# Seasoned Lodge skillet - EVERYTHING sticks...help!



## allycat659 (Sep 15, 2015)

Ok so I'm new to cast iron and researched the heck out of "seasoning" my Lodge skillet.  I used the flaxseed oil method (Cheryl Canter's version) of:  PURE flaxseed oil (in refrigerated section of Whole Foods so I am 100% certain it was the right kind), Applied oil in UBER thin layer, wiped out the excess, placed it into the cold oven upside down, turned oven up to 500 degrees, started the timer AFTER the oven came to temp and left in for one hour, turned oven off and let the pan cool in the oven for 2 hours.  I did this process SEVEN times.  Tried to cook chicken (in a good amount of oil) and it stuck to the point of my having to PRY it out with my tongs and spatula combined.  I literally had to PEEL it out of the pan leaving the pan FILLED with a thin layer of chicken.  Was complete hell trying to clean the pan out afterwards and it looked "dull" in a few places so...did two more rounds of seasoning.  Researched some more and read that I should cook bacon or something really fatty.  Tried that, and IT stuck too!!!  UGH!!!  I was SO disappointed the pan has been sitting in my over for a month now (because I don't want to see it - reminds me of what an epic failure I am...HA!).  I basically gave up on this after so much effort and wasted time but I really want to love my cast iron pan!!!  Should I just fill it with BACON GREASE and basically DEEP FRY some bacon in the fat?  I'm just at a loss.  The science behind her method, and the multitude of other people who raved about it really sold me.


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## grande (May 14, 2014)

Lodge skillets are pre seasoned. Don't tell me you stripped and reseasoned a brand new skillet.


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## brianshaw (Dec 18, 2010)

Are you sure your letting the food cook long enough? Trying to turn too early will guarantee sticking.


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## brianshaw (Dec 18, 2010)

Are you sure you are heating it up enough before starting to cook? Cooking in a cold pan...


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## grande (May 14, 2014)

Actually excellent questions because i cook these foods without sticking in a variety of pans.


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## koukouvagia (Apr 3, 2008)

Im new to cast iron cooking as well, just started last week actually! Lodge are preseasoned so I didn't have to do anything other than rinse it out and then heat on the stove. I've cooked eggs in them over easy and happy to report that most of them came out unscathed. Yes a little sticks to the bottom but I scrub it out with a brush afterwards in the sink with water. Then I place it on the stove top and hear it up until the water evaporates, it takes a couple of minutes. Then I rub a little oil in it and turn off the stove. No problems yet. 

You may be turning the chicken too soon. Especially if it's skinless breast, those stick and you have to wait for it to unstick itself.


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## flipflopgirl (Jun 27, 2012)

Even a pre seasoned pan takes time to cure.

Things may stick for quite awhile depending on how much you use it and what you use it for.

I acquired mine during the don't ever wash period and made mostly cornbread for years.

Kosher salt scrub and back in the oven (lol I didn't have much storage space) until next time.

I still hardly ever use more than salt but if it needs it (after fish) I boldly go where no chuck wagon cook ever went before and clean with hot water and a bit of Dawn.

mimi


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## ordo (Mar 19, 2009)

Do not give up. A cast iron pan is a must in the kitchen and its almost impossible to ruin it. Insist in cleaning and seasoning at high temp. Use different fats. Deep fry many times. If some food is really stuck there do not scratch the pan hot. Pour some hot water to loosen the food.


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## phatch (Mar 29, 2002)

I agree with those who say your pan wasn't hot enough and you tried to move the food before it was ready.


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## brianshaw (Dec 18, 2010)

also remember that even well-seasoned cast iron isn't non-stick, per se, in the literal sense, as one would experience with Teflon... but is less prone to sticking... and sometimes close to what we know in modern non-stick cookware.

For a goo lesson in cast iron cookery it is good to check out Chef Walter Staib. Notice that he starts almost every pot and pan with a healthy amount of fat. Part of that may be his German tradition and part of that may be the way colonial Americans cooked... but the majority of the reason is stated above


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## kuan (Jun 11, 2001)

The technique is:  Hot pan cold oil.

Next, if you want to truly season your skillet try this.  Coat you pan with oil and fill it with salt.  Put it in the oven at maximum heat until the salt starts forming a crust and browns.  Remove, discard salt, then polish the inside of the pan with an oil soaked rag.

To clean your pan use salt and water.  No detergent.  Sure the surface will feel oily but that's what you want.


