@@Phylonyous No. I don't want to tote it around. But if you are trying to say you agree with the video, then the word is "completely." As in, "I agree completely agree..."
Lost my house in 2011 to the fires in Bastrop Texas. My cast iron skillets are the only things to survive. I am 70 and have used cast iron all my cooking days.
Thank you for actually recognizing Hemochromatosis!!! I grew up in the south and I still cook with cast iron though not for myself. I was diagnosed at 12 with juvenile onset Hemochromatosis which is an extremely rare form of the genetic blood disorder. I have spent nearly 30 years now having 400-450ml of blood removed on a weekly to monthly basis to control my iron levels. Yet even with treatment you still have no means to naturally waste iron so your body hoards it in such places as your liver, kidneys, heart, and even your brain. I became extremely epileptic at 32 and lost my ability to drive. I struggle with multiple chronic organ issues. The disease is rare especially in young women and not well researched. Not many people understand what it means to not be able to waste something your body also needs and the damage too much can cause. It's a problem that almost no one will ever have to think about, but for us rare few... It's a problem we can't avoid in everything we do.
I love finding cast iron pans that are inexpensive at second hand stores and yard sales. They're typically rusted out or look terrible. It's a fun project to pick them up, take them home, restore, and season them. I've gotten some great pans for under $10
I've got my great grandma's cast iron skillets. I use them all the time. I never met her. She had passed before I was even born. But whenever l use them l think about her and sometimes even speak a few words to her. Maybe that seems crazy to some, but hey, in today's world to me that's probably the least crazy thing I'll see today... So in a way l owe my cast iron for keeping my family history living. I'll be cooking up a triple batch of cornbread for dressing in her 12inch Griswold this Thanksgiving. Hope you'll be proud greatgrandma...
@@dwightdawson3578 not really. Just always use very hot water. But very occasionally if its VERY dirty l might just use a very very minimal amount of soap, like just what might be lingering in the dishrag to give it a quick once over. I might use a little more on the handle and outside of the skillet. But rarely and very sparingly the inside. I'll usually set it on a warm eye and give it a wipe down with a paper towel and a few drops of oil after each use. I give them all a full seasoning treatment in the oven once or twice a year.
I inherited my grandma's Erie PA cast iron skillet and lid, which I guess are collector's items, and will hand them down to my girls. I rarely use my other skillets anymore, cast iron is the best. And so easy to clean. I bought a chain mail type scrubber and it works great. Add a little water, rub the chain mail all over, all done. Well, and dry it and oil it.
The key is not to let acidic foods sit in the cast iron for no longer than the time it takes to transfer into Serving Dishes/Bowls, the wash right away.
I was wondering because I'm actually vegan and tend to sauté veggies and make other dishes like pasta sauce and curries, etc in the pan. This video had me concerned but what you said makes sense ... simply wash it right away.
@@2tallB that's the 🔑.....wash the CI right away, do not leave pasta sauce sitting in it. Try cooking pasta sauce with at least 2-3 Carrots sliced into sticks....naturally neutralizes the acidity.
I was at a garage sale years ago and saw a rusted out 12" Griswold. I asked how much and she said 3 dollars. I couldn't get my money out fast enough. I took it home refinished it and re-seasoned it and have been using for almost 10 years. I would never sell it. It will be handed down to my kids.
There's no better feeling in the world than buying something old and rusty, fixing it and suddenly realizing you've just increased its value by 2000%. It's like the only time when you take advantage of someone and still get to feel good about yourself.
@@da2357 Personally, I don't worry too much about the "best" way. I just get the pan warm. Then I put a very tiny amount of high-ish smoke point oil, wiping off the exit. Then I heat the pan till I see faint wisps of smoke, and let it cool down. Really, you will eventually build up a nice finish as long as you A) never put the pan away damp and B) don't wait too long between uses. With this method you may or may not build up a best in class finish that people will be envious of, but it builds up to the point that anything you cook will release easily as long as the pan is hot when you put the food in. I doubt my great grandmother ever worried about finishing a pan, she would have probably just cooked bacon for a week's worth of breakfasts and wiped the pan out between uses.
David, that depends on it's condition. If it's only slightly/lightly rusted use your most aggressive scrubbing pad and scrub till the rust is gone. Then lightly coat it inside and out with cooking oil, lard, or bacon grease. Follow the instructions in this video to bake it. If you want, repeat that 2 or 3 or 4 times. If the scrubbing pad isn't doing in then upgrade your weaponry. 180, 240, 360 grit wet-sanding paper. If it's still pitted go for the nuclear option like a flapper-wheel or cup brushes on angle grinder followed by the 240 or 360 grit wet paper. Then you're ready for the oiling/baking for the final seasoning.
Got my first ever Lodge 8” fry pan this afternoon, washed it off in hand hot soapy water toweled it dry, heated on gas ring wiped it over with groundnut oil and am now waiting for it to come out of the oven set to gas mk4 350f. Cooking starts tomorrow! Regards Clive from deepest Dorset UK. Thanks for taking the time to post.
Clive. Question for you. Is "groundnut oil" peanut oil? I was watching a video by Gordon Ramsey on how to cook a steak, and he recommended groundnut oil. I did a google search and came up with 500 different opinions on what it is. Thanks.
So very sorry for the late response, didn’t realise anyone had commented on my post! Yes Groundnut oil is the same as Peanut oil, it’s just called that at my local supermarket! The reason I chose it was because that’s what was in the cupboard but more importantly it’s smoke point is around 446F. ! Since I bought the pan it got moved to the back of the cupboard and I’ve just rediscovered it, complete with rust! It’s taken me 3 days to clean it and give it 5 new coats of seasoning using Rapeseed oil, cooked in the oven for an hour an a quarter at 450F. It looks and feels right all I need to do now is get cooking!
As someone that has been using cast iron for a long time I would say that this video is better than most with the quality of its information. The one thing that I would change is the fact that I would never preheat a skillet on high, cast iron is prone to warping when subject to rapid temperature change. This can make a skillet wobble, spin or otherwise not sit flat on a flat surface. I always preheat on medium, you can always turn the temperature up to high once the pan is heated or food has been added.
My mom had always refused to use cast iron pans bc she said everything stuck to them and they were too heavy to lift. Here I am, a boomer, using cast iron for the first time in my life and I am sad to say I've missed out on using this wonderful cookware for so many years. I've seasoned my entire collection, which was only used decoratively, and I've started cooking with each piece and loving every result! Teflon? Tossed it. Green pans? Donated them! Copper Chef cookware? Gave them all away. Aside from a few stainless steel pots and pans I'll use for those acidic foods or boiling large quantities of water, my cast iron cookware is my kitchen pride and joy (along with my vintage KitchenAid mixers!) Thank you for separating all the fact from fantasy about their care and use! I feel like a chef now!
Thank you for explaining about washing a properly seasoned cast iron pan! I don’t even dry my skillets after cooking with them when I put them away! But I only use Griswold and Wagner. Griswold and Wagner are the best ever made! Everything from French creamed scrambled eggs to Beef Bourguignon...no problem with either or anything in between. Spend the extra money...you’ll be glad yo did if your serious about the food you serve.
Good advice on maintenance. I have used carbon steel and cast iron skillets on electric stoves and induction. My pans started to warp after a while. After a while I stopped using them. Even gifting my pans. Recently, I cam across Uncle Scotts Kitchen channel and saw how he demonstrated gas vs. electric. Now I am going to switch my cook top back to gas. Gas was more fun but the cleanup was a chore.
Well done. I recently posted a video on some cast iron myths and still get the people stuck on the mind frame that soap is going to ruin your seasoning. I wash mine with soap 75% of the time, and my seasoning has never had any issues from that.
I bought my cast iron pan secondhand from a thrift shop. It was encrusted with all manner of grime and had patches of rust. I superheated it over an outdoor propane burner (cajun cooker) and got it red hot. After cooling, I thoroughly scrubbed off the ash under running water with steel wool (mostly, it just rinsed off). I heated it back up on my stove top to dry it off and then went through repeated seasonings (maybe three or four) to put a super slick finish on it. It is slicker than teflon! Since then, I do the following after each cooking session. I scrub it with hot water and a green scrubby pad. Rarely do I even use dish soap. I then heat it to smoking on the stove to dry. If needed, I sometimes reapply a few drops of oil on the pan during the heating process and allow it to get fairly smoky. I then wipe out the excess oil with a paper towel after the pan cools. I love cast iron!
Patrick Kruger Hello! I’ve been hearing that the old *_cast iron skillets_* are much lighter & more efficient than what’s on the market now... Do YOU see a difference? I’ve been using mine for the past 47 years & haven’t bought a new one yet..but I’m actually thinking of buying another smaller one... Now...I’m facing the dilemma of either buying new or buying old🤔.... Have you a suggestion for me? Because I’m thinking that you probably shopped around & have seen much of these kind of skillets.... I would appreciate an answer to this...😊 I’m pushing 70 years old & I don’t think I have the patience to experiment on this issue... I need advise...🤷♀️
@@LadyNicky007 I just happened on my skillets while perusing a thrift shop. I never used one before and I never bought a new one after. I do love the ones I have. I am now considering getting some carbon steel saute pans for their durability and similar non-stick seasoning finish. It's only natural to assume that you will always get a better deal buying old and refinishing yourself. Besides thrift stores, check out some of the online alternatives like neighborhood apps and Facebook marketplace. One last thing, an alternative to superheating the gunk off with a propane cooker is running it through the cleaning cycle of your oven (if you have that feature). Either way, just heat it up until it stops smoking for that's when everything is completely burned off and all that remains is ash.
