View Full Version : Seasoning Cast Iron (pic heavy)
British Red
08-08-2009, 16:59
Its been a while since I did a pictorial, but given I have just added to my cast iron cookware, nows a good time
I have just bought a new 9 quart dutch oven and a small South African "bake pot" potjie. One was "allegedly" preseasoned, the other untreated.
This is the Dutch Oven
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2507/3799443350_3767f27907_o.jpg
It got a nice dark colour - inside and out
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2529/3799444136_be6d738bb1_o.jpg
Trouble is, the base is really rough - as it is on much cheaply cast stuff.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2497/3798628541_e49f5198bb_o.jpg
If you ever handle really good, old cast iron, the base is smooth as silk. PArtly through good manufacturing, partly through wear, partly through the build up of "seasoning".
I want to accelerate that, so, out witht he detail sander
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2544/3798629371_4a35a479d9_o.jpg
I like these for working on cast iron - they are curved and you can get right into the edge like this
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2444/3799446754_67cde0ffa6_o.jpg
Do stick a mask on - or you will be coughing black crud for a couple of days!
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3453/3799447388_b3fa2f39f2_o.jpg
Work through the grits as any other sanding job - you'll notice the dust build up
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2562/3799448146_2660c157bd_o.jpg
When you have the inside nice and smooth, do the inside of the lid. You can use this for a skillet if you flip it over!
Then scrub the pan inside and out to remove any laquer apllied in the factory to prevent rust. I'm using a scourer here but if "topping up" seasoing use a nylon pad to prevent scratching
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2634/3798632347_e7824c23e5_o.jpg
Dry well to prevent any rust
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2506/3799449896_a87e58c838_o.jpg
Stick your oven on to 250C (HOT) and preheat. I line the bottom with tinfoil to catch drips.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2454/3798634075_478326d337_o.jpg
Cover you pan with a THIN coat of oil. This si like painting - many thin coats is the key. You can use lard or bacon fat but warm the pan first so the fat melts and runs. Use a lint free cloth to distribute the oil.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2429/3799451388_79359c4529_o.jpg
Put the pan and lid in the oven upside down so that excess oil drips out. Bake for an hour. Open all the doors and windows as this si going to smoke a LOT. You can do this in a fire or barbecue if you have a less understanding partner.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3420/3798635559_2a82c59387_o.jpg
After an hour use oven gloves to remove the pan and lid. Put on a heat proof surface and leave to cool. Then apply another thin coat and bake for another hour. Several coats are needed. This sequence shoudl show the coats building
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3562/3800244247_95ef54203b_o.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2544/3801063820_6e54ecd3da_o.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2598/3801063270_d4d8472247_o.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2178/3801062120_87f9e0e1d1_o.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3516/3800241413_6533df865c_o.jpg
Thats it really - leave to cool well and then use for frying bacon and the like for a few times - it improves the seasoning
Red
great tutorial Red, i just done some of my cast iron pots and a griddle a couple of weeks back.i was recommended crisco vegetable shortening,which is an American product but i found it on ebay and the results were great.
British Red
08-08-2009, 18:52
Thanks Gil
I had great fun with a little potjie "bake pan" too which came as raw steel
Looked like this first thing today
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3516/3800240247_1c0e01e245_o.jpg
Now its like this
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2470/3801632558_d35e695c03_o.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2484/3800812815_69d38dd5a1_o.jpg
Red
launditch1
08-08-2009, 19:31
Good stuff Red.Ive got one of them potjie things that ive sandblasted because it was in a right state!After reading this im going to have a go at seasoning it.
Thank you for the pics, I learn better by seeing. I reckon I'll have to invest in one of those sanders, the Dutch Oven works but it's but rough.
launditch1
08-08-2009, 19:49
Just be careful of cast iron dust if your going to be sanding one...
British Red
08-08-2009, 19:52
Yep - a breathing mask is the way to go!
You can get el cheapo sanders (like mine) from B&Q - they don't cost more than ten quid.
Red
Wish I searched for seasoning guide before doing it to my new cast iron dutch pot that arrived yesterday. I removed the three feet with an angle grinder then seasoned it three times at 2 hours a time at gas mark 8 using pork lard each time. Well firstly gas mark 8 is far too high and now I have big blobs of red fat stuck all over. I'm going to get the sander out and follow this guide today!
edit: just finished smoothing the base with an angle grinder floppy disk and waht a bloody job it was, too. I must warn you guys thinking of buying the auction dutch pots from ebay user 20-20mobile-eyes that you will need to spend a lot of effort on bringing these up to a good finish.
http://www.pic-nerd.com/v2/images/81m1vv14hbcqjul5ody.jpg
Good tutorial! Many thanks, I understand what to do a lot better now. I'll have no worries about buying old cast iron now to season at home.
British Red
13-01-2012, 09:36
If you have an old pot with ruined seasoning, fling it in a fire and get it red hot. The old seasoning will just flake off and you start from scratch.
