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A fantastc review! I am a cast iron fanatic and own and use over 50 pieces. My 5 quart dutch oven has been used for chili and spaghetti sauce for almost 5 decades with only minimal upkeep and I am still using my grandmother's skillet. I am 76 years old.
Okay thank you! I've recently heard so many cooking channels saying you shouldn't cook tomatoes in cast iron and I swear I have never in my life heard that before. I have a non enameled cast iron pot that is my go to for butter chicken, chili, and spaghetti sauce. All tomato based things you cook for very extended times! Never stripped seasoning, never tasted like metal. Is it worth noting all my cookware are vintage pieces? The hell are they making cast iron with these days??
Anybody who doesn't use soap on their cast iron doesn't know how to season their cast iron. And, not washing cast iron is gross. I've used "lye based" soap that my friend makes on my iron hundreds of times; it makes ZERO difference. Dummies are gon' be dummies lol.
The advice (commandment) not to use soap on cast iron dates to the time when kitchen soaps were lye based. Lye based soaps will remove seasoning from the cast iron. Our modern dish detergents are milder while also being more effective. I mention this only because it helps to explain why what grandma told them is now out of date.
@@DadsGetDubs I just never need to use soap on my cast iron. I just run it under hot water, dry it, and heat it up for a couple of minutes to make sure the moisture is off of it. If I have bits on it after cooking burgers I pour hot water into it before I take it of the stove. This will immediately release all of the bits, then I rinse it with hot water and dry it. If I do get some bits that still remain, which is rare, I simply swirl my chain mail scrubber on it. That always cleans it perfectly. So there just isn't a need for soap on cast iron or carbon steel pans.
Thanks for dispelling these myths. All the internet fuss about cast-iron and carbon-steel being "nonstick" inspired me to switch to them, and I've been quite disappointed. I was used to cracking a few eggs with some oil on a teflon pan and simmering them at a low temperature. This is almost guaranteed to cause a sticky mess on teflon/carbon steel. There is a huge learning curve to cooking sticky foods like eggs or cheese on these pans, and some things you can do on teflon just cannot be replicated, plus waiting for them to pre-heat is annoyingly slow.
Give your cast iron a few minutes to heat up before adding food. Then give it a light spray with any cooking spray. Eggs, cheese, etc will glide right off.
Great video, though I will say myth #9 really does depend on the level of seasoning of the pan. For pans that do not have much build-up, a coating after cooking can help since it can build a patina while preheating next time, IMO.
@@edwardking5233 You don't have to bake it, you just need to heat it up to the point where it is smoking and then rub a thin layer of oil on it, this helps to build up seasoning.
Great video. I will contest myth #9. I do think a thin oil coating before storing your cast iron is helpful. It will also help maintain the seasoning the next time you cook with it.
Oiling after each use is highly location dependent, if you live in a dry climate then yes you can get away with not oiling after each use, but if you live in a super humid area even after oiling it can develop rust
That's interesting and makes a lot of sense. I never thought of that. I live in an area that's like a Swedish sauna during the summer. Everything is sticky because of the moisture in the air. Last summer my air conditioning broke down for about a week. There was so much humidity in the air at that time it actually ruined and warped a couple of cheap bookcases. The particleboard soaked up the humidity in the air like a sponge. I could see my cast iron doing the same thing, but I always oil it after every use so I'm safe. 😊
Good to see im not alone, reading all these comments, cuz I keep getting flash rust on my Carbon Paella pan😔 Seconds! Seconds! Have read stuff on reddit for same thing. Humidity is too much sometimes
The first thing I did when I got my cast iron pan was sand down the bottom. It was SO coarse, the thought of moving it even slightly on my glas induction stove was not sitting well with me. I sanded the inside a little bit as well, because it was just as rough. I followed this up with washing and seasoning and it works great now. I do apply a thin layer of oil after each use (drying first).
Glad it works well and you have fun! Unfortunately for me, moving my pan when cooking is something I do a lot for a lot of meals I make and that's even worse given the fact that cast iron is very heavy so lifting it up and moving it in the air would be a pain...
Sanding the inside is a bad idea. Nothing wrong with smoothing out the bottom so it doesn't scratch your cooktop, but the rough texture helps to hold on to the seasoning & keep it from chipping. (Though, you say you only sanded it a little bit, so that's probably not an issue, especially if you're happy with how the pan has been performing) Over the years, the cooking surface will actually become smooth on its own as the layers of seasoning eventually build up & fill in the gaps between the grit, but the texture of the cooking surface doesn't play much (if any) role in food sticking.
@@SeraphimCramer I mean, i have 3 cast iron pans from a 20$ bundle. Imho it's both half true but i still prefer my seasoned smoothed pans with a countertop canola frying pan seasoning. It is true that in sanding, i notice the seasoning sticks less to the smoothed parts and grows over the dents faster and smoother. And it's held on more. But after 3 layers, the roughest pan held the most seasoning, but the seasoning was thick, chipping eventually with a penny's thickness worth of seasoning, and it had a wonderful layer, but eggs still stuck and it had a tendency to crack. The cast iron was rough and also destroyed sponges. it held onto the seasoning, but destroyed everything else. Meanwhile, my smoothed cast iron doesn't season in a oven, but one day cooking countertop putting 2 pans on each other to store the heat like a dutch oven, it's not a black layer yet but it's a brown layer and eggs can be cooked with minimal oil when preheated hot, like a droplet of oil for the smooth pan vs a tbsp of butter for the rough pan. Overall, i'd still say sanding it to get the coarse top spots gone, but not worrying about getting it mirror smooth but maybe like 20-50% smoothed by volume (to get rid of all the peaks but let the 'valleys get filled instead of sanding to them.) seems a sweet happy spot. It won't be photogenic until it's black again, but it cooks very smooth and it's a hr watching y outube with a 1$ dollar store stone vs a 200$ stargazer.
@@SeraphimCramer I absolutely disagree. The rough surface on some new cast iron is horrible, you're better off sanding it smooth and re-seasoning it, or just use the old stuff that was made smooth.
I am now a subscriber. Thanks for the info. I also want to thank you not only for the good info, but for NOT having any music playing while you were talking.
There is a reason not to use cast iron on a glass cooktop. My ex husband bought a 14" cast iron skillet. I could barely lift it, so never used or washed it. It was fine on a gas stove, but when we moved to a place with a glass cooktop ... he was putting it on the top, it slipped and dropped maybe 1/2", and ... CRACK! I'm not saying never use cast iron on glass ... just be sure you're strong enough first.
I do a minuscule amount of oil between towel drying and stove top drying steps. BUT I live on a boat on salt water. A tiny spot of seasoning missing means rust in the morning. Beat it by preventing it. If I lived on land (boring!) I wouldn't do it. Nice succinct video. Thank you!
I polished bottom of the cast iron pans to mirror finish when I got a new stove, cheaper ones have really sharp notches and the old stove was really scratched because of that. After polishing - no problem at all. Actually you do not need to do a mirror finish, 240 grit with angle grinder is good enough but I did it because of a bet. Heat radiating is also an issue, especially with induction stoves, I have had several times when the stove turns off because of overheating. This is not only cast iron skillet problem, I have had same results with carbon steel and stainless steel pans, never had a problem with aluminum pans since aluminum takes heat off rapidly because of laws of chemistry and physics. Heat conductivity table from worse to best: Cast iron Stainless steel Carbon steel Aluminum (for food safety reasons, most non-stick pans) Copper (for food safety reasons, now days used only as conductor between stainless steel and stove) The worse the heat conductivity, the smoother the heat release and if you want to cook things evenly, you really want a smooth heat release over quick burn. This is also one reason why Stainless Steel is where it is. Acid resistance, rust resistance, salt resistance and thermal properties close to cast iron. Non-stick properties though ... You need skills, a lot of skills compared to Cast Iron or Carbon Steel.
I've used cast iron for decades. I knew most of this, but I've always given a thin coating of oil after drying. I also use the burner to dry the pan and oil while the pan is still hot. Hmmm.