Patrick Kruger Thanks for responding.... I will take all this under consideration. But buying second-hand is attractive now! The bit about cleaning it in the oven seems to make an old one worthwhile... Don’t know where you got this idea...but it makes so much sense now that you brought it up... Thanks a million.... Nicole 🙋🏼♀️ Montreal
Great video. I learned a Lot. **Also, I have to say that people who are anemic should Definitely look into cooking on an iron skillet. A friend of mine Was anemic and she’s gone to one doctor after another. She was prescribed all these pills that made her sick. Her skin was the color of Milk even though her ethnicity would prompt her to be slightly darker of a complexion. She took my advice and used the iron skillet I seasoned for her. I taught her how to cook in it, what Not to cook in it and how to keep it maintained. After just a month she came back, gave me my skillet and told me she had bought her own and thanked me. Her skin actually had some color and she said she felt great and her doctor is amazed that she’s feeling and looking so good now. They did a blood test and she’s not anemic any longer. Long ago, before the advent of nonstick cookware, there was very little amounts of people who were anemic. They cooked in iron. Iron pots, pans and even muffin pans. It would seem that the “Convenience” of cooking on Teflon isn’t all it’s supposed to be and we created our own problems from being Lazy and Uninformed. I cook on iron each and every day. I’m 56 years old, a former smoker and my O2 blood saturation is 99%. When the nurses put that little thing on my finger to check my O2, I always hear a Wow! Nice! I don’t have ANY Teflon ANYthing in my house. Like margarine; It doesn’t make it past my front door. But that’s for another video. Thanks for making this video. It clears up a lot of misconceptions people have about cast iron cooking. 😁
My mom cooked in cast iron skillets and when I married I started doing that also . I’ve never been anemic but once in my life . That was when I was pregnant with my first daughter because I had morning sickness and couldn’t keep food down . The pills the dr had me take made me sick also .. so I started making sure EVERYTHING I ate was cooked in cast iron . No more anemia !
i use a natural dish soap on my cast iron. i couldn't stand not using soap and hot water after grilling chicken breast! the thought of bacteria just drives me nuts. thanks good video
When I was growing up, I remember my mom using cast iron all the time. I'll admit, I was the youngest, a baby boy, and had three sisters who were giving the chore of doing the dishes I never remember mom babying the cast iron like some suggest today, I know she used metal utensils for a fact, cooked whatever she wanted. I am also pretty sure the pans got the old soap and water washing just like everything else (they did dry the dishes though). Speaking of drying, I dated a woman once who, after washing/rinsing her cast iron skillet would put it on the stove and heat enough to be sure it was dry, I thought that was a pretty good Idea. Thanks for the video.
Awesome video. I got into cast iron about 3 months ago and used the advice from Cowboy Kent Rollins channel. I use hot water on a hot pan to clean. I always reheat pan to expand the metal pores and then layer oil. My pan is now so reliable I can cook with tomato sauce and it doesn't effect my oil layer. Everything slides off better than Teflon.
@@zumbagirly72 the great thing about cast iron is it's nearly indestructible. I'm 72. When my grandmother 's skillet would get caked with whatever, she would toss in the woodburning stove overnight, then just reseason in the morning. BTE, I now have her skillet.
I agree 100%. Cast iron is easy and the best thing to cook many things in....even great for baking breads. Add to that, if you take care of them they last forever. I wash mine and put a little oil back in just about every time I use it...takes no time at all. I've made a big switch back to cast iron after getting tired of throwing out so many skillets that get damaged non stick surface. The only negative that I see with cast iron is they are heavier to handle. I need a workout anyway. TFS.
@@Anione111 yes. I dry it over a flame and when water evaporates i add a small amount of oil and wipe around with paper towel. I let iit heat up a bit and shut off. I started using grapeseed oil recently since i discovered some of the manufacturer's use it. Hi heat tolerance and neutral odor. But many different oils work fine.
@@carilynjurgeson6178 Thanks for replying. The finer details certainly help a cast iron newbie like me :). Can you suggest the next best alternative to grapeseed oil, which has similar properties. I am sure I cannot find grapeseed oil where I live.
@@Anione111 Vegetable oil or canola would be good options. I have even used olive oil, but the concern with that oil is it can't handle as much heat and it isn't as neutral. If you cook pancakes for example, you might get some flavoring that doesn't go well.
Speaking about pre-seasoning of the cast iron pans. Not long ago, I bought a Ukrainian made cast iron pan. It came with an instruction. Manufacturer recommended the following steps : 1) Heat it for 15 to 20 minutes or until there is no smoke coming from it and the surface is uniformly gray. 2) Let it cool down a bit and then rinse with running cold water. Wipe it dry. 3) Put five or so table spoons of salt into it. Heat it for 20 or so minutes stirring the salt from time to time. Once the pan is cool, remove the salt. 4) Wipe the inner surface and the exterior of the walls with a vegetable oil.
I wash my cast iron with Dawn detergent and water. After I rinse it, I put it on the burner and heat it back up to evaporate all of the water off, then I rub it down with some oil. I put it away once it's completely cooled. Never had an issue.
I bet your food taste like dawn too.yuck. I’ve eaten off dishes washed with dish soap and that’s all I taste is dish soap. If you can’t taste the soap get your ass to a dr ASAP.your olfactory nerve is shot which means your in poor fucking health.
@@jasonmgavitt2357 If you can taste soap, learn to rinse with cold water. Lol, this world is full of lies/myths, learn by doin, not hearing/reading. You'll be way ahead in the game of life!
mike notta I can taste the soap because I don’t use soaps at all.i don’t wash my cloths with soap I don’t wash anything with soap.its fucking nasty and plain hot water gets rid of up to 95% of germs on a surface.science has proven this already.the five % left over are in such a small amount they are harmless to a healthy adult. If you can’t taste the soap on it it’s because your olfactory nerve is shot.seriously you should be able to detect smells and taste regardless of wether you washed it with cold water.if you can’t something is not working right.go to a dr! It is your bodies canary in the coal mine.pay attention to it.
Thanks for your videos! I hated the first Lodge pan I bought, and gave it away. I watched your video and bought another. I took the sticker off, washed with water, fried an egg in some butter and Damn!!! it worked!! My pan is perfectly nonstick and all I've done is put a tiny amount of Caron & Bouchet Cast Iron Oil (that I bought on Amazon) on it after each use and rub it off. That's all. That stuff is awesome! I almost bought a $100 Stargazer but watched your video and tried again! You saved me a lot of money!
I got my first cast iron skillet yesterday and am trying to separate the myth from reality. Thanks for clearing up some fears and misconceptions I had!
E.V Artsy Reads depending on what you picked up you may want to check out cowboy Kent’s video on lodge pans and how to smooth them out. then re-season. He dose do a great job for explaining how to.
I used cast iron every time i cooked for a year or so. 2 things I don't like about my lodge cast iron. Heavy weight!!! and Ferretin (iron containg protien in blood) is pretty high. Check your ferretin levels if you use cast iron, Tell your doc you use cast iron.
Cast iron is a tough love relationship. Without proper care, it will turn on you remorselessly, but when properly cared for, your cast iron will provide a lifetime of incredible dishes. Good luck on your journey.
Dude, you’re pretty darn cool. Easy to listen to, easy to understand, and not a bit of “oh this is too difficult to do” vibe I get with some others I’ve seen. Yeah, call me a delicate l’il flower, but I like my instructions fun, with a dash of “you can do it!” attitude.
I used water to rinse the large loose stuff off, the scrub with a coarse salt. I'll use a steal wool on the more stuck on bits. I cook it on the oven after to sanitize. Sometimes I'll wipe it with oil before I cook it on the oven if I had to scrub really hard or cooked something acidic in it like tomato sauce. I love my pan!
Good video! One other myth is that it is beneficial to grind the skillet to a smooth finish. Truth: Grinding is one of the best ways to turn a CI pan from bulletproof to high-maintenance. Tip on cleaning: Wipe, scrape, and brush as much as possible without using water. Reason, you will leave behind a thin film of oil that will cook in the next time you use the pan. If you use hot water and/or detergent, you will be removing that thin film and that will lead you to wanting to apply more oil after you wash the pan. Why wash it off, then add more? Tip on cooking, regarding eveness of heat: Preheat the iron before you cook. The best way is to start off with low heat, and gradually make the pan hotter.
What a great video!! Been a longtime cast-iron user and collector, both modern and antique, but only just recently became interested in the "why" behind some of the facts I thought I knew...and turns out, most of them were myths! Very informative! Will recommend this video to anyone who wants some good solid cast-iron truth. :D
Excellent practical information. My mom used cast iron skillets when I was growing up. I always wondered why she didn't use fancy colored pots and pan sets like my friends' moms did. About 20 years ago I bought an 8" lodge pan from an outlet store; I was bored and killing time as my wife shopped. I have never gone back. We have a number of cast iron pieces, but the one that gets used the most is a 12" Lodge frypan. It is fantastic and just gets better and better with each use.
I would just use plain old vegetable oil. I tried all kinds of things like olive oil, flaxseed oil, etc... cheap vegetable oil is the best. It gives the most even coat of seasoning without sticky spots.
As a “seasoned” (see what I did there?) cast iron cooker, I’ve gotta say I’ve repeated and even preached most if not all of these myths at one time or another. But as I’ve gained more experience, I’ve learned that all of what you say here is true. Biggest warning I try to give new cast iron cookers is to be careful not to heat stress their cast iron! Don’t plunge that hot pan or Dutch oven into cold (or even warm) water. You’ll almost certainly crack it. Other than that, though, your cast iron is way more rugged than you’re probably giving it credit for. Great video!
True but the opposite is fine, you can easily pout cold water into a hot cast iron pot, it's has so much heat it in that it won't notice the difference, what you shouldn't do it submerge it in a large quantity of cold water, or leave it under a running cold tap.
If you cook in your cast iron often then I never put a coat of oil after washing, but if I'm going to store it away for a while then I will. Great job on the video.
I grew up with a cast iron fry pan, used for pretty much everything that could fit. It got washed when it really needed it, but mostly a good rinse and maybe some oil. Don't have to worry about toxic chemicals from nonstick pans plus get an extra dose of iron in your diet. Oh, and food tastes better cooked in cast iron.
The one thing I gained from this video was that modern dish soaps are acceptable to use on a well seasoned cast iron... but your input on that does make sense. I've always used hot water and salt on mine, but now I'm going to get adventurous and use just a small amount of dish soap and see how it does. I also usually put a thin coating on after I'm done cleaning to help protect it anyways. Glad I saw this!
