dear h/a how are you
I bought a cast iron pan the other day and have been attempting to season it with mixed results, and was hoping someone here was an expert in the matter, or could at least pretend to be, in the grand tradition of the internet
first: yes, I'm using vegetable oil. I know there's some contention about this point, and a lot of people suggest not using it because a) it turns rancid and b) it leaves a tacky residue, but it's what the bundled instructions said to use, so.
second: yes, I've been left with a tacky residue. what I did was coat it (probably too heavily) in vegetable oil, inside and out, and put it in the oven at some medium-high temperature for an hour or so (probably closer to two). when it cooled down enough to touch, I noticed the residue, and also:
third: it's got this weird orange discolouration around the edges and on the rim, which I assume is the result of putting too much oil on, because it doesn't look at all like rust. will further seasoning remove this?
fourth: this whole rancid thing. I'm hearing, again, mixed reports. is using vegetable oil to season really going to turn my pan into some sort of poisonous deathtrap? would further seasoning, again, reduce this and the tackiness, which I assume leads to the rancidity, or would regular use at high temperatures negate this risk entirely? how long
does it take for vegetable oil to turn rancid? are a bunch of hypochondriacs secretly running the world?
fifth: should I just cut my losses and start from scratch? judging from half the threads around here, this is apparently the best option in most cases
sixth: any other tips and advice and help would be appreciated, on this or any other matter, I'm not fussed.
thank you h/a!
Posts
Edit:
I've heard a lot about veggie oil creating a tacky surface. It seems like most people suggest washing your cast iron with light soap and water just to get the food stuff out of it. If you aren't using your cast iron on a daily basis, this would probably be the best way to go.
I think the vegetable oil will be fine.
Lodge says "melted vegetable shorting" is the way to go, at 375F, for 1hr plus.
so basically the consensus is starting over? I can't do the whole seasoning thing until at least tomorrow, because I'm using someone else's stove, but would I be alright to scour the pan clean now, dry it thoroughly on the stovetop and try again later?
(by now I mean in six hours or so, when I am home)
thanks for the help, all!
Just use it properly, take care of it, and in a few weeks it'll be perfect.
Vegetable oil is fine.
I use bacon. Mmmm. Bacon.
To clean, i pour hot water into the hot pan. Most of the stuff de-glazes right into the water. A quick wipe with a moist cloth, no soap. Then I rub it with a light coating of vegetable oil and hang it back up. I re-season probably once a year, or when I notice it starting to get food stuck to it.
I use kosher salt to clean mine. Toss some salt in there, rub it w/ a paper towel, then wipe it out.
EDIT: "The Pan Man" has a different style of seasoning: http://www.panman.com/cleaning.html He uses Crisco or fat too.