Will a hot fire burn off heavy carbon build-up on my Field #9 Cast Iron Pan?
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- Опубліковано 1 чер 2024
- I'm always looking for the most practical way to strip and recondition my iron cookware. I love to use a lye bath but it isn't the safest method for home. I was keen to try using heat to strip my iron and decided to use my Field #9 griddle pan and the test subject.
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Great way to judge the quality of the pan.
Manufacturer must be delighted to see that a minimal amount of distortion occurred brilliant video .Thanks your some knowledgeable person
The fire method is what I saw my father do with the family’s cast iron when I was a kid. I don’t think that they warped. I have his griddle (Wagner, late 40s) which has zero warp. I think this can be done. Might be some missing info in our current knowledge base. Of course, induction and flat top stoves were not a thing at the time so minor warp would not be much of a problem. I look forward to seeing how you progress!
The issue is actually slagging the surface. Doing that enough times is the primary reason a lot of old cast iron has cracks.
My dad chucked a heavy 12 inch skillet int a camp fire just until it got red hot. Worked fine.
I came across this online some time ago, referred to as ‘going nuclear’: stick your cast iron or carbon steel in the oven for that 600F clean cycle. I have had a 100% success rate. All the carboned on gunk turns into ash and the pan wipes clean. And then on to your seasoning videos 😊
I came in here to mock what I expected would be a deluge of comments from the Reddit usual suspects of "Don't do that, you'll warp your pan". I now have to apologise to those imaginary foes, looks like they actually had a point in this case. Ah well, as the old saying goes "a broken clock is right twice per day".
I make no claims to be any kind of expert on this, but throwing my pans in a fire for a couple of hours has worked very well for me in the past. I've never gone quite as extreme as you did, so maybe your theory about too much heat over too long a period is right on the money. I look forward to seeing the results of your experiments ongoing.
Thanks, yes, I do deserve a ribbing for this one! I think you're right about the heat but I also may have chosen the wrong pan. Stephen was not surprised that the #9 warped. I think they've had a hard time getting them flat.
@@Cook-Culture Stephen was right that you can warp a griddle. If you tell people they can clean cast iron with fire, invariably somebody will do that or worse. I wouldn't say I've done the fire clean hundreds of times but, I'd say dozens and have warped or cracked zero. Your fire was way hotter than needed and you really want just hot enough. If it's not hot enough the first time, try again. Heat it up slow, let it cool off slow and don't dinky with it in between.
@@Cook-Culture Whether you were right or wrong with your approach to fixing this messed-up pan - and I assume many of us would have done exactly the same - it speaks volumes that you published your less-than-perfect results anyway. That kind of transparency is exactly what separates you from the Teflon (or whatever they call it this week) crowd.
@@Cook-Culture You'll get a ribbing but, you don't deserve it. You're looking for a better way. Where would we be without people that do that. I would say there is a lot to relearn with cast iron. I think you'll make it if you don't give up.
I'm 69 years old. I've been cooking with cast iron 60+ years. The people I learned from had been using cast iron decades before me. We cleaned cast iron with fire. Hands on time it takes me about 5 minutes to clean a piece of cast iron. Why would I do it another way? I commend you on leaving it in the fire until it was cold, that part you got right and a lot of people do not. You want a place where the wind won't affect your fire, I use a charcoal grill with a top but I use wood not charcoal. I lay the makings for a small fire; wadded up paper, then dry twigs, then bigger sticks, diameter of your thumb is good. I put the piece of cast iron on top and light the fire. I cover it with the lid and leave it until all is cold. You're not trying for the hottest fire but, one just big enough. You can do it over if it's not hot enough to clean it on the first or second try. How much air you let in the bottom of the grill and how much out the top controls how hot it can get. It cleans easier if you don't get it wet until you brush the ash off with a wire brush. I use a grill brush and use the scraper too. To clean cast iron then and any other time I use a stainless steel scouring pad. It looks like metal shavings, not steel wool.
I don't season. I don't know anybody that bakes cast iron. When I'm done cleaning the cast iron I dry it on a medium burner and wipe it with a cloth that has a little lard on it that I keep in the refrigerator. If it looks greasy, I wipe it with a paper towel. I don't have grease or oil on my stuff when it's sitting. Dirt, dust and everything else sticks to grease or oil. None of my cast iron rusts. Instead of the effort of seasoning, learn heat control. When I put a pan on to cook something, the temperature is set to where it will cook, no hotter. When the skillet is hot, add some oil. When the oil is hot add your food. If you learn that, you won't have food sticking.
