After lots of great help from people on this forum, I purchased preseasoned Lodge Logic cast iron cookware. I just cooked my first meal on the skillet for my before bed snack- eggs. Unfortunately, I had a terrible surprise after the eggs were cooked- a sticky mess on the pan! Let me assure everyone that even before I purchased the pan, I researched how to use cast iron. I followed all directions that came with the lodge. I buttered the pan and put the eggs on. As soon as I went to flip them I realized I had a problem. I did not have the heat to high, I didn't burn the eggs. The instant I took the eggs off, I put the pan under scalding hot water to rinse, wipe, lightly oil, and put away right? Wrong! When I rinsed, not much happened, so I made sure there was no soap on the sponge, then gently wiped while running under the hot water. Still, not much better. As it turns out, I had to use the scouring side of the sponge to get the crusted on egg off the pan. Damn! I didn't use soap though! I guess I have to reseason now, but if this is what its like, I'm not sure I want to bother. Did this happen because it's new? It says ready to use. Oh well, at least the eggs were good! It's too late for this. I'm going to bed. Thanks in advance for any advice you might have.
Just Cooked First Meal on Cast Iron- Bad Experience
- Thread starter woodburn
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Maybe the cast was "made in China".. oh, so sad.
Really, we gave up the cast iron when we got into our sixties, just too damn heavy
Okay, woodburn, will try and be somewhat serious. you need to get it hot first, and not with butter or margarine. but oil!!, the former won`t stop the stick. we mostly use olive oil for cooking, but that won`t cut it for the cast iron. you will need to use something like mazola, or some other corn oil.
In short you need to use real cooking oil, and get it hot before you place your goodies in the fry pan. %-P
Still have problems after trying that. pm me. wife is working, and I am still cooking. and am still making chinese all the time.
Yes, with success.
Really, we gave up the cast iron when we got into our sixties, just too damn heavy
Okay, woodburn, will try and be somewhat serious. you need to get it hot first, and not with butter or margarine. but oil!!, the former won`t stop the stick. we mostly use olive oil for cooking, but that won`t cut it for the cast iron. you will need to use something like mazola, or some other corn oil.
In short you need to use real cooking oil, and get it hot before you place your goodies in the fry pan. %-P
Still have problems after trying that. pm me. wife is working, and I am still cooking. and am still making chinese all the time.
Yes, with success.
Sounds to me like the pan was not properly seasoned first.
When I ever had stuff stuck on any type pan, the best time to clean a heavy mess off is when the pan is still hot.
Just be careful not to burn yourself.
When I ever had stuff stuck on any type pan, the best time to clean a heavy mess off is when the pan is still hot.
Just be careful not to burn yourself.
Ok I'm in my 30's not my 60's. I just wanted to say that because i'm sure i'm the only guy that young that uses one.
My Dad used one all the time. In the Boy Scouts I started using one. All of that mass made it great for cooking on coals. It really evens the heat out. I kept using it when I moved out on my own. My wife had never seen one before, or atleast seen someone use one.
If the one you bought was brand new, I doubt it's seasoned, or if they say it is, it's probably not seasoned well. My wife put mine in the dishwasher once and completely ruined it. It took a good reseasoning and a few months of use to get it back to normal.
To season one put some fat in it. I mean fat not this semi-healthy processed vegatable stuff. Use lard or bacon fat, something that's a solid at room temperature. If it has some rough or bad spots in it, steal wool the bad spots first. Stick the thing in your oven on about 275. make sure its pretty hot, but not so hot to burn the oil. Leave it there 15 mins or so, take it out and pour any excess fat off it and put it back in the oven for a few hours. You can google something like rust proofing swords in ancient times, or something like that. That's how this technique was developed.
To clean one. Scrape the food out of it. Put some water in it with a little bit of dishwashing detergent and put it back on the stove again and let the water get good and warm. (I leave it on low while I'm eating dinner.) Use the spatula to swirl the water around and break the food loose. Pour the water out, rinse it with hot water. Make sure it's hot or you might crack the skillet. Then wipe it dry with dish towel and put a little olive oil on it and wipe it around.
