TheMudbrooker's Guide to Cast Iron: Seasoning and Cleaning
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 23 ก.ย. 2024
- Wherein your friend and humble narrator commits repeated cast iron heresies! :)
The Mudbrooker's Guide to Cast Iron playlist: • The Mudbrooker's Guide...
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Watched this entire video. This guy's voice makes it very easy to pay attention to. This guy has to be an ex science teacher. Great at explaining what and why he does what he does. 👍👍
well said it’s like listening to some smooth educational jazz
I agree
❤ These guys
U
The VAPORS bahahaha I laughed out loud on that one. Thank you for the giggle and the informative videos.
My granny taught me how to season iron and I wanted to make sure that I was still doing it right and not missing anything. I made a fried egg sandwich on my number 3 while I watched it. Awesome video very informative
My grandmas and my mom always washed cast iron with soapy water and I have some of those pans and they still cook great
The Soapy Water thing is an old wives tale.
Cast iron is beautiful when it is well cared for ! I LOVE how clear your videos are. You are such an excellent instructor! You answer all the details as you go. Wonderful instructuons!
Thank you, I've been using and caring for cast iron this same way for 60 years. You have validated my Grandma and my Mom who taught me! Great video, nice voice!
Same here...most important thing to my Mom was to TOTALLY dry the cast iron skillet after it was washed so it would not rust. 99% non-stick if it is totally seasoned before you start and you spray it with non-stick spray before you start....has been working for me since they came out with non-stick spray in the 60’s. Many times I make sure my pans are completely dry by setting the pan on the center pilot light cover on the top of my 1950 High Back Deluxe Lemon Yellow Chambers Gas Range after I have lightly rubbed it with canola oil. Right now I have Great Northern Bean soup in my old Griswold Dutch Oven and am making Wheat Sticks in my Puritan No.1770 Wheat Stick shapes pan and corn sticks in my Griswold Crispy Corn Stick Pan No. 930 A. I use at least one or two of my old cast iron pieces every day. I am 74 and I don’t know how many more years I have to cook in my old cast iron...which makes me very sad because I love cooking in general and cooking in my MANY pieces of cast iron. I am to the point where I am starting to think about exactly who I am going to give my cast iron to because whoever it will be is going to have to be someone who will love and take care of it.
@@nancycurtis488 Any pan is non-stick if you use cooking spray, even stainless steel. I cook breakfast sausages, which are normally very prone to sticking, in a stainless steel electric skillet, and with cooking spray, they don't stick at all. In fact, you can slide all six or seven of them around in a group as if they were on wet ice, even after they've been cooking in one spot for ten minutes or so.
I just love your voice and clear speaking. I like that you had notes so you could explain all you know about cast iron. What a great video. I'll bet you are a hoot to hang out with. God Bless.
Thank you so much. BTW, you could easily have a career as a radio host or an audiobook reader with your great voice.
Absolutely
Yes I agree, he has a very unique voice one that’s a one of a kind. I could listen to his voice just simply talking...
"I could listen to Morgan Freeman read the phone book"
You sir, have a similar quality
He absolutely does!
What is admirable also is he hasn't said a single "uh" throughout this enjoyable monologue. "Uh" is so irritating to hear - and too many speakers unintentionally do this mercilessly to us.
Loved your videos! I was given several cast iron skillets by my mom over 30 years ago. I know she had them when I was growing up so they have to be 50+ or more. I usually wipe mine if I cook fried eggs in grease, but will scrub them and soap and water when necessary and oil her up as needed. My best cast iron find was at a Christian resale shop in Houston, TX. It was at the bottom of the shelf, face up. When I picked it up, I quickly realized that it was 15 inches in diameter. The best part is that it was marked $8! So, I grabbed it and ran to the checkout. I gave the woman $10 and said keep the change. It has been my camp pan and is great because I cook over charcoal and can make the zones as hot or cold as I want. I will never sell it but will probably leave it to someone who I think is deserving and will use it as it should be, instead of selling it to make a buck. Cheers and happy hunting and cookin!
what a great story you have! I am amazed that you found a 15 Inch pan! I would love to see a picture of it. I treat my pans as you do. works! I wonder- how is it hefting up that big ol' 15" pan?! Love hearing how you can cook in different heat zones on it. That pan went to the right person!
@@madalinebeeman2171 He was meant to have it!
@@madalinebeeman2171 So the bigger the rarer if they're old pans ? I have a 10 1/2 size and believe it's a Wagner {?} due
to it not having a ring on the bottom and 10 1/2 inch skillet being spelled out. Plus a B stamp. Was my Mothers so I know it's old, before the origin of where it was made had to be printed on it.
Thank you for your reply. That's very interesting, about they didn't used to have to put writing on the bottom!
How lovely you have your mother's cast iron- a beautiful inheritance!
Since my seeing your post, and my comment, we lost our cabin and just about everything we owned in the September 8th 2020 Bear Fire, here in northern California.
We did find some of our cast iron in the rubble of the fire, and so did some of my friends who list everything too.
One friend has managed to restore a couple of her cast iron pans!!
We haven't tried, but we've been blessed to find new ones.
Can't live without cast iron!
God bless you!
@@madalinebeeman2171 Sorry about that fire up in northern California you had. Thankful you're alive,material things can be replaced. Good luck.