I use grape seed oil to do a full seasoning to my cast iron skillets. I can confirm putting a small light coating of oil will prevent rust in between uses if not used for extended periods of time in higher humidity climates. Mine will get a bit of rust and I live in the mid-west.
But they do argue with success. This seasoning thing started and now it has gotten to the stupid level. 60+ years I've been cooking in cast iron, I've never seasoned, neither did my mom, neither did my grandmas. If I had to do half of what the "experts" recommend, I would have switched to Teflon decades ago. Watch the eggs in rusty cast iron video, do what he does and you won't have any problems.
I can’t imagine grandma not cleaning her pan with soap. I don’t believe it. That said - I use soap and water to clean my pieces all the time. Only 2 rules. After cleaning - Wipe it down with a towel. Get it hot to evaporate all moisture. Lastly - the new pans with a buffed surface - you can use just a thin layer of butter / ghee / or coconut oil and you’re golden.
I wash mine with a little bit of Dawn and a stiff bristle brush, then dry them on the stove, where they remain until the next day. No need to oil after drying in New Mexico, and that sticky layer just traps dust anyway.
Cast iron WILL scratch an induction cooktop. Even moving it a little bit can lead to scratches. I learned this the hard way and now use protective mats on all of my induction cooktops.
That's one of the reasons i sanded smooth my 9$ ozark cast iron, cheapest pan but worst grit, it destroyed sponges. After sanding though, it's legitimately smoother than a lodge and eggs slide around on a preheat + droplet of oil, vs tbsp of butter for the same effect even on a coarse but well built seasoned rough / base pan.
I want to point out with the oiling after use. I have noticed in low/normal humidity area I agree this step is not necessary, but if you live in a place with high humidity it does help.
I think it really helps build up the seasoning early and patch up gaps, though once it's done, you're finer, but i still think a thin layer is photogenic and helps the non stick properties.
Wish you did a video on different oils. I find it interesting people say use high smoke point oil, but then they use low smoke oil foods to cook on the cast iron i.e butter, olive oil. That also seasons the pan so wouldn’t that make bad seasoning
My mom loved her cast iron pans. She would have a fit if anyone washed it besides her. She had them sandblasted every few years, then seasoned them. If i oil mine after washing, I need to wash the fuzz off before I use it again.
I clean my cast iron after use, dry them and let them rest upside down over the switched off stove coil if it is not in use otherwise. If the oven was used, all cast iron dries off in the cooling down oven while we eat. All pots and pants and the stovetop are soaking while we eat.
I never understood people who are slaves to their cookware. My cookware is there to serve me, not the other way around. I don't care how it looks, I only care how it performs. I want to clean my cast iron and carbon steel fast like any other cookware. Sometimes that means soap. Period. No other considerations. I've lost some seasoning cooking tomatoes and other acidic ingredients. I just keep cooking as usual with zero issues. I've had times where I've had to re-season. It's just the tiny downside of getting all the big upsides. Deal with it.
Thank you for your information! It was for useful, and I like the way you make your videos and how you explain! One thing I always wondered and couldn't test as I never had a cast iron pan myself, would it be possible to achieve the same "performance" of heat retention of cast iron with other pans by turning up the heat once the food is added in the pan for something like half a minute and then turn it down again?
Stainless steel, aluminum, and copper pans are a lot more responsive, so when the heat drops from adding food, it quickly bounces back. But you might need to turn the heat up and adjust the dial to get it right. Cast iron holds a more stable temp so once it’s preheated, you don’t need to touch the dial much.
This is probably obvious but you need a responsive heat source (gas or induction) to get that to work. Bumping the heat on electric is really hard to finesse. Having said that, I do it all the time.
@@markdale6104 Yeah, I suppose you are right! I was thinking of buying a very simple and cheap, single induction unit, but I didn't do it as I find it unnecessary. I will look at it in the future!
You can try, but this is dangerous, as these pans are very easy to overheat, releasing harmful chemicals as the nonstick coating breaks apart. Since they are so thin, you could get dangerous hotspots before you even reach the temperature you want. If you want a uniform temperature distribution AND high heat retention, you need a cladded stainless steel pan (but be warned, almost everything sticks to them)
Very informative video : well illustrated by clear examples, well commented, easy to understand, and with pertinent remarks and advices. Thank you !! 👍🏼👍🏼
As with any heavy cookware, I never slide cast iron around on my glass cooktop. My range is 20 yrs old and still looks like new. If you respect the money you've earned, you'll treat your purchases with the same amount if respect ❤
The trouble with 'non stick' pans is that they are only really non stick when they are new gradually that breaks down and the pan is worthless. The only materials I like are cast iron and layered stainless steel. Those materials last a lifetime
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Nah, they'll stay nonstick as long as you don't damage the surface. Years even. They're nowhere near the durability of iron, steel or carbon; but they'll still last quite a long time if you care for them. That being said, I don't use them as much. The reason is that their coating can't handle high heat, metal instruments or produce as good a sear. And if you chip their coating, you don't want to use it because you could ingest teflon. I still think there's a place for them, and for someone that cares for it, they'll last for years just as well.
Yeah i think with care and silicon cookware, the lifespan of a badly taken care of pan can easily be 0.4-1.5 years, 3-7 with decent care, but teflon does have problems with high heat (500+ F), safety (workers), and steel cookware/scrapes and teflon is probably carcinogenic if eaten. I got a ceramic that's apparently most of the benefits of non stick without the cancer, 7$, except you get ceramic shards instead of seasoning shards or teflon cancer plastic if you eat it. And a cast iron. Just don't scratch em and both are fine.
@ I mean, considering all the illnesses of the workers around the plants and Ceramic existing and me already having gotten a few pans of each. My cast iron is well seasoned after a few 425F oven batches and even my Stainless steel on a crack 'whynot lol'. The stainless steel seasoning peels off easier for sure in spotches on the first coat. But now that it's well seasoned, to a glossy black smooth finish with seasoning + oil, im happy with it. Is it as completely smooth as teflon? No, but eggs slide with a thin layer of oil and if anything sticks now, i can usually just have some moisture in the pan and it'll deglaze and slide off later. It took a year of learning how to use cast iron (properly) (Seasoning + oil vs dry and scratched). But the pans are lasting 10+ years vs 1-3 years, scratched and peeling even from storage. And there's no sign of degrading other than a old pan the seasoning caked off of, and cracked off from steel tool misuse. We just grinded the flakes off, cleaned, reoiled, re seasoned in a oven at 425F again a few times. And it's good as new. Not sure if the time is worth it, (like 4-50 hrs to set up a 9-20$ pan vs 10x 10$-200$ pans). But they're broken in now and i like em now.
I may be wrong but I use an Induction top, and this seems to heat more evenly. Also, one of the issues that I've come across about cooking with CI, is that it "leaks" Iron into the food which claims to be harmful to a person's health. I haven't been able to find out how much leaks into food, or if this type of iron is harmful. What? Should a person lick the pan and then test to see how much iron is on their tongue. This seems unlikely, but I'm no scientist, so I don't know. I also don't know if this type of iron is even soluable in a person's system.
I wipe my cast iron down after every use with flaxseed oil and hang it. I've done this for 5 years. My pans look brand new. I use dawn soup and water and a scrub pad to clean my cast iron. I have zero issues. Old 1800s to new lodge works fantastic.
Not a bad idea. I cover the key differences between carbon steel and cast iron in this video >>> th-cam.com/video/DHh9FGRgrcQ/w-d-xo.htmlsi=nky1S8tDpw_9QrN_
I use dish soap on mine when it is needed , have never had any issue with that! My mother in law put my 12" cast iron in the dishwasher and my wife was all worried it was ruined because it came out looking horrible and she knows I really enjoy my cast iron pans and put some effort in when I first got them to get a good season on them. I however was not concerned because I knew it had been in use for several years regularly and one time in the dishwasher was not going to ruin anything. I washed it by hand to remove any soap residue or soap fragrances that was there then heated it up to 350 and applied some oil . it was just fine. I think what people do not understand about cast Iron is that you really do not need to do anything special to maintain it if you are USING it all the time, they are the opposite of fragile. even if they do get rusty it is not a big deal to clean them up .Unless the rust is deep , like pitting the iron, it is not a problem , wash it, wipe it down with oil and keep using it.