Keep using it and it will get better. Oh and olive oil and light oils are ok to cook with in one. Just not good to season one with.
My Dad used one all the time. In the Boy Scouts I started using one. All of that mass made it great for cooking on coals. It really evens the heat out. I kept using it when I moved out on my own. My wife had never seen one before, or atleast seen someone use one.
If the one you bought was brand new, I doubt it's seasoned, or if they say it is, it's probably not seasoned well. My wife put mine in the dishwasher once and completely ruined it. It took a good reseasoning and a few months of use to get it back to normal.
To season one put some fat in it. I mean fat not this semi-healthy processed vegatable stuff. Use lard or bacon fat, something that's a solid at room temperature. If it has some rough or bad spots in it, steal wool the bad spots first. Stick the thing in your oven on about 275. make sure its pretty hot, but not so hot to burn the oil. Leave it there 15 mins or so, take it out and pour any excess fat off it and put it back in the oven for a few hours. You can google something like rust proofing swords in ancient times, or something like that. That's how this technique was developed.
To clean one. Scrape the food out of it. Put some water in it with a little bit of dishwashing detergent and put it back on the stove again and let the water get good and warm. (I leave it on low while I'm eating dinner.) Use the spatula to swirl the water around and break the food loose. Pour the water out, rinse it with hot water. Make sure it's hot or you might crack the skillet. Then wipe it dry with dish towel and put a little olive oil on it and wipe it around.
Keep using it and it will get better. Oh and olive oil and light oils are ok to cook with in one. Just not good to season one with.
Cast iron must be "properly" seasoned! The longer you use it the better it will get! I have cast iron, and it is the "go to" pan in my Kitchen! Never use soap to clean it, and for the first several times use lots of oil or shortning to properly season it. Deep fry if possible! (Great excuse to make donuts!) Stay with it, and you will never look back. :cheese:
if you know someone who has a commercial deep fryer, I heard a 10 minute dip in one of those is excellent for seasoning a cast iron pan.
Karl: I agree with most of what you suggest except for the dish soap part. NEVER use dish soap to clean cast iron cookware - it removes the oil from deep within the iron, a.k.a. the "seasoning".
Instead, after removing your food from the pan turn the heat up and add about 2" of warm/hot water and let it come to a boil. Any food that has stuck to the bottom can now be easily removed using a spatula. You can also use a nylon bristle brush after you empty the hot water to scour the surface clean. I usually do this in the sink while it's under running hot water.
After it's cleaned, place it back on the fire at a lower setting and let it heat up a bit. Turn the heat off and add a little canola or peanut oil and rub it in with a dry paper towel. Canola and peanut oil have a high flash point and won't smoke like vegatable or olive oil will. The pan is now ready to go the next time you need it.
BTW: I believe the secret to cast iron cooking is a hot pan (not smoking hot) using a low/medium fire to heat it up slowly. Add your oil/grease when ready to cook and place your food in the pan.
Instead, after removing your food from the pan turn the heat up and add about 2" of warm/hot water and let it come to a boil. Any food that has stuck to the bottom can now be easily removed using a spatula. You can also use a nylon bristle brush after you empty the hot water to scour the surface clean. I usually do this in the sink while it's under running hot water.
After it's cleaned, place it back on the fire at a lower setting and let it heat up a bit. Turn the heat off and add a little canola or peanut oil and rub it in with a dry paper towel. Canola and peanut oil have a high flash point and won't smoke like vegatable or olive oil will. The pan is now ready to go the next time you need it.
BTW: I believe the secret to cast iron cooking is a hot pan (not smoking hot) using a low/medium fire to heat it up slowly. Add your oil/grease when ready to cook and place your food in the pan.