This is by far one of the best videos on cast iron, very informative, very concise and well written. The information in this video will always be valuable and never be outdated. Thank you
Couldn't agree more, Mr. Moses!
Ok, I get a little all over the place here but, I promise it's good info, adding on to what he says.
Flea markets can be a good source for finding cast iron.
I've been restoring, caring for and using cast (and all kinds of cookware) for years. My pride and joy is a 100+ yr. old, cowboy's "single sized" packable Dutch oven, holds about a generous 1qt. capacity, that I found on our old ranch along with an old, cast iron waffle iron.
It was covered in a 1/2" mix of carbon, cruddy food and mud that had solidified into a kind of concrete over the years it was buried.
I was afraid it would be rusted and pitted badly inside but, when I got through all the crud (electrolysis process) it was nearly perfect. The little oven had been so well seasoned over the years of loving use that nothing could get to it.
It is so old it has no marking, just a crude gateway mark but, it certainly was well cast. It's a rare find, never seen another. Some cowboy lost his "one man oven" and was heart broken, I'm sure. And the lid is perfectly sized to flip and fry a couple of eggs or fry a piece of flat bread while the stew was cooking and it also makes the perfect, two-serving cobblers... 😆 I love it.
The *danger* of cooking Spaghetti sauce is doing it in raw/cast aluminum pots/pans. The acid will draw certain, metalic toxins from the aluminum and repeatedly eating sauce and other tomato products from cast aluminum or untreated, plain aluminum pots is really bad for your health. As for cast iron, just be sure it's well seasoned and it won't bother it, like he says. And don't fall for the lies, you can wash a cast iron pan in hot, soapy water and it's *just fine.* Just don't leave it to soak. Wash, rinse well with warm water and dry on the stove. No problem.
if you keep cooking/burning foods into an improperly seasoned pan, *that's when it starts to flake off...*
Seasoning a pan does build up carbon, especially at first. Then, as fats are added during repeated cooking, the carbons form but combine with the fats to create a polymer.
I have pans with enough properly converted polymers built-up that they're litterally like a plastic "skating rink" on the bottom. Nothing sticks, even if I burn something. And the properly done layers of seasoning *don't flake off.* If you have flaking, you need to scrub it all the way down as far as you can and start over! I've had failed attempts at seasoning that resulted in completely stripping the pan down to metal and starting over (I put too much oil on at first, that makes it gooey and/or flakes because it didn't properly bond).
I don't care for flax seed oil, either. It doesn't last. It *will* come off.
I don't know where he's coming up with "12 coats." If you use a high temp oil or fat like Crisco, clear butter or tallow, a bare pan only takes about 3 coats.
Depending upon the oil/tallow, *turn your oven to 400°f or a little more, run for the hour and let cool to room temp without opening the door.* This cooling process is important. It aids in the polymer conversion. Take it out too soon and it stays "goopy."
This method will guarantee your pan won't flake! *Sorry, 300° is too low.* to get a good base down (without possibly flaking later) on the pan, then it's just cooking and occasional maintenance oiling after cleanup.
The first thing I like to cook is a nice, well marbled steak, hamburgers, anything fatty that's beef. And bacon works, especially fresh, uncured (no salt).
What people don't realize is that cooking with certain fats (beef & pork) and things like Crisco, certain vegetable and the solidified coconut oils for cooking, convert under high heat to make not just carbon layers but, make a form of polymer (I can't remember the chemical formula lol) that bonds to the metal and will continue to build in thickness with repeated use. It's very durable.
As I say, I have pans with a solid 1/4"+ thick layer of what feels like "slick, slightly oily plastic" which it essentially is. It's bullet proof.
When you cook anything in it, just rinse/scrape/wipe out any bulk, residual foods then just heat (just hot enough to still handle) and wipe it out, then you're ready to cook again. It doesn't get any simpler.
If you have anything that did burn to the pan, warm it and throw in a tsp. to tbl spoon (depending upon size of pan and how much food is stuck) and use a wooden utensil to scrub loose anything sticking (it's easy and pretty quick) then, when everything feels slick again, just wipe with a paper towel or, if there's a lot or it's messy, just rinse out the pan with plain, warm water and dry on a warm burner. Then, while still warm, wipe it well with some coconut oil, avocado oil, non-virgin olive oil or some beef tallow, leaving just a very thin coating.
Properly rendered beef tallow has all the meat bits completely removed and that's what rots and smells so, a fine layer won't get funky before you cook in it again.
If you're going to store your pan then go ahead and get it hot enough to "smoke off" that layer (don't try to incinerate the pan) and it'll be fine and rust proof. Just wipe with a thin, fresh coat the next time you want to use it again. 😀
Avocado, grapeseed and non-virgin olive oils are high-temp resistant. *Note* Extra Virginia olive oil has
all of the heat resistant, protective properties removed and *will scorch easily,* which is why the "copper type," non-stick pans end up with black scorch marks. Cook with regular olive oil, then finish your food with extra virgin. Nobody ever tells you that!
Just a bonus tip, the non-stick, copper pans DO have to be seasoned, as well! They don't tell you this because they're trying to sell you something but, when you read the very small print on the product inserts, it tells you to warm the pan and wipe it with a thin coat of vegetable oil, etc. to *season* the pan before first use *and* after every time you wash it.
