Cast iron skillet mystery

[jamo0001]

been using cast iron my whole life. had something happen tonight that I can't figure out and wasn't sure if any of you had any ideas.

i bought a new Lodge 14" about a week ago. it came with the standard "pre-seasoning" that they put on all of their utensils these days (not fond of it, but it's all they sell). Over the course of the week, we fried chicken twice, bacon 4-5 days, baked cornbread in it once, and that's it. No tomato products, no soups/sauces, nothing. Haven't even used eggs on it yet. Woman swears she hasn't used soap on it at all, and obviously I haven't either.

I've been seasoning it with normal Crisco veggie oil after every use just like I always have. As of last night, it was looking perfect: pitch black, glossy without being sticky/tacky, and perfectly smooth. Everything looked fine.

I boiled a quick bit of water in it to freshen it up before dinner and when I went to wipe it out with a paper towel, a TON of soot came off. Naturally, I wiped it again just to make sure, and sure enough, more and more seasoning was coming off.

It's now normal gray iron without a bit of seasoning left.

No soap. No wire brushes. No temps above 500 degress. The only things that have touched it all week were the foods listed above, paper towels, and liquid veggie oil.



Anybody have any idea what happened? Are companies putting some sort of new seasoning on the iron that prevents daily seasonings from "taking"?

 

[MrHotDice]

been using cast iron my whole life. had something happen tonight that I can't figure out and wasn't sure if any of you had any ideas.

i bought a new Lodge 14" about a week ago. it came with the standard "pre-seasoning" that they put on all of their utensils these days (not fond of it, but it's all they sell). Over the course of the week, we fried chicken twice, bacon 4-5 days, baked cornbread in it once, and that's it. No tomato products, no soups/sauces, nothing. Haven't even used eggs on it yet. Woman swears she hasn't used soap on it at all, and obviously I haven't either.

I've been seasoning it with normal Crisco veggie oil after every use just like I always have. As of last night, it was looking perfect: pitch black, glossy without being sticky/tacky, and perfectly smooth. Everything looked fine.

I boiled a quick bit of water in it to freshen it up before dinner and when I went to wipe it out with a paper towel, a TON of soot came off. Naturally, I wiped it again just to make sure, and sure enough, more and more seasoning was coming off.

It's now normal gray iron without a bit of seasoning left.

No soap. No wire brushes. No temps above 500 degress. The only things that have touched it all week were the foods listed above, paper towels, and liquid veggie oil.



Anybody have any idea what happened? Are companies putting some sort of new seasoning on the iron that prevents daily seasonings from "taking"?

I spray peanut oil in mine. That is what the Chinese do to their woks cause peanut oil gets very hot without smoking. Not sure Crisco will not burn and make soot.

 

[80 Proof]

Sounds like your seasoning got too built up. I typically just scrape my skillet out and wipe it with a paper towel. After a few uses, or cooking something a little more saucy, I'll clean it with.a soft bristle brush and plenty of water before giving it a light seasoning.

Of course I mostly cook meat in my skillet. Have two ribeyes waiting for a sear this evening.

 

[GhostVol]

Use either peanut oil or lard. I had my Lodge 15" for 30 damn years until my divorce. Totally forgot it when I moved out and ex wouldn't give it back. Went to Goodwill and found another cast iron skillet, sandblasted it and reseasoned it. It's as black as midnight now and I don't miss my Lodge anymore!

 

[akers65]

use good old lard, which is now not bad for you, according to the experts....

 

[maverick1]

Careful guys, according to my paranoid sister-in-law cast-iron cookware causes All-Timer's. Spread the word.

 

[Kooky Kats]

If it hadn't been for those metaling kids, I would've gotten away with it.

 

[wildcatwelder]

Cast iron is porous, and it's likely you didn't clean it well enough after each cooking. Like 80 Proof, I wash mine out with hot water and wipe it down with paper towels. If any food is sticking to the surface, I use a soft bristle brush to gently remove it, wash it out, then wipe it down.

