This is not related to the “Little Black Frying Pan” thread, but that title reminded of this question.
I recently purchased a cast iron skillet. I followed the instructions and seasoned it before I cooked anything in it. I actually did it twice.
No that I’ve cooked some burgers in it, it is starting to turn black like I’ve been told it should.
I know this is easy, but what exactly is making the skillet turn black?
Also, I was told to cook food with a lot of fat in it for a while before I use it for cooking non-fatty foods. I primarily bought it to make cornbread. So how do when my skillet is seasoned enough?
The non-stick test could be a potentially dangerous one. If it does, then I’ve got myself one ugly mess. The burgers stuck the first time, but did much better the second and third times.
My grandmother would make cornbread in a cast iron skillet and I refuse to accept any made in any other type of pan.
A well seasoned cast iron skillet will have a slick, black build-up on the interior surface. I believe this is carbon residue that builds up with use. Do not remove this and you will have the much sought after cooking utensil you desire.
So, you’ve seasoned it by first coating it with oil, then sticking it in a hot oven for 40 minutes or so. It doesn’t come out black, but usually has a nice oily yellow coat. After the first few uses, it turns black.
From there, after you cook with it, clean it as soon as possible(ie.: Do Not let it soak) Wipe it clean, coat it with more oil, and stick it back on the burner for a minute or two. If it’s still oily, wipe it when it cools enough, and then hang it up on the peg. Keep it oiled, or it’ll get rusty. If it does get rusty, scrape that off and do the oil thing again. A purist approach is to not use detergent at all, but to clean the skillet with salt, and then oil it. Lard is the traditional oil; I use olive oil.
For cornbread, the key is to stick the (well-oiled!) skillet in the pre-heated oven for a few minutes, then take it out, and pour your batter in the hot skillet and then bake it in the oven. This makes for a delectable crispy crust. Course, if ya made it in a skillet, ya gotta cut it into wedges, and the everyone knows ya made it the right way. A few jalapenos add extry sass.
If I had three things to grab out of my house in a fire, my 15 year-old skillet would be one. I really can’t conceive cooking without it. It holds onions and whatever basic sauce you have at a righteously conducive temp, and then is generous enough to accomadate whatever you throw in at the last minute. At a medium gas heat, it don’t burn. Plus, it’s a mighty signifying weapon, but you guys don’t need to hear thattagin, do ya?
Back to the cornbread…cooked as above stated, some whole sweet kernels added fresh about a month ago are the best.
Unsalted butter is the next best thing to lard for seasoning. I don’t know why it’s black when seasoned; my WAG is that the pan is saturated with fat and looks dark for the same reason deep water looks dark - light refracts within and is lost. Or something like that. Ask a physicist.
Another good idea is to hit garage sales and antique malls. Usually you can turn up an already seasoned pan for about the price of a new one.
It’s true that genuine cornbread must be made in a cast-iron skillet. Mmmm. I had some for supper tonight.
Elelle is right about pre-oiling it and pouring the batter in while it’s hot. I would just add that while pre-heating the skillet, I like to sprinkle some extra cornmeal in the oil to give it a rough, crumbly texture on the bottom.
Don’t know how long they take to turn black - the one that we have is the same one my mom used to make cornbread in when I was a kid. I’m sure it’s at least 40 years old.
I wanted the iron skillet that had been in the family for over 40 years. I asked my father for it and he said he couldn’t find it! How in the world can you lose a big iron skillet?
So which would be best for seasoning the pan: butter, olive oil, or canola oil?
If something does stick to pan, do not scrub it with a kitchen srubber. Instead heat a small amount of oil in the skillet then add salt, rub the salt and oil around with paper towels. Then rinse it out, heat and oil it again.
I learned this from my father-in-loaw who was a chef. It has never failed to work for me.
I must add that a great way to season any piece of cast iron is to put it in your gas grill. That way all the fumes and drippings stay outside, and it’s easy to open up the lid to rub some more oil on the piece.
I got my cast iron camp oven shiny black in one afternoon that way.
It’s all urban-legendary crap as far as I can tell. I grew up in a household with cast iron frying pans and we washed them in detergent same as any others (you do have to dry them completely lest they rust, though). I do likewise with my own and will challenge any of you no-wash / wipe-only frying pan fetishists to a fried-chicken, blackened-catfish, hungarian-goulash, sopaipilla, and bolognese sauce showdown any time.
Au contraire, AHunter3, at least as far as the detergent goes. A good washing can deseason cast iron, at least for relatively new pieces. I’d think you’d have to scrub awfully hard to get rid of the gunk on Great-Grandma’s skillet, but I’ve had to reseason my new skillet twice after the initial seasoning.
Don’t know about the taste impact, though. Wouldn’t mind some of your blackened catfish as a test.
From Bob T
(gotta figure out how quotes work in here)
I wanted the iron skillet that had been in the family for over 40 years. I asked my father for it and he said he couldn’t find it! How in the world can you lose a big iron skillet?
Bob I feel for you- I have 2 skillets from the family that are at least 50 years old and I use almost daily!
The Black gunk is carbon built up on the outside. A nice smooth coat of carbon makes a nice non-stick surface. Yes, you shouldn’t use soap to wash it out, just water. After I wash it, I usually like to put the skillet back on the heat for a minute or two to dry off…then two or three drops of oil spread around to prevent rust.
The thing to remember is that the more you use your pan, the better it is. If you use it only one a month or so, it won’t be non-stick. If you use it every day, it will achieve perfection…kind of like David Brin’s “Practice Effect”.
I use a teflon pan for things like eggs or stir-fried vegetables since it’s a lot easier. But if you want fried meat, you’ve got to use a cast iron pan…a teflon pan won’t get the crunchy browned bits right for pork chops or chicken.
I have found that if I run the skillet under water while it’s still fairly hot, so that great clouds of steam are produced, all traces of food are removed and the skillet retains its oily “seasoning” while looking showroom new. I wouldn’t try this with a skillet that was red hot, you might cause it to crack. I clean my skillet this way all the time, only having to resort to detergent or scrubbing when I’ve accidentally burned something in it.
I’ve just about given up trying to keep my cast iron properly seasoned with the kids using it. Same with keeping my Chicago Cutlery sharp and out of the dishwasher.
Helpful note for wooden handled knives: Wash by hand only, don’t soak in water, and once a year let the handles soak in light mineral oil overnight.
IIRC correctly the difference between red rust and black oxide is one is ferrous and the other is ferric, I don’t remember which goes to which. One is plain old corrosion and one is somewhat protective like bluing on a gun.
If you ever need to strip off burned on residue that won’t wash up oven cleaner will strip it down to gray metal so you can begin again. I know a lot of people say to never let detergent touch a cast pan but I find that a properly seasoned pan is okay cleaned in dish liquid.
That said, nothing compares with the results from a god cast iron pan. I love my Caphalon commercial anodized but not more than my lodge pans and dutch ovens. My favorites are the camp dutch ovens which have a flanged lid for putting hot coals on top. I like the cast iron wok but it requires a lot of heat so I may have to upgrade burners.
I’ve used some mild detergent on my skillet so far, but that was only for the first few times when some food got stuck on it. It is starting to develop that nice black look to it. Food left in the skillet usually comes off with a gentle push or running it under water.
A relative of mine is offering me an old iron skillet that she never uses, so I just might use that one from now on.
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