So, the whole "don't need to cook with oil" thing is misleading, it just means you don't have to cook with a *pool* of oil. They're quite non-stick when new but quickly loose their effectiveness and people get mad at them but, that's why.
*ALL PANS* need to be seasoned! Cast, copper, carbon steel, aluminum, all of them work best if you season them, first.
But, the secret is that the cast iron pieces are the only ones that build very thick, heat and stick resistant layers of the good stuff! lol.
Next best is carbon steel pans and woks. But, they require great care to not scrape through and destroy the season layer or you have to retreat it by oiling it and getting it extremely hot, moving it around over the burner fire (or in the oven if it doesn't have a wooden/plastic handle) until it all gets smoking hot and turns that purple-ish, blue-black color.
Failure to do that is why people have problems with those types of cookware. And you want a seasoned, hand hammered wok... Why buy a "non-stick" wok!? you want the more cooked food to stay up on the sides (in the hammer dents) while you cook the rest in the bottom. That's how a wok works! A Teflon coated wok just let's food slide right back down into the heat zone and you can't keep foods separated as you cook. A Teflon wok is an abomination! 😆 🤣
The high end, stainless "oiless" cookware also works the same. It's highly polished, stainless steel cooking surfaces don't withstand scratches and also requires "Seasoning" and/or small amounts of oil to be "non-stick, as well. Wooden/coated utensils only.
If you want a great product to season or cook with, frying eggs or anything you want, use beef tallow (fully rendered out beef fat). It keeps forever in fridge or freezer or in a canister, etc. on the counter for immediate use as it melts at room temperature but...
It's ultimately the best to keep your food lubed and your cast iron pans happy. 😀
*Flash* Frying in beef tallow is what put McDonald's French fries on the map! Complaining vegetarian/vegans are responsible for the loss of America's favorite addiction! 😆
Seasoning a cast iron pan with tallow is like cooking 30, fatty steaks in there, one after the other...
It's just cast iron love! ❤ 😆
Thanks
Thank you for your video. My daughter took my lodge number seven for bacon and eggs during a fall camping trip. It got left in the bag dirty, wet and now rusted . I watched this video and your last and found the courage to bring my pan back to life . I followed your steps and it’s in the oven getting a seasoning. I couldn’t be happier about my pan and about my new knowledge. Your voice is like that of the skipper on Gillian’s Island tv show . I felt your conviction in the process and you inspired my trust . 🙋♂️ .....maybe a career in voice overs is on your horizon !!!!
I'm glad I could help. There's very few cast iron things that are so far gone that they can't be brought back to life.
So cool! I rarely see a reply from Mudbrooker so this is a great surprise!
When the commenter said, “you have a voice like the skipper from Gilligan’s Island” the Skipper is the son of the great Alan Hail or Hale, who often appeared with Errol Flynn in those awesome swashbuckler movies. Skipper’s name was Alan Hail Jr, or Allen? Sorry. I know the names but don’t look at them in print much because I’m too,busy enjoying them in the movies!
Anyway, I’m pretty sure Mudbrooker has been a professional voice but he won’t tell us where or who he is. Atleast not that I’ve seen yet. And he’s very humble. But the anonymity is driving me curious.
I do recognize a slight Michigan accent though.
Would be nice to know his previous profession, maybe still current.
One thing’s for sure... the voice is a definite gift and everyone loves it. I say, go for it.
God bless.
@@BlessedBaubles Maybe the U.P? Or northern Wisconsin or Minnesota (where I'm from) ;-)
Skipper on Gillian’s island! Made me laugh. Haha
wow! That sure blew smoke on all of what I've been told by so many folks. As a former antique store owner, many of the venders with their booths and item always shamed washing with soap, scrubbing, and using. I was always afraid to remove the crusting as I was made to think it was wrong to do. But watching both of 'TheMudbrooked' videos, my view and actually, the burden of guilt is gone. Thank you very very much.
Don't tell any dealers, but I'm tickled to death when they don't clean their pans first, I've gotten several pans that were too cruddy to identify that turned out to be worth far more than what I paid for them once I stripped them clean. :)
Thank you for this informative video. I wanted to use my cast iron skillet but was worried about the cleaning. TY.
@@TheMudbrooker That is going to be a secret tip between you and I. Plus your viewing audiance. Think I'll walk around some antique mall soon. Happy New Year.
@@TheMudbrooker and here is why washing makes very little difference. Cast Iron acts as a sponge. Ask any welder (i rebuild engines and transmissions) who works with cast iron and they will tell you that even the heat from a grinder can make oil seep out of the part. It's why auto manufacturers used/use Cast iron in the blocks (it allows block to help in oil management in the cylinder) for years. Any time i've had to weld Cast iron i've had to put the part on fire bricks (they are fire resistant) and use a torch to get them cherry red to help burn out the oil, otherwise while i'm welding the part will catch fire and their goes my weld.
@@davidmiller9485 According to your logic it would be impossible for oil to saturate an engine block. The coolant having A) a much lower viscosity and B) being under pressure would be constantly forced through the iron, washing away any lubricant and destroying the engine. Yes some oil is trapped by the microscopic pore, pits and ridges of cast iron but it does not penetrate to any significant degree. Auto manufacturers use cast iron because it's cheap, easily machined and has the heat resistance, wear and predictable expansion properties required.