Hi! I just ordered an cast iron pot with a lid that can be used as a skillet. My aim is to use it for roast chicken and stew on a campfire. I honestly had no idea I have to season the pot / skillet. The thing is - I don't have an oven. Can I season it on campire? Above hot coals perhaps? I have no idea what I should do without an oven.
I’ve never seasoned over a campfire so don’t want to give you bad advice but if you search online, you’ll find plenty of tips. You can also do it on a stovetop.
If you break off the handle just have a welder brazing the two two pieces together. It works!. However in my opinion I would not brazen the cooking part of the pan😅
Hi my name is john i got a question ? After done cooking with your cast iron do you wash it with soap or scrub off the leftovers nobody talk about that?
A scrub brush/sponge and soap is fine. Don't use more than needed and don't go ham on it. Rinse with clean water and dry immediately. I oil after every cleaning even though the video says you don't have to but I don't regularly "re-season" so I chalk that up to a matter of preference.
50:50 water and vinegar in a spray bottle. Spray then scrub with a scratchy sponge. Rinse very well under cold water. Repeat until wiping with a dry paper towel is no longer red (black is okay just not red). Immediately season with a tiny amount of oil, in the oven at 350*F for an hour and 15 to an hour and a half. Done. If there is some red when you oil it for seasoning it's now on the towel not the pan. (NOT proven, but I'm pretty sure the rust sort of floats and comes off with any extra oil) Using *cold* water reduces "flash rust" from where the pan may not have seasoning left.
People dont know, but if you toss a cast iron pot or pan on a lake, it will float. The water has to be frozen, but it works. 😬 ok ok lol. Thank you for the tips. I will subscribe. Peace.😊
Yes I’m a big fan. I compare it to some other top brands in this video: Best Cast Iron Skillet? Lodge vs. Smithey vs. Field vs. Stargazer vs. Calphalon th-cam.com/video/VHNor7-5MiY/w-d-xo.html
Ive been using cast iron and carbon steel pans and Dutch owens on my electrical glass stow for 19 years. No scratches and no cracks due to "reflecting heat" So at least for me, there is no issues.
My induction cooktop sometimes shut down (some safety thing) because of too much heat from pan. But then I have used it for long time and on quite high heat. So? It might shut down, but no harm to neither food nor cooktop.
I’ve never seasoned by baking in the oven. Unnecessary. Seasoning by just using it. And most of the time a wet Paper towel is enough to clean. These things are easier to clean and maintain than so called non stick. Cast ion becomes more non stick the more you use it. So called non stick pans degrade and become more sticky the more you use it. It’s actually a pleasure and gratifying to look after cast ion
It might be time to consider normal teflon / ceramic or less acidic food. Though if you love tea, tea does block iron absorption while cast iron boosts it. You want to stay away from either extreme though, too low iron = anemia = faintheadedness/fainting / lower energy / runny blood. Too high = potential kidney problems. Cast iron is usually fine unless you're doing like lemon juice on a unseasoned / exposed pan every day, if it's black dry and well seasoned, should add less.
I've had my large Lodge for years. Single. Busy working. I just want to cook something and eat. Finally retired, and trying to get back to cast. But still don't feel like doing cast iron season after eating. My eggs pan is doing well.
Also "Lasts Forever", not quite the same as "Indestructible". It may take generations but, even if you take care of it, repeated expansion and contraction will eventually crack the iron.
It cook alot with cheap non-branded cast iron. After, j ust put some water in 2-3 time, cook it up, brush, empty and swipe. I have no problem cooking steak and later crepes in he same pan. I scrub them with steel scrubbing pads, even put them in the dish washer (but dry them sortly afterwards). No problem. The only thing you do not achieve is a housewive-friendly totally "clean" appearace. The residual grease resulting from only swiping basically keeps it in good condition.
SOAP...in cast iron is not about damaging the "seasoning" it is about flavor...!!!...and that is what most DIYers "rethinking" this topic miss...SOAP...used normally (as suggested in the video) does not damage the seasoning...HOWEVER...!!!...if you are a real "foody" or one that cooks professionally (particularly traditional cooking) this will flavor the seasoning over time and those with well-tuned taste (aka sensitive pallet) can, most certainly, taste the soap...!!!...DO NOT...use soap if the goal is traditional cuisine...clean with water, and a rag, and if it's really messing with boiled water then salt and rage...oil pan as normal... If a pan is too rough (new models) then smooth them out...I've mechanically smoothed out many a modern and vintage (restoration work from rusted and pitted) cast iron...The trick is not "by hand" but by not overheating or thinking it has to be a "mirror finish." 120 grit is fine and anything past 320 is a waste of time. Seasoning needs to be slow and only gets better with time. Do not scrub clean only water and dish rage...NO SOAP!!!... I've never had a failed finish...Learned from folks born between 1898 and 1877..."old ways"...in my experience seem to be the "right ways" most often…
I grew up with the cast iron pan being put on the stove to dry after towel drying. No rust even if you don't allow seasoning like some I know. For years I been telling folks that if the health inspector were to see that the cast iron cookware isn't washed with soap, we would get shut down. Same for carbon steel pans too.
Exacly, how can you clean a pan without soap, some grease and food particles would remain on the pan, and maybe build up over time, it sounds kinda gross to me, i wouldn't want to cook in a dirty pan. Thanks for the advice of leaving it on the stove to dry.
@@bohemiansusan2897 Help me out here, but doesn't cooking sanitize? I thought that was the point of heating and frying diced chicken in my pan for example. The pan definitely gets hotter than 165°F.
@@taebron cooking the meat to a certain temperature results in safe meat to serve but not cleaning off cooked on bits of meat is unsanitary and will cultivate mold and unsafe bacteria. Hence you wash the pan with soap and water.
Cast iron and carbon steel pans will definitely cause induction cooktops to overheat. The portable units, no matter their quality, are even worse (never tried the 400 dollars restaurant-grade ones tough).
I have one non stick skillet that I use exclusively for eggs. I hand wash it. It is never on high heat. I use my cast iron for searing or blackening protein, often finishing off in the oven to temp.
Yeah honestly even as someone who likes it, i got a smoothed cast iron to cook eggs with a drop of oil out of a shitty 9$ ozark silicone spatula tearer. Now it might as well be a griswold, just a 1$ sharpening stone from dollar tree, a movie, some black pants and water and shirt you dont' mind taking a stain, and polishing, and re season on countertop with lots of thin layers of oil and use it. But the ceramic/teflon it slides right out of without much need for oil, until they're scratched. But if stuff does stick to a improperly cleaned cast iron, it used to take like 1-2 hrs to clean it for the first 1-6 months. Slides off now but i use like a temu 1$ oil sprayer as well so it's always covered in a thin layer. it works well, but it definitely is less "just buy a new 7$ pan", i still like my ceramic with silicon cookware though. I've also heard people talk fondly about carbon steel and stainless steel. Many of the same problems but naturally smooth. Though i will admit cast iron makes a beautiful sear on meats and rarely burns while leaving the inside uncooked, it chars very well, attended or not.
Cast iron is the ultimate bachelor pan. Keep a big ol' 14" skillet on your stove permanently. As long as you are cooking with it frequently, the seasoning gets better and better. In the 19th century, a cast iron pot or pan was practically part of the stove itself. If you are cooking meat all the time, you are creating bits of meat/fat on the surface which is actually a fancy cooking ingredient. The French named it "fond" (French meaning "bottom"). Add broth and simmer, scraping the bits up. Then comes cream (and the French LOVE their cream). Whisk it and simmer until it's turned into a thickness you like for sauce. Add some chopped fresh herbs and salt to taste. VOILA! When it's time to clean, pour in plain water to cover the bottom and simmer again. Wipe it clean and it's done. No need to even carry it to the sink. If you seared a nice steak, pat the excess grease with paper towel and leave it until morning. You'll have the best fried eggs of your life (low temperature, please). Crack the eggs in to the pan once it's heated, splash a wee bit of water in with it and cover. Watch to see how the white on the top steams gently. Remove when it is cooked as you like. You could also use all that lovely fond to cook home fries. On medium heat saute chopped onions (bell peppers too if you like), and then add your diced potatoes. Scrape and saute until all the fond is incorporated into the potato mix. Cover and cook until the potatoes are soft. Add a touch of butter, some seasoning, and finish by browning. Yum!