I have Griswolds, Wagners, Lodges, BSRs, unmarked and a The Favorite that was made 1882-1902. The only ones that are warped are ones I bought warped. I believe they were warped on electric coils. I cook with gas so I can use warped. People say I take a chance of ruining cast iron. It hasn't happened yet. They say if it's not warped or cracked, it changes the metal and they can tell by looking at it that it's been abused. I'd bet they can't. I'd bet most old cast iron has been cleaned in fire.
wow - brave man Jed. Sodium Hydroxide is very effective but best avoided. Have used it greatly (used in wool softener) and detest it. Fabulous for decoking a 2-stroke exhaust pipe.
Love my field griddle . I bought one for my son in law and it’s the pan that sits on their stove everyday . Thank you for carry this line. I do miss not having a Cook Culture store in Vancouver thou . Maybe in the future a Fraser Valley location . Your channel converted me to cast and carbon steel cooking from teflon pans. 😊
Thanks for the support!
I use my Weber natural gas grill to burn off carbon. I just set the pan on the cold grill, light it up and monitor temp and adjust controls to 600° for 1 hour.
This prevents smoking and stinking up the kitchen. And on new cookware, this results in beautiful bluing.
I would be wary of pallet fires since the wood may be treated and you should not burn treated wood indoors or outdoors because it may contain toxic chemicals.
Gotta say, a 4.5" grinder, eye protection, and a wire wheel, will get the job done in about five minutes, with no risk of warping the pan.
Then, follow Jed's excellent recipe for seasoning (grape seed, sunflower, beeswax).
Your pan will be good as new. Twenty minutes for the whole process.
Then, given your newfound enlightenment with cast iron, you could consider Field, Stargazer, Staub, etc....
Hi, I’m a hiker. Weight is very important for a hiker in my area since I need to bring a lot of equipment with me in the backpack. Today I am using carbon steel and cast iron at home, but when hiking I am using a GSI Pinnacle 8″ Frypan that weighs 374 grams. The pan is good, but it is Teflon, and it is not great. And any bonfire use will ruin it.
Do you have any good alternatives for hikers? No Teflon , non-stick an the not too much weight…
Thank you for a fantastic channel, two years ago I had only non-stick in the kitchen, not anymore 🙏👍
Well I am happy it didn’t melt. I know wood fire isn’t enough to really melt iron but the warping is definitely a logical consequence for a griddle, especially because the iron wasn’t laid on an even flat big brick or stone.
Oven self cleaning cycle: enough heat to reduce the carbon to ash, but not so much as to cause damage to the iron. Also, even heat. Your camp fire got uncontrollably and unevenly hot. The warping may be the result of uneven heating rather than how the griddle sat.
I like this idea as I have no where to make a fire. Q UESTION: Do you use an oven rack for the pan with the self-cleaning cycle? What does it do to the rack?
The racks stay on my oven. But best to read the instructions because there can be other important caveats.@@hjashtonify
I'm not tempted at all to use the oven but, I've seen where people say it smokes/stinks up the house. They advise weather cool enough you aren't heating up the house and warm enough you can open doors and windows.
Not to mention ruining your oven and causing a fire. Cracking a pan or warping it is also a possibility you’re playing with.
I think careful sand blasting would have done the job perfectly or even using walnut shell in the blaster. Personally, I can't stand cast iron pans. They're not worth the trouble.
All of the trouble with cast iron is a new phenomenon. I cook with cast iron a lot but, I sure wouldn't if I had to follow the new order. I think Teflon and newer types of pans were a reason a lot of knowledge was lost. Other than being heavy, there is nothing less trouble for me than cast iron skillets.
Great demo, Jed! Haven't tried crepes yet. Would you have a recipe? Thanks!
