Just about had it with cast iron - help B4 I go back to non-stick!

[Ophelia]

I've had a pan/skillet since last July/Aug, so almost a year now (pre-seasoned). At first I was using olive oil to coat the pan after it got hot and before I put the food in. That was not working well so I asked here and then got a canola shortening to use (it says it doesn't contain trans-fat so I think it's OK healthwise). I have stripped and re-coated it a couple times.

There are a few things I can cook in it, like eggs, frying up hamburger, bacon, onion, etc. But others are awful, like french toast. No matter what I do the toast always sticks.

I put cheese on the eggs, and if any cheese sticks to the side of the pan I have to scrub like mad to get it off. I usually have the heat on medium, wait for pan to heat up, coat with shortening, then add food. Am I doing something wrong??

Before I got the cast iron, I had gotten a non-teflon non-stick pan like these:

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/prod...6034185&RN=398

mostly DH uses it, and it's terribly scratched up, which I'm sure he doesn't think is a big deal but I do not like him cooking food on it that DS eats. They may not have made it with Teflon, but who knows what other chemicals are in there. Plus the one pan cost me about $70, so if you have to replace it every year it is not cheap!

Is there something in between we can both use (DH wants the easy way out on everything, so it has to be easy to clean and non-stick)?

Or am I still using the cast iron wrong??
Help

[dogmom327]

Cast iron is a time investment but it's well worth it. Here's what I do even when it's "pre-seasoned" (which honestly doesn't mean much!):

Cook with lots of fat and/or very fatty foods like bacon. Organic palm shortening is a good choice as is organic coconut oil. I generally cook bacon in the pan I'm "working on" at least once a week.

Once you are done cooking, just wipe the pan out whenever possible to leave some of the cooking fat. If something really sticks, boil some water in the pan then use a gentle brush or cloth to wipe it out.

After cleaning it out, heat the pan and add some palm shortening or coconut oil, wipe it around and let it cool/dry.

Repeat this process over and over again. It took me about 6 months but now I have a fantasticly seasoned cast iron pan. The only thing that sticks at this point is eggs but the pre-seasoned pans (like Lodge Logic) are just too textured in my opinion to ever be truly non-stick for eggs. Makes incredible hashbrowns though!

[texmati]

Quit scrubbin' your pans!

I know this is going to sound disgusting-- but I only have problems when I scrub my cast iron pans.

I clean them by heating them up really high on the stove, and then using a paper towel dipped in oil to unstick the burnt bits. Wipe it out, let it cool, and put it back up.

After a while, they become more nonstick than a non stick pan (DH tried to make an omelet in a nonstick pan over the weekend (disaster)).

[JollyGG]

If you wash you have to reseason it. Just wipe it out with a paper towel most of the time you use it.

[SageR]

I do pretty much the same process as pp. Ime/imo pig fats and tropical fats are the best for seasoning. Vegetable oils just seem to make them more gunky.

A great tip I got here was to store the pans in the oven. That way, every time you use the oven they get a little more seasoned.

If you feel like starting from scratch with your pan you can put it in your oven on the self cleaning cycle. Anything really crusted on there and any surface rust will pop right off. But you will need to do a lot of seasoning and cooking high fat before it will be non stick.

[Chinese Pistache]

Ditto. Don't wash them. Cook fatty foods, wipe them out and then, be done.

[russsk]

If you have a lot of gunk you want to get off, don't use soap. I heat the pan on the stove, and add some coconut oil. Let it get hot, but not screaming hot, then add a big handful of salt. I have a scrubber for my cast iron that has never seen soap, so I use that to give it a good scrub. The salt is nice and abrasive, so that should get just about everything. You can rinse, but don't use soap. Wipe with a paper towel.

For regular use, just wipe with a towel while the pan is still hot (or reheat and wipe). And don't skimp on the fat when you're cooking.

[beanma]

I have pre-seasoned pans and non-pre-seasoned (diy) pans. I really don't notice much difference between the two at this point. I've had the diy pans since we got married 15+ yrs ago. The preseasoned I bought maybe 2 yrs ago? My mom also gave me one small frying pan that was her's so it's probably 50 yrs old. They're all equally non-stick. I have stripped one of my pans once in 15 yrs. It's not good to do. You should only do that if the pan is rusty or the seasoning is flaking off in huge hunks.

I never have any trouble with my pans. I see folks complaining from time to time on here about it, but I don't really know what it is that I do right. I abuse the heck out of them. If it's nothing too messy that I cooked (like maybe a grilled cheese) I'll just wipe the pan out with a paper towel. If it's teriyaki salmon or something, though, I'll scrub with soap. I never use steel wool. I never recoat my pans after cooking (some people do). I will occasionally let them soak for hours (others shudder at the thought).

When I cook, though, I do always let the pan get hot, then add oil (my fave is olive, but I also use butter, canola, and fake butter, amongst other things), then add food. That's what it sounds like you said you do, but maybe you're not letting the pan get hot enough? I'll let it warm up for several minutes with nothing in it sometimes (like when I'm typing this up — turkey bacon here we come). Then drizzle a little oil in and plop in the food immediately. You don't need to use a huge amount of oil when cooking, but it does need to lightly coat the bottom of the pan (shiny everywhere). I can't see where using too much oil could get you into trouble, though.