Great video and glad to see someone that has finally said it all as it is. My experience of a few years with cast iron skillets is 100% similar to what is described in this video, especially the bit about scraping with metal utensils as well as washing with water and soap, which I do after every single use. In fact, despite living in a very humid region, not only I use water and soap, but I also let the skillets dip dry over night and season them the following day, applying a thin coat of oil after warming the skillets up and let them on high flame until the oil starts smoking ....never head rust on my skillets or lost the non stick patina.
I was raised eating food which was cooked in a cast iron skillet and they didn't hurt the skillet at all and most of the time it wasn't seasoned except with the cooking oil we used which was regular lard. I purchased new skillets two years ago because I got tired of buying new so called non stick pans every two years or less due to them wearing out. I have always cleaned a skillet with regular soap and water and it was just fine. I didn't know about the rusting problem until I went back to using them regularly.
Finex, a newer company, machines their cast irons. Fairly expensive but everything is handmade and they look like heirloom quality. I’m saving up to buy one to add to my collection. All I have are made by Lodge and I love them!
Great video! I have been guilty of a couple of these myths, mostly the soap one, but overall I feel better about my cast iron pan use. P.S. I am one of the 1% with hemochromatosis and I don't worry about cooking in cast iron; I just avoid acidic foods like you said. It's just not that big of a deal in a well seasoned pan.
Well with the soap one you can tell by looking at it if it's a problem or not, if the coat is still there then it does not matter. If it's gone for whatever reason reoil it.
I use soap and I scrub the hell out of my pans. I listened to people for awhile and didn't do that. My pans got cruddy and I had to strip and re-season them. Better to buff the crud off. Every time you use a pan it gets a little more seasoned anyway and any little bit of seasoning you knock off gets filled in. People baby their pans too much.
Thank you for the info! I have a new cast iron skillet, after the first use I washed the pan, dried it and put oil on a paper towel and wiped it inside, I noticed there was black on the paper towel, I do not know why there was black, it appeared very clean. Can you tell me what that would be, do cast iron pans do that.
Be absolutely sure that you are clear on the difference between WASH and SEASON. Those terms are mutually exclusive. Was your NEW pan CLEAN and PRE-SEASONED? You said you washed it after the first use. The black could have been already on the pan before you used it. If your paper towel turns black, then you didn't wash the pan well enough.
I've been cooking in cast iron 40+ years (oh [bleep], am I that old???), and I agree with all the points you made here, as long as we're talking about modern cast iron - the pebbly-textured, pre-seasoned stuff. I will add that cast iron is pretty forgiving, so it will accommodate a variety of "styles" for using and caring for it. There is no one exact "right way" to work with it, as long as you don't strip the seasoning or warp it, but there are better practices and worse ones, and it all really comes down to what gives *you* the results you like. PS: I still consider it a preference on whether to use soap to clean your cast iron. I still prefer not to - I like the results better when I don't.
I have that same 12 inch lodge cast iron skillet that started my addiction with cast iron over 12 years ago👍🏼. I don’t see it in these cast iron videos. I do have to say all your information is absolutely correct.
I’ve got what was probably my great grandmother’s cast iron skillet and use it every day for one thing or another. I clean mine with very hot water only and towel dry immediately. If I have anything stick to the bottom, I add hot water to the pan and boil it mess off. If the mess was too bad, I’ll add a drop or two of dish detergent while the water boils then it all gets poured down the drain. Rinse with hot water, dry well and oil lightly. Probably the worst thing that happened to this pan was when my husband was reheating pizza in it and got to talking and forgot about his pizza. Part of the seasoning burned onto my glass top. Ruined the stove so we replaced it with the old burner type. Mind you, I had used my pan on the glass top for several years without incident. Needless to say, I had to reseason the bottom of the pan but it’s recovered well.
Totally agree with your comments. I use mostly cook using cast iron to cook with 15", 12" and 2 10.5 in skillets. Love them all. I scrape them clean while washing with plastic putty knife then clean with soap, dry and oil them. The only down side is that I think I'm the only one (in my family) that can lift the 15 inch pan as it get pretty heavy with food in it.
I was thinking about the metal spatula issue last night, and this thought occurred to me. Cast iron was widely used, and well maintained (hence it's long, useful life!) long before plastic was even invented! Metal tools were used on cast iron all the time "back in the day." :o) (Re-watching...)
Thanks so much for such an informative video. I have a few pieces and your video has helped. Thanks for doing the research and educating me. It is greatly appreciated!
i cook bacon in my new cast iron pans after i wash and dry them. Then i ripe them out with a paper towel and put them in the oven at 375 for 2 hours they come out perfect.
Still learning in life, many say men ought not to use veggie, canola, sunflower, or rapeseed. So I ponder in avoidance of male hormonal disruptors, are oils like olive, or avocado effective in the process of seasoning? In addition, via thrift stores and garage sales got some great deals on pre-owned cast cookware, though they could use a bit of TLC. What is the best means to clear off light surface rust?
Love your video..... I always wash my pan with soap, put on hot burner for 1 minute to dry, and quick spray or drop of oil... And mine is still seasoned and non stick.
We have had the same cast iron frying pan for about 30 years. The outside bottom (burner side) is pitted now but no problem. I have lost count of how many so called non stick pans that have gone into the garbage in that time. The no stick Teflon, porcelain or what ever only seem to last about a year. The Old Wagner cast iron pan? Well it’s still in use but like you said, we use it for certain things. One use is baking boneless chicken breasts in the oven, it’s a great shallow pan for that use too as there’s no worry about plastic handles.
I've got a couple of Wagners that my grandmother got as a wedding present in 1922. Stuck them in the oven and turned on to clean, then coated them with flaxseed oil and seasoned them seven years ago. I use the pans 3 or 4 times a week and just wash them out with soap and water and hang them up to dry. Flaxseed oil beats all other oils for seasoning hands down and I only used two coats. After cleaning I don't dry them and I don't oil them, they don't rust, they don't stick.
I cooked chili over looow heat for hours on my grill using charcoal and wood chips. It was cooked in my large cast iron dutch oven. The chili came out amazing. For clean up, i just scrubbed it with water and dish detergent. I dried it and reasoned the pot and lid. Even though the ingredients were corrosive to iron, proper cleanup and seasoning make corrosive ingredients a nonissue. Thanks for the great video!
I have several cast iron skillets, ranging from a 12 " to a 6". I use them almost exclusively. They are even seasoned well enough to cook and egg that won't stick.
I live on Lodge here at the house; I have a wall of it that I picked up at the Lodge Factory Outlets throughout the South, and the stuff is INCREDIBLE! Whether I use the grill, stove top or oven, one pan does it all!
When doing a stove top 'mini-seasoning' I leave the burner at Medium, never High. It will reach a smoke point as well, but in doing so at a medium setting, I've been told I'm helping the skillet or griddle accept the seasoning instead of forcing it into/onto the piece of cast iron cookware.
I have a smaller lodge iron skillet that I need to know why it developed a thin hard black flim on the surface of the pan. I have tried to scrape it away, just hard to get all of it. I'm resigned to let it be and just season as best I can. Any suggestions? I had been using olive oil and peanut oil. I think that might be the problem. Those oils seem to turn sticky. You are right everybody has a different take on how to successfully care for iron cookware. Thank you for the video
It is not recommended to use acidic products in cast iron. The acids break down the oil "seasoning" and etch the iron causing issues with sticking, rust, and an increase in iron in your food.
Timur Teyibov Organic acids are not strong enough to eat iron at a perceptible rate. But you have to be careful of too much acetic acid and may be -- citric acid. Other things -- cook without fear.
I repair hot dog roller grills in my job and I can tell you carbonized hot dog grease has to be removed with a chisel. That shit is harder than aluminum. I can cut aluminum with my knife, I have to hack at the carbon
I have two cast iron pans that my grandmother used. I would estimate they are about 90 years old. When I first inherited them, I put them in the oven on the oven cleaning setting. Cleaned the oven and the pans. The pans had a coating of char on them that needed to be cleaned off. After cleaning they were like new. I have always cleaned with soap and water and sometimes steel wool. After drying, it goes on the burner when it gets hot I season it with a little oil. I think we can get another 90 years out of them.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE my cast iron skillets!! They are my go to pans. I use both so much that they are always on my stove top. I am particularly proud of my ten inch as it was a cheap, unseasoned off brand I bought at one of those traveling discount tool sales. It took me awhile to get a decent seasoning on it, but I am now able to cook eggs over easy beautifully with it! Thanks for this video. I knew most of these already but found this very informative for anyone new to cast iron. Good job!!
GREAT video.....thanks a bunch !!!! I just bought 2 new cast iron Lodge pans today and it's great to get the TRUTH without having to watch many other videos.....
In india we normally clean our cast iron things.. like chapati tawa or frying pan or sicklet with raw brick, and hard iron srcubs.. and we use it for years... And years and years.. my moms marriage iron utensils r still there after more the 40 years.. :)
Good vid. My best acidic sauses are done on my cast iron,and those pans are the favorite on Sunday's. They make campfire cooking a breeze. Clean up in a creek with sand..so easy..reheat to 160° oil up and cook. Love Cast Iron.
Just a note on the using soap or not to clean your cast iron. It doesn't hurt to do that from time to time, as long as you rinse and dry it well, as you said. But you do not want to use soap too often. It's not that it will damage the pan; it's that cast iron tends to soak up the flavors from the foods you cook on it. It's another reason you don't want to cook food high in acid, because those flavors are very over powering and it will strip the pan of all the previous flavoring you've built up. If you clean your cast iron with soap all the time, it will slowly start causing your food to have a faint soapy taste. It's not hard to correct this issue, if it happens. But, this is the main reason you don't want to use soap too often. =)
I would go so far as to say that you should use a metal spatula with a cast iron pan, as it will better scrape off any food residue that sticks to the seasoning. As you demonstrated, metal utensils will not damage the seasoning, unless you really bear down and scrape repeatedly. If you allow cooked or burned on food to build up, it will make the pan sticky. Besides, unlike a teflon non-stick coating, damage to the seasoning can be fixed.
