Forrest Addy
I was with you, right up to the word soap. Never put anything in cast iron, that you wouldn't put in your mouth.
So you can use olive oil to cook in your skillet so long as its been pre-seasoned with a high heat oil?
I use cast iron every day.
I sanded mine but had no choice to... My mom was given a 9.5 or 10 inch Lodge skillet many years ago and never used it, then stored it in the basement right under some leaky pipes for several years. *Facepalm* It was plenty rusty but not nearly as bad as you might imagine.
She thought it was ruined (but thankfully didn't bother throwing it out) but something kept telling me there was a way to save it. About two years ago I finally did some research and sanded it down with everything I had on hand. Lots of low grit sandpaper and about a half dozen worn out Dremel bits later, LOL, I got it as smooth as I was going to and began seasoning it.
Then I realized I was pregnant and so have been busy enough over the last two years and put the CI project aside. I just picked it back up yesterday and have already got a dark bronze-like finish on it, not quite black.
Used Crisco @ 500*F, 1hr per coat. I think I have about 7-8 coats on it so far, including the 2 I did a while back. I'm still nervous about cooking in it...more so, cleaning it...even more, keeping hubby's hands FAAAR away from it!
But I need to stop being a wuss and start frying something greasy in it ASAP! Hubby eats eggs, brats and breakfast sausage EVERYDAY, and we have bacon almost every weekend, so I feel like a dummy for waiting so long, and it will be getting used almost everyday from now on. My bday is in a few days and I just might try steaks on it too! Sorry for the novel...lol
It doesn’t stick because they come seasoned from origin. Actually you don’t have to scrub with the brush, you just rinse with hot water briefly then in the top stove until it smokes a little and add the oil for your cooking. No secret though.
ive had my lodge pan literally for a decade, and i finally feel like its got that real non stick cast iron properties now
This was what finally convinced me to buy a cast iron pan after years and years of using the same cheap stainless steel set I bought from Chinatown. My oven is broken so I can't season very well.
I only use bacon fat on my grandma’s pans still going strong with once a year seasoning well over 100 years
Light olive oil actually has a really high smoke point, around 465f. It's extra virgin olive oil that has a low smoke point, and you don't want to use that for applications with much heat anyways, since it destroys the flavors you got evoo for anyways.
growing up, my folks cooked in cast iron daily. we scrubbed the skillets with dawn and steel wool or sos pads and then butned them dry on the stove. i still do this today. i bought a new lodge 10 years ago and its smooth as silk now
we cook in it daily. we always use oil
That hurt my soul... No salt, no pepper, nothing on that egg.
Right!!!!!!😞🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
And it shoulda been fried in butter, too.
Marlyce W bacon grease
I just use cotija cheese. Dipping a nice chunk of that cheese in a runny egg yolk is out of this world
Pepper is okay, salt is bad. If you don't need salt to enjoy a meal then it would be stupid to add it.
It's best to use bacon drippings to season got that from my mom she used her iron skillet for 70 yrs then gave to me
350's not ideally hot enough. You want that oven high as it'll get, hopefully around 500. Or use an outdoor grill. People say their cast iron gets better with use because they did not completely "polymerize" the oil when seasoning, and the heat from using it does this gradually. Also, you're holding the egg sideways. To crack an egg with one hand put the fat end in your palm and curve your fingers around the little end in a claw grip. Now you can crack it and by pushing with your hand and pulling with your finger tips to easily separate the two halves. Learned that in Army basic training doing KP ("Kitchen Patrol") duty and having to crack about 500 eggs in one sitting. Great video!
Thanks for the tips!
I’m 58 and many years cooking on cast iron. It was 30 years before I heard use high heat to season. I always used about 125 and Crisco overnight and it always seasoned fine. I also wash them every time in hot soapy water, hell yes! And let them drip dry. Rust has never showed up. Last pan I bought had directions for high then medium then low heat for seasoning, cmon. These are not delicate flowers. If it’s your pan, use it your way.
Damn only 500 eggs at one sitting! You must have have had a difference set up and what we did. Jesus we must have run 800 to 1200 or better. I didn't crack many eggs, I was pretty good size so they always put me on taters you know how the Army was, taters ever meal!
I use 6 cycles at 500 F with either flax seed oil or lard and all my pans work so well. No sticking at all. But you must let them cool completely between each cycle.
This thread of replies has it right, at least by the science. You have to blow by the smoke point to polimerize. Not only does flaxseed oil polimerize to the hardest lattice structures (chemical level) if seasoned in very thin layers, but it has a desirable LOW smoke point. Still, I stick (no pun) with 450-500 for an hour and let cool in oven like you did 4-5 times.
I have used Lodge Cast Iron all my life. I have one that qualifies as antique. It was my Grandmothers , then my Mothers and mine many years ago ( I'm 74 ) . I was curious about the Carbon Steel pans. I acquired a Lodge Carbon Steel ( for meats ) , pre-seasoned pan. I took a sanding pad and sanded all of the pre-seasoning off it. The pre-seasoning on the Lodge was as rough as a cob. Then re-seasoned it and it's just as good as my cast iron and even lighter in weight. Then I purchased a Matfer Bourgeat 10 1/2 inch Carbon Steel for eggs and seasoned it as suggested by the manufacture. It's just as good as a Cast Iron and in fact better since it is lighter
Ummmm I've never seen anyone Crack their eggs in the actual pan...