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## jimyra (Jun 23, 2015)

Try going to the Lodge website and look under use and care. I have at least a ton of cast iron cookware. This is off the Lodge website
[h5]Refurbish Your Finish[/h5]
While maintaining the seasoning should keep your Cast Iron and Carbon Steel in good condition, at some point you may need to re-season your cookware. If food sticks to the surface, or you notice a dull, gray color, repeat the seasoning process:

* Wash the cookware with hot, soapy water and a stiff brush. (It is okay to use soap this time because you are preparing to re-season the cookware).

* Rinse and dry completely.

* Apply a very thin, even coating of MELTED solid vegetable shortening (or cooking oil of your choice) to the cookware inside and out. Too much oil will result in a sticky finish.

* Place aluminum foil on the bottom rack of the oven (not directly on bottom) to catch any drips.

* Set oven temperature to 350 - 400 degrees F.

* Place cookware upside down on the top rack of the oven to prevent pooling.

* Bake the cookware for at least one hour. After the hour, turn the oven off and let the cookware cool in the oven.

* Store the cookware uncovered, in a dry place when cooled.

* Repeat as necessary.

.

Good luck


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## jake t buds (May 27, 2013)

I own a lodge dutch oven that I bought unseasoned, and a pan that was seasoned. The pan that was seasoned by lodge I've had to re-season and maintain by using the suggestions already posted : Thin layer of fat, heat, cool, etc. No soap, hot water only, scrub using coarse salt and a paper towel if necessary to flatten and hone the surface, heat to evaporate water, coat with oil, store. Use a plastic scraper to remove bits. I stopped using a brush since it makes the brush really, really, ugly. If using salt, treat it as an abrasive. It is like sand paper, and finish the entire pan bottom and sides. An uneven surface makes for uneven seasoning and therefore parts are prone to sticking.  

I used crisco for the dutch oven, and did what you did probably 5-7 times with a thicker layer - I didn't wipe it down (be sure to put a sheet pan below the upside down pan to catch any drips). I've deep fried in it countless times and the finish is very dark brown and the surface is non-stickish. Either way, it's not a glossy, shiny finish. You should not see "pools" of dried sticky oil.

I emphasize and re-iterate what others have already said. Hot pan, cool oil that covers the entire pan bottom, let the protein develop a skin before moving or attempting to flip. It will release when ready. You might also not be using enough fat or oil. Cast Iron is not "non - stick."


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## flipflopgirl (Jun 27, 2012)

One more thing....

If you don't use it a lot store it upside down or at least covered (a dinner plate is perfect for the 9 in) because any dust (or at my house the near continual flour clouds) will stick like a mofo.

Oh?

I am the only person who doesn't dust inside their kitchen cabinets?

Shame on me lol.

mimi


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## french fries (Sep 5, 2008)

flipflopgirl said:


> I am the only person who doesn't dust inside their kitchen cabinets?


Some people dust inside their kitchen cabinets? /img/vbsmilies/smilies/eek.gif /img/vbsmilies/smilies/lol.gif


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## brianshaw (Dec 18, 2010)

Like Mimi, I don't dust inside my cabinets... And I stack my frying pans. Paper plates make good separators to avoid scratches and miscellaneous dust accumulation


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## flipflopgirl (Jun 27, 2012)

BrianShaw said:


> Like Mimi, I don't dust inside my cabinets... And I stack my frying pans. Paper plates make good separators to avoid scratches and miscellaneous dust accumulation


Great tip....

I pack china with the foam plates between but never occurred to me to stack my non sticks likewise.

Brian just opened up several sq ft of cabinet space for me!

Go ahead ....DUH!!!!!!

mimi


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## flipflopgirl (Jun 27, 2012)

French Fries said:


> flipflopgirl said:
> 
> 
> > I am the only person who doesn't dust inside their kitchen cabinets?
> ...


My first MIL.

Her son followed in her footsteps and that my friend was a large part of why he is my ex.

mimi


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## gonefishin (Nov 6, 2004)

Like others, I would question of you preheated your pan enough and if you flipped too early.

Here's a post I made some time ago about how long it took to preheat a cast iron pan at work. I did two heating methods, one using an easy medium flame, which produced good even heating across the pan...and the other method was a high heat flame, which heated the entire pan up quicker, but with a good deal of difference in the temperatures across the pan. But in the end, the high heat method took 5 minutes...and the medium heat method took 10 minutes to heat the entire pan evenly

link to thread where the below information was originally written...

On a viking stove, I found that heating the cast iron pan took a full 10 minutes on a very medium flame. Turning the flame to high gives you an very uneven heat, to the point where you can have one section of a protein burning while the other would be in a very different temperature range.

*Heating under Medium Flame*





  








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Med heat at 5 minutes. Medium heat at 7 minutes. The darker area is fairly even @350f





  








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Medium heat 10 minutes. Fairly even @375f

At this point you can leave it medium and raise the temp or turn it down and maintain temp.

