Cast Iron Seasoning

[gunner]

Quote: Finally it was ready to try and cook my morning eggs, I heated up the pan, added oil, then dumped in my eggs. They stuck instantly to the pan like cement. I even added more oil then you usually should to be safe. I was so frustrated. I have used it a few more times to try and make eggs and same thing, they stick like nobody's business.

Did you preheat the pan so that water drops sizzle?

What temp did you preheat to?

Eggs need no more then a med-low heat.  And make sure you preheat before adding oil.  Add oil, add eggs, leave until ready to flip (kind of like waiting for a steak so it doesn't stick to the grill), flip wait eat. 

Egg should gently sizzle in pan...no splattering.

I did pre-heat the pan on med-low heat, added the oil when it was heated up, then added the eggs. They stuck instantly. I even let them sit for a bit in the oil and didn't mess with them so they could set up. I thought the pan might have been too hot so I tried the next day on low heat and same thing. Very frustrating!

[gunner]

Gunner, might be too thick of a layer(s) of the seasoning oil.....then it ends up kinda 'sticky' like you're describing.....

My experience (not massive like some folks here) is to get the VERY minimum layer of oil & bake 'till it smokes  some & dries completely, then repeat......I would make this mistake in 'thinking' I was 'oiling' the pan, but then finally after a lot of errors, found that the oil is creating a hard base to then build upon......when I started thinking about it that way things went better......still no expert by any means, but the stuff I have works OK.............

I did follow the article and apply a super thin layer, and wipe it off completely. In the article it said it should be a warm pan, apply flaxseed oil, then wipe it off completely almost until it looks like the pan is dry, then in the oven at 500 for an hour, turn off oven and let it cool 2 hours and repeat. I did that 7 times. The only thing I can think of is the old seasoning was still on there and I just couldn't see it after cleaning it? Dunno 

[GregS]

stupid question i'm certain....

but what is the point of re-seasoning?  isn't the goal to have a nice base seasoning there, and if so, why take it off to start over?

i have a couple CI pieces i've scored at estate sales and cleaned them with hot water, dried, then used coarse salt and a paper towel, recoated them lightly with corn oil and they seem to work flawlessly. 

so why strip off the exact thing you're looking to have? 

[addicted-to-smoke]

Greg I don't have an answer except to guess that if things stick, the "base" wasn't really there as expected.

My nicest pan depends on some oil for each cook and I don't know that "it should". More troublesome is my dutch oven, bought new pre-seasoned, some extra light coats applied, cooked a few times with it, no abuse, but crud on the bottom I can't really get off, even boiling coarse salt water in it and scrubbing. That's not right.

[Johnpv]

I did pre-heat the pan on med-low heat, added the oil when it was heated up, then added the eggs. They stuck instantly. I even let them sit for a bit in the oil and didn't mess with them so they could set up. I thought the pan might have been too hot so I tried the next day on low heat and same thing. Very frustrating!

Just some questions, what kind of oil did you use to cook with, and how much?  I'm not going to claim to be any kind of CI expert, specially since I JUST got mine a week ago.  I've made eggs a couple of times now on it, and they haven't stuck at all.  I've used butter, and a bit more than I normally would.  This was actually in the new skillet instructions with my pan (to use more oil/fat than you normally would with a newly seasoned pan).  So maybe trying some butter or just more oil will help.


I've joined the CI club, I was given a new 12 inch Lodge CI Skillet for my birthday.  Personally I love it, I've cooked on it ALMOST every day since I got it and it's worked great for me. 

[gunner]

I did pre-heat the pan on med-low heat, added the oil when it was heated up, then added the eggs. They stuck instantly. I even let them sit for a bit in the oil and didn't mess with them so they could set up. I thought the pan might have been too hot so I tried the next day on low heat and same thing. Very frustrating!

Just some questions, what kind of oil did you use to cook with, and how much?  I'm not going to claim to be any kind of CI expert, specially since I JUST got mine a week ago.  I've made eggs a couple of times now on it, and they haven't stuck at all.  I've used butter, and a bit more than I normally would.  This was actually in the new skillet instructions with my pan (to use more oil/fat than you normally would with a newly seasoned pan).  So maybe trying some butter or just more oil will help.


I've joined the CI club, I was given a new 12 inch Lodge CI Skillet for my birthday.  Personally I love it, I've cooked on it ALMOST every day since I got it and it's worked great for me.

I was using coconut oil and I did use a pretty good amount. Maybe I will give butter a try next time? I am stripping the pan and gonna try to season it again. I might as well give it another shot!

[MacEggs]

My wife and I have been using coconut oil a lot.  Along with its health benefits, it can also handle high heat.

But, for some reason, I find it does not work well with eggs when it comes to non-stick.  It may be the culprit.

Definitely give butter a shot. Should work better.

[gunner]

My wife and I have been using coconut oil a lot.  Along with its health benefits, it can also handle high heat.

But, for some reason, I find it does not work well with eggs when it comes to non-stick.  It may be the culprit.

Definitely give butter a shot. Should work better.

Thanks for the input, I'll give it a shot!

[Hogsy]

Thanks to all for answering my questions so promptly
I seasoned my main 3 pans over the weekend and they turned out great!!
Cooked bacon and eggs in two of them yesterday and definitely performed better than before
FWIW gunner I used butter with the eggs

[mike.stavlund]

I love cooking eggs with coconut oil, but yes it sticks for me too, even on teflon. 

[mhiszem]

Thank you for all of the suggestions! So much great info, going to keep looking at this one. Looking forward to seasoning my two pieces of CI.


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[Winz]

This is the best video I have found on the subject.  You can skip the part about stripping if you want, but the section on seasoning is top notch, and has become the way I season and maintain mine.  The seasoning portion of the video begins at 10:10:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6Tz3HnnCFs


Winz

[SixZeroFour]

This is the best video I have found on the subject.  You can skip the part about stripping if you want, but the section on seasoning is top notch, and has become the way I season and maintain mine.  The seasoning portion of the video begins at 10:10:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6Tz3HnnCFs

Winz

Thank you!! This was an excellent video! I've seen so many different DIY's on seasoning that I was beginning to think I was doing it wrong. This is simple and informative and you can actually see the results in the end.

... oh ... and a big old sarcastic "THANKS A LOT" to both you and Idahawk for now getting me hooked on CI. 

As if I don't waste enough time on CL already!

[Winz]

and a big old sarcastic "THANKS A LOT" to both you and Idahawk for now getting me hooked on CI.

Like that was difficult to do...   


Breakfast today:





The key learning from the video I posted was the secondary wiping of the CI after 15 minutes.  It eliminates the uneven finish caused by pooling of the oil/crisco.  While my pans were always smooth thanks to a wire brush on my angle grinder, I simply could not get a really smooth coat of seasoning on the iron.  Using his method, I have been very happy with the results.  I also made the transition back to crisco and away from flaxseed.  It seems to work fine, is easy to obtain, is cheap, and one container of crisco lasts forever.


Winz

[Hogsy]

^^^thanks for the post @Winz ..... Wish I'd done that with mine a couple of days ago when I was seasoning my pans.... Oh well , I'll know for next time
@GregS why Reseason?? Why not? Personally I like learning new techniques and playing with my cookware whether it's a kettle or a fry pan. I also like to know what I'm cooking on is clean and safe for my family, just like a 2nd hand kettle , I like to clean it before I cook on it. Who knows what the previous owner has used it for......