My tips for seasoning: coat with oil (type really doesnt matter) then put the pan in the oven at 450 or so for 15 min, remove, recoat with oil and put back in the oven for 5 min or so. I would never pay for or trust a preseasoned pan.... They are all made in china, it could be preseasoned in some toxic goo...
I am 26 and my cast iron is the only flat pan I cook in.
I am 26 and my cast iron is the only flat pan I cook in.
I'll be honest- eggs are the one thing that can give me issues- not with cleaning as much as keeping them together.
To clean- put some water in the pan and boil it for a bit, then scrub with water.
To clean- put some water in the pan and boil it for a bit, then scrub with water.
I pretty much only use cast iron. I use the same methods as Karl to season , but I cook them in the oven 20 min. & you will have to do that more than once.
Cast iron does meed to be heated through out before you put anything in to cook.
I rarely use detergent & only when the pans are throughly seasoned.
When your cast iron is truly seasoned you will love them!
Don't give up on them!
Cast iron does meed to be heated through out before you put anything in to cook.
I rarely use detergent & only when the pans are throughly seasoned.
When your cast iron is truly seasoned you will love them!
Don't give up on them!
Thanks for all the advice. I tried two more batches of eggs again this morning, and loaded the pan with PAM and it was a lot better, still some sticking though. The second batch I made had LITTLE BLACK SPECS all over it like pepper. I ate those and gave the first batch to the kids. I know cast iron improves with time, so I will keep at it, but I don't like the idea of loading up the oil on my food. Also, what the heck were those specs, has anyone seen this before? This is LODGE cookware, not cheap stuff from China as some people thought might be the case.
My suggestions - make bacon in it and save the bacon fat to use later( you don't need a gallon to cook with just a touch) and deep fry in it as much as possible. I inherited all the cast iron cookware from my grandmother and yes it is well seasoned, these are the same pans she cooked breakfast and fried Horn Pout in when I was a boy. Absolutely no grease cutting dishsoap like Dawn. In the winter our large pan is the go to pan for deep fried Yellow Perch.
Wow nobody likes soap huh?
Let me clarify. My skillet is throughly seasoned and it doesn't seem to hurt it. Also I don't use a lot, a small squirt in probably 3 or 4 cups of water. It's not really soapy or anything, just enough to break down the surface tension of the water. Once the pan gets really blackend, the soap won't hurt it.
Let me clarify. My skillet is throughly seasoned and it doesn't seem to hurt it. Also I don't use a lot, a small squirt in probably 3 or 4 cups of water. It's not really soapy or anything, just enough to break down the surface tension of the water. Once the pan gets really blackend, the soap won't hurt it.
Yea my frend next door has his grandmothers frying pan on the stove . I dont think its ever been washed . He just screens the oil out and reuses it. He cooks every thing from eggs, pork chops ,fish , fries, Ive never seen him clean it ,and his pan is allways on the stove full of oil ready to go . This nastys me out, but his food never sticks . The guy can realy fry some chicken . He found a wife and moved out a few years ago. I have much better luck with coated pots .
Woodburn,
Re:
I can’t say, definitively, that the answer to the above is “yes,” but I strongly suspect that that is the case. We have very well-seasoned pans, and no “specs.”
Let me first make a brief “appeal to authority,” as I myself have limited cooking skills (I get to do a lot of the cleanup-lol): my girlfriend is essentially a gourmet chef, by avocation, but it’s not her day job.
And we two or three heavy, cast iron skillets. One was her mother’s, who is also a lifelong “foodie,” and taught the g.f. to cook. The g.f. gets (and reads) the cooking mags (Gourmet, Cooks Illustrated, etc...) watches Rachel Ray, Iron Chef, Emeril, etc… (and those are only the ones I remember seeing, as I walk by the TV--I’m sure there’s about 3-4 more! LOL).
And we use soap to clean the pans. And it’s *gak!* DAWN dishwashing liquid!