*Heating Under High Flame*

Using the high flame heating method proved to have inconsistent results across the pan (see comments below)





  








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High heat at 1 minute. High heat at 2 minute

Dark area 200f, light <101f Dark area 300f, light <151f





  








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High heat 3 minute High heat 4 minute

Dark area 400f, light only 200f or less. Some* dark area 500f, light (center) at 300f





  








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High heat 5 minute

Some* dark over 500f, other dark is down to 375f

*I could have used other settings which showed greater sensitivity but they didn't photograph as well.


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## stevenvhayden (Aug 25, 2015)

I personally use my cast iron to sear things like fish and chicken. I love the color and I often finish in the oven so to make sure mine is up to temp I often stick it in the oven and set my oven to 425 or 450 than once the oven is up to temp I pull out my cast iron and put on a med high heat and its ready for the fat and meat. after I start to develop some color I just throw it in the oven without turning it. after 8 or so minutes on a chicken breast I will pull it out turn it and baste the breast of the chicken in the fat until I get the desired color and or the chicken is done.

If you cant make your cast iron work after that than you were never destined for cast iron greatness I am sorry.


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## flipflopgirl (Jun 27, 2012)

Our beach share was sold out from under us this year and whilst divvying up a lifetime of "stuff" the fisherman ended up with a large cast iron skillet (20-24 inches?).

It had been living in a closet totally forgotten for way longer than anyone could remember and was soooo dirty and rusty.

But only on the inside (odd?)....

I worked on it every few days for a couple of weeks and gave up.

Heat...oil...paper towels and elbow grease.

Barely made a dent.

Any suggestions?

mimi


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## grande (May 14, 2014)

Try the blog the OP recommends... she says to coat it with easy off & put it in a trash bag. http://sherylcanter.com/wordpress/2010/01/perfect-popovers-and-how-to-clean-reseason-cast-iron/

Or steel wool or sandpaper if you don't want to.be so drastic


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## phatch (Mar 29, 2002)

Re: Rusty cast iron

Google up bead blasting in your town. For a small fee, they'll blast everything right off of it in under 5 minutes. I had a 16" spider blasted this way for $20 bucks about 10 years ago. Much simpler than anything by hand.

Of if you've got a branch of IDOS locally, there may be somebody with a rust reversing bath. This is basically an electrochemical bath with a battery charger and they convert the rust back to iron slowly. If there's a collector of classic cast iron, they probably have such a setup.


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## flipflopgirl (Jun 27, 2012)

phatch said:


> Re: Rusty cast iron
> 
> Google up bead blasting in your town. For a small fee, they'll blast everything right off of it in under 5 minutes. I had a 16" spider blasted this way for $20 bucks about 10 years ago. Much simpler than anything by hand.
> 
> Of if you've got a branch of IDOS locally, there may be somebody with a rust reversing bath. This is basically an electrochemical bath with a battery charger and they convert the rust back to iron slowly. If there's a collector of classic cast iron, they probably have such a setup.


dingdingdingdingdingding...

Why didn't I think of sandblasting?

Maybe because when the farmer and I were deciding who got custody of which friends he got the guy because they went to school together?

mimi

Seriously....it got that petty.

We even divided up Mexican restaurants......

What an idiot.

m.


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## mikelm (Dec 23, 2000)

*"Why didn't I think of sandblasting?"*

*NO NO NO NO NOOO......*

Mimi-

For G-d'sake don't sandblast it. This is used for producing a _rough _surface, cleaned and suitable for painting. They specify a "*sharp sand"* for sandblasting for just this purpose. This is broken grains of sand that has not been smoothed and rounded by being in a stream bed for centuries and washed round and round a lot.

You want a nice clean, heavily pitted cast iron pan??

A sandblast shop can do both, probably with the same equipment. You make dang sure your sandblaster knows you want it BEAD blasted. This technique uses tiny, perfect spheres of glass to clean, strip, and actually _polish_ the metal. It removes paint, rust, and most kinds of crud. It's actually kind of miraculous.

I've done a good deal of both.

Some finishing techniques use crushed walnut shells and other stuff like that, I presume for more polishing effect. No experience with that.

Good luck with your project.

Mike


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## phatch (Mar 29, 2002)

That's why I said bead blasting.


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## chrislehrer (Oct 9, 2008)

I always understood that putting a cast iron pan in a stove on the self-clean cycle would take it down to bare metal. Seems easier and cheaper.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## mikelm (Dec 23, 2000)

Yeah, Phil-

I know we went through this whole thing two or three years ago.

