Pre-seasoned cast iron skillets

[Tom]

I gotta work on re-seasoning mine.      I gotta break out the propane torch.

[Farmer Dan]

I put my cast iron pans in a camp fire, let them turn red them pull them to the edge so they cool slowly.  Next day take it in the house scrub the ash off with a wire brush and season it by cooking a pound of bacon and smearing the grease around.

[Tom]

I like the bacon method because of the smell.

[AJ Huff]

As an iron foundry metallurgist, this thread is very painful.

If for some reason you want to remove your seasoning, and there really is no good reason for you to do it, just run it through the dishwasher.

As to the pre-seasoning that Lodge supplies, most of what you read on the internet is utter BS. There's no reason to doubt it's quality.

As to seasoning your pan yourself, there is plenty of voodoo written on the subject. I have a stack of pans and my method is basically just cook bacon, again and again and again. Of all the mumbo jumbo out there, it is the easiest and most fool proof method. Tried and true. bacon.

-AJ

[Yukonica]

I put my cast iron pans in a camp fire, let them turn red them pull them to the edge so they cool slowly.  Next day take it in the house scrub the ash off with a wire brush and season it by cooking a pound of bacon and smearing the grease around.

That's a hard core purification of the metal. Bet it takes the seasoning like a sponge does water.
Have you experienced any crystallization of the casting?

[Perazzimx14]

If for some reason you want to remove your seasoning, and there really is no good reason for you to do it, just run it through the dishwasher.
-AJ

Ever buy vintage CI at a yard sale or flea market? Not knowing what other people did with the CI prior to me getting it is more than reason enough to strip and re-season.

[Aaron D.]

Having used cast iron cookware most of my life I never knew there could be so much discussion on seasoning!

I clean our pans with a stainless chin-mail thing. We never thought about the concept that the vegetable oil that Lodge used might be somehow...lacking.

But don't listen to me. I cooked venison on a shovel once.

[Ighani]

With "pre-seasoned" pans, it's a hose clamp still necessary?

[alienbogey]

Check out the CI pans made by Finex in Portland, Oregon USA.

They got going via Kickstarter fairly recently and their pans are marvelous.

Moto Guzzi.  (<<< to keep on forum topic)

[donn]

If for some reason you want to remove your seasoning, and there really is no good reason for you to do it, just run it through the dishwasher.

I have a vague memory that I cleaned a pan down, maybe even twice until I got it done right.  I bought the pan from the hardware store in my youth, and put it in the oven and baked gobs of vegetable oil onto it, resulting in a scabby mess.  I have never had oven cleaner around at any time in my life, I reckon I probably used lye (dissolved in water of course.)  You have to heat lye for it to be really effective, so it isn't very convenient, but you know what's in it.  If hot lye isn't so much of an option, I suppose it would still work, just takes longer.

The main thing I don't use cast iron (or seasoned wok) for is when there's a tomato sauce, I have a hunch that's hard on them.

[Nic in Western NYS]

Regularly use CI for gnocchi with tomato sauce, no harm but you can tell the seasoning needs refreshing after a scrubbing. A little cooking oil rubbed in and enough heat to gently smoke it off and good as new. 

[yogidozer]

Frying pans????
OK, do you use synthetic or mineral based oils? 

[ken farr]

As an iron foundry metallurgist, this thread is very painful.

-AJ

How dare you interject experience, knowledge and common sense into a thread ??

For shame.........


kjf

[Fuzzy]

After reading the thread I made myself some bacon. A buddy makes it at home and it is special. He makes pancetta too.
We've got both Lodge and Griswald. Obviously the Griswald is nicer since it is much older and has been cared for. Was my in-laws. The Lodge is coming around though. Rough at first, but you can see the possibilities pretty quick. They make great family heirlooms.

[Tom]

I still miss my egg pan from 30 yrs. ago.  Wish I hadn't given it away before I moved.