Therefore, I totally agree with Karl when he says:
Of course, if you let your Golden Retriever lick the pans out, as we often do, you’d use soap too! And probably the anti-bacterial DAWN stuff! LOL
The point being, food doesn’t really stick much in these pans--if it does, it was a delicious, hot, big deal of a meal (Indian, Mexican, Vietnamese, etc...Yes, I do eat like a King--LOL!) and after the Golden takes his licks, if need be, it gets a quick boil on the stove with water (no soap there), and a quick scrape-down with a metal spatula. If real bad, an overnight soak is done (usually water-only, but I wouldn’t swear we’ve never put soap in it, overnight).
And no, the food has never once tasted of soap.
Worst case, a steel wool scrubbie is briefly employed, but that is rarely needed. Most times, Dog + quick soapy sponge and hot water rinse. I don’t even reoil them (she may?) because they’re that well-seasoned.
By the way, as someone mentioned “coated” pans--this is not an attack on anyone advocating coated pans, and I realize you didn’t mention Teflon, nor did anyone else, specifically--I just want to pass this on for the health of the gen. pop.: I used to know the name of the DuPont product that goes into the making of Teflon, when I was doing an environmental radio show, but whatever this substance is, it is suspected of causing cancer, birth defects, etc...and it is ALREADY IN 95% OF THE LIVING, U.S. blood supply (that’s you and me!), with particular concentrations around the Great Lakes region, wherever a major DuPont plant is (I can’t remember the details, at this point, but I believe that’s correct, about the Great Lakes).
Let’s hope those who “suspect” this chemical is bad for us are very wrong....
My point is: at least whatever flakes off of a cast iron pan is NOT TEFLON...or this nasty chemical used in the manufacture of Teflon. And remember, people take IRON as vitamins! Though I suspect what’s flaking off is the poorly-adhered, carbonized-remnants of yesterday’s scrambled eggs. When it’s truly seasoned, not only won’t the eggs be sticking much (if at all, especially with a little olive oil or bacon grease), but they won’t be flaking off the next day, either.
On the contrary, how many Teflon pans have you seen that were “checkered” and flaking? And even if never overheated (which causes Teflon-coasted pans to flake) how do we know that all manner of long-chain petrochemical, Teflon-coating-related nasties are not outgassing when heated to several hundred degrees, and saturating the eggs?
You will come to love your cast iron pans--when one of ours finally cracked, it was like loosing a good friend (particularly since I suspect we must have abused it in some way, to cause this....)
Prescription for your Cast Iron Pans: Fried bacon--if worried about cholesterol, drain the bacon, and freeze in small groups, for use as a quick microwave breakfast when no time to cook, so you don’t gorge on the bacon all at once. G.f. sometimes does this for me (when I’m allowed to have bacon--LOL). Hint: layers of Syran wrap between the strips makes for no-struggle use, right out of the freezer.
Re: your question about the need to re-season: I have an antique Dutch oven that became neglected, and needed re-seasoning, as did a steel (not cast) wok I cook with, picked up, neglected, at a garage sale. I re-seasoned these years ago. I knew less then than I did now, and I believe I only used olive oil back then, to season them, which can leave a thin, but sticky, gummy residue, after season in the oven. Eventually, this cooks off, but is sticky until that happens. I would therefore only cook with olive oil (heart-healthy, after all--knock on wood three times) but would re-season with bacon grease FIRST. And I would not be afraid of seasoning FOR HOURS at a heat too low to burn the fat. You can take clean, white paper towels and periodically spread the oil all up the sides, etc..., to help ensure equal curing over the entire interior of the pan.
And then cook friend chicken, bacon, etc… a few times and then reattempt your eggs. You don’t have to eat unhealthily forever, but it helps, during the seasoning process, to cook such things. Afterwards, you can stir fry your asparagus, eggs, etc..., in olive oil with very little stuck eggs, if any.
Damn it! Now you’ve made me hungry again, and I was headed for bed! LOL
Enjoy your cast iron!
Re:
I can’t say, definitively, that the answer to the above is “yes,” but I strongly suspect that that is the case. We have very well-seasoned pans, and no “specs.”
