Cast Iron Pan Conditioner - should I or shouldn't I?

[Zil]

I apologize.  In my defense, I didn't rant and I included some acurate instuction about seasoning cast iron. I will be calm for the future.

 

[joey]

This is my camp fire and I am cooking Cajun Sausage Spaghetti. I have LODGE cast iron and to me it is the best!

 

[Zil]

Joey, that is the best use of cast iron as it spreads the heat. I have ruined some of my pans by accidentally heating too quickly over a gas or electric range. I just forgot that cast iron pans were invented when stoves were gentler.

 

[highdesertranger]

looking good joey,  can I come over for dinner.  highdesertranger

 

[joey]

I always have plenty. I took extra helpings to the camp host here and two of my neighbors.

 

[twokniveskatie]

Zil- no apology necessary. Please advise me on the staying calm part, though.

Joey- I have always been cautioned about cooking tomato sauce in cast iron. Does it affect your finish?

 

[joey]

As soon as I'm done I wash it out with warm water and then heat it up for about 5 minutes. After that rub a little bit of oil inside and let it sit. It's like a quick re-seasoning. The acid in tomatoes does give it a dried out look. I think it strips the oil from it. As long as I oil it then heat it a little bit it is fine.

 

[travel]

Joey, I loved those pictures! Makes me excited to get going and hit the road and start cooking outdoors with my new (and hand-me-down) Lodge cast iron cookware. Good idea to use an extra frying pan as a cover. Nice Dutch oven! I've never had one before but I'm just itching to try mine out. Might even try it out while I'm still at the house. In the Lodge 5-piece set I bought, the lid from the Dutch oven will also fit my 10" frying pan. I have a large stainless steel soup pot (kind of like a Dutch oven), maybe 6 or 8 quarts in size. I plan on using that for tomato sauce, or anything with lots of tomatoes. It may take up a bit more space, but I can store other things inside that stainless steel soup pot, and I don't plan on using it too often anyways.<br><br>And a general question for anyone... do you think it's worth seasoning a "pre-seasoned" piece of cast iron cookware? All of my new Lodge pieces (griddle, Dutch oven, frying pans) have a decent looking sheen to them, but nothing like a pan that's been used for years. Seasoning produces so much smoke in the house, I'd rather not go through that again if it's not necessary. (That won't be a problem when I'm vandwelling and cooking outside). Or should I just be sure to use a generous amount of oil when cooking, until it builds up a non-stick coating? With my former Kitchen Aid cast iron pans, I seasoned them five times, and they have a sheen similar to my new Lodge pans. But I still had to use a decent amount of oil when cooking so food wouldn't stick. (PS: no need to mention the <em>type</em> of oil, I think we all have our favorites, as seen in the previous replies to this post).<img src="/images/boards/smilies/wink.gif" class="emoticon bbc_img">

 

[highdesertranger]

bear grease.&nbsp; ah Katie, &nbsp;your after my heart.&nbsp; I have cooked with tomatoes and tomato sauce just clean with warm water and oil after.&nbsp; I have had no problems.&nbsp; some say you even get a metallic taste I haven't noticed.&nbsp; btw when I worked on a farm when I was a young man we used tomatoes for soap to wash are hands worked great.&nbsp; highdesertranger

 

[Zil]

Ahhhggg beat by a pop up ad.<br><br>I seasoned my lodge pan with (some favorite) cooking grease. heavy coat, upside down in oven, very hot, slow cool down before opening oven. I used the auto-clean setting with the exhaust fan on.<br><br>With well seasoned pots pans no off taste. If not carefull cleaning and remove too much coat, then extra iron dose. The more (some favorite) fat cooking the better the season coat.

 

[Zil]

Thanks, Katie.