The more you use it the better the seasoning will become. Modern soap doesn't contain lye which is what removes the seasoning, Things stick in cast iron because the heat is too high. Cast iron was designed to cook about a foot over a log or coal fire, not 3 inches above a blue flame. Things taste better cooked lower and slower plus they don't stick. We put a light coat of cooking spray oil on and wipe it off before storing. When the pan heats back up it's like a light seasoning. We really don't need to reseason very often.
lol, old soap didn’t have lye in it. All soap is made with lye but there is no lye in the finished product. Also you’re not “light seasoning” you are just wasting oil.
@@edwardking5233 What are you talking about? Who light seasons? When you restore for two estate sale companies to enable your habit and you're running two electrolysis tanks 35 and 50 gallons with a cast iron restoration oven get back with me. For now I'm good. Old soap doesn't contain lye... what an idiot!
@@edwardking5233 As usual they don't let me respond to these comments but I'll play nice and try again. Have you ever heard of home made lye soap. It's what they used in the early to mid 1900s. The cooking spray only protects them from moisture in the air. I don't care if others rusts but mine isn't new Lodge. I operate two electrolysis tanks, a 35 gallon and a 50 gallon with a large oven for seasoning. Each tank cleans three at a time. I restore for two estate sale companies to enable my addiction. I'm cutting back, I'm not getting younger. There's over 400 pieces in my collection. I think I have a clue but thanks. They probably won't publish this anyway...
I break every single cast iron rule with my skillet. I simmer acidic things in it. I boil water in it. I scrub it HARD with soap, even lye based soap my friend makes. I put it in the dishwasher occasionally. None of it makes any difference. My skillet cooks no differently than it did when I babied it 15 years ago.
Me too. Worrying about the seasoning is pointless. Also - I’d you throw this into a grill doesn’t the grill get so hot that it gets rid of the seasoning anyways?
I don't understand this need to "re-season" pans. I own around ten pieces of cast iron or carbon steel cookware. One piece came factory seasoned, the others I seasoned exactly once, when I purchased them. If you look after them properly, there is no reason to ever do it again. Seasoning is a continuous process that happens every time you cook in the pan. So long as you're not cooking acidic foods or otherwise abusing them, the seasoning continues to develop and improve. I almost never need to re-oil them either, unless I've used detergent in them, which rarely happens. I simply scrub them with a brush and hot water, using the scraper edge of the brush to remove anything burnt on. A couple minutes of drying over a medium flame and they are back on the rack, with just enough residual oil left to prevent rust.
I only sear steaks and roast vegetables in my cast iron, I don’t make scrambled eggs. Therefore I don’t care about‘seasoning’. Wash and dry immediately.
When you talk about aluminum cookware, it should always be mentioned that aluminum is death on living things... that includes people and plants. This is a very good reason why aluminum cookware should be discarded from your kitchen. In order to test this theorem - I'm not actually recommending this - sprinkle some aluminum grit on the soil around your potato plants in your garden. (I inadvertently allowed a crumpled up sheet of aluminum in my garden soil via cow manure.) Then watch your potato plants during the season and see if they look healthy. By the way, do you know what 'alum' is that is used to keep canned pickles crunchy? Do your homework. We use grape leaves for this purpose.
Man, he ruined his seasoning doing that for five minutes, scrubbing his pan. He need to put it in the oven again for another hour. how can he not see that he ruined his seasoning? It was almost shining through the metal 😂
I am sorry to say this, you are not debunking the myth with old cast iron. The pan you used, although it's a lodge, if it's been made in the last 20 years, there is little to no carbon in the pan and there is a lot of steel in your pan. Old cast iron is 100% iron, for those who may not know, yes there is a difference. Acid and soap will harm the seasoning. Cooking in a true cast iron will up a person's blood level of iron. That being said those with too high of iron levels in their blood work should avoid cooking in true cast iron. I would like to see your - video creator repeat your process on a Griswald, Wagoner or old (40 yr old) Lodge.
People also fail to mention that non stick coatings ALL begin to break down over time and need to be replaced. Why fork out the extra $$$ for these pans when you can get a good quality OXO non stick skillet for half the price and then replace it after 3-4 years? Also, because these pans still have a non stick coating, they are vulnerable to off-gassing at high temperatures. IMHO, all of this hybrid cookware is a "fad" and not worth the money. I would stick with my AllClad cookware and buy a good quality non stick skillet and replace it every few years for a new one.
Soap makes grease or oil easier to remove, and guess what cast iron is coated with? So yeah, don't do it. Just sand off the crusty stuff and re-season it.
Read the full article to learn more: prudentreviews.com/cast-iron-cookware-myths/
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@PrudentReviews I tried, but I refuse to tolerate the annoying ads.
A fantastc review! I am a cast iron fanatic and own and use over 50 pieces. My 5 quart dutch oven has been used for chili and spaghetti sauce for almost 5 decades with only minimal upkeep and I am still using my grandmother's skillet. I am 76 years old.
Okay thank you! I've recently heard so many cooking channels saying you shouldn't cook tomatoes in cast iron and I swear I have never in my life heard that before. I have a non enameled cast iron pot that is my go to for butter chicken, chili, and spaghetti sauce. All tomato based things you cook for very extended times! Never stripped seasoning, never tasted like metal. Is it worth noting all my cookware are vintage pieces? The hell are they making cast iron with these days??
Thank god for this video. I'm tired of the people who go around saying they never use soap on their cast iron pan.
Anybody who doesn't use soap on their cast iron doesn't know how to season their cast iron. And, not washing cast iron is gross. I've used "lye based" soap that my friend makes on my iron hundreds of times; it makes ZERO difference.
Dummies are gon' be dummies lol.
The advice (commandment) not to use soap on cast iron dates to the time when kitchen soaps were lye based. Lye based soaps will remove seasoning from the cast iron. Our modern dish detergents are milder while also being more effective. I mention this only because it helps to explain why what grandma told them is now out of date.
@@DKWalserI’m already aware of this, but thanks for mentioning it for the people who aren’t.
@@DadsGetDubs I just never need to use soap on my cast iron. I just run it under hot water, dry it, and heat it up for a couple of minutes to make sure the moisture is off of it. If I have bits on it after cooking burgers I pour hot water into it before I take it of the stove. This will immediately release all of the bits, then I rinse it with hot water and dry it. If I do get some bits that still remain, which is rare, I simply swirl my chain mail scrubber on it. That always cleans it perfectly. So there just isn't a need for soap on cast iron or carbon steel pans.
It’s not that you can’t use soap, it’s that you rarely need to use soap.
Thanks for dispelling these myths. All the internet fuss about cast-iron and carbon-steel being "nonstick" inspired me to switch to them, and I've been quite disappointed. I was used to cracking a few eggs with some oil on a teflon pan and simmering them at a low temperature. This is almost guaranteed to cause a sticky mess on teflon/carbon steel. There is a huge learning curve to cooking sticky foods like eggs or cheese on these pans, and some things you can do on teflon just cannot be replicated, plus waiting for them to pre-heat is annoyingly slow.
If you are too busy to relax and cook, just microwave everything. I treat my cooking time like a meditative activity.
Give your cast iron a few minutes to heat up before adding food. Then give it a light spray with any cooking spray. Eggs, cheese, etc will glide right off.
Great video, though I will say myth #9 really does depend on the level of seasoning of the pan. For pans that do not have much build-up, a coating after cooking can help since it can build a patina while preheating next time, IMO.