I ground down the horribly bumpy surface on a new pan and got it mirror smooth. I then re seasoned it to a smooth black finish that resembles the pans of a hundred years ago. Much better and slicker than anything new.
@@Custerd1 1)Clean the pan again with steel wool and/or emery cloth making sure you get a very smooth and clean surface. 2) wash well and wipe with a paper towel or something white so you can be sure all the grit came off. 3) put a thin layer of melted lard or bacon grease on in and smoke it off in a hot oven. 4) let cool and repeat step 3 a half dozen times. Should have a mirror black finish when done. I did this to my Lodge (junk) griddle and it went from chewing apart pancakes to letting eggs slide around with ease.
Justin Kraynie, do very thin coats with flax seed oil but also make sure you start with a VERY CLEAN pot. Wash it a couple times. Rinse it well, dry it as much as possible and season again. Multiple thin coats is the key. It’s almost like you aren’t doing much for the first two or three coats. But it will get better and will go super black by the fifth or so coat. I do it in a gas bbq outside and it’s super easy that way since the wife doesn’t threaten divorce due to the stench inside.. not doing that again! Lol
This was enlightening. I absolutely LOVE my cast iron cookware, and am a devout ironite. Admittedly, I don't care for my cast iron as dilligently as I should, but I believe at least a few of these tips will help me cook more productively and efficiently. Thanks. I'm definitely a subscriber.
I have a couple of vintage cast iron skillets and 2 dutch ovens by Lodge... The vintage pans are glass smooth compared to lodge and they are both flea market finds as well as the dutch ovens! I love cooking with iron, Even cooked tonighta dinner on it. Love how it holds the heat...
I use what everybody used when I was growing up and still do (see link below). A dollar's worth lasts me way over a year. I don't have that layer of seasoning on my skillets (over a dozen) and I bet I have way less food that sticks than most people that use cast iron. It does take some time to learn how to break the rules and get away with it on cast iron. www.dollartree.com/scotch-brite-stainless-steel-scrubbing-pads-2ct-packs/25915
Hi, new Lodge 12 inch double handle. Seasoned and cooking fried eggs with no sticking, only using 1/4 tsp ghee butter. Heard Lodge needs to be sanded. Do I really need to do this if my fried eggs don't stick?
T and Z RV Life I personally cook everything in my cast iron. Never had a problem with acidic foods. Granted, the majority of my cookware is vintage...some well over 100 yrs old. But, all of mine is VERY well seasoned and maintained well.
We have a few cast irons in different shapes and sizes. Deep fry Navajo Frybread. Fry corn tortillas nachos chips and enchilada setups. Make the best southwestern skillet recipes. Roast salted pinons and pumkin seeds. Also use the shallow flat skillet for flour tortillas, pancakes, eggs. All homemade.
I've been cooking in ironware and maintaining it for over forty years in exactly the manner described here--even the getting lazy once in a while about oiling it part. A 100% accurate and useful video. About acidic foods: I generally avoid cooking them in my ironware, but I have noticed, courtesy of a roommate who often deglazes with acidic liquids, that my oldest and best-seasoned skillet is impervious to it. I've also been cooking tomato sauce in a well-seasoned iron Dutch oven for years, again without damaging the seasoning.
Did you know you can buy a new one very cheap every three years and save hours of shitty oiling for 40 years. I hate people that clean things that should of been thrown out
@@andrewgrandma2816: The oiling involves occasionally moistening a bit of paper towel with vegetable oil and wiping the bottom of the skillet before putting it away. It's not what I'd call shitty work, unless one is congenitally lazy. Treated properly, ironware gets better with time. It would be very wrong to throw out seven pounds/three kilograms of cast iron whose value will last into the next generation and beyond.
Andrew Grandma I’m proud to use the cast iron skillet that my great grandmother used. It’s a “soulful” thing. You either get it or you don’t. If I have to explain, you’ll never understand.
@@peterschaffter826 it's cause my parents were geniuses n they thought the black build up under the skillet was bad and a fire hazard so they forced me to scrape that off with a knife thus totally leaving it grey color for noooooooooooooo reason. If the skillet is so bad freaking buy a new one at 13$. Dont make anyone scrape it ever. Fucccccck u my parents, a holes. Thanks for reading this.
To clean or cast iron pans we put olive oil and a tablespoon coarse salt and lightly scrub it with a folded paper towel rinse it with some hot water then dry it seems to work fine for us
I recommend and use coffee filters myself because they are lint-free. However a lint free rag is better because you can reuse it many times and is less wasteful and better for the environment.
I searched your channel and didn't see a "how to season" cast iron. Are you planning on covering that? You did touch on most of the detail in this video clip.
No one in my family ever season a cast iron pan, they just used it. I'd give it a good coating of oil and let it soak in. Sorry, I'm using my grandmother's cast iron fry pan, but oil it good and cook fatty foods.
I buy only Lodge cast iron products. After sifting through all the tips about seasoning and cleaning, I boiled it down to this and it works for me. After the initial purchase I wash it with soap and water. That is recommended by Lodge. Dry thoroughly and then I use the Lodge cast-iron spray. Rub the spray in well (I use a dedicated dish towel) everywhere on the pan, this includes the handle and put it away. Depending on what I’m cooking, if there are bits of food in the bottom of the pan, I wipe out the excess with a paper towel, sprinkle it with coarse kosher salt (it acts as a scrubbing agent) and scrub with a dedicated Lodge brush. Do not rinse the pan before you sprinkle in the salt. The pan must be dry.. After the scrubbing, I rinse it with water, towel dry and then reapply the spray and rub it in. That’s all I do and I’ve never had a problem. The biggest tip I’ve received is not to wash the pan with soap and water again. You will remove the seasoning . Hope this helps
Thanks for covering this! I inherited 2 old cast iron pans from my grandma & have been using them for years. There’s a lot you covered that I didn’t know & will definitely be putting into practice! Best tip for me today was to re-season just the inside by bringing it to smoke point on the stovetop. I had always oiled the entire thing & baked it in the oven. What a waste of time that has been!
One aspect of cast iron that is overlooked is the lid I love a fried egg with a cooked top and no caramelised underside. So what I do is heat up the cast iron lid.... Le creuset and then on the lowest level of my gas cooker gently heat the pan with a little olive oil and then put the eggs in with the hot lid on for 70 seconds and I get a fabulous almost poached egg with a runny yolk that will slide around like a marble on a frozen lake The lower heat is not degrading the cold pressed olive oil aspect either
thanks help please. i'm thinking of buying a round 10.5 cast iron pan but i would have to use it on a 6 inch eletric burner, would the whole pan heat up evenly all over or be hotter just ware the pan sits on the burner??? thanks
Anyone who cooks with cast iron should know these facts! It is good to review! I always cook with cast iron!
Totes!
What about if you have ceramic cast iron?
@@Phylonyous No. I don't want to tote it around. But if you are trying to say you agree with the video, then the word is "completely." As in, "I agree completely agree..."
👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽
Lost my house in 2011 to the fires in Bastrop Texas. My cast iron skillets are the only things to survive. I am 70 and have used cast iron all my cooking days.
Wow that’s crazy, glad you’re ok. I live in TX and remember hearing about those fires
So sorry about your loss. Hope you're staying safe now.
Outstanding 👍🏽
Then your husband dropped your pan and broke it in half...
My grandparents live there! Sorry to hear this
Thank you for actually recognizing Hemochromatosis!!! I grew up in the south and I still cook with cast iron though not for myself. I was diagnosed at 12 with juvenile onset Hemochromatosis which is an extremely rare form of the genetic blood disorder. I have spent nearly 30 years now having 400-450ml of blood removed on a weekly to monthly basis to control my iron levels. Yet even with treatment you still have no means to naturally waste iron so your body hoards it in such places as your liver, kidneys, heart, and even your brain. I became extremely epileptic at 32 and lost my ability to drive. I struggle with multiple chronic organ issues. The disease is rare especially in young women and not well researched. Not many people understand what it means to not be able to waste something your body also needs and the damage too much can cause. It's a problem that almost no one will ever have to think about, but for us rare few... It's a problem we can't avoid in everything we do.
I love finding cast iron pans that are inexpensive at second hand stores and yard sales. They're typically rusted out or look terrible. It's a fun project to pick them up, take them home, restore, and season them. I've gotten some great pans for under $10
I've got my great grandma's cast iron skillets. I use them all the time. I never met her. She had passed before I was even born. But whenever l use them l think about her and sometimes even speak a few words to her. Maybe that seems crazy to some, but hey, in today's world to me that's probably the least crazy thing I'll see today... So in a way l owe my cast iron for keeping my family history living. I'll be cooking up a triple batch of cornbread for dressing in her 12inch Griswold this Thanksgiving. Hope you'll be proud greatgrandma...
FoulOwl Awesome! But, the question is, did great grandma wash them, did grandma wash them, did mom wash them?
@@dwightdawson3578 not really. Just always use very hot water. But very occasionally if its VERY dirty l might just use a very very minimal amount of soap, like just what might be lingering in the dishrag to give it a quick once over. I might use a little more on the handle and outside of the skillet. But rarely and very sparingly the inside. I'll usually set it on a warm eye and give it a wipe down with a paper towel and a few drops of oil after each use. I give them all a full seasoning treatment in the oven once or twice a year.
I too use cast iron pans that belonged to my great-grandmother.
@@jn1mrgn thats awesome!
I inherited my grandma's Erie PA cast iron skillet and lid, which I guess are collector's items, and will hand them down to my girls. I rarely use my other skillets anymore, cast iron is the best. And so easy to clean. I bought a chain mail type scrubber and it works great. Add a little water, rub the chain mail all over, all done. Well, and dry it and oil it.
I only use cast iron. I cook acidic foods all the time, simply clean and oil when your done cooking. That's it.
The key is not to let acidic foods sit in the cast iron for no longer than the time it takes to transfer into Serving Dishes/Bowls, the wash right away.