Have you tried putting the griddle in the oven and using the self clean setting which I think is somewhere between 2 hours and five hours? In the old days, and I am very old, people would sometimes use Easy Off oven cleaner on cast iron pans that had stubborn carbon build up. Also, a neighbor I once had used to attach their cast iron pans to a rope tied to the end of their pier and let the rushing river water scour their pans. That method worked really well and then it was a simple matter drying the pans and reseasoning them. Powdered rust remover that's available in almost any store quickly removes any rust that forms on cast iron. I don't know about building a big fire just to remove carbon build up, it seems like overkill and needlessly labor intensive. I've used the self cleaning oven setting on my stove, the longest time setting, and it worked well for me. I helped it along with a bit of steel wool and elbow grease. Don't overlook Easy Off oven cleaner, just follow the instructions printed on the can. Or, you could tell your kids they have to clean the pan or there will be no more pancakes. Getting someone else to clean the pan is the best idea.
I managed to recover some de buyer pans (not the coated handle ones) that I got from a restaurant, that seemed beyond redemption, using pyrolysis.
It went perfectly, all the carbon built up transformed into ash and I seasoned them as if they were new. Everything turned out great !
My grandmother told us what her mother (and probably per grandmother, etc) did, which was throw all her skillets into the fire while her dad was burning leaves in the yard. So basically they would have a huge pile of leaves and light it on fire, and she'd throw her pans in. I suspect that since a fire with leaves even if you had a lot of leaves and kept feeding it, would burn quite hot but not as hot as the embers from a hardwood fire, and also not be hot for anywhere near as long.
Great story. Thanks for the info.
I like your video. A lot of people say putting pans in a fire will warp them. I don't know what they mean as I have done this and never had a problem with a pan warping. I do take my pans out of the fire after they have been in for about an hour or so. If this is the difference I don't know.
Thanks for the feedback
To avoid warping, I would try making a make shift oven with bricks and pavers just to make sure the pan would be on a flat surface for the duration of the burn, then start the bonfire under, around and above the oven ( although is that still a bonfire?)
Why, why, why? 😬 I’m 65 years old and have been using cast iron for most of my life. I’ve even got a GSW that my mom had. I’ve NEVER, EVER decarbonized a pan, and my pans work like a charm. Yes, they have buildup, but that’s part of the charm. I’ve also NEVER used any type of soap or cleanser on my pans. Use only water and wipe out and re-oil. My pans never stick. Beautiful.
Excellent! If you don't need to, then don't! I like my pans to be smooth to the surface so I obsess over reconditioning.
Sand or glass-bead blasting works perfectly getting the cast down to it's gray metal state ready for re-season. with no risk of warping. It is super easy, not expensive and every town has a sandblaster somewhere.
That's a brilliant idea!
Hi Jed. How about a few tips on seasoning cast iron or carbon steel over a fire? Thanks for sharing
There are some videos on cooking on unseasoned cast iron. If you notice the comments on the seasoning cast iron videos, most of the problems came after they seasoned; seasoning flaking off, food sticking, rust under seasoning, sticky seasoning, chipping seasoning, the list goes on. Learn to cook on cast iron, it's mostly proper heat levels. It helps me to think there are tiny pores in the cast iron. Food sticks if it gets in those pores. Oil and water doesn't mix. Water gets under oil. Before you start, get the water out of the pores with heat. Add oil and heat will help it fill those pores. If your skillet is too hot, the water in your food will steam clean the oil out of those pores. I don't season, I would have problems if I did season the way they do. There is a very thin coat of seasoning on my pans I can't get off unless I strip them. That's plenty of seasoning.
Thanks for warping a pan, so I don't have to.
This doesn't pertain to cast iron. My question is will demeyere Atlantis 3.2 quart sauce pan steamer insert fit the silver 7 3 qt sauce pan? Thanks
Ultimately I think this is an ancient method. Before cleaning products.
Yikes - that griddle has bright pink fire damage. The heat method works, but Id recommend a more controlled heat source. A grill with wood or a self cleaning oven cycle would heat the pan more evenly and also not get so hot that the metal begins changing phases
I was expecting some of the deepish red spots on the griddle after you washed were heat damage but looks like they took seasoning so not effected.
Yes, the pan is working great
lol@burning pallets being a simple process 🤣
Why the extra high oven temp on this one?
I am wondering if you experienced warping at least mostly from the shape and style of the pan that you tested it on. There are no high sides on your griddle, and theoretically, that would reduce rigidity as compared to something like a saucepan, carbon steel skillet or standard cast Iron skillet. I started to write this before you got the comment from the owner of Field stating that he thinks that this one would be most prone to warping. I think that he and I are sharing the same line of thinking.
yup, I'd say so.
