Help me love my cast iron skillet

[radial]

So, yesterday I tried to fry a couple of eggs in the carbon steel pan and it was an unmitigated disaster.  Maybe the heat was too high, but those eggs stuck to the surface like it was fly paper.  Back to the drawing board on that pan.

Tonight I put the Lodge pan to the test.  This is the one I smoothed out with the abrasive wheel, but I put it through exactly the same seasoning process as the carbon steel pan, so I wasn't expecting too much.  What a difference!  Just a little loosening up with the spatula and those eggs were sliding around the pan like ice dancers.  Too bad about the carbon steel pan, but the cast iron pan was as slick as any surface I've ever cooked on.  I'll give the carbon steel pan a few more coats and see it that makes a difference.

https://youtu.be/qzcgcrTeqBw

[BonitaApplebum]

Eggs are the true test of a nonstick surface! Nicely done.

[LilyLily]

HB - I use kosher salt to get bits that are stuck on my cast iron. Just toss it in there and scrub with a paper towel and it's done. Another thing I try to do is if stuff is stuck on there while the pan is still hot, I'll de-glaze it with water which, often, makes anything else other than a ring un-necessary.

[glwestcott]

Our two cast iron pans belonged to my wife's great grandmother who used them during the Alaska gold rush and then brought them back to Oroville to a timber camp where she was the cook most of the rest of her life.Those pans are so seasoned at this point that I swear you could ice skate on them if they were a little bit bigger and it wouldn't mar them up at all. We can actually wash them with detergent and it doesn't do a damn thing to them.  My advice is keep an eye out at fleamarkets for a really old and well used cast-iron pan.

[BonitaApplebum]

who used them during the Alaska gold rush and then brought them back to Oroville to a timber camp where she was the cook most of the rest of her life

I love this story!!

[Chasing Amy]

Trying again. So no matter how well I season the pan, no matter how well I try to care for it, I always end up with this sticky residue that food sticks to. How do I get rid of it? Why does my pan grab onto everything and burn it?

And before responding, please see my other responses in this thread to see what I've previously done.


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[radial]

That pan looks really rough.  All those ridges.  I don't think that one is going to work very well unless you can get the surface smoother. 

[BonitaApplebum]

Maybe you need to be a little... grosser? I'm just wondering if you're cleaning it *too* much and not letting the seasoning build up enough, if that makes any sense.

[Chasing Amy]

That pan looks really rough.  All those ridges.  I don't think that one is going to work very well unless you can get the surface smoother. 

My grandma used it for years without a problem. 

Maybe you need to be a little... grosser? I'm just wondering if you're cleaning it *too* much and not letting the seasoning build up enough, if that makes any sense.

I've followed the recommendations I've read for cleaning and it seems plenty gross.

[radial]

My grandma used it for years without a problem. 

Maybe it's not as rough as it looks.  When you run your fingernail over those grooves, can you them?  Also, just out of curiosity, what brand of pan is it?  What do the markings on the bottom look like? 

[caribougrrl]

Maybe you need to be a little... grosser? I'm just wondering if you're cleaning it *too* much and not letting the seasoning build up enough, if that makes any sense.

that's what I was thinking... that pan looks way too clean to me.

[Chasing Amy]

I was doing a bit of research and my pan was "made in Taiwan" which is apparently a very bad thing according to cast iron enthusiasts.

Anyhow, I made a stove top to oven chicken dish this weekend and while I didn't have issues with sticking (used lots of olive oil), I noticed that the seasoning had come off in certain sections. This has happened to me before and not because I've washed the pan. It comes off during cooking. Anyone else had this happen?

[Rochey]

I've been using my pan more and more and it's growing on me.  Maybe it's because the last thing I cooked was greasy bacon and eggs.  :-D

[Chasing Amy]

I've pretty much concluded that I'll love this pan because it was Grandma's, but I don't think I'm going to get much use out of it. I much prefer cooking with my enamel cast iron skillets.

[merigayle]

I've pretty much concluded that I'll love this pan because it was Grandma's, but I don't think I'm going to get much use out of it. I much prefer cooking with my enamel cast iron skillets.

can you hang it on the wall as kitchen decor?

[Chasing Amy]

can you hang it on the wall as kitchen decor?

[BonitaApplebum]

I thought of something else, Amy. Are you cooking acidic foods, like tomatoes, in your cast iron pan? (I remembered this because I used tomatoes in mine and thought of this thread.)

Unless your pan is already extremely well seasoned, you should not cook tomatoes in it, the acid will wreak havoc with the seasoning. Same for vinegar, lemon juice, wine, etc (although it's probably fine to add any of those at the finish, just don't simmer for a long time).

[Honey Badger]

At Christmas time I bought myself a Staub enameled (emerald green) cast iron skillet.  I love it.  I know it's not the true purists type where you season it because it has a nonstick coating, but it cooks well and washes up like a breeze.  I use it daily.

[Chasing Amy]

I thought of something else, Amy. Are you cooking acidic foods, like tomatoes, in your cast iron pan? (I remembered this because I used tomatoes in mine and thought of this thread.)

Unless your pan is already extremely well seasoned, you should not cook tomatoes in it, the acid will wreak havoc with the seasoning. Same for vinegar, lemon juice, wine, etc (although it's probably fine to add any of those at the finish, just don't simmer for a long time).

No. I followed all the cardinal rules of cast iron.

[radial]

No. I followed all the cardinal rules of cast iron.

Why do you think your Grandma's skillet didn't work?