I was wondering because I'm actually vegan and tend to sauté veggies and make other dishes like pasta sauce and curries, etc in the pan. This video had me concerned but what you said makes sense ... simply wash it right away.
@@2tallB that's the 🔑.....wash the CI right away, do not leave pasta sauce sitting in it. Try cooking pasta sauce with at least 2-3 Carrots sliced into sticks....naturally neutralizes the acidity.
You really don't need to use a cast iron skillet for that. A lot of things are cooked just fine in a regular pan
@@MonsterSandwich99 That was actually my conclusion as well. Thanks
I was at a garage sale years ago and saw a rusted out 12" Griswold. I asked how much and she said 3 dollars. I couldn't get my money out fast enough. I took it home
refinished it and re-seasoned it and have been using for almost 10 years. I would never sell it. It will be handed down to my kids.
There's no better feeling in the world than buying something old and rusty, fixing it and suddenly realizing you've just increased its value by 2000%.
It's like the only time when you take advantage of someone and still get to feel good about yourself.
As a noobie, what’s the best way to refinish a cast iron pan?
@@da2357 Personally, I don't worry too much about the "best" way. I just get the pan warm. Then I put a very tiny amount of high-ish smoke point oil, wiping off the exit. Then I heat the pan till I see faint wisps of smoke, and let it cool down.
Really, you will eventually build up a nice finish as long as you A) never put the pan away damp and B) don't wait too long between uses.
With this method you may or may not build up a best in class finish that people will be envious of, but it builds up to the point that anything you cook will release easily as long as the pan is hot when you put the food in.
I doubt my great grandmother ever worried about finishing a pan, she would have probably just cooked bacon for a week's worth of breakfasts and wiped the pan out between uses.
Yeah, if someone offers you a Griswold for three dollars, don't even think of dickering with them and make them mad enough to not sell it.
David, that depends on it's condition. If it's only slightly/lightly rusted use your most aggressive scrubbing pad and
scrub till the rust is gone. Then lightly coat it inside and out with cooking oil, lard, or bacon grease. Follow the instructions in this video to bake it. If you want, repeat that 2 or 3 or 4 times.
If the scrubbing pad isn't doing in then upgrade your weaponry. 180, 240, 360 grit wet-sanding paper. If it's still pitted go for the nuclear option like a flapper-wheel
or cup brushes on angle grinder followed by the 240 or 360 grit wet paper. Then you're ready for the oiling/baking for the final seasoning.
Got my first ever Lodge 8” fry pan this afternoon, washed it off in hand hot soapy water toweled it dry, heated on gas ring wiped it over with groundnut oil and am now waiting for it to come out of the oven set to gas mk4 350f. Cooking starts tomorrow! Regards Clive from deepest Dorset UK. Thanks for taking the time to post.
Clive. Question for you. Is "groundnut oil" peanut oil? I was watching a video by Gordon Ramsey on how to cook a steak, and he recommended groundnut oil. I did a google search and came up with 500 different opinions on what it is. Thanks.
So very sorry for the late response, didn’t realise anyone had commented on my post! Yes Groundnut oil is the same as Peanut oil, it’s just called that at my local supermarket! The reason I chose it was because that’s what was in the cupboard but more importantly it’s smoke point is around 446F. ! Since I bought the pan it got moved to the back of the cupboard and I’ve just rediscovered it, complete with rust! It’s taken me 3 days to clean it and give it 5 new coats of seasoning using Rapeseed oil, cooked in the oven for an hour an a quarter at 450F. It looks and feels right all I need to do now is get cooking!
As someone that has been using cast iron for a long time I would say that this video is better than most with the quality of its information. The one thing that I would change is the fact that I would never preheat a skillet on high, cast iron is prone to warping when subject to rapid temperature change. This can make a skillet wobble, spin or otherwise not sit flat on a flat surface. I always preheat on medium, you can always turn the temperature up to high once the pan is heated or food has been added.
I have never heard anything against using metal on cast iron pans, the use of metal implements is one of the benefits relative to teflon coated pans.
And the fact your body needs iron...
@Numinous123 It requires power tools to remove that finish.
My mom had always refused to use cast iron pans bc she said everything stuck to them and they were too heavy to lift. Here I am, a boomer, using cast iron for the first time in my life and I am sad to say I've missed out on using this wonderful cookware for so many years. I've seasoned my entire collection, which was only used decoratively, and I've started cooking with each piece and loving every result! Teflon? Tossed it. Green pans? Donated them! Copper Chef cookware? Gave them all away. Aside from a few stainless steel pots and pans I'll use for those acidic foods or boiling large quantities of water, my cast iron cookware is my kitchen pride and joy (along with my vintage KitchenAid mixers!) Thank you for separating all the fact from fantasy about their care and use! I feel like a chef now!
Thank you for explaining about washing a properly seasoned cast iron pan! I don’t even dry my skillets after cooking with them when I put them away! But I only use Griswold and Wagner. Griswold and Wagner are the best ever made! Everything from French creamed scrambled eggs to Beef Bourguignon...no problem with either or anything in between. Spend the extra money...you’ll be glad yo did if your serious about the food you serve.
Cast iron is cast iron. Iron is iron.
Good advice on maintenance.
I have used carbon steel and cast iron skillets on electric stoves and induction. My pans started to warp after a while. After a while I stopped using them. Even gifting my pans. Recently, I cam across Uncle Scotts Kitchen channel and saw how he demonstrated gas vs. electric.
Now I am going to switch my cook top back to gas. Gas was more fun but the cleanup was a chore.
Well done. I recently posted a video on some cast iron myths and still get the people stuck on the mind frame that soap is going to ruin your seasoning. I wash mine with soap 75% of the time, and my seasoning has never had any issues from that.
I bought my cast iron pan secondhand from a thrift shop. It was encrusted with all manner of grime and had patches of rust. I superheated it over an outdoor propane burner (cajun cooker) and got it red hot. After cooling, I thoroughly scrubbed off the ash under running water with steel wool (mostly, it just rinsed off). I heated it back up on my stove top to dry it off and then went through repeated seasonings (maybe three or four) to put a super slick finish on it. It is slicker than teflon!
Since then, I do the following after each cooking session. I scrub it with hot water and a green scrubby pad. Rarely do I even use dish soap. I then heat it to smoking on the stove to dry. If needed, I sometimes reapply a few drops of oil on the pan during the heating process and allow it to get fairly smoky. I then wipe out the excess oil with a paper towel after the pan cools.
I love cast iron!
Patrick Kruger
Hello! I’ve been hearing that the old *_cast iron skillets_* are much lighter & more efficient than what’s on the market now... Do YOU see a difference? I’ve been using mine for the past 47 years & haven’t bought a new one yet..but I’m actually thinking of buying another smaller one...
Now...I’m facing the dilemma of either buying new or buying old🤔.... Have you a suggestion for me? Because I’m thinking that you probably shopped around & have seen much of these kind of skillets....
I would appreciate an answer to this...😊 I’m pushing 70 years old & I don’t think I have the patience to experiment on this issue...
I need advise...🤷♀️
@@LadyNicky007 I just happened on my skillets while perusing a thrift shop. I never used one before and I never bought a new one after. I do love the ones I have. I am now considering getting some carbon steel saute pans for their durability and similar non-stick seasoning finish. It's only natural to assume that you will always get a better deal buying old and refinishing yourself. Besides thrift stores, check out some of the online alternatives like neighborhood apps and Facebook marketplace. One last thing, an alternative to superheating the gunk off with a propane cooker is running it through the cleaning cycle of your oven (if you have that feature). Either way, just heat it up until it stops smoking for that's when everything is completely burned off and all that remains is ash.
Patrick Kruger
Thanks for responding.... I will take all this under consideration. But buying second-hand is attractive now! The bit about cleaning it in the oven seems to make an old one worthwhile... Don’t know where you got this idea...but it makes so much sense now that you brought it up...
Thanks a million.... Nicole 🙋🏼♀️ Montreal
Great video. I learned a Lot. **Also, I have to say that people who are anemic should Definitely look into cooking on an iron skillet. A friend of mine Was anemic and she’s gone to one doctor after another. She was prescribed all these pills that made her sick. Her skin was the color of Milk even though her ethnicity would prompt her to be slightly darker of a complexion. She took my advice and used the iron skillet I seasoned for her. I taught her how to cook in it, what Not to cook in it and how to keep it maintained. After just a month she came back, gave me my skillet and told me she had bought her own and thanked me. Her skin actually had some color and she said she felt great and her doctor is amazed that she’s feeling and looking so good now. They did a blood test and she’s not anemic any longer. Long ago, before the advent of nonstick cookware, there was very little amounts of people who were anemic. They cooked in iron. Iron pots, pans and even muffin pans. It would seem that the “Convenience” of cooking on Teflon isn’t all it’s supposed to be and we created our own problems from being Lazy and Uninformed. I cook on iron each and every day. I’m 56 years old, a former smoker and my O2 blood saturation is 99%. When the nurses put that little thing on my finger to check my O2, I always hear a Wow! Nice! I don’t have ANY Teflon ANYthing in my house. Like margarine; It doesn’t make it past my front door. But that’s for another video. Thanks for making this video. It clears up a lot of misconceptions people have about cast iron cooking. 😁
Teflon should be banned. Bad stuff!
My mom cooked in cast iron skillets and when I married I started doing that also . I’ve never been anemic but once in my life . That was when I was pregnant with my first daughter because I had morning sickness and couldn’t keep food down . The pills the dr had me take made me sick also .. so I started making sure EVERYTHING I ate was cooked in cast iron . No more anemia !
Mark Strouthes .. I agree. I have a love bird and Teflon is very toxic to birds also !
I'm borderline anemic and my wife is hyperchromatic and does phlebotemy regularly for the excess iron. No happy middleground there unlike Jack Spratt.
