# Cast iron frying pans wtf am i doing wrong? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 15, 2017, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cast-iron-frying-pans-wtf-am-i-doing-wrong/786642 "2017-05-15T12:34:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![erysichthon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d07c76/32.png) [@erysichthon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erysichthon)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2017, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cast-iron-frying-pans-wtf-am-i-doing-wrong/786642/61 "2017-05-17T19:49:24Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > My cornbread has never stuck to my cast-iron frying pan. Cleanup is a wipe with a paper towel. My mom had a cast-iron pan that lived on the stovetop and was rarely (if ever) washed. I vividly recall that it had a perpetual layer of bacon grease in it. This was in Texas where we had roaches the size of Buicks, but we also had an exterminator spray the house every three months, which mostly kept them at bay. I never saw a bug going after the bacon grease, and the only mice I saw in Houston were in pet shops. For context, my mom also refused to wash stainless steel pots and pans in the dishwasher; she claimed that this would ruin them. Once I got my own place with a dishwasher, it was immensely satisfying to put pots and pans in it and see them emerge clean and undamaged. (FWIW, I don’t own a cast-iron pan.) ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2017, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cast-iron-frying-pans-wtf-am-i-doing-wrong/786642/62 "2017-05-17T20:00:29Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > I cook it (covered) for a few minutes on the burner, to get a good crust, then I either turn the burner down very low, or pop it into the oven to finish cooking. That’s the great thing about slathering the pan with Crisco. The bottom and sides get perfect crusts. 🙂 > [@erysichthon](#): > > For context, my mom also refused to wash stainless steel pots and pans in the dishwasher; she claimed that this would ruin them. Once I got my own place with a dishwasher, it was immensely satisfying to put pots and pans in it and see them emerge clean and undamaged. (FWIW, I don’t own a cast-iron pan.) Mrs. L.A. is frequently perturbed with me for hand-washing dishes. Most of them go into the stand-alone dishwasher she brought to the relationship, but she still scolds me for ‘washing’ the dishes before I put them in. (In actuality, I rinse them in hot water and scrub the residue with a brush. Not ‘washing’ at all! 😛 ) But I insist on hand-washing my Calphalon cookwear and my Henckels knives. I _know_ they’re dishwasher-safe, but I’m weird that way. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2017, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cast-iron-frying-pans-wtf-am-i-doing-wrong/786642/63 "2017-05-17T20:05:50Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > But I insist on hand-washing my . . . Henckels knives. I _know_ they’re dishwasher-safe, but I’m weird that way. Sharp knives should never be washed in the dishwasher. Dishwasher detergent contains abrasives that will dull the edge of a well-sharpened knife. For the same reason, one shouldn’t put fine crystal in the dishwasher—the abrasives will eventually cause the glass to turn cloudy. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2017, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cast-iron-frying-pans-wtf-am-i-doing-wrong/786642/64 "2017-05-18T02:22:50Z")
> [@jonpluc](#): > > Cast iron frying pans wtf am i doing wrong? You’re using 18th-century technology. Use those new ceramic pans. Eggs slide off, but a little butter adds flavor. Or bacon. Responding to the OP. Others may have said this. Others yet may imagine that the delicate flavor of a fried or scrambled egg is ruined unless it’s burnt. Those people are wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2017, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cast-iron-frying-pans-wtf-am-i-doing-wrong/786642/65 "2017-05-18T02:31:28Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > a little butter adds flavor. Or bacon. Butter adds bacon? ---
**Author:** ![drewder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/57b2e6/32.png) [@drewder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewder)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2017, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cast-iron-frying-pans-wtf-am-i-doing-wrong/786642/66 "2017-05-18T04:17:41Z")
If you’re making eggs you can’t skimp [on the butter](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXPhVYpQLPA). Also many people don’t realize that eggs should never be cooked at high, or even medium, heat. They come out best when cooked at temperatures below boiling water. ---
**Author:** ![BigAppleBucky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigapplebucky/32/178_2.png) [@BigAppleBucky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigAppleBucky)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cast-iron-frying-pans-wtf-am-i-doing-wrong/786642/67 "2017-06-03T17:24:09Z")
Without reading through the thread, I’ll add this. 1. Well seasoned iron pan. 2. Pre-heat pan. (Not on high, but hot.) If the pan is larger than the burner or flame, move it around a bit to heat all sections of the pan. Iron IS NOT a perfect conductor of heat. Getting it evenly heated is a good thing. Don’t overdo this as it could ruin your pan’s seasoning. 3. Add cold oil. (We use olive oil, but others work the same way) and turn up heat to frying temperature - if it wasn’t that high in the first place. 4. Heat oil until it develops little ridges. (DON’T LET IT SMOKE - that’s too hot and it hydrogenates the oil.) 5. Add cold eggs. (Or any other food to be fried.) Food should sizzle as soon as it hits the skillet. 6. When done, remove from heat. Fried eggs or omelette should just slide off. Clean as little as possible, just enough to get obvious residue off. You don’t want to scrub off your seasoning. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cast-iron-frying-pans-wtf-am-i-doing-wrong/786642/68 "2017-06-03T17:31:59Z")
I would also avoid Teflon because it is toxic. “Birds are susceptible to a respiratory condition called “teflon toxicity” or “PTFE poisoning/toxicosis.” Deaths can result from this condition, which is due to the noxious fumes emitted from overheated cookware coated with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE).” and “Toxic fumes from the Teflon chemical released from pots and pans at high temperatures may kill pet birds and cause people to develop flu-like symptoms (called “Teflon Flu” or, as scientists describe it, “Polymer fume fever”).” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cast-iron-frying-pans-wtf-am-i-doing-wrong/786642.md?page=3)