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Various guides for cast iron seasoning will tell you that as long as the oil used for re-seasoning has a high smoke point, it’s okay for use. The fact is, however, that the type of oil you use plays a huge part in how long the seasoning of the cast iron lasts. The assisting handle will help to grab the pan easily while cooking. The pre-seasoned skillet is perfect for creating those campground classics like burgers, cornbread, and fried potatoes. Lodge Cast iron skillets come in a number of standard sizes. You’ll also want to consider the depth of your pan, as a skillet with shallow walls isn’t ideal for making sauces.
You don’t need to spend a fortune to buy a good cast iron seasoning oil. In fact, my two favorites are less than $9 for 16 ounces. And if you use your cast iron cookware frequently, then you’ll probably want a more affordable seasoning oil. You don’t want the food that you are cooking in your cast iron skillet to take on the flavor of the oil you used for seasoning, so look for an oil that is neutral in flavor. A good rule of thumb is to always choose a seasoning oil with a higher smoke point than the temperatures that you will be using for cooking. For instance, if you’ll be using your skillet to sear at a temp of 400 degrees, don’t choose an olive oil with a smoke point of 350 degrees to season your skillet.
During this transition period the skillet’s performance won’t best grill cover be affected, however. Just be sure to dry your skillet and apply a light layer of oil after each use to keep building up your seasoning. It will completely blacken over time, which is the sign of a mature seasoning. Cast iron has become trendy topic for amateur chefs recently.
And then it occurred to me that people 150 years ago weren’t going online to try and find ways to get the perfect skillet. Those chips in the above photo appear to be gone and now the skillet is really easy to clean. Hot water and a plastic spatula will get melted cheese and fried bits of fat right off. HEY SOUNDS GOOD TO ME. So in my kitchen there is a little cup of bacon grease that I have been cooking with (frying eggs, etc.). I tried seasoning that thing, per these cast iron skillet seasoning instructions and I had no luck. Certainly I didn’t try the Lye or the battery charger hook up.
Your Smithey arrives with 2-3 light layers of seasoning to protect your cookware in transit. Instead of soap, it’s best to wipe with a kitchen towel, coarse kosher salt, and warm water. This way, you don’t take off any loose oils that haven’t polymerized. Don’t forget that cast iron skillet home fries pair perfectly with dinner foods too, especially steak and anything grilled. Heating the pan upside-down may help prevent gumming but protect your oven by using a foiled-lined baking sheet or aluminum foil to catch the grease.
Lightly polish with a stainless steel chainmail scrubber for a smooth patina. Unlike a sauté pan with its tall and vertical sides, the cast iron skillet is a flat-bottomed, multipurpose pan with a long handle and shallow sides that flare outward at an angle. Cast iron is not a good conductor of heat, which means that it takes longer to warm up and cool down than other types of pans. Its weight allows it to maintain very high temperatures for extended periods of time, making the skillet an excellent tool for searing and frying foods at very high temperatures. If you want to use dish soap, you can, but this could strip the seasoning, so only use a small amount of non-abrasive soap. Don’t use steel wool as this can also strip the seasoning and scratch the pan.
Allow to soak for 10 minutes or so, then gently scrape with a spatula to loosen the food. Avocado Oil is my preferred oil because it has a high smoke point of 570° which makes it perfect for seasoning cast iron. In the olden days, folks simply used what they had on hand to season their skillets and pans which was typically bacon grease or side pork grease.
If there’s one type of cookware in a kitchen that can do just about anything, it’s cast iron. Cast iron can sear a steak beautifully, hold a constant temperature for deep-frying, and even be used as bakeware for your favorite cornbread recipe. While many other types of cookware have to be replaced after a period of time, a cast iron pan only gets better with time . To prevent food from sticking on the bottom, clean it with a paper towel while the pan is still warm, and then clean it in the sink. You can also purchase special brushes to clean cast iron skillets. Be sure to dry the skillet completely when you’re done and then lightly coat it with oil to keep it well seasoned and to prevent rust.
If you use your skillet or pan regularly, flaxseed oil is a great choice for seasoning your skillet. Grapeseed oil is one of the most approved oils used to season cast iron pans. Which allows you to use high temperatures to heat up your pan much quickly. It is neutral in flavor and aroma and also highly praised as a healthy choice for oil at the same time it’s moderately priced. You should know that only two ways to keep up the seasoning of a cast iron cookware. Among those, the easiest and best way is to cook in it regularly.