LOL.....BUTTER,,,BUTTER,,,,,BUTTER. & HEAVY CREAM....BOO YAH! 👍
i use a natural dish soap on my cast iron. i couldn't stand not using soap and hot water after grilling chicken breast! the thought of bacteria just drives me nuts. thanks good video
When I was growing up, I remember my mom using cast iron all the time. I'll admit, I was the youngest, a baby boy, and had three sisters who were giving the chore of doing the dishes I never remember mom babying the cast iron like some suggest today, I know she used metal utensils for a fact, cooked whatever she wanted. I am also pretty sure the pans got the old soap and water washing just like everything else (they did dry the dishes though). Speaking of drying, I dated a woman once who, after washing/rinsing her cast iron skillet would put it on the stove and heat enough to be sure it was dry, I thought that was a pretty good Idea. Thanks for the video.
Awesome video. I got into cast iron about 3 months ago and used the advice from Cowboy Kent Rollins channel. I use hot water on a hot pan to clean. I always reheat pan to expand the metal pores and then layer oil. My pan is now so reliable I can cook with tomato sauce and it doesn't effect my oil layer. Everything slides off better than Teflon.
CKR is my favorite cooking channel and his book is worth it’s weight in gold!
Stick with what Cowboy Kent says. Best Cast Iron channel on YT.
@@OldJoe212 im new to cast iron..and have some food debris caked on..gonna try that cowboys guy info -- hot water/hot pan method..wish me luck lol
@@zumbagirly72 the great thing about cast iron is it's nearly indestructible. I'm 72. When my grandmother 's skillet would get caked with whatever, she would toss in the woodburning stove overnight, then just reseason in the morning. BTE, I now have her skillet.
I agree 100%. Cast iron is easy and the best thing to cook many things in....even great for baking breads. Add to that, if you take care of them they last forever. I wash mine and put a little oil back in just about every time I use it...takes no time at all. I've made a big switch back to cast iron after getting tired of throwing out so many skillets that get damaged non stick surface. The only negative that I see with cast iron is they are heavier to handle. I need a workout anyway. TFS.
Carilyn, do you reheat the pan after washing and oiling it?
@@Anione111 yes. I dry it over a flame and when water evaporates i add a small amount of oil and wipe around with paper towel. I let iit heat up a bit and shut off. I started using grapeseed oil recently since i discovered some of the manufacturer's use it. Hi heat tolerance and neutral odor. But many different oils work fine.
@@carilynjurgeson6178 Thanks for replying. The finer details certainly help a cast iron newbie like me :). Can you suggest the next best alternative to grapeseed oil, which has similar properties. I am sure I cannot find grapeseed oil where I live.
@@Anione111 Vegetable oil or canola would be good options. I have even used olive oil, but the concern with that oil is it can't handle as much heat and it isn't as neutral. If you cook pancakes for example, you might get some flavoring that doesn't go well.
Speaking about pre-seasoning of the cast iron pans. Not long ago, I bought a Ukrainian made cast iron pan. It came with an instruction. Manufacturer recommended the following steps :
1) Heat it for 15 to 20 minutes or until there is no smoke coming from it and the surface is uniformly gray.
2) Let it cool down a bit and then rinse with running cold water. Wipe it dry.
3) Put five or so table spoons of salt into it. Heat it for 20 or so minutes stirring the salt from time to time. Once the pan is cool, remove the salt.
4) Wipe the inner surface and the exterior of the walls with a vegetable oil.
I wash my cast iron with Dawn detergent and water. After I rinse it, I put it on the burner and heat it back up to evaporate all of the water off, then I rub it down with some oil. I put it away once it's completely cooled. Never had an issue.
I bet your food taste like dawn too.yuck.
I’ve eaten off dishes washed with dish soap and that’s all I taste is dish soap.
If you can’t taste the soap get your ass to a dr ASAP.your olfactory nerve is shot which means your in poor fucking health.
@@jasonmgavitt2357 If you can taste soap, learn to rinse with cold water. Lol, this world is full of lies/myths, learn by doin, not hearing/reading. You'll be way ahead in the game of life!
mike notta I can taste the soap because I don’t use soaps at all.i don’t wash my cloths with soap I don’t wash anything with soap.its fucking nasty and plain hot water gets rid of up to 95% of germs on a surface.science has proven this already.the five % left over are in such a small amount they are harmless to a healthy adult.
If you can’t taste the soap on it it’s because your olfactory nerve is shot.seriously you should be able to detect smells and taste regardless of wether you washed it with cold water.if you can’t something is not working right.go to a dr!
It is your bodies canary in the coal mine.pay attention to it.
Thanks for your videos! I hated the first Lodge pan I bought, and gave it away. I watched your video and bought another. I took the sticker off, washed with water, fried an egg in some butter and Damn!!! it worked!! My pan is perfectly nonstick and all I've done is put a tiny amount of Caron & Bouchet Cast Iron Oil (that I bought on Amazon) on it after each use and rub it off. That's all. That stuff is awesome! I almost bought a $100 Stargazer but watched your video and tried again! You saved me a lot of money!
I got my first cast iron skillet yesterday and am trying to separate the myth from reality. Thanks for clearing up some fears and misconceptions I had!
E.V Artsy Reads depending on what you picked up you may want to check out cowboy Kent’s video on lodge pans and how to smooth them out. then re-season. He dose do a great job for explaining how to.
@@ericcastillo6674 Will do. It just so happens that I do have a Lodge pan. I'll check him out. Thanks!
I used cast iron every time i cooked for a year or so. 2 things I don't like about my lodge cast iron. Heavy weight!!! and Ferretin (iron containg protien in blood) is pretty high. Check your ferretin levels if you use cast iron, Tell your doc you use cast iron.
Cast iron is a tough love relationship. Without proper care, it will turn on you remorselessly, but when properly cared for, your cast iron will provide a lifetime of incredible dishes. Good luck on your journey.
@@FrostyBud777 Lodge is heavier than some of the older brands like Griswold and Wagner.
Dude, you’re pretty darn cool. Easy to listen to, easy to understand, and not a bit of “oh this is too difficult to do” vibe I get with some others I’ve seen.
Yeah, call me a delicate l’il flower, but I like my instructions fun, with a dash of “you can do it!” attitude.
I used water to rinse the large loose stuff off, the scrub with a coarse salt. I'll use a steal wool on the more stuck on bits. I cook it on the oven after to sanitize. Sometimes I'll wipe it with oil before I cook it on the oven if I had to scrub really hard or cooked something acidic in it like tomato sauce.
I love my pan!
Steal
Steel
Google
The owners manual for my glass top stove says not to use cast iron.
Good video! One other myth is that it is beneficial to grind the skillet to a smooth finish. Truth: Grinding is one of the best ways to turn a CI pan from bulletproof to high-maintenance.
Tip on cleaning: Wipe, scrape, and brush as much as possible without using water. Reason, you will leave behind a thin film of oil that will cook in the next time you use the pan. If you use hot water and/or detergent, you will be removing that thin film and that will lead you to wanting to apply more oil after you wash the pan. Why wash it off, then add more?
Tip on cooking, regarding eveness of heat: Preheat the iron before you cook. The best way is to start off with low heat, and gradually make the pan hotter.
What a great video!! Been a longtime cast-iron user and collector, both modern and antique, but only just recently became interested in the "why" behind some of the facts I thought I knew...and turns out, most of them were myths! Very informative! Will recommend this video to anyone who wants some good solid cast-iron truth. :D
Excellent practical information. My mom used cast iron skillets when I was growing up. I always wondered why she didn't use fancy colored pots and pan sets like my friends' moms did. About 20 years ago I bought an 8" lodge pan from an outlet store; I was bored and killing time as my wife shopped. I have never gone back. We have a number of cast iron pieces, but the one that gets used the most is a 12" Lodge frypan. It is fantastic and just gets better and better with each use.
We inherited my grandmas castiron skillets and I LOVE them!
Yeah same here, I agree the absolute BEST way to season a good cast iron pan is with decades of love!
What kind of oil do you use for seasoning? I've heard to use Crisco or lard. What do you use?
I would just use plain old vegetable oil. I tried all kinds of things like olive oil, flaxseed oil, etc... cheap vegetable oil is the best. It gives the most even coat of seasoning without sticky spots.
As a “seasoned” (see what I did there?) cast iron cooker, I’ve gotta say I’ve repeated and even preached most if not all of these myths at one time or another. But as I’ve gained more experience, I’ve learned that all of what you say here is true. Biggest warning I try to give new cast iron cookers is to be careful not to heat stress their cast iron! Don’t plunge that hot pan or Dutch oven into cold (or even warm) water. You’ll almost certainly crack it. Other than that, though, your cast iron is way more rugged than you’re probably giving it credit for. Great video!
True but the opposite is fine, you can easily pout cold water into a hot cast iron pot, it's has so much heat it in that it won't notice the difference, what you shouldn't do it submerge it in a large quantity of cold water, or leave it under a running cold tap.
more of an issue if it is enamel coated.
My mom had several cast iron skillets, and one of them had a half-moon crack, very hard to see if the pan was cold.
If you cook in your cast iron often then I never put a coat of oil after washing, but if I'm going to store it away for a while then I will. Great job on the video.
I grew up with a cast iron fry pan, used for pretty much everything that could fit. It got washed when it really needed it, but mostly a good rinse and maybe some oil. Don't have to worry about toxic chemicals from nonstick pans plus get an extra dose of iron in your diet. Oh, and food tastes better cooked in cast iron.
The one thing I gained from this video was that modern dish soaps are acceptable to use on a well seasoned cast iron... but your input on that does make sense. I've always used hot water and salt on mine, but now I'm going to get adventurous and use just a small amount of dish soap and see how it does. I also usually put a thin coating on after I'm done cleaning to help protect it anyways. Glad I saw this!
Great video and glad to see someone that has finally said it all as it is.
My experience of a few years with cast iron skillets is 100% similar to what is described in this video, especially the bit about scraping with metal utensils as well as washing with water and soap, which I do after every single use. In fact, despite living in a very humid region, not only I use water and soap, but I also let the skillets dip dry over night and season them the following day, applying a thin coat of oil after warming the skillets up and let them on high flame until the oil starts smoking ....never head rust on my skillets or lost the non stick patina.