Mike /img/vbsmilies/smilies/wink.gif


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## flipflopgirl (Jun 27, 2012)

Thanks gentlemen.......
What was intended for a surprise would have ended up a disaster.

mimi


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## phatch (Mar 29, 2002)

ChrisLehrer said:


> I always understood that putting a cast iron pan in a stove on the self-clean cycle would take it down to bare metal. Seems easier and cheaper.


It's not effective on rust really. Great for solving a botched seasoning job or one that's failing or in trouble for some other reason.


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## toxicant (Sep 14, 2012)

The problem with modern cast iron pans is the poor finish of the casting. If you took the time to smooth the inner surface of the pan you could then achieve a nice non stick surface. Sanding, polishing and then using flax seed oil will result in a nice pan but is it really worth the time and effort?

Buy a nice used griswold pan and be done with it, the casting is much smoother and you can easily achieve a smooth non stick surface. Griswold pans are on the light side <thinner casting> if you want the added weight go with Wagner.


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## mikelm (Dec 23, 2000)

Good point, Toxicant-

I amassed a nice, small collection of Griswolds over the years at yard sales and flea markets... before they became sought-after as antiques. I'm afraid that now you will have to pay prices for collectibles, not just old, used pans.

Mike /img/vbsmilies/smilies/frown.gif

Hey- they're still worth it!


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## flipflopgirl (Jun 27, 2012)

MikeLM said:


> Good point, Toxicant-
> 
> I amassed a nice, small collection of Griswolds over the years at yard sales and flea markets... before they became sought-after as antiques. I'm afraid that now you will have to pay prices for collectibles, not just old, used pans.
> 
> ...


Yeah...quite the travesty.

Yard sales aren't what they used to be.

Specially if they pull in an estate sale pro (who said you have to be dead to charge oodles for your castoffs /img/vbsmilies/smilies/cool.gif ).

Altho for some reason my beloved lace pillowcases and finds like that are still flying under the radar.

mimi


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## toxicant (Sep 14, 2012)

I just did a search on eBay and there seems to be lots going for less then 100 bucks and most for less then 50.

Remember, this will last a life time....I've thrown out a bunch of 15 dollar non sticks in the last ten years,.


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## flipflopgirl (Jun 27, 2012)

Toxicant said:


> I just did a search on eBay and there seems to be lots going for less then 100 bucks and most for less then 50.
> 
> Remember, this will last a life time....I've thrown out a bunch of 15 dollar non sticks in the last ten years,.


IMO a CI will never take the place of my disposable non sticks.

Just part of the budget....

mimi


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## raibeaux (Dec 21, 2012)

Something that helps me a lot is using a metal spatula.

I use a 3" x 4" *flexible* stainless one from my restaurant supply place.

I'd read years ago about this, and the theory is that the spatula scrapes off the "micro-bumps" as you cook. Seems to work well, too.

Most of the time when I finish cooking, I will drag the spatula across the skillet from edge to edge, turn it, and do the same thing. It really has done a good job on my square 10" skillet and my round 12" one.

I'm a little anal about seasoning, so when I get it cleaned up, I dry it on medium burner for a few minutes, then drag lumps of Crisco around the hot sides until there's about 1/4" in the bottom. I leave it that way until I cook again. I just melt the old Crisco, pour it into something and go about my business. Sometimes, if it's pretty clear, I'll just put it back in the skillet after cleanup.

Try the spatula thing for a year or so.

P.S.

Everyone talks about how smooth and slick great-grandma's skillets were. No plastic spatulas back then!!

PPS.

The flax seed oil is a great idea. Trick for a new pan is to put it on a heated skillet, then wipe off all you possible can before heating it in the oven. Repeat as many times as you feel like. Also used this on the carbon steel skillets.

I FORGOT TO MENTION: When using the metal spatula, I drag it with light pressure. Don't want to mess with the seasoning too much.


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## panini (Jul 28, 2001)

This has probably already been mentioned by the cast iron pros. Sometimes when you have hard water. If you wash  chix, shrimp etc. The least little bit of hard water moisture will leave a film. You will invariably build up a small amount of calcium, magnesium or whatever else in in your hard water. Everything will stick, even with cool oil, hot oil or lots of oil. I have to vinegar down my cast every once in a while especially when the better half decides to wash it.


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## koukouvagia (Apr 3, 2008)

Does anyone know how to get the sticky oil off?


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## raibeaux (Dec 21, 2012)

Don't know what happened to my original post.

Something that helps me a lot is using a metal spatula.
I use a 3" x 4" flexible stainless one from my restaurant supply place.
I'd read years ago about this, and the theory is that the spatula scrapes off the "micro-bumps" as you cook. Seems to work well, too.