Nonsense unless you ou bake it in the oven.
@@edwardking5233 You don't have to bake it, you just need to heat it up to the point where it is smoking and then rub a thin layer of oil on it, this helps to build up seasoning.
@ Nonsense and totally unnecessary. This is why newbies give up on CI.
Great video. I will contest myth #9. I do think a thin oil coating before storing your cast iron is helpful. It will also help maintain the seasoning the next time you cook with it.
Oiling after each use is highly location dependent, if you live in a dry climate then yes you can get away with not oiling after each use, but if you live in a super humid area even after oiling it can develop rust
That's interesting and makes a lot of sense. I never thought of that. I live in an area that's like a Swedish sauna during the summer. Everything is sticky because of the moisture in the air. Last summer my air conditioning broke down for about a week. There was so much humidity in the air at that time it actually ruined and warped a couple of cheap bookcases. The particleboard soaked up the humidity in the air like a sponge. I could see my cast iron doing the same thing, but I always oil it after every use so I'm safe. 😊
I live in New Mexico, and never oil my pan. There's no moisture in the air.
In a dry, dusty area, oiling just traps the dust and you have to wash the crud out before you can cook.
Good to see im not alone, reading all these comments, cuz I keep getting flash rust on my Carbon Paella pan😔
Seconds! Seconds!
Have read stuff on reddit for same thing.
Humidity is too much sometimes
Good point.
The "don't use soap" made sense way back when my skillets were new, and soap was lye soap that could be used as paint remover.
The first thing I did when I got my cast iron pan was sand down the bottom. It was SO coarse, the thought of moving it even slightly on my glas induction stove was not sitting well with me.
I sanded the inside a little bit as well, because it was just as rough. I followed this up with washing and seasoning and it works great now. I do apply a thin layer of oil after each use (drying first).
Glad it works well and you have fun! Unfortunately for me, moving my pan when cooking is something I do a lot for a lot of meals I make and that's even worse given the fact that cast iron is very heavy so lifting it up and moving it in the air would be a pain...
Sanding the inside is a bad idea. Nothing wrong with smoothing out the bottom so it doesn't scratch your cooktop, but the rough texture helps to hold on to the seasoning & keep it from chipping. (Though, you say you only sanded it a little bit, so that's probably not an issue, especially if you're happy with how the pan has been performing) Over the years, the cooking surface will actually become smooth on its own as the layers of seasoning eventually build up & fill in the gaps between the grit, but the texture of the cooking surface doesn't play much (if any) role in food sticking.
@@SeraphimCramer I mean, i have 3 cast iron pans from a 20$ bundle. Imho it's both half true but i still prefer my seasoned smoothed pans with a countertop canola frying pan seasoning.
It is true that in sanding, i notice the seasoning sticks less to the smoothed parts and grows over the dents faster and smoother. And it's held on more. But after 3 layers, the roughest pan held the most seasoning, but the seasoning was thick, chipping eventually with a penny's thickness worth of seasoning, and it had a wonderful layer, but eggs still stuck and it had a tendency to crack. The cast iron was rough and also destroyed sponges. it held onto the seasoning, but destroyed everything else.
Meanwhile, my smoothed cast iron doesn't season in a oven, but one day cooking countertop putting 2 pans on each other to store the heat like a dutch oven, it's not a black layer yet but it's a brown layer and eggs can be cooked with minimal oil when preheated hot, like a droplet of oil for the smooth pan vs a tbsp of butter for the rough pan.
Overall, i'd still say sanding it to get the coarse top spots gone, but not worrying about getting it mirror smooth but maybe like 20-50% smoothed by volume (to get rid of all the peaks but let the 'valleys get filled instead of sanding to them.) seems a sweet happy spot.
It won't be photogenic until it's black again, but it cooks very smooth and it's a hr watching y outube with a 1$ dollar store stone vs a 200$ stargazer.
@@SeraphimCramer I absolutely disagree. The rough surface on some new cast iron is horrible, you're better off sanding it smooth and re-seasoning it, or just use the old stuff that was made smooth.
Tips to keep your food from sticking.
1: Heat the skillet.
2: A tiny amount of cooking spray (it doesn’t take more than a light misting)
Nonsense, CI isn’t teflon
Another great video bro!🙏
I am now a subscriber. Thanks for the info. I also want to thank you not only for the good info, but for NOT having any music playing while you were talking.
You do such a great job in all of your videos
Dawn,Blue scrub pad for the stuck bits,re oil and heat. Done it for decades.
No need to oil
Years ago my wife got angry and threw a cast iron skillet on the floor. The shock on her face when it broke was priceless.
There is a reason not to use cast iron on a glass cooktop.
My ex husband bought a 14" cast iron skillet. I could barely lift it, so never used or washed it. It was fine on a gas stove, but when we moved to a place with a glass cooktop ... he was putting it on the top, it slipped and dropped maybe 1/2", and ... CRACK!
I'm not saying never use cast iron on glass ... just be sure you're strong enough first.
Sure looks like it's taking more and more of the seasoning off.
Great video. Thank you
I do a minuscule amount of oil between towel drying and stove top drying steps. BUT I live on a boat on salt water. A tiny spot of seasoning missing means rust in the morning. Beat it by preventing it. If I lived on land (boring!) I wouldn't do it.
Nice succinct video. Thank you!
Living on a boat sounds pretty awesome
I doubt it’s necessary.
I polished bottom of the cast iron pans to mirror finish when I got a new stove, cheaper ones have really sharp notches and the old stove was really scratched because of that. After polishing - no problem at all. Actually you do not need to do a mirror finish, 240 grit with angle grinder is good enough but I did it because of a bet. Heat radiating is also an issue, especially with induction stoves, I have had several times when the stove turns off because of overheating. This is not only cast iron skillet problem, I have had same results with carbon steel and stainless steel pans, never had a problem with aluminum pans since aluminum takes heat off rapidly because of laws of chemistry and physics.
Heat conductivity table from worse to best:
Cast iron
Stainless steel
Carbon steel
Aluminum (for food safety reasons, most non-stick pans)
Copper (for food safety reasons, now days used only as conductor between stainless steel and stove)
The worse the heat conductivity, the smoother the heat release and if you want to cook things evenly, you really want a smooth heat release over quick burn. This is also one reason why Stainless Steel is where it is. Acid resistance, rust resistance, salt resistance and thermal properties close to cast iron. Non-stick properties though ... You need skills, a lot of skills compared to Cast Iron or Carbon Steel.
I've used cast iron for decades. I knew most of this, but I've always given a thin coating of oil after drying. I also use the burner to dry the pan and oil while the pan is still hot. Hmmm.
Totally unnecessary.
for your next myth/verses video how about rough cooking surface vs smooth
Great idea!
I cover that here: th-cam.com/video/VHNor7-5MiY/w-d-xo.html
I use grape seed oil to do a full seasoning to my cast iron skillets. I can confirm putting a small light coating of oil will prevent rust in between uses if not used for extended periods of time in higher humidity climates. Mine will get a bit of rust and I live in the mid-west.
My mom had grandma's skillet. Washed with soap and never seasoned. You can't argue with success.
But they do argue with success. This seasoning thing started and now it has gotten to the stupid level. 60+ years I've been cooking in cast iron, I've never seasoned, neither did my mom, neither did my grandmas. If I had to do half of what the "experts" recommend, I would have switched to Teflon decades ago. Watch the eggs in rusty cast iron video, do what he does and you won't have any problems.
I can’t imagine grandma not cleaning her pan with soap. I don’t believe it.
That said - I use soap and water to clean my pieces all the time.
Only 2 rules. After cleaning - Wipe it down with a towel. Get it hot to evaporate all moisture.
Lastly - the new pans with a buffed surface - you can use just a thin layer of butter / ghee / or coconut oil and you’re golden.
I wash mine with a little bit of Dawn and a stiff bristle brush, then dry them on the stove, where they remain until the next day. No need to oil after drying in New Mexico, and that sticky layer just traps dust anyway.