Wish I searched for seasoning guide before doing it to my new cast iron dutch pot that arrived yesterday. I removed the three feet with an angle grinder then seasoned it three times at 2 hours a time at gas mark 8 using pork lard each time. Well firstly gas mark 8 is far too high and now I have big blobs of red fat stuck all over. I'm going to get the sander out and follow this guide today!
edit: just finished smoothing the base with an angle grinder floppy disk and waht a bloody job it was, too. I must warn you guys thinking of buying the auction dutch pots from ebay user 20-20mobile-eyes that you will need to spend a lot of effort on bringing these up to a good finish.
Funny that I got my dutch from 20- 20, and all I did was season it three times with olive oil, and then use it, Nothing has ever stuck, I didn't even bother to sand it down. Just plenty of oil and plenty of use.
as an asside can I ask why you cut the legs off?
mrcharly
13-01-2012, 10:28
Lub0, I have bad news for you. Smoothing the base was the wrong thing to do and will increase the tendency of things to stick.
That orange-peel finish on the cast iron (and on cast Aluminium) seems to work almost like a teflon non-stick coating.
cave_dweller
13-01-2012, 13:05
Great tutorial, thanks Red.
I've been doing a bit of research about this recently, so it's good timing. Some folk reckon that choice of oil is important - I've seen references to polymerisation and other stuff that I don't understand. Does it make a big difference? If so, is lard the weapon of choice?
Chers Red!! great stuff this,...
although it has highlighted the poor quality of my new dutch oven,..
:(
Some good advice on seasoning a Dutch oven, and as I'm now tempted in purchasing one. My question is what brand and what size?
Frogo
santaman2000
13-01-2012, 18:35
Great tutorial, thanks Red.
I've been doing a bit of research about this recently, so it's good timing. Some folk reckon that choice of oil is important - I've seen references to polymerisation and other stuff that I don't understand. Does it make a big difference? If so, is lard the weapon of choice?
The biggest concern when choosing your oil is to choose one with a high smoke point. Oils with lower smoke points will burn and impair the flavor of anything you cook later. Generally don't use any oil or fat that you wouldn't fry with.
nunzionuk
13-01-2012, 19:06
Great guide I will be following this for mine... now the stupid question, whats the best way to clear them once they are seasoned.
Great guide I will be following this for mine... now the stupid question, whats the best way to clear them once they are seasoned.If you mean clean them, hot water and a soft plastic scrubbing cloth, No soap, no detergents, nothing other than hot water and a bit of elbow grease. No metal implements should be used in the Dutch. Remember to re-oil them afterwards. (I heat my dutch up on the stove and them oil them with fresh oil, and some paper towels to rub it around the inside. Leave to cool and put away 'til next time.)
nunzionuk
13-01-2012, 19:23
Ah.. so thats what I am missing.. need to re-oil after cleaning.
Cheers :)
the interceptor boy
13-01-2012, 20:13
hi Red, thanks for a pictorial post, I was wandering where did you buy your dutch oven and potjie as I haven't got any and looking to buy my very first dutch oven, do you have a link, seller or a name of a shop, would be appreciated, cheers the interceptor boy.
Ok quick update, the pot has now spent three times in the oeven with each time getting blacker and blacker. I reckon just one more coat of lard will make it a nice uniform jet black coating like red's and the OP's. Will post pic later.
mrcharly I've always read/been told that a good non-stick cast iron surface is one that is as smooth as possible!?!?
Here's what it looks like after 3 times in the oven with each time being 2 hour at gas mark 8. Why dosn't it look uniform black like British Red's one does? Am I too high a tempreture or using too much lard? I message the lard by hand and think I may be using too much.
http://www.pic-nerd.com/v2/images/m6rnzvx23hholyptzv0.jpg
British Red
13-01-2012, 22:46
Either the oil is too thick or you aren't putting it upside down mate (causing pooling)
Get the oven hot, put the oil on as thin as you possibly can - like gloss paint.
If using lard or solid fat, heat the pot first so that it melts as you put it on. It must go on in liquid state. If it pools, wipe out with kitchen towel.
Too much fat is my diagnosis!
nunzionuk
13-01-2012, 23:35
seasoning it will smooth out the roughness of it, its like waxing a car, you will smooth out the scratches.
nunzionuk
13-01-2012, 23:35
hi Red, thanks for a pictorial post, I was wandering where did you buy your dutch oven and potjie as I haven't got any and looking to buy my very first dutch oven, do you have a link, seller or a name of a shop, would be appreciated, cheers the interceptor boy.
I got mine from Ronnie Sunshine.. http://www.ronniesunshines.com/
Either the oil is too thick or you aren't putting it upside down mate (causing pooling)
Get the oven hot, put the oil on as thin as you possibly can - like gloss paint.
If using lard or solid fat, heat the pot first so that it melts as you put it on. It must go on in liquid state. If it pools, wipe out with kitchen towel.
