Help! What am I doing wrong with my cast iron??

[bluegrassmom]

Arrgg! I am just so gosh durn frustrated. I *know* how to take care of cast iron. I really do. Or at least I think I know the basics.

 

*Don't use soap!

*Make sure you season it.

*If you must do something, just use really hot water.

*Don't just wipe them dry, put them in a warmed oven so any water will evaporate.

 

Let me give you a little background on my cast iron. I have several pieces that I inherited from my mother. My mother DID NOT know how to take care of cast iron. She always washed it in soapy water. Seasoned it once when purchased and then never again. Would just wipe them dry or even *gasp* would just let them air dry! Ug.

 

So anyway, when I inherited all the cast iron I started putting the poor things through rehab. Seasoned, made sure they were never touched by so much as a drop of soap again, etc, etc. But then there was one problem. My three sisters never learned the finer points of caring for cast iron and even though they would only visit once or twice a year, every time they would leave I would discover that they had pulled a "Mom" on my cast iron while they were here. So it would be all yucky again. (I personally think that they need to just learn better ~ but they actually think that it's "gross" to not wash with soapy water and look at my like I've got a second head when I try to tell them Mom's way is sooo not the best way.~~Goobers.)

 

Anyway, here is one of my problems. When I need to reseason, they always come out sticky. Am I using too much? The last time I used Crisco. A lady who has awsome cast iron and uses it all the time told me to just use Crisco for seasoning. But it doesn't seem to matter what I use, it always comes out sticky.

 

Problem #2 ~ no matter how careful I am, I can *never* get my cast iron to that blissful, total stick free surface. It'll always have a bit of roughness to it. This was really brought to light to me recently because I purchased a lovely, well used and loved deep cast iron frying pot/pan. Having that one really showed me just how smooth and stick free the surface can be. Y'all, I used it ONE time and now it's got some little bumpy spots. The totally smooth surface is not what it was. I made chilli in it. I browned my meat, drained and then made the chilli in it and let it simmer a while. Once it was emptyed out I saw that there were some spots where there was gristle/meat/yuck and it wouldn't just wipe off. I put some super hot water on it and gave it a little scrub. Just enough to get rid of the yuck. Then I wiped it and put it in a warm oven to finish drying.

 

When I got up this morning, it had those tell tale faint rust marks and just a bit of roughness. I was able to get it off easily since it wasn't much, but what am I doing wrong? This is the first piece that I've had that is in such awsome condition and I want it to stay that way! Somebody please help!

[rootdiggr]

Bluegrassmom:

 

re #1 - look on the bottom of your pan. Does it say made in China? I got a set of 3 cast-iron skillets in 1974, and 2 of them have been lovely. By now, totally non-stick. Nothing I do to them ruins them. The 3rd (and largest) I have to treat with kid gloves. No matter what I do, sometimes it starts to stick, and I have to re-treat the thing. I have just learned to accept the situation and work with it. Dratted hit-or-miss quality from China.

I used to have the problem with gumminess, and I quit using solid shortening and went to using a little olive oil after cleaning. Just a very small glug of olive oil after the pan dries, and wipe it around with a paper towel. After the pan cools I wipe again with a clean paper towel to pick up the residue. I have not had a problem with gumminess since I started doing that.

 

re #2 - since it was chili that you made in the pan, I assume that you used some sort of tomato product. It sounds to me as though the pan reacted to the acid in the tomatos. You might want to consider using something else for tomato-y dishes in the future. At least dishes that will be in the pan for a long time. If it is a quick in and out, that should be fine.

 

Hope this helps.

 

[mommato3boys]

BGM, I maybe the wrong person to tell you how to care for your cast iron. Because I use soap and water. I then set them on the stove and turn the eye on and let it dry using heat. I even use SOS pads on my cast iron and they are smooth.

 

When I cure mine I bake them for a couple of hours. I put a very thin coat of Crisco and once it is all melted I pull it out take a paper towel and rub around it getting any extra out and making sure it is covered well. I do this several times so until there is no standing oil.

 

I do not season them every time I wash them. Mine are older than I am and are shiny black.

[quiltys41]

Originally Posted By: mommato3boys

BGM, I maybe the wrong person to tell you how to care for your cast iron. Because I use soap and water. I then set them on the stove and turn the eye on and let it dry using heat. I even use SOS pads on my cast iron and they are smooth.

When I cure mine I bake them for a couple of hours. I put a very thin coat of Crisco and once it is all melted I pull it out take a paper towel and rub around it getting any extra out and making sure it is covered well. I do this several times so until there is no standing oil.