 

[travel]

OK, so would it be a good idea to season my new, "pre-seasoned" Lodge cast iron pans, inside and out, or just cook with them and let the seasoning build up on the cooking surface as I cook with whatever oil/grease I use?&nbsp;

 

[wandering mike]

@ Travel: &nbsp;I fall into the "just use it" camp. &nbsp;For a new one, or if you cook something that takes the oil away, or if you wash it, then I would wipe it with oil before putting it away as others have mentioned. &nbsp;You do not want it to dry out or rust. &nbsp;If it does, it can be salvaged, just a bit of work. &nbsp;I actually avoid cooking some things like tomato based sauces that I think will cause a need to use some efforts to clean it beyond a scrape and a wipe. &nbsp;But I wouldn't worry too much; you can't really kill one of the pans in a way that it can't be rehabilitated with some work. (I guess it could rust way too much, but I have never heard of that happening.)

 

[Zil]

I have sand blasted some heavily rusted old iron pans then seasoned them with fine results. Seasoning new pans is a personal choice. I always wounder what the pans were subjected and give them a scrubbing be fore using.

 

[travel]

Thanks Mike. Like you suggested, I think I'll just use the cast iron cookware, as it is now, like you suggested. The pre-seasoning from Lodge looks decent. As I use the cookware, the part where the food cooks on should get better seasoned and become smooth and non-stick. I'll just be sure to use a bit of oil until then. The sides and bottom look good too, but I'm sure it won't hurt to lightly oil every square inch of the cookware after each use. If it didn't produce so much smoke, I'd season them a few more times in the oven while I'm still living in a house. But my mother is trying to sell this house, so I don't want it to smell with burnt oil, lol!&nbsp;<img src="/images/boards/smilies/tongue.gif" class="emoticon bbc_img">&nbsp;Once I'm in the van, I will only cook outdoors, with a portable propane stove (which I still have to buy), so ventilation will be great. Any smoke and cooking odor will quickly dissipate. Hopefully it won't attract bears!<br><br>For times when I need to cook with lots of tomatoes or tomato sauce, etc, I will probably use my stainless steel pot. I'm bringing one along just for that reason. With my previous Kitchen Aid cast iron pans, I cooked tomatoes, then made the newbie mistake of washing with hot, soapy water. It only had a light layer of pre-seasoning and it all came off in the middle. So I won't make that mistake again. I haven't had any pans rust on me, and I will do my best to care for the cast iron cookware so that it doesn't happen. I imagine it's a bit of extra work to restore the pans if they rust.

 

[twokniveskatie]

I have done the "just use it" method with my more recent pre-seasoned pans. Although I would cook things like bacon the first few times. I'm sure just being sure to use oil initially will do the same thing.

 

[twokniveskatie]

Travel- just realized I disrepected your wishes about mentioning my choice of seasoning in your thread. My apologies, I was not reading my emails chronologically. I can remove the post if you wish.

 

[travel]

Don't worry about it Katie, it's OK.&nbsp;<img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" class="emoticon bbc_img">&nbsp;Thanks for thinking of that and being considerate about apologizing. Most people cook meat, and the suggestion for bacon might help others who like/eat it. I'm not here to judge anyone, and I hope nobody judges me. To each his/her own. In any case, I think the general consensus is to just use the pre-seasoned cast iron cookware as-is, but continue using your preferred oil until the non-stick surface builds up.<br><br>Last night, I cleaned and seasoned the old (1970s) Lodge 8" frying pan my father gave me. It hadn't been used for a long time, and needed a cleaning. I'm not sure if it was ever seasoned, as the bottom of the pan and handle looked gray, while the inside cooking surface looked black. So, I decided to wash it with hot water and an SOS pad. Then I used it for cooking, with some extra oil. Then I wiped it clean with a paper towel, and rubbed the entire pan (handle, underside, etc) with a thin coat of flaxseed oil, wiped off the excess while the pan was warm, and then put it in the oven for an hour at 450F and let it cool down inside the oven. Looks better already. I think another 2 seasonings, and it should look as good as my newly purchased pre-seasoned pans. I still haven't cooked on the new cookware, but soon I will.&nbsp;