Thanks for the tips .. You are good .. 🙂👍
I appreciate your effort to be completely honest. 🙏😆
I was raised eating food which was cooked in a cast iron skillet and they didn't hurt the skillet at all and most of the time it wasn't seasoned except with the cooking oil we used which was regular lard. I purchased new skillets two years ago because I got tired of buying new so called non stick pans every two years or less due to them wearing out. I have always cleaned a skillet with regular soap and water and it was just fine. I didn't know about the rusting problem until I went back to using them regularly.
Good information. I've used my cast iron pans for years and wouldn't trade them up for others.
Me too. Just got Lodge Dutch Oven. Lodge is all I use.
Raven Ahmed Lodge is all I use too .
Finex, a newer company, machines their cast irons. Fairly expensive but everything is handmade and they look like heirloom quality. I’m saving up to buy one to add to my collection. All I have are made by Lodge and I love them!
I use a scrub brush like you mentioned but I also use a chain mail scrubbi for more stubborn spots instead of salt.
Great info! What oil should we apply as seasoning, is one oil better than the other?
Great video! I have been guilty of a couple of these myths, mostly the soap one, but overall I feel better about my cast iron pan use. P.S. I am one of the 1% with hemochromatosis and I don't worry about cooking in cast iron; I just avoid acidic foods like you said. It's just not that big of a deal in a well seasoned pan.
Well with the soap one you can tell by looking at it if it's a problem or not, if the coat is still there then it does not matter. If it's gone for whatever reason reoil it.
I use soap and I scrub the hell out of my pans. I listened to people for awhile and didn't do that. My pans got cruddy and I had to strip and re-season them. Better to buff the crud off. Every time you use a pan it gets a little more seasoned anyway and any little bit of seasoning you knock off gets filled in.
People baby their pans too much.
Thank you for the info! I have a new cast iron skillet, after the first use I washed the pan, dried it and put oil on a paper towel and wiped it inside, I noticed there was black on the paper towel, I do not know why there was black, it appeared very clean. Can you tell me what that would be, do cast iron pans do that.
Don’t know what it is but got the same thing??
Be absolutely sure that you are clear on the difference between WASH and SEASON. Those terms are mutually exclusive. Was your NEW pan CLEAN and PRE-SEASONED? You said you washed it after the first use. The black could have been already on the pan before you used it. If your paper towel turns black, then you didn't wash the pan well enough.
I've been cooking in cast iron 40+ years (oh [bleep], am I that old???), and I agree with all the points you made here, as long as we're talking about modern cast iron - the pebbly-textured, pre-seasoned stuff. I will add that cast iron is pretty forgiving, so it will accommodate a variety of "styles" for using and caring for it. There is no one exact "right way" to work with it, as long as you don't strip the seasoning or warp it, but there are better practices and worse ones, and it all really comes down to what gives *you* the results you like.
PS: I still consider it a preference on whether to use soap to clean your cast iron. I still prefer not to - I like the results better when I don't.
CitizenKate We understand that you started at the age of 1. 😺
I dont use soap. I use salt and water. You heat it up like a bbq it kills all germs
I have that same 12 inch lodge cast iron skillet that started my addiction with cast iron over 12 years ago👍🏼. I don’t see it in these cast iron videos. I do have to say all your information is absolutely correct.
I’ve got what was probably my great grandmother’s cast iron skillet and use it every day for one thing or another. I clean mine with very hot water only and towel dry immediately. If I have anything stick to the bottom, I add hot water to the pan and boil it mess off. If the mess was too bad, I’ll add a drop or two of dish detergent while the water boils then it all gets poured down the drain. Rinse with hot water, dry well and oil lightly. Probably the worst thing that happened to this pan was when my husband was reheating pizza in it and got to talking and forgot about his pizza. Part of the seasoning burned onto my glass top. Ruined the stove so we replaced it with the old burner type. Mind you, I had used my pan on the glass top for several years without incident. Needless to say, I had to reseason the bottom of the pan but it’s recovered well.
Thanks for the tips. I'm buying my first cast iron pan this week. It's all thanks to you.
U don't need to hit the smoke point for polymerization to happen , it just needs to be near the smoke point because the smoke point burns the oil off.
Totally agree with your comments. I use mostly cook using cast iron to cook with 15", 12" and 2 10.5 in skillets. Love them all. I scrape them clean while washing with plastic putty knife then clean with soap, dry and oil them. The only down side is that I think I'm the only one (in my family) that can lift the 15 inch pan as it get pretty heavy with food in it.
I was thinking about the metal spatula issue last night, and this thought occurred to me. Cast iron was widely used, and well maintained (hence it's long, useful life!) long before plastic was even invented! Metal tools were used on cast iron all the time "back in the day." :o)
(Re-watching...)
Except wood has been around somewhat longer.
@@fdfsdfsvsfgsg4888exactly! And wood is easier to work with
Thanks so much for such an informative video. I have a few pieces and your video has helped. Thanks for doing the research and educating me. It is greatly appreciated!
i cook bacon in my new cast iron pans after i wash and dry them. Then i ripe them out with a paper towel and put them in the oven at 375 for 2 hours they come out perfect.
Thank you for your video. I absolutely love your oven (I know), never have seen one so beautiful 😍
Still learning in life, many say men ought not to use veggie, canola, sunflower, or rapeseed. So I ponder in avoidance of male hormonal disruptors, are oils like olive, or avocado effective in the process of seasoning? In addition, via thrift stores and garage sales got some great deals on pre-owned cast cookware, though they could use a bit of TLC. What is the best means to clear off light surface rust?
Thanks for the info.....just got my 1st iron skillet
Thank you for helping me understanding the facts to fiction of cast iron.. yours truly. A 53 yr.old newbie to cast iron
Love your video..... I always wash my pan with soap, put on hot burner for 1 minute to dry, and quick spray or drop of oil... And mine is still seasoned and non stick.
Just came upon your channel tonight- have been an avid user of cast iron for decades and your advice rings true. Have subscribed!
What about the myths pertaining to what oils to use to season?
We have had the same cast iron frying pan for about 30 years. The outside bottom (burner side) is pitted now but no problem. I have lost count of how many so called non stick pans that have gone into the garbage in that time. The no stick Teflon, porcelain or what ever only seem to last about a year. The Old Wagner cast iron pan? Well it’s still in use but like you said, we use it for certain things. One use is baking boneless chicken breasts in the oven, it’s a great shallow pan for that use too as there’s no worry about plastic handles.
I've got a couple of Wagners that my grandmother got as a wedding present in 1922. Stuck them in the oven and turned on to clean, then coated them with flaxseed oil and seasoned them seven years ago. I use the pans 3 or 4 times a week and just wash them out with soap and water and hang them up to dry. Flaxseed oil beats all other oils for seasoning hands down and I only used two coats. After cleaning I don't dry them and I don't oil them, they don't rust, they don't stick.
I skip the soap and just use hot water and a bristle brush.
I cooked chili over looow heat for hours on my grill using charcoal and wood chips. It was cooked in my large cast iron dutch oven. The chili came out amazing. For clean up, i just scrubbed it with water and dish detergent. I dried it and reasoned the pot and lid. Even though the ingredients were corrosive to iron, proper cleanup and seasoning make corrosive ingredients a nonissue. Thanks for the great video!
I have several cast iron skillets, ranging from a 12 " to a 6". I use them almost exclusively. They are even seasoned well enough to cook and egg that won't stick.
Do you must use the rubber handle protection in order to hold the pot? Does the handle get extremely hot? Thanks
Yes, they get very hot.
I believe it was a silicone handle cover. Silicone can tolerate extremely high temperatures and is a great heat insulator.
I've had cast iron pans on my boat for years, keep'em seasoned, oiled and dry never had rust issues.
I live on Lodge here at the house; I have a wall of it that I picked up at the Lodge Factory Outlets throughout the South, and the stuff is INCREDIBLE! Whether I use the grill, stove top or oven, one pan does it all!
R Rad Lodge was my first cast iron purchase. I cook with it almost daily.
Me too!!! I love lodge also!!!!!!!
When doing a stove top 'mini-seasoning' I leave the burner at Medium, never High. It will reach a smoke point as well, but in doing so at a medium setting, I've been told I'm helping the skillet or griddle accept the seasoning instead of forcing it into/onto the piece of cast iron cookware.
On a gas stove, I never need to go much higher then medium heat. I also try to let the pan heat evenly.
I really liked your video Very good información it truly answered sone of the questions I had thanks a lot many Blessings to you
Great info. Thanks for reminding us of the do’s and don’ts and teaching us new things. You always hit it out of the park. Blessings.
I have a smaller lodge iron skillet that I need to know why it developed a thin hard black flim on the surface of the pan. I have tried to scrape it away, just hard to get all of it. I'm resigned to let it be and just season as best I can. Any suggestions? I had been using olive oil and peanut oil. I think that might be the problem. Those oils seem to turn sticky. You are right everybody has a different take on how to successfully care for iron cookware. Thank you for the video
I use soap! Never had an issue! Good vid!
Hi! Is it possible to cook products with acid in a cast-iron frying pan?
It is not recommended to use acidic products in cast iron. The acids break down the oil "seasoning" and etch the iron causing issues with sticking, rust, and an increase in iron in your food.
Timur Teyibov
Organic acids are not strong enough to eat iron at a perceptible rate.
But you have to be careful of too much acetic acid and may be -- citric acid.
Other things -- cook without fear.
@@DaveHales
6:55 -- aluminum has twice as iron heat capacity and 5 times faster heat transfer.
I repair hot dog roller grills in my job and I can tell you carbonized hot dog grease has to be removed with a chisel. That shit is harder than aluminum. I can cut aluminum with my knife, I have to hack at the carbon
Good information. Got my first lodge cast iron last week. Enjoying it to the point I'm getting a 8". Thanks again for the information.