 

[LineSkiCat]

Yeah, that was the issue with mine. I still had tiny bits of food baked into the dish that would cause awful smoking.. to the point that I had to evacuate the kitchen some times. Guy Fieri I am not.

But I still love the Cast-iron. I'm surprised more beginner cooks don't utilize one, especially for those who don't have a grill as it's probably the closest substitute. I cook everything from sliders, to vegetables, to flat-iron steaks and salmon in mine...

 

[Desperado_1955]

Careful guys, according to my paranoid sister-in-law cast-iron cookware causes All-Timer's. Spread the word.

I knew that, but mysteriously I forgot.

 

[KyFaninNC]

been using cast iron my whole life. had something happen tonight that I can't figure out and wasn't sure if any of you had any ideas.

i bought a new Lodge 14" about a week ago. it came with the standard "pre-seasoning" that they put on all of their utensils these days (not fond of it, but it's all they sell). Over the course of the week, we fried chicken twice, bacon 4-5 days, baked cornbread in it once, and that's it. No tomato products, no soups/sauces, nothing. Haven't even used eggs on it yet. Woman swears she hasn't used soap on it at all, and obviously I haven't either.

I've been seasoning it with normal Crisco veggie oil after every use just like I always have. As of last night, it was looking perfect: pitch black, glossy without being sticky/tacky, and perfectly smooth. Everything looked fine.

I boiled a quick bit of water in it to freshen it up before dinner and when I went to wipe it out with a paper towel, a TON of soot came off. Naturally, I wiped it again just to make sure, and sure enough, more and more seasoning was coming off.

It's now normal gray iron without a bit of seasoning left.

No soap. No wire brushes. No temps above 500 degress. The only things that have touched it all week were the foods listed above, paper towels, and liquid veggie oil.



Anybody have any idea what happened? Are companies putting some sort of new seasoning on the iron that prevents daily seasonings from "taking"?

First thing you do after buying a cast iron skillet is season it. Put it in a preheated oven at 500 and leave it there at least 2 hours, more if you are going to be home, the longer the better. After that all you do is keep it cleaned good. Thats how mama did it, anyways.

 

[jamo0001]

I called Lodge. Apparently, a lot of their skillets arrive at vendors with the remains of a waxy preservative coating. If it's not thoroughly removed before initiating daily seasoning, then any carbon polymers that build up on top of the wax are prone to flake off.

That still doesn't explain why the factory seasoning (their vaunted "pre-seasoning!!") came off, but whatever.

I ended up throwing the sucker in the oven on the self-clean mode, then initiated real seasoning (frozen bacon grease) and it's back to looking stellar.

 

[ekywildcat]

I have an old one my mom gave to me, I just use it to bake cornbread in. The bread never sticks, so I just wipe it out with a paper towel.

I've been reading about some great pizza you can make by putting a tortilla in a cast iron skillet and adding your toppings, sounded pretty good, I'm going to try it. You can google it, I'm not sure I know how to link on this new board yet.

 

[LordEgg]

i need to use mine more. i just never think of it till fall.

 

[blueboy08]

With my cast iron, I spray it down with over cleaner to strip the "seasoning" off, and then actually season it. I use olive oil, burnt on on the grill, until it stops smoking. Cool, repeat. After 3-4 coats, it is as slick as teflon.

 

[cat_in_the_hat]

I have an old one my mom gave to me, I just use it to bake cornbread in. The bread never sticks, so I just wipe it out with a paper towel.

I've been reading about some great pizza you can make by putting a tortilla in a cast iron skillet and adding your toppings, sounded pretty good, I'm going to try it. You can google it, I'm not sure I know how to link on this new board yet.

Lodge makes a cast iron pizza pan. I have two and they are the best pizza pans I have ever used. The pizza doesn't stick and the cast iron creates a nice brown crust. Since the cast iron also holds heat a long time, it keeps the pizza warm for a long time after you take it out of the oven.