If the meal wasn't too messy I'll wipe out the pan with a paper towel. If it was really messy I'll wash with soap. If it looks stuck on I'll let it soak for 5 minutes maybe (assuming I don't forget and let it go for hours) and it will flake right off when I come back to it. I do always dry my pans by turning on the burner for a few minutes. Our pans just live on the stove. I use them almost every day.

My best advice would be to stop messing with them too much. Don't strip them, but feel free to cook bacon!

hth

[cristeen]

Honestly, olive oil may be part of your problem. It becomes sticky as it breaks down over time and heat. I would probably try to scrub the pan down to nothing and then start cooking fatty foods in it... bacon, sausage, hamburgers, steaks, etc.

I do scrub my pan if there's something stuck to it... but it is just water and a wire scrub brush. I fill the pan about halfway with HOT water (no soap), let it sit about 30-60 seconds (to melt the grease), scrub a few times to loosen anything up, dump and rinse. Depending on what's stuck it may take 2 or 3 tries to get it clean, but the key is that I'm not trying to find metal on the pan, I'm just trying to loosen the encrusted food. And I do NOT do that with steel wool or something similar which will easily work a hole in the seasoning. The water will still be kind of dingy when rinsing it, but it should no longer be black - if it is, it gets another rinse. Then I put it over a low flame to dry it completely. The pan should still be shiny when dry, which indicates it still has a coating of oil on it - if it's not then give it a quick coat and rub with a paper towel before putting it away.

As for your eggs sticking... how much fat are you adding to the pan? For 2 scrambled eggs, I need at least a Tbs of fat. The only time my eggs stick to any of my pans are when I either don't put enough fat in or I don't wait for the pan to heat up enough. As for the cheese - well, cheese sticks, that's the nature of it. Do your best to scrape it up while still hot, work on incorporating it more into the eggs or you can keep the pan hot for another minute or two and the cheese will go from melty gooey mess to crispy "cracker-like" at which point it comes off pretty easily in one piece usually.

As for the french toast... I can't do french toast in my pans very easily. The texture on them just doesn't work well. I have a CI griddle that I use for pancakes and french toast and the like. It doesn't require nearly the babying that the pans do... it has a much smoother surface and just requires the lightest oiling before using - perhaps in part because it rarely makes it's way into the sink it's so big.

[beanma]

Don't believe the hype. Cast iron is not complicated. Use any oil you like! Cook anything you like (tomatoes)!

I cook french toast and pancakes in mine all the time (usually in butter 'cause that tastes best with those) and NEVER have any problems with sticking.

Olive oil is my go to oil and I NEVER have any problems with sticking.

I never need to scrub with a wire brush (yoikes!). I only use my dish rag (just what I use for everything) and anything that was slightly stuck on pops right off.

I regularly make cheesy quesadillas and grilled cheeses. The cheese just pops right off.

I just made bacon and eggs (scrambled in the pan) in olive oil and just wiped out with a paper towel. No stuck egg. I did use a bit too much oil, but that's no biggee.

Make sure your pan is hot before adding the fat/oil. Mine was on medium for about 5 minutes (which was a bit excessive, usu just 1 or 2 minutes) before I added the olive oil and turkey bacon. (The turkey bacon doesn't have much fat, unlike pork.) This pan was a Wagner 1891 (received as a wedding gift, don't know where they got it). I also have a Lodge Logic preseasoned griddle pan that works just as well. I just like the frying pan a bit better for most things, though.

When I'm doing a big breakfast of pancakes and bacon and grits (yes, I'm in the South) I use 3 cast iron pans. 2 for pancakes and 1 for bacon. (Grits go in a regular pot).

Don't reseason. Do use it a lot making sure the pan is hot.

Good luck!

[Chinese Pistache]

I don't even use that much oil for my eggs. Usually, I'll cook my kids' eggs with about a tablespoon of olive oil, then, when I go to cook my own eggs, the pan is greasy enough that I don't add extra fat. As long as *something* fatty is cooked in it a couple times a week, I think it stays non-stick enough (for me).

[cicely_m]

Ok... I am just deciding to trade in all my non-stick pans for cast iron, and I am wondering a little beginner's question here-- does all the grease you leave on the pan not get rancid? Is it really good to let lard and bacon grease sit forever and ever on your pan? No bacteria accumulate there? Or little animals try to eat it?
Also, I assume that means that my vegetarian husband will have to have his own pans, if mine have meat grease all over them?

[Ophelia]

THanks! I'm just skimming replies right now, will have time to read more later.

I have never used soap, only water to try and clean. DH did stick it in dishwasher once (trying to be helpful!) I had to strip and reseason after that. Someone here told me to strip by steel-wooling it, coating with oil, then heating on low in oven for a couple hours. Otherwise, to clean I just use hot water and a dishrag to scrub it, sometimes letting it soak in the sink if it's too thick.