I've always done this
I've always done it that way.
Now you see
I crack my eggs on the rim of Skillet.
@@MichaelBrooksmsb400 I've learned through experience that cracking the egg on the rim is much more likely to give you shards of egg shell in your egg. Cracking on a flat solid surface like the pan itself works great! The best method I've seen is to crack an egg using ANOTHER egg. Just tap them together. Only one will crack and you won't end up with eggshell in your egg.
I'm impressed! Who would have thought you could fry an egg with out seasoning?
It's pre-seasoned.
I just happened to buy a small one over the weekend. I like the cast iron because you can go from the stove to the oven. I used to make a frittata or if you want to finish cooking fish or brown something. Anyway, thanks for the demonstration, I was skeptical that the pan said already seasoned and ready to use.
Lori Bandow that's good to hear! We are looking forward to being able to go from stovetop to oven in the same pan.
If one wants lighter pan, but one that is just as non-stick as cast iron, and that you treat (wash, clean, season, oil, heat, etc.) the same as cast iron, one can get a Carbon-steel pan. They're great too! Much preferred over Teflon IMHO. The only thing one must watch (as with cast iron) is to NOT put them cold on a blazing hot burner or an element above Medium (on an electric stove) as once they are bowed by doing that, they'll never sit flat again. Always heat them slowly and never over medium heat until fully heated all the way across the bottom of the pan. (How do I know? ...Don't ask! ;^) )
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In the 40's, the only thing one had to cook with was an iron skillet and some iron kettles. We seasoned them with lard but didn't bake it like that. We put the lard in the pan and set it on the coal burning cook stove and let it sit there for a long time (don't remember how long), then took part of a feed sack and wiped it clean. They were rarely washed but really didn't need to be. There was no running water inside so a good wipe with whatever was handy did the job. They might be heavy but they are the best thing on the market. I use a 8" Lodge skillet to cook my steaks and they come out incredible. I put a little bit of oil in the pan along with a dollop of butter and heat over medium heat for 7-8 minutes. Toss my steak in and quickly cover with a screen. Let the steak cook 3 minutes on each side and that's it! If there is only one of you, this is a great way to fix a steak! lodge is the best brand!
Growing up with farm eggs you learn to always crack eggs into a ramekin, never directly into other food. Why, you ask? Well, when it happens you'll know.....
Chris Kish got it a few times where an embryo already started developing... it’s very eery xd
Id still eat it.
That’s why we never had roosters... you still get bloody eggs every now and then tho
Yep I have chickens I sometimes see blood, only 1 time had a dead round worm in the eggs I had to fully cook it to get it out and throw it away.
I bought a cheaper cast iron pan from Walmart and it’s already got rust spots just from taking it out of the box and exposing it to moisture in the air. I haven’t even cooked in it yet! Your brunch looks good. Gonna make some for myself today. Thanks for the video! : p
Even old Lodge Cast Iron pans that have been re-seasoned many times, are still good pans to cook in. I have a ten inch and an eight inch, both very old (over 20 years), and I have re-seasoned them at least six times each year. I don't heat my pans as hot during seasoning as we see here. 350 F is really hotter than is needed in my experience. I do 275 F for up to 2 hours, and then turn off the oven and allow it to cool in the oven. Seasoning the outside? Well I only do that if it is absolutely needed. One does not cook on the outside of a pan, so seasoning that part is not as necessary as the inside. Once a year or so is good enough.
Once you have cooked a good many meals in one, your pan should be even smother on the inside bottom. Season it when needed, and after each time cooking in it, wipe the excess oil out, and try not to need to wash it. Water and Iron allowed to sit will begin to react as the pan cools, and then you'll be stuck with a bigger cleaning job and a two to three coat seasoning job. If you do need to wash one, dry it as soon as you get done washing it, and put it on low heat to get any moisture out of the pores of the pan. Then while it is hot, rub some oil of your choice into it, and put it in your oven on whatever heat works for you. Up side down works well, but I usually just do right side up. bake for whatever time you find effective. I find the two hour time to be best on 275 F, as it allows to seasoning to harden better. Two to three coats will add extra protection to your pan
If you care for your cast iron pans actively, you will be cooking great meals in them for a lifetime, and longer.
Thanks for posting hardcore cast iron pan myself have tried all kinds of non-stick pans they work about a year and a half I have said this before we can put a man on the moon or man in space but have yet to make a real non-stick pan cast iron stainless steel
Yes, these Lodge skillets are REALLY pre-seasoned and you can cook immediately without doing anything extra- the factory seasoning works perfect. Never had a problem with any Lodge skillet using it only after a light scrubbing like was shown on this video. No point in doing any more seasining.
Would love to know the make of your stove. Thank you for demonstrating the two ways that you seasoned your cast iron.
I've been using the edge of my cast iron to crack the eggs when cooking for 30 years.
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Thanks for the info! I just bought a medium size Lodge pan yesterday and didn't know this. I'm gonna have to go check out their website now.