Cast iron WILL scratch an induction cooktop. Even moving it a little bit can lead to scratches. I learned this the hard way and now use protective mats on all of my induction cooktops.
That's one of the reasons i sanded smooth my 9$ ozark cast iron, cheapest pan but worst grit, it destroyed sponges. After sanding though, it's legitimately smoother than a lodge and eggs slide around on a preheat + droplet of oil, vs tbsp of butter for the same effect even on a coarse but well built seasoned rough / base pan.
That’s why gas is the way to cook. Electric is being forced these days by the controlling government
I want to point out with the oiling after use. I have noticed in low/normal humidity area I agree this step is not necessary, but if you live in a place with high humidity it does help.
I think it really helps build up the seasoning early and patch up gaps, though once it's done, you're finer, but i still think a thin layer is photogenic and helps the non stick properties.
Wish you did a video on different oils.
I find it interesting people say use high smoke point oil, but then they use low smoke oil foods to cook on the cast iron i.e butter, olive oil. That also seasons the pan so wouldn’t that make bad seasoning
You really should have “Cast Iron Skillet” by Jason Isbell as background music.
thanks
Helpful. Thanks.
My mom loved her cast iron pans. She would have a fit if anyone washed it besides her. She had them sandblasted every few years, then seasoned them.
If i oil mine after washing, I need to wash the fuzz off before I use it again.
I clean my
cast iron after use, dry them and let them rest upside down over the switched off stove coil if it is not in use otherwise. If the oven was used, all cast iron dries off in the cooling down oven while we eat. All pots and pants and the stovetop are soaking while we eat.
Thanks for the video.
I never understood people who are slaves to their cookware. My cookware is there to serve me, not the other way around. I don't care how it looks, I only care how it performs.
I want to clean my cast iron and carbon steel fast like any other cookware. Sometimes that means soap. Period. No other considerations.
I've lost some seasoning cooking tomatoes and other acidic ingredients. I just keep cooking as usual with zero issues. I've had times where I've had to re-season. It's just the tiny downside of getting all the big upsides. Deal with it.
Thank you for your information! It was for useful, and I like the way you make your videos and how you explain!
One thing I always wondered and couldn't test as I never had a cast iron pan myself, would it be possible to achieve the same "performance" of heat retention of cast iron with other pans by turning up the heat once the food is added in the pan for something like half a minute and then turn it down again?
Stainless steel, aluminum, and copper pans are a lot more responsive, so when the heat drops from adding food, it quickly bounces back. But you might need to turn the heat up and adjust the dial to get it right. Cast iron holds a more stable temp so once it’s preheated, you don’t need to touch the dial much.
@@PrudentReviews Thanks! Just as I expected, it seems! Have a beautiful day! ❤
This is probably obvious but you need a responsive heat source (gas or induction) to get that to work. Bumping the heat on electric is really hard to finesse.
Having said that, I do it all the time.
@@markdale6104 Yeah, I suppose you are right! I was thinking of buying a very simple and cheap, single induction unit, but I didn't do it as I find it unnecessary. I will look at it in the future!
You can try, but this is dangerous, as these pans are very easy to overheat, releasing harmful chemicals as the nonstick coating breaks apart. Since they are so thin, you could get dangerous hotspots before you even reach the temperature you want. If you want a uniform temperature distribution AND high heat retention, you need a cladded stainless steel pan (but be warned, almost everything sticks to them)
5:33 - Like Uncle Scott, Andrew also hates grill pans. 😆
❤ very informative video
I was heating a cast iron flat pan cake pan on the small electric burner. Because the heat was concentrated on the center of the pan.
Preheat cast iron skillet on low for 15 minutes for even heat distribution.
I agree. This isn't quick cooking.
Very informative video : well illustrated by clear examples, well commented, easy to understand, and with pertinent remarks and advices. Thank you !! 👍🏼👍🏼
Thank you! Appreciate it
Great video, thx
Nice videos but breaking a cast iron is criminal. It hurts me a lot. So sad
It pained me too.
As with any heavy cookware, I never slide cast iron around on my glass cooktop. My range is 20 yrs old and still looks like new. If you respect the money you've earned, you'll treat your purchases with the same amount if respect ❤
The trouble with 'non stick' pans is that they are only really non stick when they are new gradually that breaks down and the pan is worthless. The only materials I like are cast iron and layered stainless steel. Those materials last a lifetime
Nah, they'll stay nonstick as long as you don't damage the surface. Years even. They're nowhere near the durability of iron, steel or carbon; but they'll still last quite a long time if you care for them.
That being said, I don't use them as much. The reason is that their coating can't handle high heat, metal instruments or produce as good a sear. And if you chip their coating, you don't want to use it because you could ingest teflon.
I still think there's a place for them, and for someone that cares for it, they'll last for years just as well.
Amen
Yeah i think with care and silicon cookware, the lifespan of a badly taken care of pan can easily be 0.4-1.5 years, 3-7 with decent care, but teflon does have problems with high heat (500+ F), safety (workers), and steel cookware/scrapes and teflon is probably carcinogenic if eaten.
I got a ceramic that's apparently most of the benefits of non stick without the cancer, 7$, except you get ceramic shards instead of seasoning shards or teflon cancer plastic if you eat it.
And a cast iron.
Just don't scratch em and both are fine.
@@NotyouraveragenameLol ingestion of Teflon won’t cause any problems. It’s inert.
@ I mean, considering all the illnesses of the workers around the plants and Ceramic existing and me already having gotten a few pans of each.
My cast iron is well seasoned after a few 425F oven batches and even my Stainless steel on a crack 'whynot lol'. The stainless steel seasoning peels off easier for sure in spotches on the first coat.
But now that it's well seasoned, to a glossy black smooth finish with seasoning + oil, im happy with it. Is it as completely smooth as teflon?
No, but eggs slide with a thin layer of oil and if anything sticks now, i can usually just have some moisture in the pan and it'll deglaze and slide off later.
It took a year of learning how to use cast iron (properly) (Seasoning + oil vs dry and scratched). But the pans are lasting 10+ years vs 1-3 years, scratched and peeling even from storage. And there's no sign of degrading other than a old pan the seasoning caked off of, and cracked off from steel tool misuse.
We just grinded the flakes off, cleaned, reoiled, re seasoned in a oven at 425F again a few times.
And it's good as new. Not sure if the time is worth it, (like 4-50 hrs to set up a 9-20$ pan vs 10x 10$-200$ pans). But they're broken in now and i like em now.
I may be wrong but I use an Induction top, and this seems to heat more evenly. Also, one of the issues that I've come across about cooking with CI, is that it "leaks" Iron into the food which claims to be harmful to a person's health. I haven't been able to find out how much leaks into food, or if this type of iron is harmful. What? Should a person lick the pan and then test to see how much iron is on their tongue. This seems unlikely, but I'm no scientist, so I don't know. I also don't know if this type of iron is even soluable in a person's system.
I wipe my cast iron down after every use with flaxseed oil and hang it. I've done this for 5 years. My pans look brand new. I use dawn soup and water and a scrub pad to clean my cast iron. I have zero issues. Old 1800s to new lodge works fantastic.
Waste of oil
Can you a do a video like this but for carbon steel?
Not a bad idea. I cover the key differences between carbon steel and cast iron in this video >>> th-cam.com/video/DHh9FGRgrcQ/w-d-xo.htmlsi=nky1S8tDpw_9QrN_
Saw an old, well used iron skillet break in half while cooking on an old school electric stove= yes, they can and will break.
I use dish soap on mine when it is needed , have never had any issue with that! My mother in law put my 12" cast iron in the dishwasher and my wife was all worried it was ruined because it came out looking horrible and she knows I really enjoy my cast iron pans and put some effort in when I first got them to get a good season on them. I however was not concerned because I knew it had been in use for several years regularly and one time in the dishwasher was not going to ruin anything. I washed it by hand to remove any soap residue or soap fragrances that was there then heated it up to 350 and applied some oil . it was just fine. I think what people do not understand about cast Iron is that you really do not need to do anything special to maintain it if you are USING it all the time, they are the opposite of fragile. even if they do get rusty it is not a big deal to clean them up .Unless the rust is deep , like pitting the iron, it is not a problem , wash it, wipe it down with oil and keep using it.