Quite possibly the best cast iron video I've ever seen. I had no idea what an important role carbon plays in seasoning. I'm currently restoring an old chicken fryer for a neighbor whose grandmother probably bought it in the 40's, if not earlier. It has 3 coats of seasoning on it, so I was planning on cooking some pork sausage with it. Now I'm going to put some potatoes in it after the sausage is done. Thank you, sir.
The best TH-cam I’ve seen on cast iron pans and I’ve watched many. Thanks!
Thanks for the good video I found two skillets at a abandoned campsite and cleaned them up
Thank you for much info & pleasing voice. I find your explanations easy to follow, & appreciate your thoroughness.
Love the fact that you have taken the time to help us educate on the subject of cast iron. My Mom was from Indiana and was a huge fan. I ate many meals out of them. My Dad just passed and he had a collection. I hope to snare one or more. Thanks. I'm on the hunt.
i totally fell in love with cast iron. in my country (germany) cast iron is not really a thing, so i bought an imported Lodge. in my opinion a sturdy, shiny, well seasoned cast iron skillet is the most beautiful thing in my kitchen, and i love to look at it and cook with it. i will definitely ban all of those teflon pans and cookware and replace them with cast iron and uncoated steel cookware 👍🥰
This is how my grandmas my mom took care of their cast iron ... I have my great grandparents grandparents and my parent cast iron I know my great grandparents came to Iowa from South Dakota in 1909 and early 1910 in a covered wagon and oxen they stopped and wintered in Sioux City Iowa before continuing to earlham Iowa , in June of 1910 and their cast iron skillets and the bean pot as my grandma called it came with them in the wagon ! I’ve never cleaned them as clean as you have I kinda feel like I’d be washing away history lol 😂!
That's awesome Steve - my cast iron all comes from resale shops. Would love to have some with known history like that. And I'd feel the same about cleaning them, although after cleaning some and having them come out of the lye bath like a newborn baby, all nekkid iron, it's a great feeling too. :)
Great vid, very informative. I now know how to clean my grandmothers cast iron frying pan and seasoning it again. Thanks so much.
I have just purchased my first edit cast-iron pans and watched many of videos here on TH-cam and I wanna thank you for the time in detail that you’ve put into this this is by far the best video
I've viewed many websites and your Cast Iron info is the most concise and informative! Makes the most since out of all of them. Thank you for your expertise and the time that you devoted to putting this together.
Great series of videos. A real pleasure to see how meticulously and patiently you worked on these, to bring them back and make them useful.
Thank you sooo much for explaining the black stuff that comes off when I wipe my pan out! I thought I wasn't cleaning it out well enough and that whatever it was would mold and then I'd end up eating it. And you are very right, no one else has ever talked about this that I have found so far. Thank you again! Your video has been extremely helpful!
😮 Same here 🤦🏻♀️ I cleaned the rusty stuff out but I think is no well enough N I eaten it 🫣 it is my first time having a cast iron 🫶
Solid information 👍. I've been using hot water and a little soap on my iron skillets for 40 years it works. You did something I do all the time and I'm glad I was doing the right thing. After you clean it put it back on the stove warm it up a little bit to finish cleaning. 🍳
Some of the extremes folks go to with their cast are a bit silly.
Thank you so much for mentioning that black carbon residue. Phew was I worried. 😅
So happy I found you, new cast iron dutch oven owner. It's very relaxing to watch you, It's probably your voice but you come across very real. I appreciate you, thank you!
You're welcome.
After cooking in my cast iron pans I simply clean with water. I fill the pan half way with water return to stove, boil and scrub with a lodge scrub brush. Rinse with hot water,dry with paper towel return to heat add a little oil and wipe with paper towel. Done
I was taught to scrub them out with oil and table salt. Done it that way for my whole life. I'll keep doing it that way.
That works good too. It gets the crud off and the salt is abrasive enough to keep from getting too much build up.
salt is corrusive
Gunzmith Dragonkind it is cast iron, the salt will not affect it for these purposes, ...
@@gunzmith29r Unless you have water - condensation for instance - salt isn't a problem. I've worked in restaurants where the cooks used more salt cleaning than they did cooking.
These three videos he helped so much as I’m still learning as I go. I’ve never been a big Griswold and Wagner fan but have fallen in love with Lodge. Have a lot of vintage lodge and still love learning the history and learning how to identify. Thank you for all your knowledge! Will definitely be looking forward to more of your videos!
I recently purchased a few lodge cast irons of various sizes. I cracked one and the one I’m using now is sticking and burning bad. I can feel that the coating layer is cracked off in the center where the most heat hits. It’s a learning process for sure. I never had anyone in my life to teach me a thing. Glad I have TH-cam! So many knowledgable people. I’m trying to save my pan now; doing the research so I don’t ruin another one. These should last my lifetime! Also, I wash mine sparingly, depends on what I’ve cooked but I always make sure to dry properly. I once forgot to wipe it down and it rusted so fast. Anyways, glad someone else is also learning and appreciating simple things.