I have two cast iron pans that my grandmother used. I would estimate they are about 90 years old. When I first inherited them, I put them in the oven on the oven cleaning setting. Cleaned the oven and the pans. The pans had a coating of char on them that needed to be cleaned off. After cleaning they were like new. I have always cleaned with soap and water and sometimes steel wool. After drying, it goes on the burner when it gets hot I season it with a little oil. I think we can get another 90 years out of them.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE my cast iron skillets!! They are my go to pans. I use both so much that they are always on my stove top. I am particularly proud of my ten inch as it was a cheap, unseasoned off brand I bought at one of those traveling discount tool sales. It took me awhile to get a decent seasoning on it, but I am now able to cook eggs over easy beautifully with it! Thanks for this video. I knew most of these already but found this very informative for anyone new to cast iron. Good job!!
Very good info and presentation. I'm less intimidated by my wife's pans! Thank you.👍
GREAT video.....thanks a bunch !!!! I just bought 2 new cast iron Lodge pans today and it's great to get the TRUTH without having to watch many other videos.....
In india we normally clean our cast iron things.. like chapati tawa or frying pan or sicklet with raw brick, and hard iron srcubs.. and we use it for years... And years and years.. my moms marriage iron utensils r still there after more the 40 years.. :)
Good vid. My best acidic sauses are done on my cast iron,and those pans are the favorite on Sunday's. They make campfire cooking a breeze. Clean up in a creek with sand..so easy..reheat to 160° oil up and cook. Love Cast Iron.
Just a note on the using soap or not to clean your cast iron. It doesn't hurt to do that from time to time, as long as you rinse and dry it well, as you said. But you do not want to use soap too often. It's not that it will damage the pan; it's that cast iron tends to soak up the flavors from the foods you cook on it. It's another reason you don't want to cook food high in acid, because those flavors are very over powering and it will strip the pan of all the previous flavoring you've built up. If you clean your cast iron with soap all the time, it will slowly start causing your food to have a faint soapy taste. It's not hard to correct this issue, if it happens. But, this is the main reason you don't want to use soap too often. =)
Exactly
I would go so far as to say that you should use a metal spatula with a cast iron pan, as it will better scrape off any food residue that sticks to the seasoning. As you demonstrated, metal utensils will not damage the seasoning, unless you really bear down and scrape repeatedly. If you allow cooked or burned on food to build up, it will make the pan sticky. Besides, unlike a teflon non-stick coating, damage to the seasoning can be fixed.
I ground down the horribly bumpy surface on a new pan and got it mirror smooth. I then re seasoned it to a smooth black finish that resembles the pans of a hundred years ago. Much better and slicker than anything new.
tradersato The rough factory seasoning is junk. I did the same as you, sanded it, seasoned multiple times with grapeseed oil. Came out great.
I did the same, worked great! I highly recommend doing it.
I ground/smoothed mine down but I’m having a heck of a hard time getting the seasoning to stick. (Flaxseed oil).
@@Custerd1 1)Clean the pan again with steel wool and/or emery cloth making sure you get a very smooth and clean surface. 2) wash well and wipe with a paper towel or something white so you can be sure all the grit came off. 3) put a thin layer of melted lard or bacon grease on in and smoke it off in a hot oven. 4) let cool and repeat step 3 a half dozen times. Should have a mirror black finish when done. I did this to my Lodge (junk) griddle and it went from chewing apart pancakes to letting eggs slide around with ease.
Justin Kraynie, do very thin coats with flax seed oil but also make sure you start with a VERY CLEAN pot. Wash it a couple times. Rinse it well, dry it as much as possible and season again. Multiple thin coats is the key. It’s almost like you aren’t doing much for the first two or three coats. But it will get better and will go super black by the fifth or so coat. I do it in a gas bbq outside and it’s super easy that way since the wife doesn’t threaten divorce due to the stench inside.. not doing that again! Lol
I just ordered a new Lodge skillet from Walmart. After washing, I certainly intend to properly season THAT baby! Thanks for the info!
Great informational video! Lots of questions answered. Thank you so much Dave. Loved it , also loved your hair ! Haha
This was enlightening. I absolutely LOVE my cast iron cookware, and am a devout ironite. Admittedly, I don't care for my cast iron as dilligently as I should, but I believe at least a few of these tips will help me cook more productively and efficiently. Thanks. I'm definitely a subscriber.
I polish all my skillets, I use very little oil when cooking, they require a bit more maintenance but they work awesome!
I have a couple of vintage cast iron skillets and 2 dutch ovens by Lodge... The vintage pans are glass smooth compared to lodge and they are both flea market finds as well as the dutch ovens! I love cooking with iron, Even cooked tonighta dinner on it. Love how it holds the heat...
Chainmil scrubbers are great for cast iron!
Just got one, and liking it so far!
I use what everybody used when I was growing up and still do (see link below). A dollar's worth lasts me way over a year. I don't have that layer of seasoning on my skillets (over a dozen) and I bet I have way less food that sticks than most people that use cast iron. It does take some time to learn how to break the rules and get away with it on cast iron. www.dollartree.com/scotch-brite-stainless-steel-scrubbing-pads-2ct-packs/25915
Hi, new Lodge 12 inch double handle. Seasoned and cooking fried eggs with no sticking, only using 1/4 tsp ghee butter. Heard Lodge needs to be sanded. Do I really need to do this if my fried eggs don't stick?
I need a forklift to move all of my Lodge pieces. I think the sanding is nonsense, a TH-cam fad.
Making homemade French fries are unmatched in a cast iron pan!
What do YOU use to cook highly acidic foods and what do you use to boil water in? Aluminum? Teflon? Stainless Steel? Thanks for answering!
I use my enameled cast iron cookware for anything acidic. :-)
T and Z RV Life I personally cook everything in my cast iron. Never had a problem with acidic foods. Granted, the majority of my cookware is vintage...some well over 100 yrs old. But, all of mine is VERY well seasoned and maintained well.
Great vid, now I know how to clean and season a cast iron skillet. Thank you!
We have a few cast irons in different shapes and sizes. Deep fry Navajo Frybread. Fry corn tortillas nachos chips and enchilada setups. Make the best southwestern skillet recipes. Roast salted pinons and pumkin seeds. Also use the shallow flat skillet for flour tortillas, pancakes, eggs. All homemade.
I've been cooking in ironware and maintaining it for over forty years in exactly the manner described here--even the getting lazy once in a while about oiling it part. A 100% accurate and useful video. About acidic foods: I generally avoid cooking them in my ironware, but I have noticed, courtesy of a roommate who often deglazes with acidic liquids, that my oldest and best-seasoned skillet is impervious to it. I've also been cooking tomato sauce in a well-seasoned iron Dutch oven for years, again without damaging the seasoning.
Did you know you can buy a new one very cheap every three years and save hours of shitty oiling for 40 years. I hate people that clean things that should of been thrown out
@@andrewgrandma2816: The oiling involves occasionally moistening a bit of paper towel with vegetable oil and wiping the bottom of the skillet before putting it away. It's not what I'd call shitty work, unless one is congenitally lazy. Treated properly, ironware gets better with time. It would be very wrong to throw out seven pounds/three kilograms of cast iron whose value will last into the next generation and beyond.
Andrew Grandma I’m proud to use the cast iron skillet that my great grandmother used. It’s a “soulful” thing. You either get it or you don’t. If I have to explain, you’ll never understand.
@@peterschaffter826 it's cause my parents were geniuses n they thought the black build up under the skillet was bad and a fire hazard so they forced me to scrape that off with a knife thus totally leaving it grey color for noooooooooooooo reason. If the skillet is so bad freaking buy a new one at 13$. Dont make anyone scrape it ever. Fucccccck u my parents, a holes. Thanks for reading this.
@@andrewgrandma2816: I feel your pain.
To clean or cast iron pans we put olive oil and a tablespoon coarse salt and lightly scrub it with a folded paper towel rinse it with some hot water then dry it seems to work fine for us
I recommend and use coffee filters myself because they are lint-free. However a lint free rag is better because you can reuse it many times and is less wasteful and better for the environment.
I searched your channel and didn't see a "how to season" cast iron. Are you planning on covering that? You did touch on most of the detail in this video clip.
No one in my family ever season a cast iron pan, they just used it. I'd give it a good coating of oil and let it soak in. Sorry, I'm using my grandmother's cast iron fry pan, but oil it good and cook fatty foods.
I buy only Lodge cast iron products. After sifting through all the tips about seasoning and cleaning, I boiled it down to this and it works for me. After the initial purchase I wash it with soap and water. That is recommended by Lodge. Dry thoroughly and then I use the Lodge cast-iron spray. Rub the spray in well (I use a dedicated dish towel) everywhere on the pan, this includes the handle and put it away. Depending on what I’m cooking, if there are bits of food in the bottom of the pan, I wipe out the excess with a paper towel, sprinkle it with coarse kosher salt (it acts as a scrubbing agent) and scrub with a dedicated Lodge brush. Do not rinse the pan before you sprinkle in the salt. The pan must be dry.. After the scrubbing, I rinse it with water, towel dry and then reapply the spray and rub it in. That’s all I do and I’ve never had a problem. The biggest tip I’ve received is not to wash the pan with soap and water again. You will remove the seasoning . Hope this helps
Check out Cowboy Kent Rollins on how to season a cast iron skillet.
@@072381Mack Thanks
Thanks for covering this! I inherited 2 old cast iron pans from my grandma & have been using them for years. There’s a lot you covered that I didn’t know & will definitely be putting into practice! Best tip for me today was to re-season just the inside by bringing it to smoke point on the stovetop. I had always oiled the entire thing & baked it in the oven. What a waste of time that has been!
But who do you believe?
One aspect of cast iron that is overlooked is the lid
I love a fried egg with a cooked top and no caramelised underside.
So what I do is heat up the cast iron lid.... Le creuset and then on the lowest level of my gas cooker gently heat the pan with a little olive oil and then put the eggs in with the hot lid on for 70 seconds and I get a fabulous almost poached egg with a runny yolk that will slide around like a marble on a frozen lake
The lower heat is not degrading the cold pressed olive oil aspect either
thanks help please. i'm thinking of buying a round 10.5 cast iron pan but i would have to use it on a 6 inch eletric burner, would the whole pan heat up evenly all over or be hotter just ware the pan sits on the burner??? thanks