Hi! I just ordered an cast iron pot with a lid that can be used as a skillet. My aim is to use it for roast chicken and stew on a campfire. I honestly had no idea I have to season the pot / skillet. The thing is - I don't have an oven. Can I season it on campire? Above hot coals perhaps? I have no idea what I should do without an oven.
I’ve never seasoned over a campfire so don’t want to give you bad advice but if you search online, you’ll find plenty of tips. You can also do it on a stovetop.
@@PrudentReviews Ok, thanks! I'll search for more info.
If you break off the handle just have a welder brazing the two two pieces together. It works!. However in my opinion I would not brazen the cooking part of the pan😅
Hi my name is john i got a question ?
After done cooking with your cast iron do you wash it with soap or scrub off the leftovers nobody talk about that?
A scrub brush/sponge and soap is fine. Don't use more than needed and don't go ham on it. Rinse with clean water and dry immediately. I oil after every cleaning even though the video says you don't have to but I don't regularly "re-season" so I chalk that up to a matter of preference.
@@jakkul26Waste of oil
How do you take the rust off. I have washed it and dried it, but I keep wiping red off.
50:50 water and vinegar in a spray bottle. Spray then scrub with a scratchy sponge. Rinse very well under cold water. Repeat until wiping with a dry paper towel is no longer red (black is okay just not red). Immediately season with a tiny amount of oil, in the oven at 350*F for an hour and 15 to an hour and a half. Done. If there is some red when you oil it for seasoning it's now on the towel not the pan. (NOT proven, but I'm pretty sure the rust sort of floats and comes off with any extra oil) Using *cold* water reduces "flash rust" from where the pan may not have seasoning left.
People dont know, but if you toss a cast iron pot or pan on a lake, it will float. The water has to be frozen, but it works. 😬 ok ok lol. Thank you for the tips. I will subscribe. Peace.😊
I see that you're using the stargazer quite alot, you recommend it ?
Yes I’m a big fan. I compare it to some other top brands in this video:
Best Cast Iron Skillet? Lodge vs. Smithey vs. Field vs. Stargazer vs. Calphalon
th-cam.com/video/VHNor7-5MiY/w-d-xo.html
Thank you 😊@@PrudentReviews
Thank you for your sensible reviews!
Ive been using cast iron and carbon steel pans and Dutch owens on my electrical glass stow for 19 years. No scratches and no cracks due to "reflecting heat" So at least for me, there is no issues.
My induction cooktop sometimes shut down (some safety thing) because of too much heat from pan. But then I have used it for long time and on quite high heat.
So? It might shut down, but no harm to neither food nor cooktop.
I’ve never seasoned by baking in the oven. Unnecessary. Seasoning by just using it. And most of the time a wet Paper towel is enough to clean. These things are easier to clean and maintain than so called non stick. Cast ion becomes more non stick the more you use it. So called non stick pans degrade and become more sticky the more you use it. It’s actually a pleasure and gratifying to look after cast ion
I wish i had an oven hood that would let me actually sear meats inside. I always just use my grill when using cast iron
I simply dry on the stove and add oil to it while it's still warm
Waste of oil
How about leaching of iron into foods? For people with hemachromatosis (iron overload) this a real concern.
It might be time to consider normal teflon / ceramic or less acidic food. Though if you love tea, tea does block iron absorption while cast iron boosts it. You want to stay away from either extreme though, too low iron = anemia = faintheadedness/fainting / lower energy / runny blood. Too high = potential kidney problems.
Cast iron is usually fine unless you're doing like lemon juice on a unseasoned / exposed pan every day, if it's black dry and well seasoned, should add less.
I have tried both cast-iron and nonstick. I am still using a nonstick pan which cost $10.20 years on. That will more than do for me.
I've had a Lodge 12" pan for years. I've used it maybe five times. Way too much maintenance, too heavy, awkward and heavy. Waste of money for me.
Lodge makes an inexpensive product, but for me, any of their non Blacklock skillets over 10.25" are too heavy for my getting stiff fingers.
I've had my large Lodge for years. Single. Busy working. I just want to cook something and eat. Finally retired, and trying to get back to cast. But still don't feel like doing cast iron season after eating. My eggs pan is doing well.
Also "Lasts Forever", not quite the same as "Indestructible". It may take generations but, even if you take care of it, repeated expansion and contraction will eventually crack the iron.
I h8 cast iron pans (yeah, that lodge one) with a passion.
It cook alot with cheap non-branded cast iron. After, j ust put some water in 2-3 time, cook it up, brush, empty and swipe. I have no problem cooking steak and later crepes in he same pan. I scrub them with steel scrubbing pads, even put them in the dish washer (but dry them sortly afterwards). No problem. The only thing you do not achieve is a housewive-friendly totally "clean" appearace. The residual grease resulting from only swiping basically keeps it in good condition.
SOAP...in cast iron is not about damaging the "seasoning" it is about flavor...!!!...and that is what most DIYers "rethinking" this topic miss...SOAP...used normally (as suggested in the video) does not damage the seasoning...HOWEVER...!!!...if you are a real "foody" or one that cooks professionally (particularly traditional cooking) this will flavor the seasoning over time and those with well-tuned taste (aka sensitive pallet) can, most certainly, taste the soap...!!!...DO NOT...use soap if the goal is traditional cuisine...clean with water, and a rag, and if it's really messing with boiled water then salt and rage...oil pan as normal...
If a pan is too rough (new models) then smooth them out...I've mechanically smoothed out many a modern and vintage (restoration work from rusted and pitted) cast iron...The trick is not "by hand" but by not overheating or thinking it has to be a "mirror finish." 120 grit is fine and anything past 320 is a waste of time. Seasoning needs to be slow and only gets better with time. Do not scrub clean only water and dish rage...NO SOAP!!!... I've never had a failed finish...Learned from folks born between 1898 and 1877..."old ways"...in my experience seem to be the "right ways" most often…
rinse better
The soap doesn't break down the seasoning. It is thought of that soap will soak into the seasoning affecting taste?
Soap is fine but it depends how young your seasoning is and how many layers of it there is. Worst case, you re season. Can't do that with Teflon.
I grew up with the cast iron pan being put on the stove to dry after towel drying. No rust even if you don't allow seasoning like some I know.
For years I been telling folks that if the health inspector were to see that the cast iron cookware isn't washed with soap, we would get shut down. Same for carbon steel pans too.
Exacly, how can you clean a pan without soap, some grease and food particles would remain on the pan, and maybe build up over time, it sounds kinda gross to me, i wouldn't want to cook in a dirty pan. Thanks for the advice of leaving it on the stove to dry.
@@luisa146 one can build up seasoning in the pans while washing them to keep them sanitary.
@@bohemiansusan2897 Help me out here, but doesn't cooking sanitize? I thought that was the point of heating and frying diced chicken in my pan for example. The pan definitely gets hotter than 165°F.
@@taebron cooking the meat to a certain temperature results in safe meat to serve but not cleaning off cooked on bits of meat is unsanitary and will cultivate mold and unsafe bacteria. Hence you wash the pan with soap and water.
Cast iron and carbon steel pans will definitely cause induction cooktops to overheat. The portable units, no matter their quality, are even worse (never tried the 400 dollars restaurant-grade ones tough).
Best thing to use is cooking spray I have been doing this for 8 years now eggs never stick my girlfriend told me to use this stuff and it works.
I have one non stick skillet that I use exclusively for eggs. I hand wash it. It is never on high heat. I use my cast iron for searing or blackening protein, often finishing off in the oven to temp.
Yeah honestly even as someone who likes it, i got a smoothed cast iron to cook eggs with a drop of oil out of a shitty 9$ ozark silicone spatula tearer. Now it might as well be a griswold, just a 1$ sharpening stone from dollar tree, a movie, some black pants and water and shirt you dont' mind taking a stain, and polishing, and re season on countertop with lots of thin layers of oil and use it.