I recently purchased a Field skillet (which I love), and they recommend just wiping the pan after use if possible (if there are no stuck food particles). They also say it’s ok to use a little soap occasionally. Some people say the pan should be washed every single time it’s used. Although the company preseasons with grapeseed oil, they basically say that using any oil is fine, including lard and butter, but don’t recommend flaxseed oil. Sounds like your process is very similar to what Field recommends.
It is pretty much the same thing I do, the new high-end makers like Field Co., Finex, Stargazer and Butter Pat understand that too much build-up of coating will flake off smooth, polished pans like the ones they make.
Animal fat ! Don't use anything else ! The Industrial revolution , Discovery of cast steel also Introduced , ( MEANS OF USE ) , Meaning , how do you maintain It , . MEANS OF USE , was created out of necessity ! Necessity Is the mother of Invention ! , And the best possible means to upkeep and maintain has been created from this basis ! That's why sometimes the old way Is the best Way ! Modern technology Is good sometimes ! Sometimes Our modern technology Is based on ( HOW MUCH CAN WE MAKE ) as opposed to , ( WILL IT WORK ) !
Great show , thanks very much , I especially like your electrolosis with a manual batery charger set up , I'm going to try that ! , I have my whole life done the cleaning by hand and a lot of elbow grease ! I'm still learning stuff at 66 ! I've always cured my cast Iron outside In a hardwood fire ! , Maple or Birch . Camping campfire is perfect ! When the fire Is burned down to mostly red ember put the cast Item in , cover with embers , throw on pork fat , have long hardwood sticks to stir and rub the grease and ashes Into the cooking surface and the edges . The pan may even get red hot , set your stick on fire , keep rubbing the ash into the surface ! The pores of the metal open up and allow the carbonated wood ash and grease to penetrate , constantly stiring hard , adding more fat as It burns off , as the fat helps the carbon to penetrate the porous metal . Voila ! push the pan out of the fire , leave It on the edge , don't cool It too fast . Next morning you wake up , pans are still warm , grease the pan all arround , take them down to the lake or stream , wash with sand or gravel or dirt , whatever Is arround , use moss or any kind of greenery to rinse , no need to dry , as the water just beads off ! You have created a non stick surface , It's like glass , but never over heat the pan ! Always use sufficient butter , grease or whatever ! Clean up Is a light rinse and wipe at waters edge ! Thank you .
i just stumbled upon your channel a few days ago, and now i am seasoning my cast iron pans because of your tips. thank you! all practical tips here.
My wife was surprised when she first found out that I knew how to season, and use cast iron cookware. I love our Lodge brand ceramic coated iron pans like their dutch oven, etc....👍
Hands down the best cast iron skillet restoration video I’ve seen on the Internet!
Best video I have seen in a long while in regards to cast iron. I am will sub and ring the bell.
You are the voice of reason in a community "experts." Subscribed.
*of experts.
Estate sales are where I find the best prices on cast iron.
I'm Tom Bodett and we'll leave the cast iron on for ya.
lmao
You are very good at explaining; just enough technical detail, but not too much. Great tips--thank you!
I heard your comment about starch helping to season, I stripped and reaseasoned a couple pans today, and I tried mixing a spoonful
Of cornstarch into about 4 spoonfuls of melted Crisco as an experiment, looks good after one coat but don’t see much difference. MYbe it will turn black faster once they are used. I also ran the cleaning cycle in my oven today, and as long as I was doing that, I threw in two skillets that I’ve never used much because they were so caked and crusty, and impossible to read any markings. The oven clean cycle turned all that build up to ash, all I had to do was wipe them down and put them in vinegar a few minutes. I am pleased to find out one is a Erie no 8 with inside heat ring, from about 1905, and the other is a 1924-1930 Wagner no 9.
Great video! There is a science to maintaining cast iron. Thanks for sharing your knowledge. I occasionally do campfire cooking with a 3 leg dutch oven and a frying pan. I have seasoned my cast iron with various oils in the past and yes one ended up sticky, now I know why! Your video has pointed me in the correct direction. Great Presentation!
Hello. I totally enjoyed your videos about cast iron. My mother gave me a cast iron pan that she'd had for years, it's a Wagner Ware 10 1/2 inch skillet(after all the math and stuff we came up with that it's 30 years old at least) she found it outside her house all rusted and crusted with crud. Got my oven cleaner and steel scrubby out and went to work. It's awesome! I enjoy using it so much especially since I remember using it at my mom's place like 30 years ago. I was gifted a cast iron pan from my brother, it's a fajita pan, and I purchased a dual sided grille.
We have washed our cast iron for generations in water with dishsoap. Just throw it on the stove afterwards and heat it till it's good and dry. They are beautiful till this very day. Heck, I don't even oil it much. After all these years, it's pretty maintenance free. Smooth as silk.
Great video! When explaining why your grandma didn't use soap to wash cast iron I'd add in that the lye soap she used will take the seasoning off. It's not that she was trying to save steps. Lye is what a lot of people use to strip seasoning off when the pan needs stripped down and cleaned. Today's soaps don't typically use lye so it's safe to use when cleaning cast iron pans
The black is FERROUS OXIDE, not "rust"- black powder naturally found in the earth's mantle and soluble in water that typically results in a clear solution
FERRIC OXIDE is "rust" and forms a reddish or cloudy solution when mixed with water.
Love your mentioning the difference in the video.