Let me first make a brief “appeal to authority,” as I myself have limited cooking skills (I get to do a lot of the cleanup-lol): my girlfriend is essentially a gourmet chef, by avocation, but it’s not her day job.
And we two or three heavy, cast iron skillets. One was her mother’s, who is also a lifelong “foodie,” and taught the g.f. to cook. The g.f. gets (and reads) the cooking mags (Gourmet, Cooks Illustrated, etc...) watches Rachel Ray, Iron Chef, Emeril, etc… (and those are only the ones I remember seeing, as I walk by the TV--I’m sure there’s about 3-4 more! LOL).
And we use soap to clean the pans. And it’s *gak!* DAWN dishwashing liquid!
Therefore, I totally agree with Karl when he says:
Of course, if you let your Golden Retriever lick the pans out, as we often do, you’d use soap too! And probably the anti-bacterial DAWN stuff! LOL
The point being, food doesn’t really stick much in these pans--if it does, it was a delicious, hot, big deal of a meal (Indian, Mexican, Vietnamese, etc...Yes, I do eat like a King--LOL!) and after the Golden takes his licks, if need be, it gets a quick boil on the stove with water (no soap there), and a quick scrape-down with a metal spatula. If real bad, an overnight soak is done (usually water-only, but I wouldn’t swear we’ve never put soap in it, overnight).
And no, the food has never once tasted of soap.
Worst case, a steel wool scrubbie is briefly employed, but that is rarely needed. Most times, Dog + quick soapy sponge and hot water rinse. I don’t even reoil them (she may?) because they’re that well-seasoned.
By the way, as someone mentioned “coated” pans--this is not an attack on anyone advocating coated pans, and I realize you didn’t mention Teflon, nor did anyone else, specifically--I just want to pass this on for the health of the gen. pop.: I used to know the name of the DuPont product that goes into the making of Teflon, when I was doing an environmental radio show, but whatever this substance is, it is suspected of causing cancer, birth defects, etc...and it is ALREADY IN 95% OF THE LIVING, U.S. blood supply (that’s you and me!), with particular concentrations around the Great Lakes region, wherever a major DuPont plant is (I can’t remember the details, at this point, but I believe that’s correct, about the Great Lakes).
Let’s hope those who “suspect” this chemical is bad for us are very wrong....
My point is: at least whatever flakes off of a cast iron pan is NOT TEFLON...or this nasty chemical used in the manufacture of Teflon. And remember, people take IRON as vitamins! Though I suspect what’s flaking off is the poorly-adhered, carbonized-remnants of yesterday’s scrambled eggs. When it’s truly seasoned, not only won’t the eggs be sticking much (if at all, especially with a little olive oil or bacon grease), but they won’t be flaking off the next day, either.
On the contrary, how many Teflon pans have you seen that were “checkered” and flaking? And even if never overheated (which causes Teflon-coasted pans to flake) how do we know that all manner of long-chain petrochemical, Teflon-coating-related nasties are not outgassing when heated to several hundred degrees, and saturating the eggs?
You will come to love your cast iron pans--when one of ours finally cracked, it was like loosing a good friend (particularly since I suspect we must have abused it in some way, to cause this....)
Prescription for your Cast Iron Pans: Fried bacon--if worried about cholesterol, drain the bacon, and freeze in small groups, for use as a quick microwave breakfast when no time to cook, so you don’t gorge on the bacon all at once. G.f. sometimes does this for me (when I’m allowed to have bacon--LOL). Hint: layers of Syran wrap between the strips makes for no-struggle use, right out of the freezer.
Re: your question about the need to re-season: I have an antique Dutch oven that became neglected, and needed re-seasoning, as did a steel (not cast) wok I cook with, picked up, neglected, at a garage sale. I re-seasoned these years ago. I knew less then than I did now, and I believe I only used olive oil back then, to season them, which can leave a thin, but sticky, gummy residue, after season in the oven. Eventually, this cooks off, but is sticky until that happens. I would therefore only cook with olive oil (heart-healthy, after all--knock on wood three times) but would re-season with bacon grease FIRST. And I would not be afraid of seasoning FOR HOURS at a heat too low to burn the fat. You can take clean, white paper towels and periodically spread the oil all up the sides, etc..., to help ensure equal curing over the entire interior of the pan.