But the ceramic/teflon it slides right out of without much need for oil, until they're scratched. But if stuff does stick to a improperly cleaned cast iron, it used to take like 1-2 hrs to clean it for the first 1-6 months.
Slides off now but i use like a temu 1$ oil sprayer as well so it's always covered in a thin layer. it works well, but it definitely is less "just buy a new 7$ pan", i still like my ceramic with silicon cookware though. I've also heard people talk fondly about carbon steel and stainless steel. Many of the same problems but naturally smooth. Though i will admit cast iron makes a beautiful sear on meats and rarely burns while leaving the inside uncooked, it chars very well, attended or not.
Cast iron is the ultimate bachelor pan. Keep a big ol' 14" skillet on your stove permanently. As long as you are cooking with it frequently, the seasoning gets better and better. In the 19th century, a cast iron pot or pan was practically part of the stove itself.
If you are cooking meat all the time, you are creating bits of meat/fat on the surface which is actually a fancy cooking ingredient. The French named it "fond" (French meaning "bottom"). Add broth and simmer, scraping the bits up. Then comes cream (and the French LOVE their cream). Whisk it and simmer until it's turned into a thickness you like for sauce. Add some chopped fresh herbs and salt to taste. VOILA!
When it's time to clean, pour in plain water to cover the bottom and simmer again. Wipe it clean and it's done. No need to even carry it to the sink.
If you seared a nice steak, pat the excess grease with paper towel and leave it until morning. You'll have the best fried eggs of your life (low temperature, please). Crack the eggs in to the pan once it's heated, splash a wee bit of water in with it and cover. Watch to see how the white on the top steams gently. Remove when it is cooked as you like.
You could also use all that lovely fond to cook home fries. On medium heat saute chopped onions (bell peppers too if you like), and then add your diced potatoes. Scrape and saute until all the fond is incorporated into the potato mix. Cover and cook until the potatoes are soft. Add a touch of butter, some seasoning, and finish by browning. Yum!
I use my Lodge on a glass ceran cooktop for years and, well it may have left an occasional scratch. So be it.
The more you use it the better the seasoning will become. Modern soap doesn't contain lye which is what removes the seasoning, Things stick in cast iron because the heat is too high. Cast iron was designed to cook about a foot over a log or coal fire, not 3 inches above a blue flame. Things taste better cooked lower and slower plus they don't stick. We put a light coat of cooking spray oil on and wipe it off before storing. When the pan heats back up it's like a light seasoning. We really don't need to reseason very often.
lol, old soap didn’t have lye in it. All soap is made with lye but there is no lye in the finished product. Also you’re not “light seasoning” you are just wasting oil.
@@edwardking5233 What are you talking about? Who light seasons? When you restore for two estate sale companies to enable your habit and you're running two electrolysis tanks 35 and 50 gallons with a cast iron restoration oven get back with me. For now I'm good. Old soap doesn't contain lye... what an idiot!
@@edwardking5233 As usual they don't let me respond to these comments but I'll play nice and try again. Have you ever heard of home made lye soap. It's what they used in the early to mid 1900s. The cooking spray only protects them from moisture in the air. I don't care if others rusts but mine isn't new Lodge. I operate two electrolysis tanks, a 35 gallon and a 50 gallon with a large oven for seasoning. Each tank cleans three at a time. I restore for two estate sale companies to enable my addiction. I'm cutting back, I'm not getting younger. There's over 400 pieces in my collection. I think I have a clue but thanks. They probably won't publish this anyway...
@@turdferguson5300 It does matter if the soap is homemade or not. Lye is used in the saponification and is used up.
Our electric stove sux. Im getting a refillable 1lb propane tank for the camping stove.
I break every single cast iron rule with my skillet. I simmer acidic things in it. I boil water in it. I scrub it HARD with soap, even lye based soap my friend makes. I put it in the dishwasher occasionally.
None of it makes any difference. My skillet cooks no differently than it did when I babied it 15 years ago.
So do I. It is fine. I definitely do the acidic stuff no problem and doesn’t taste like iron.
Me too. Worrying about the seasoning is pointless. Also - I’d you throw this into a grill doesn’t the grill get so hot that it gets rid of the seasoning anyways?
I use mine on glass cooktop . it is not a problem
I don't understand this need to "re-season" pans. I own around ten pieces of cast iron or carbon steel cookware. One piece came factory seasoned, the others I seasoned exactly once, when I purchased them. If you look after them properly, there is no reason to ever do it again. Seasoning is a continuous process that happens every time you cook in the pan. So long as you're not cooking acidic foods or otherwise abusing them, the seasoning continues to develop and improve. I almost never need to re-oil them either, unless I've used detergent in them, which rarely happens. I simply scrub them with a brush and hot water, using the scraper edge of the brush to remove anything burnt on. A couple minutes of drying over a medium flame and they are back on the rack, with just enough residual oil left to prevent rust.
I only sear steaks and roast vegetables in my cast iron, I don’t make scrambled eggs. Therefore I don’t care about‘seasoning’. Wash and dry immediately.
As a long time cast iron user, I like this video. BUT, can we please stop destroying perfectly good things just to prove a point. This is SO wasteful.
When you talk about aluminum cookware, it should always be mentioned that aluminum is death on living things... that includes people and plants. This is a very good reason why aluminum cookware should be discarded from your kitchen. In order to test this theorem - I'm not actually recommending this - sprinkle some aluminum grit on the soil around your potato plants in your garden. (I inadvertently allowed a crumpled up sheet of aluminum in my garden soil via cow manure.) Then watch your potato plants during the season and see if they look healthy. By the way, do you know what 'alum' is that is used to keep canned pickles crunchy? Do your homework. We use grape leaves for this purpose.
That handle can be welded back on using special welding rod and preheating before and after welding
I use cast iron on glass cooktop all the time
Man, he ruined his seasoning doing that for five minutes, scrubbing his pan. He need to put it in the oven again for another hour. how can he not see that he ruined his seasoning? It was almost shining through the metal 😂
Might be hard to see with the light shining through the window, but the seasoning did not come off at all
EVERYTHING scratches glass cooktops.
"next you wanna get your chainmail"
Fucking pardon?
What country are we in on this video. Just a joke?
Cast iron was used by medieval knights and was often cleaned using their chain mail gauntlets as can be witnessed on the Bayeux tapestry.
Lodge is the best brand of cast iron cookware,requiring minimal aftercare.
If I want to season one of my cast iron, I clean, oil and bake it when I am cooking something else.
I am sorry to say this, you are not debunking the myth with old cast iron. The pan you used, although it's a lodge, if it's been made in the last 20 years, there is little to no carbon in the pan and there is a lot of steel in your pan.
Old cast iron is 100% iron, for those who may not know, yes there is a difference. Acid and soap will harm the seasoning.
Cooking in a true cast iron will up a person's blood level of iron. That being said those with too high of iron levels in their blood work should avoid cooking in true cast iron.
I would like to see your - video creator repeat your process on a Griswald, Wagoner or old (40 yr old) Lodge.
They've always had carbon in them
Don't drop your cast iron on a rock in your driveway.
People also fail to mention that non stick coatings ALL begin to break down over time and need to be replaced. Why fork out the extra $$$ for these pans when you can get a good quality OXO non stick skillet for half the price and then replace it after 3-4 years? Also, because these pans still have a non stick coating, they are vulnerable to off-gassing at high temperatures. IMHO, all of this hybrid cookware is a "fad" and not worth the money. I would stick with my AllClad cookware and buy a good quality non stick skillet and replace it every few years for a new one.
Carbon Steel all day baby!
I can't imagine why people still use cast iron when carbon steel is available.
Hmm
Soap makes grease or oil easier to remove, and guess what cast iron is coated with? So yeah, don't do it. Just sand off the crusty stuff and re-season it.
The iron in iron cookware is not the iron your body can utilized. Use stainless steel pans.
And the winner is…
CARBON STEEL!
De Buyer #1