Love the video. Like how you display a true understanding on what seasoning really is...on a porous molecular level. Not exactly by sight. You can keep adding as much oil as you like but the first layer or two are actually the most important when getting a good season on cast iron.
Thank you for you inspirational reply my dear one! I ‘m excited to begin restoration today w the vinegar solution!🥰 🙏🥰
I watched this whole video as well. Love his methods AND his style of teaching! Thank you for taking the time to explain the process completely. 🤗
I'm coming back a couple months after I seasoned a pan using your methods. I also restored it using your guide. It is the best pan I have ever owned, hands down. I made pancakes yesterday, nothing stuck, nothing burned, it was wonderful.
Thanks for letting me know, I'm glad it turned out well. :)
I have been using a crusty pan retrieved from a trash bin 30 years ago. Haven't done much other than use it. Looks like it was used to break up rocks in a previous life. Still works, though.
I got my 3 iron skillets out of a dumpster...they were full of food but I scrubbed them, seasoned them and there my faves
Recently smitten by cast iron cookware, have been binge watching your excellent videos … fortunately, with the bonus of your soothing voice. Excellent content and love your sharing amazing expertise. Appreciate your generosity…
I wash my cast irons skillets same as you and warm it on the stove. Then “season” with a bit of “ bacon dripping” an store in the oven ‘til I need it ! My stove doesn’t set level either ! Flea markets are a good source too ! I wanted a medium cast iron skillet so headed for the flea market ! First vendor’s stall with “junk” (assortment of items ) there was an assortment of cast iron skillets and the very skillet I was looking for was setting there on the table ! For $5.00 it was a Waggoner (my fave of skillets , no particular reason ) I once years ago stubbed my toe on the handle of a cast iron skillet sticking out of the ground I was 17 and just married ! That was in 1954 ! I dug that baby up I bet myself it was a cast iron skillet ! It was ! But it was “rusty “to say the least! But I saw it wasn’t broken so I set about cleaning it up ! We lived in the San Juanquin valley of California (near Bakersfield California )there is sand in that area so water and sand a rag and hours of scrubbing I got that skillet clean down to bare metal ! Then I washed it set it in the hot summer sun to heat up n’ dry out ! Then I oiled it with bacon dripping and like you I cooked some potatoes 🥔 in it They cooked up beautiful ! However next morning the eggs stuck to the skillet a little bit ! But after a few tatars ,chicken and bacon/eggs were cooked that stopped and I had a skillet I loved ! Do I still have “the skillet” unfortunately no! But that is another story for another time ! Oh “The Skillet was a Waggoner “
❤️😇to each and everyone of you wherever you are on this Beautiful Planet 🌎🌍🌏
Don't know why but I like your post so much, what a lovely story! Wonder how in the world that skillet ended up in the ground what a strange world.
Greetings to you, Betty, from far up northern Sweden!
Thank you . Very informative.
I will apply what i have learned from you.
I am a first-time cast iron pan user.
From Singapore.
@26:56 - Un-level burners - the bane of my cooking existence.
Thank you for making the 3 videos I really needed the help to save my mothers old skillets.
I have the skillets my mother used in the fifties and sixties And I season them a little bit differently. I don't know how my mother did it but our skillets were always washed in hot soapy water. If I had to I would say Crisco was her go to oil.
But once the parents were gone and I inherited them I found that heating the pan way hotter than you would fry with cooks a lot of crap out of the metal, when it is really hot close the burner and spray an amount of pan spray onto it, it will smoke but only for a moment. Then do as he does with paper towels and rub the spray into the opened pores of the metal as it is cooling down removing any excess. Some of the molecules will be trapped in the opened pores of the hot metal as it shrinks back down. At least that is my theory because it works really well. I have a lot of crude on the outside, 60 years worth, no, much more. I think I will try the cleaning tips offered here. They have had that crud on the outside since I even understood what a skillet was for as a small child. Seems almost like blasphemy to remove all that history but seriously, I would like to see how they looked new before I die as well.
So many different instructions from people. I like your no nonsense way.
After kinda watching two other videos (that I cut short because they just babbled on and on about God knows what and never got to the point), I was hesitant in watching yours, but am GLAD I did. You cut to the chase, got straight to the point, answered my questions, and made the whole process EASY. --I got a brand new cast iron pan for Christmas several years ago, but have been afraid to use it, because even though it states it has been "pre-seasoned", I knew I had to season it again, and I wasn't sure how, and also didn't want some long drawn out process where I'd be paying on the electric bill for months on end. THANK You Mr. Mudbrooker! Plus, your voice is very soothing and comfortable, quite pleasant to listen to. Thank you for putting my fears to rest. I subscribed.
Excellent video and very informative. I was given a cast iron dutch oven with rust and in rough shape. After watching this I'm excited to clean it up really well and then season it this way. Great video and Your voice makes me want to pay attention.
Dang, every time I watch your videos I end up cooking whatever you do in the video, tonight it's meatloaf (made in a #5 pan) and fried taters! Thanks
Thank you for such clear and understandable video classes on how to take good care season and clean cast iron. I love my cast iron cookware and care for it the best I can.