I do not season them every time I wash them. Mine are older than I am and are shiny black.

I do mine the same way...wash in soap and water. The only thing I do different is I use lard to season with. Some of my stuff is what was given to me by my grandmother that she used. But I notice that when I make anything with tomatoes, whether sauces or whole like in chili, it will mess up the cast iron a bit and lead to some rust up on the edges. Maybe try using some other type of pots/pans for things with tomatoes in them.

Q

[JCK88]

I don't use soap on my cast iron, but I use hot water and a scraper...and...NEVER do I put tomato sauces in them. I use regular pans for cacciatores or chili dishes and such. I also use the dab of olive oil after washing and drying.

 

I have an antique cast iron pan given to me at a Civil War reenactment--it is the best one I own and the most non-stick. That thing could probably handle the tomatoes! LOL

 

My Dutch ovens have to be re-seasoned after a peach cobbler disaster....modern ones of course. But I have had to re-season them before and I am sure they will be fine. I use Crisco on them in the oven and season them a couple of hours. (and as is posted earlier, make sure no standing piles of oil build up in one place)

 

I think your best bet is to simply re-season it or be sure after you use it and clean it, that you put a dab of olive oil on it to prevent rusting.

 

 

 

 

[Pigzzilla]

I rinse mine out with HOT water and a scrubbie if necessary. Then put them on the stove and heat 'em up. Add a bit of oil and wipe out with a paper towel. If there seem to be some stuck on bits, I add about a spoonful of kosher salt and use that to "scrub" the stuff off. Then wipe out real good.

 

I have a little cast iron skillet my grampa used to fry eggs in. Thats how he cleaned it for as long as I remember. It never sticks.

 

 

[Grubby]

When you put them in the oven to season them how do you keep

them from smoking. That's my problem!

 

 

[westbrook]

cast iron.. there are several brands. The worst is the rough finish! no matter what you do, they will never have that smooth finish.

 

The smooth finish is like a mirror and as a matter of fact it referred to as a 'mirror finish'.

 

I season mine every time I use them.

 

wash, soap and hot water.. sometimes stuff does stick (what can I say, I got distracted) and I use an SOS pad on them. But no matter what, I put them on the burner on low to evaporate the water, pour oil or crisco (lard is best) inside, take a paper towel and wipe clean and dry. This is the inside and outside. The pan is hot or very very warm. I turn the fire off and in my case it is electric. Set the pan back on the stove to cool.

 

I have the Mirror finish in all my pans but 1. It is a Lodge dutch oven, the largest they sell. What a mistake! horrible pan, rarely use it.

[bluegrassmom]

Really? And I had always heard the Lodge was the very best of the best and sort of felt left out that I don't have any Lodge pieces, lol!

 

And why season the outside too? I have done that, but like I said earlier, I just ended up with a sticky mess.

 

Now that everyone mentioned it, I do remember now about not putting the tomato products in. I had just completely forgot. Thanks for the reminder!

[westbrook]

I oil the outside to keep it from rusting.

 

I have my favorite which isn't made any more.

 

this is a mirror finish!

http://cgi.ebay.com/Griswold-10-Cast-Iro...1QQcmdZViewItem

 

look at the thickness of the frying pan walls vs. the one above.

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-CAST-IRON-FRYING...1QQcmdZViewItem

this makes the pan very heavy.

 

Griswold is my first choice and this is my second choice

http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?f...+pan&category0=

 

If your pans are sticky, it is because there is too much oil left on them. Olive oil isn't the best thing to use on them. this is where a solid shortening is better.

 

LARD is the first choice and crisco shortening is second. If I use olive oil or other cooking oils, I only use a small amount then wipe it almost dry with a paper towel.

 

I would say, if it is sticky.. you aren't using it enough! ROFL!!!

 

so ... I am hungry... anyone else? bluegrassmom is cooking for us!

 

[bluegrassmom]

Fried chicken and mashed taters at my house everybody!!

 

 

[mommato3boys]

Originally Posted By: bluegrassmom

Fried chicken and mashed taters at my house everybody!!

yummmmm yummmm

[Becca_Anne]

I wash mine in HOT water, with a soap free scrubby. Dry with a paper towel, then pour olive oil in the pan, and wipe with a paper towel every time I use it. No rust on mine! And it's not sticky either LOL.

 

[Grubby]

I have a wok that I seasoned wrong. It's dark in the bottom

and shinny on the sides. (1/2 way up)

 

The bottom is STICKY!! Is there a way for me to correct

what I did wrong? I bought it, seasoned it (wrong) and

never have used it.

 

Please me!