Seasoning Cast Iron, a new way

geeme said:
 
Cool. I have not read your posts, but may take some time to find them. I learned about the heat and oil polymerization maybe a year or two ago and since switching, have never had a problem even though I use dish detergent on my pans now. Cleanup is so much easier and forget about baby-sitting the CI!
 

Um, yeah, but following polymerization rancidity isn't an issue. What am I missing in your comment?
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In my case, specifically, it's because the grates are living outside, and are < 1 mile from the bay (saltwater) ...
 
My choice in flax isn't specific to the seasoning, it's about the between use maintenance ... the uber light flax rub helps prevent rusting between cooks ...
 
Actually, I've read interesting counter-points to the flax wave for seasoning CI, from the Modernist Cuisine dude's, where they hint that saturated animal fats are still the king for seasoning CI, from a different angle, so YMMV ...
 
I wouldn't worry about seasoning a pan with bacon fat at present, but I don't feel as good about smearing some on to leave on the grates between cooks ...
 
I don't think flax is necessary the best at either thing, where I think Olive is actually the lowest rancidity oil by a good margin - hence it's use in Castille soap, but I do think it's the best single oil for both seasoning and maintaining CI ...
 
grantmichaels said:
By all means, if anyone know anything additional about this, please share ...
 
I have a SEVERE love/hate with my CI for sure, but also the SS stuff, honestly ...
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if the CI is seasoned right nothing beats cooking in them. the problem I see most often is people cook on to high temps with their CI. unless I'm searing a ribeye or something similar I always cook on low most of the time or med at the highest temp.
 
SavinaRed said:
if the CI is seasoned right nothing beats cooking in them.
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It's not nearly that simple ... for instance, sometimes you need to stop the heat quickly too ... wok, fish, etc ...
 
FWIW, copper is an amazing cooking surface ... and there's def time and place for carbon-steel too ...
 
I have a CS pan which is about to return to service, actually: http://amzn.com/B009418TN6
 
grantmichaels said:
 
It's not nearly that simple ... for instance, sometimes you need to stop the heat quickly too ... wok, fish, etc ...
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Give me a fish example as I cook fish all the time. I'm not sure I see any problem with fish in CI.
 
SavinaRed said:
Give me a fish example as I cook fish all the time. I'm not sure I see any problem with fish in CI.
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the wok is the perfect anti-case for CI ...
 
i used an enameled CI one last year, seasoned, but still, you had to rearrange the order or cooking to be completely additive, and it was impossible get anything one could imagine to be wok hei ...
 
one cook had those qualities, but slinging around the CI wok wasn't fun ...
 
Danielle was like JayT's wife x10 over here re: the glass-top for that one ...
 
the metals leach into the foods to various extents, and under varying conditions (acidity, temp etc) too, and that can def influence a choice ...
 
making tomato soup in CI instead of SS, bu-bye seasoning after 20-30 mins ...
 
there's jams and jellies that only do their thing, in copper, for instance ... sure there are work arounds, but they're work arounds ...
 
Oh I see as I wouldn't own a CI wok. I have 2 woks about 40 years old made from carbon steel(waaaaay lighter) that is well seasoned and the surface is basically non stick.   :)
 
also, and on this one i can't remember the answer, so i'm just lobbing it out there ... can CI take thermal shock? ... if you take a piping hot and and throw it in the water will it crack? ...
the metals that leech off have effects on stuff ... that's why there's copper brew kettles ... and why some German brewery's have a copper pipe between the mash vessel and the brew kettle, because the liquid passing through a copper pipe handles the SMM or DMS in the wort, so the beer doesn't have cabbage/canned corn off-flavors ...
 
i always cringe when i see people making red sauce in aluminum =( ...
 
i mean, the human body can consume a scary amount of aluminum and it really doesn't matter, but still ...
 
grantmichaels said:
also, and on this one i can't remember the answer, so i'm just lobbing it out there ... can CI take thermal shock? ... if you take a piping hot and and throw it in the water will it crack? ...

the metals that leech off have effects on stuff ... that's why there's copper brew kettles ... and why some German brewery's have a copper pipe between the mash vessel and the brew kettle, because the liquid passing through a copper pipe handles the SMM or DMS in the wort, so the beer doesn't have cabbage/canned corn off-flavors ...
 
i always cringe when i see people making red sauce in aluminum =( ...
 
i mean, the human body can consume a scary amount of aluminum and it really doesn't matter, but still ...
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a hot CI pan in room temp or cold water is a no no.
 
I meant after cooking and the pan is still very hot its a no no to put it into water before allowing it to cool down. The pan can crack. It doesn't matter whether its enameled or raw CI.
 
Ok, as you must understand I have not been drinking yet therefore could not speak drunkenese 
 
 
 
Agreed, I do NOT put any hot pots/pans into water
 
My cast iron is very well seasoned just from frying flour tortillas in vegetable oil every so often. Put and inch of oil in the pan and let er' rip.   
 
I'd like to try this on the other larger cast iron pans that I don't use all that much when I cook.  This is a fantastic idea.
 
This is from Tuesday, second treatment.

Before

0CA51AD5-2E0E-4AAE-B3D5-E2C6A03BEC43_zps2rd5xm1r.jpg


After

E4385B95-70D8-4725-94CA-493ADE0F497E_zpsabvy8kzv.jpg


I can tell a difference in the 2 pictures. Last night was the third coat. I'll take a picture of it when I get home for lunch. I might go for 1 or 2 more coats but I'm unsure about doing 6 as they did.
 
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