Enjoying your cast iron videos! I got into using cast iron to cook with a couple years ago. I love the flavor of the food cooked in cast iron and enjoy the process of caring for it. Gives cooking a little more personal touch. I had acquired an old Birmingham skillet that had some rust. I cleaned it up good and reseasoned it. First thing I cooked in it was cornbread in the oven. I greased it with lard and when that cornbread came out, it had a beautiful finish on the inside. I’m still learning all the tricks of the trade.
Thankyou. I fnally know how to season a cast iron pan correctly! But doggone, two days ago I did a Flax Oil seasonng at 500 degrees for 6 repetitions, having read that is a recomnnded process. I hope I can use clarified butter or lard henceforth and prevent the Flax Oil flaking?
I wonder if you have made a video on proper seasoning of a steel carbon wok? That's my next project.
You are a cast iron genius! Thanks so much for the step by step. Very, very helpful!
This made cleaning enjoyable "Oh no not soap and hot water"! Got a golden voice like Wilford Brimley. This guy could read the phone book as a podcast and I'd subscribe.
5:55: "I can guarantee you there was a lot of things [your grandma] didn't clean unless she had to". LMAO I'm dead :D :D :D
It was hard work to haul in water and the wood to heat it, that's why bath day and laundry day only came once a week. :)
TheMudbrooker you're talking about my grandmother :). She raised 5 children, washed clothes on a washboard, hauled water from the spring. Man, I loved going back there to visit as a child. The stories she shared; her youngest son is a doctor. I hear people refer to 'fly over country'; well, my great aunt used to fly airplanes over there. Huge respect for this fly over country.
@@karenfornwalt9235 A lot of things were done in the old days because they had no choice. My grandmother raised 8 children in a 2-story log house, with no electricity or indoor plumbing. She cooked on a wood stove, etc. The whole 9 yards. People romanticize that lifestyle today, because they can take it or leave it.
Carol Southern very true. It was a hard life. If you grew up in the country everyone was self sufficient and hard working. I romanticize the lifestyle because I had the luxury of visiting. Of course you don't understand how hard it was when you're a child. Except when it came to the outhouse 😬 . I was always afraid of spiders in the outhouse ! Lol
Carol Southern 2. The positive aspect was that you had extended family members nearby. I wish I'd been able to grow up near my grandparents and aunts and uncles etc. They were (are) so important to me.
Thank-you for such a helpful vid! I have washed my pans when they needed them and always felt bad not any more! I use 2 small pans every day for breakfast and they work fine...no idea where they came from...
I heard you on Suttons Daze the other nite and subbed your channel. I enjoyed this video, thank you! I'll be checking out your other cast iron videos, I have several that need to be brought back to life.
Good luck. All the methods of restoring iron take some time, but they're not too difficult and the results are well worth the effort. Thanks for subscribing.
Wow i could listen to this guy all day. Thank you for the great info.
I just inherited my grandmas 100 yr old Wagner cast iron set ( several nice pieces) but i do need to clean and season them again, and i am going to use your video...thank you so much ❤
My ex sis n law gave me a cast iron dutch over and it needs some love. I am so glad I found your videos. I am sure it is not a collector but a true use pan and now after I get it clean, I will do just that!!
Thanks again!
Thank you for the excellent video and information. Very informative and helpful. I like your seasoning technique and plan to use it on some much needed old cast iron.
Watching this no-nonsense, practical and believable tutorial video on 'cast iron 101' made me fall in love with cast iron cookware, especially the old vintage pans. Your video of this genre surpasses most others in my opinion. I love firearms and I also love to cook. Over the years I have assembled a relatively small collection of the former - compared to others. You have inspired me to go out and look for 'collectible' iron cookware and begin a new passion. Thank You!
(I will most likely start out with a new LODGE 12" skillet (for practice) from WALMART or HOME DEPOT for $25.00.)
Thank you for a very informative video on CI. You have answered a lot of my questions and the biggest one being I couldn’t imagine my ancestors going through these elaborate processes about maintaining and seasoning cast iron. This video explains exactly how they used and maintained theirs. I was thinking when they would bring it home from the general store. It probably didn’t have a lot of seasoning on it and they didn’t have this complicated process suggested on most videos. This video makes using cast-iron very approachable. And the tip on the warping is unique from so many other videos I’ve seen. Thank you. If I know how something happens, then I know how to prevent it.
Thank you. This has been the best video for caring for my pans I've seen. Ive tried others with not as good results. I'm officially a dedicated follower!
Thank you for the information, and making it an easy to understand process. I will say though, I almost expected when I saw the salt and pepper during the seasoning explanation to get a funny joke and was expecting you to just salt and pepper the pan for a joke. Thank you again.
i was told to heat and dry the cast iron when the pan is smoking you wipe off any water then apply the oil/lard/butter turn off the heat flip the pan upside down allow to build up heat inside turn the pan right side up wipe then hot pan out again and allow to cool and its ready to to store
Thanks for sharing your informative video. I have several cast iron pans, pots, and dutch ovens that I use regularly, along with some tinned copper ware and enameled cast iron dutch ovens. The cast iron and copper cookware take a little effort to maintain - but not much, really - and they are a joy with which to cook. Some of the cast iron pans that I have were handed down from my mother from her mother - and who knows from there?
That is some really nice iron you have there.