Use a finish sander to strip it down to near bare metal. Reseason. Done.
Exactly. I use a paint stripper wheel on my cordless, done in a couple of minutes.
like a oven self cleaning...the high heat brun all the charco into white dust....
Just wondering why you wouldn’t just use a hand-held gas blow torch?
That could be a method too! No reason not to try that out.
@@Cook-Culture You wouldn't try that because uneven heat is what causes cast iron to warp. One part gets hot and expands while the other part, not as hot, doesn't move. It's the irresistible force meeting the movable object.
@@jerrym3261 I had a cast iron pan that the handle broke off after heating at high heat. Surprised me to say the least.
Why not just media blast it, maybe using walnut hull media? Should be safe and effective.
Ammonia. I recently restored a Cold Handle Cowboy skillet. I didn't have any straight Ammonia but I did have a spare bottle of window cleaner with ammonia. I placed the skillet and a gallon bag and poured the bottle of window cleaner in it. Tied it off and left it for 3 day's. The carbon came off like if you used paint remover on a painted surface. Probably 95%. The rest was minor elbow work to complete it. More likely now to buy more to restore.
Thanks for the feedback!
Wait couple videos ago you said season without smoke....and not above 400F.....arghh
This isn’t seasoning. He did it to remove any organic material from the metal, so also remove seasoning.
Warped and fire damaged, that pan is ruined :( As soon as you see those red markings you know it's game over, the pan will never season or heat properly again. A big "oof" for Field fans like me haha but good video all the same :)
It's performing exactly as before. That's what you get from the best cast iron pans in the world...
It’s fire damaged. Look at the red hues on the griddle. That’s not rust.
I could be wrong, but I don't think an open wood fire can actually damage iron. That bonfire would create temps be around 600C, and the smelting temp at manufacture would be around 2200C. Of course the cooling is much more controlled during manufacture. The warping would have been caused by uneven heating and cooling, and unprotected iron starts rusting immediately when exposed to oxygen and moisture in the air, and rust is most definitely red/orange.
@@Tom-kl9jf I have heard the fire damaged red hue argument and I seriously doubt you'll change many minds. They say they can tell a pan that has ever been cleaned in a fire by looking at it. If that were actually true they would be seeing a lot of old pans with the damage because I bet most old pans have been cleaned in a fire. Mine certainly have.
Google the iron-carbon phase diagram. The manufacturer heats the material to melt and then holds it a specific temperature to get the desires solid phase. Holding it in the 600 degC range will cause a slow phase change to the equilibrium phase (kinetics are slow but it does happen). The manufacturer avoids this by rapidly cooling through the temperature ranges of undesirable phases.
@@patrickcasper7487 600 degC is 1112 degreesF. I can avoid that temperature.
My bluestar burners will burn that off easy.
The trick is heating all of the piece evenly. What causes most warping is one part getting hot and expanding while it's next to a part that doesn't expand. I think most cast iron skillets were warped on an electric coil turned up too high, bottom needed to expand, sides wouldn't let it go out so, it went down toward the heat. That's how spinners were born.
I am sorry. Isn't this the guy worried about landfills and buying garbage? Now burning pallets and normally burns deadfalls?
Fire will cause permanent damage and will not be seasonable again, ever!
Thanks for the feedback. The re-seasoning took well but I'll watch for weakness going forward
I want that pan. I've seen thousands of pans but, never that one. Does the "seasoning" not stick, just falls off?
@@jerrym3261 So far the seasoning is perfect, just like it was when the pan was new
@@Cook-Culture Mark Twain said, “It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so.” I fully admit there are a lot of things I believe that are not true and I don't know which things they are. I am pretty certain a lot of the "new truth" on cast iron is not actually true. Mostly I cook in old cast iron because old things are special to me. Occasionally I will buy a brand new pan out of curiosity. I can take a brand new Lodge I bought at Walmart or a Crofton I bought at Aldi, wash it with Dawn, scrub it with a stainless steel scouring pad, dry it on a burner, put a little extra margarine in it, break eggs in it swirl them around and flip them without a spatula. The old ones are mostly lighter and they have the old factor but, if I didn't have them, I would cook just as well in new Crofton though I'd prefer Lodge and probably try Victoria over either of those. I like cast iron. Cast iron is very good to me.