And then cook friend chicken, bacon, etc… a few times and then reattempt your eggs. You don’t have to eat unhealthily forever, but it helps, during the seasoning process, to cook such things. Afterwards, you can stir fry your asparagus, eggs, etc..., in olive oil with very little stuck eggs, if any.
Damn it! Now you’ve made me hungry again, and I was headed for bed! LOL
Enjoy your cast iron!
Thanks, Patriot. That was a lot of good information. I will definitely reseason both pans I got, even though they say they are preseasoned. I trusted the preseasoning because it's coming from Lodge, and everyone spoke highly of them on these forums. I will follow up with some bacon! In regards to your health warning about teflon, I totally agree. That is in fact the main reason we purchased cast iron. That, and we wanted to try cooking on the cast iron wood stove.
Bacon is a good way to season a pan, as many said already. Plus, you get to eat alot of bacon!
My pan sits on top of the stove for a week or two while I am in my seasoning process. I have a dish of bacon grease next to the stove. I crank up the burner till the pan is hot and then wipe on the bacon grease; not a thick layer, just a nice coat. I turn off the burner and walk away. I usually do this about twice a day.
Cast iron, stainless steel and non stick get equal use from me on my stove. They all have there place.
My cast iron chili pot will be sitting on my woodburner this winter with a nice venison stew simmering (as soon as I build the hearth, pick up the woodburner and put in the chimney!).
My pan sits on top of the stove for a week or two while I am in my seasoning process. I have a dish of bacon grease next to the stove. I crank up the burner till the pan is hot and then wipe on the bacon grease; not a thick layer, just a nice coat. I turn off the burner and walk away. I usually do this about twice a day.
Cast iron, stainless steel and non stick get equal use from me on my stove. They all have there place.
My cast iron chili pot will be sitting on my woodburner this winter with a nice venison stew simmering (as soon as I build the hearth, pick up the woodburner and put in the chimney!).
Rick Horn Pout is fish also called Bullhead. They are basically a catfish but they only get to be 15" 16" tops. A good average size would be about 10". They are delicious and a blast to catch especially for kids as they bite very readily after dark with lanterns set up.
Chrisg said:
M-M-M-M-M! Used to catch catfish as a kid in California, and they would put up a fight! Good eatin', too. My dad would have to nail 'em down and strip off the skin with pliers. About the same size fish you're talking about. Thanks, Chris. Rick
OK, I use Lodge cast iron all the time and I rarely have a serious sticking problem. I only use butter and olive oil to cook with. The most important thing to remember is "Hot pan, cold oil, foods won't stick." -Jeff Smith, the Frugal Gourmet.
What this means is, get the pan hot, add cold (room temperature) oil, spread it around to coat the entire bottom of the pan and add the food right away. If you allow the oil to get too warm/hot before adding th food, you may have problems with the food sticking. When you're done cooking clean and oil right away. As the cast iron ages the non-stick properties will improve.
As others have said, cooking BACON does wonders for the pan.
What this means is, get the pan hot, add cold (room temperature) oil, spread it around to coat the entire bottom of the pan and add the food right away. If you allow the oil to get too warm/hot before adding th food, you may have problems with the food sticking. When you're done cooking clean and oil right away. As the cast iron ages the non-stick properties will improve.
As others have said, cooking BACON does wonders for the pan.
I might as well echo what others have said......bacon grease is one of the best things I've every applied to my Lodge cast iron spider! For seasoning and cooking eggs in.
(Its pronounced "spidah"....an old Mainah term for a skillet) :coolsmirk:
(Its pronounced "spidah"....an old Mainah term for a skillet) :coolsmirk:
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