And THANK YOU for washing your pan in that soapy water. So many people think that it will ruin a seasoning but that is just not true. Wash, dry, season and put away for next time. Nice work.
Very useful information and a soothing voice !
I like how you used science and metal properties to explain theories for proper seasoning.
Whenever people told me in past they wanted a cast iron skillet like granny had. I say treat it like granny would have. Save your bacon grease and drag a rag across it. Granny never heard of olive oil or flax seed oil.
Thank you ! I bought two little Cast Iron pans from the second hand shop. I bought them home and gave them a good scrub with steel wool, dish soap and hot water, then I put them on the gas on high until they dried out, I then rub them inside and out with oil, wiped it out, rewashed heated and oiled and wipeout twice and left it on the gas to dry and then until it was cold. The oil was so greasy I couldn't put it in the cupboard, so I washed them again in dish soap and hot water, but this time I used butter. I said this to a man on youtube who's video was about seasoning pans and he went off his head at me for using butter. Well I'm going to keep doing it because my pans look beautiful without oil. So pleased to see I'm not the only one who uses butter and I know both my grandmothers used butter because oil wasn't around in their day. I think people of today are so brain washed about oil that they can't see the truth.
Right-On!!! Butter is best!
I love watching your channel, I learn so much. Thank you Mudbrooker!
Great video! Very informative. Thanks for sharing!
You're welcome.
Cheers from New Zealand, excuse the pun.This video has clarified" a number of questions I had regarding cast ironware.
A grateful Kiwi.
Great info. My grandmaa would be proud. I have all 5 of her iron. I still use weekly.
Excellent score on that muffin pan! Your CI looks fantastic. Makin me think I need to get busy cleaning and reseasoning mine..... Ok, it's on the list now.
As soon as I get around to seasoning it, I'm gonna make some cornbread muffins, should be really good. You should look for some old iron, a pan from the 40's or 50's weighs about a third less than a new Lodge, a really old one like that Griswold or old Wagner in the video is about half the weight. Much easier on the wrists. Besides, Phil looks like the sort who would love to build an electrolysis rig. :)
@@TheMudbrooker My oldest piece is my 75 year old friends, mother CI pan. LOL heavy as a truck
@@SuttonsDaze Maybe next time I cull my herd I'll send something a little daintier your way. :)
@@TheMudbrooker thank you, but I'm up to my ears in CI ❤
The Favorite Piqua Ware Skillet made in my home town Piqua,Ohio 1916 -1935 by W.C.Davis Company great history.
This is the best explanation of how to clean and season cast iron cooking pans and pots....
I bought my current residence 17 years ago from the relatives of the old lady who bought it about 40 years ago , when it was built. So because they sold the place as is, I have a lot of cast iron cookware, along with other odd stuff.. Mostly Wagner, a 5 quart cook pot, a deep fryer like you showed, a griddle pan I use for bacon and griddle cakes, and a little Griswald about 7 inch pan for 2 eggs. All are sticky, and my fave griddle has rust on the bottom that I am already attacking.
I always scrub mine in soapy water just like any other pans if they get gunky... it has no effect on the seasoning that I have ever noticed, I have been shamed by others for doing it..I just laugh. I love my cast iron, I spent about 2 years searching for the right patina and condition collecting a set for my own use, I ended up going with BSR (Birmingham Stove and Range) century model from the 60's. They cook flawlessly and have the same high quality as the Griswold and Wagner but can be purchased at a lower pricepoint because they aren't as collectable for lack of a fancy trademark...I wouldn't trade them for anything.
I have a perfect matching set #3 #5 #7 #10 #12 all perfectly seasoned and ready to go.
Very informative video, I just bought a Forge griddle and am following cleaning and seasoning instructions. I also bought a Norway Jotul pan but I am at a loss on how to season, due to a plastic or rubber handle grip.
I dont know if you are still reading these comments as old as the video is but, I want to say thank you for coming over to my side! My side being those who wash and scrub pans when they need it! I found out long time ago from my grandma the best way to season a cast iron pan is to USE IT! Much like you cooked the potatoes and said something about bacon, no matter what it is, just use the pan. Thanks for your video.
I got my pan today, and it is a thing of beauty! Satin smooth and ready to rock! It's so light-weight, compared to my lodge of the same size. Thank you mudbrooker! It will be my go-to pan from now on.
I'm gad you like it, use it in good health. :)
What brand pan did you get? I’m need a lightweight cast iron, if there is such a thing. Thanks.
@@barbaramassa9310 I got one of the wagners. I found out just how much lighter the older pans are, when compared to a new Lodge of the same size, for instance.
trid2bnrml Thank you for your help.
The dried on meat drippings just add a little hot water, bring to a simmer and make gravy. After I clean, I use bacon grease to season my pans.
I've got a griddle and a 10 inch pan. The griddle I found at a yard sale a few years ago and the pan I bought at Big-lots for like 12 bucks.
Great Video!! Washed. Dried. Heated with butter. Wiped a slightly rusted iron pan. Looks good as new. Never been used. Thanks!! Safe Journey!!!
I like that you done this biblically clean thank you for the option.
Hi! Just found your channel, my mother always cooks out of iron skillets, I still cook with them, one my skillet got how to season on bottom, 300 degrees for hour, thank you you have shown stuff I did not know or thought about, just subscribed!