The shortening I've been using for a while is canola, should i quit using it (I just opened a new container too!)?

For those who wipe pan out with paper towel, do you do that while it's still hot? How do you keep from getting burned, or burning the towel? I do try to scrape some of the stuck cheese off while it's still hot.

I also accidentally left my pan on the burner once and there is some kind of permanent ring around the inside that I can't get rid of.

[webjefita]

I use a plastic pampered chef scraper to scrape off burnt cheese etc. that might be stuck on the pan. otherwise, don't wash, scrub, etc. just wipe out.

[webjefita]

Originally Posted by cicely_m

Ok... I am just deciding to trade in all my non-stick pans for cast iron, and I am wondering a little beginner's question here-- does all the grease you leave on the pan not get rancid? Is it really good to let lard and bacon grease sit forever and ever on your pan? No bacteria accumulate there? Or little animals try to eat it?
Also, I assume that means that my vegetarian husband will have to have his own pans, if mine have meat grease all over them?

I think you can leave bacon grease out indefinitely, I don't know, I keep extra in a glass jar by the stove and use it daily. Otherwise I wipe out the pan... the stuff I'm cooking usually uses up most of the grease (pancakes, etc.) so there is not a whole lot left *in* the pan.

Your hubby would probably want different pans, I know I did when I was veg.

[Magelet]

For the people who find nothing sticks, their pans are clearly really well seasoned (unlike preseasoned pans). I have two lodge pre-seasoned ones, in two different sizes, both about a year old. one, nothing sticks to, not even eggs with cheese (which is sort of the ultimate stickfest). The other, most things stick to, even fatty ground beef. The difference? I used only the small one for 4 months, and cooked regularly in it. The large one has been barely used.

It takes time to build up the seasoning. I'm a HUGE fan of sauteed onions, which is perfect, because they are great for seasoning the pan. I just wipe out the excess oil after. (Hot or cold, if its hot, its a little easier sometimes if there is a lot of excess oil, but then you just bundle up the paper towel, like crumpled aluminum foil, and don't touch the pan with your fingers). It never burns the paper for me.

Bacon, if you can eat it, would also be good. Frying things, good. burgers, acceptable. (they only leave enough behind that a scrubbing with salt and oil, then being wiped out, is good). I definitely pan-fryed lots of meat in my little pan.

It takes time, but it is well worth it. After 4-6 months of regular (several times a week at least) use for fatty foods, your pan will be so lovely non-stick, you would not have a clue why you would ever use a toxic non-stick pan.

not sure what the ring is, if its silver, grey, or in any way "less black" you probably burned off some of the seasoning by accident. I've done it before. Its ok, its not the end of the world, you just have to season it more. (I have never actually seasoned my pans in the oven, I just season them by cooking fatty foods).

Do make sure that if you use water to clean your pan (which is ok to do, its soap that really removes the fat), heat it to dry it so it doesn't rust.

canola won't hurt your pan. I'm personally convinced its horribly bad for one, and use butter, chicken fat, beef fat, turkey fat, duck fat, olive oil or coconut oil.

[russsk]

For what it's worth, I'm vegetarian and I use the same pans for everyone's food. I guess I don't care if a few molecules of animal fat get into my food, but it's a personal thing for everyone. Just ask your dh if he cares. I can't taste any animal fat (other than the butter I cook with) in my food.

[sophmama]

I use my cast iron several times every day. If I'm cooking a meat product I do often rinse out with slightly soapy water. I do use some sort of utensil to knock or scrub off bits but my pans are 30 ish years old and well well seasoned. I always heat dry them on the stove after I rinse them out. I usually add my oil as the pan is warming up - never wait for it to get too hot - just warm enough to melt it. Never have problems with anything.

[artgoddess]

Originally Posted by webjefita

I use a plastic pampered chef scraper to scrape off burnt cheese etc. that might be stuck on the pan. otherwise, don't wash, scrub, etc. just wipe out.

this is what I do too. I usually wipe it out when it's still warm, so stuff easily comes off on to the dishcloth, but not so hot I burn myself.

[beanma]

I think Magelet's point is a good one. The more you use cast iron the better it becomes. I use one pan or another almost daily. The only time I use another frying/saute pan (stainless) is if the cast iron is in use. I do eggs, bacon, pancakes, french toast, grilled cheeses, quesadillas, veggie burgers, salmon patties, salmon fillets or steaks, turkey burgers, stir fries, sauteed greens, jambalaya, etc, etc, etc.

I don't keep it looking oily when I'm done cleaning it. I try to wipe out almost all the oil/fat. I definitely don't leave a puddle. The main reason I wipe with a paper towel instead of rinsing/washing is because we've had to have our sewer line jetted out because of grease build-up (old house not all ours).

If your veggie DH doesn't mind using your regular pans that have cooked meat I doubt if he would mind a cast iron pan that had cooked meat. You can always wash it before you cook his food if he feels like some meat residue is still there or buy him his own pan.