Most of the time when I finish cooking, I will drag the spatula across the skillet from edge to edge, turn it, and do the same thing. It really has done a good job on my square 10" skillet and my round 12" one.

I'm a little anal about seasoning, so when I get it cleaned up, I dry it on medium burner for a few minutes, then drag lumps of Crisco around the hot sides until there's about 1/4" in the bottom. I leave it that way until I cook again. I just melt the old Crisco, pour it into something and go about my business. Sometimes, if it's pretty clear, I'll just put it back in the skillet after cleanup.

Try the spatula thing for a year or so.

P.S.

Everyone talks about how smooth and slick great-grandma's skillets were. No plastic spatulas back then!!

PPS.

The flax seed oil is a great idea. Trick for a new pan is to put it on a heated skillet, then wipe off all you possible can before heating it in the oven. Repeat as many times as you feel like. Also used this on the carbon steel skillets.

I FORGOT TO MENTION: When using the metal spatula, I drag it with light pressure. Don't want to mess with the seasoning too much.


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## phatch (Mar 29, 2002)

Koukouvagia said:


> Does anyone know how to get the sticky oil off?


Sticky oil is oil that is plasticizing. If it's a thin film, just get it good and hot for a while. Stick it in the oven at 500 for an hour and let it cool down. Shouldn't be sticky anymore. If it's on the cooking surface, turn the pan upside down so any excess oil drips out during the heating. You can also do this over a burner on a stove if you have a good vent or on a grill outside.


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## canele (Apr 7, 2015)

.


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## canele (Apr 7, 2015)

Koukouvagia said:


> Does anyone know how to get the sticky oil off?


burn it off....


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## canele (Apr 7, 2015)

Allycat659 said:


> Ok so I'm new to cast iron and researched the heck out of "seasoning" my Lodge skillet. I used the flaxseed oil method (Cheryl Canter's version) of: PURE flaxseed oil (in refrigerated section of Whole Foods so I am 100% certain it was the right kind), Applied oil in UBER thin layer, wiped out the excess, placed it into the cold oven upside down, turned oven up to 500 degrees, started the timer AFTER the oven came to temp and left in for one hour, turned oven off and let the pan cool in the oven for 2 hours. I did this process SEVEN times. Tried to cook chicken (in a good amount of oil) and it stuck to the point of my having to PRY it out with my tongs and spatula combined. I literally had to PEEL it out of the pan leaving the pan FILLED with a thin layer of chicken. Was complete hell trying to clean the pan out afterwards and it looked "dull" in a few places so...did two more rounds of seasoning. Researched some more and read that I should cook bacon or something really fatty. Tried that, and IT stuck too!!! UGH!!! I was SO disappointed the pan has been sitting in my over for a month now (because I don't want to see it - reminds me of what an epic failure I am...HA!). I basically gave up on this after so much effort and wasted time but I really want to love my cast iron pan!!! Should I just fill it with BACON GREASE and basically DEEP FRY some bacon in the fat? I'm just at a loss. The science behind her method, and the multitude of other people who raved about it really sold me.


nothing better then some boiling oil to do the trick.

Deep fry several rounds of chicken. Or just .... boil some oil in it.


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## karentoc (Jul 28, 2015)

Someone once told me the best fat to use to season your cast iron was pig fat. A nice cube of fat back is what I was told to use. I have never tried it because my Pan is so nicely seasoned now I haven't needed to. I used vegetable shortening, not oil.


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## eolian (Jan 17, 2015)

"Someone once told me the best fat to use to season your cast iron was pig fat"

Yep Lard...The first seasoning for a new iron or steel omelet pan fry some large crystal salt in lard, let cool and scrub down with a paperbag. Then fry bacon a few times throw in a chunk of lard before the bacon keep the bacon moving.

Lard will not enter food if it`s hot. I blacken redfish in a "HOT" pan with lard and believe me you can get lard "HOT".

I realize lard is not admired in culinary very much anymore the low fat healthy veg oils are the in thing. Cast iron loves lard this is what i use and right now i could fry a 15 second omelet in any one of my 5 cast iron pans and it will slide right out.

 Oh, you know one thing i have noticed. I have 1 Lodge cast iron skillet and it has a ring molded into the bottom. On my glasstop stove my stove has a heat sensor and this ring causes the eye to keep applying the heat to the pan and if i dont manually adjust the temp the contents of the pan will burn. This caused me a huge problem in making a dark roux until i figured it out. 

To be truthful the stove manual says dont use cast iron but i thought it probably was in reference to how easy one could break the top with a iron pan. LOL


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