Too much fat is my diagnosis!
I am sitting it upside down and you are right, I'm using too much lard. I do heat the pan up before rubbing the lard in to it. Damm, should I sand it down and do it all again or is this harmless?
The only dutch ovens/potjies have used were in Southern Africa and the brand was "best duty" off the top of my head its the same brand that unbeaten tracks and woodlore used to stock.
The only UK stockist i can find is http://www.mopanitrading.co.uk/potjies-and-cast-iron-pots-sussex-hampshire-online/cat_34.html
I have no connection with the seller apart from buying some really good Biltong fom them.
I will be placing an order soon.
cheers
Louis.
British Red
14-01-2012, 00:20
I am sitting it upside down and you are right, I'm using too much lard. I do heat the pan up before rubbing the lard in to it. Damm, should I sand it down and do it all again or is this harmless?
If its hard lumps, just sand down the bottom and have another go
I successfully re-furbished an ancient cast iron 'pannkakslagg' which is a special Swedish frying pan for pancakes.
There were years of built-up crud around the outside.
I left it in a plastic bucket of caustic soda for a week and it all lifted off quite easily with a bit of wire wool scrubbing.
For seasoning I read various tips on the net as to what to use - the yanks use Crisco - some kind of vegetable fat but the most interesting one I read was to use food grade linseed oil which one can maybe pick up in health food shops. Linseed oil should provide a very tough coating when dried.
Couldn't source any out here so just went with cooking oil.
Very nice work Red. Nice looking pot.
Just be careful of cast iron dust if your going to be sanding one...
Yep - a breathing mask is the way to go!
You can get el cheapo sanders (like mine) from B&Q - they don't cost more than ten quid.
Red
You also have to worry about your eyes. I have ground and welded cast iron and wore goggles with vaseline smeared on the edges to trap the dust. Better than having your corneas scraped.
My favorite way to season cast iron and woks is to pop popcorn in them. Works a treat. :)
I successfully re-furbished an ancient cast iron 'pannkakslagg' which is a special Swedish frying pan for pancakes.
There were years of built-up crud around the outside.
I left it in a plastic bucket of caustic soda for a week and it all lifted off quite easily with a bit of wire wool scrubbing.
For seasoning I read various tips on the net as to what to use - the yanks use Crisco - some kind of vegetable fat but the most interesting one I read was to use food grade linseed oil which one can maybe pick up in health food shops. Linseed oil should provide a very tough coating when dried.
Couldn't source any out here so just went with cooking oil.
Yes I read about linseed oil, too. The food grade version goes under the name of flaxseed oil and can indeed be purchased from health shops though it is rather expensive.
British Red
14-01-2012, 15:30
Sunflower oil is a good high temperature oil - works fine when I use it - cheap too :)
I use beef dripping in my cast iron frying pan. Once I've cooked something in it, quick scrub with hot water, dry, then melt some dripping in it - paint with a basting brush then leave on the hob for 3 minutes with the lid on. The beauty is that if by any chance stuff does start to stick, you can just burn it off on the BBQ as previously mentioned (my casserole lid went in the woodburner!)
santaman2000
14-01-2012, 19:17
I've used any and all of the following to season my C.I:
-corn oil
-vegetable oil
-bacon fat
-Crisco (which is just a brand name for hydrogenated vegetable oil)
All have worked well for me. I've also known others who have use peanut oil. As red said, if the uneven seasoning creates lumps, you'll need to get them off. Otherwise ignore it and continue seasoning; it will even ot over time (as it will if you simply use the C.I. to fry fatty foods such as bacon or to fry fish in oils. Time used is the best seasoning method of all. Also when cleaning your C.I, if you need to scrub, just use salt for a scrubbing medium. It disolves and actually adds to the seasoning.
mrcharly
16-01-2012, 17:24
I have had a few cast iron pots and in daily use an Aluminium pot. None of them mirror finish, all with the 'orange peel' finish.
There is less of a tendency for food to stick and burn on them than any of the standard catering stainless pans.
I think the orange peel finish helps prevent this.
Lub0, I have bad news for you. Smoothing the base was the wrong thing to do and will increase the tendency of things to stick.
That orange-peel finish on the cast iron (and on cast Aluminium) seems to work almost like a teflon non-stick coating.
Right you are too (unfortunately).
It seems my pan, while seasoned ok, is still sticking due to me smoothing it too far with the angle grinder (flopper disk). I thought the smoother the better???
There can be other reasons why things stick to cast iron. Are you remembering to heat the pan a bit before putting any oil in to cook and then heating the oil before you put any food in?
Cheers!
Huon
Right you are too (unfortunately).
It seems my pan, while seasoned ok, is still sticking due to me smoothing it too far with the angle grinder (flopper disk). I thought the smoother the better???
British Red
16-01-2012, 21:17
Mine are silky smooth and stick far less than when rough. As huon says, you do need to cook with oil and to get the oil warmed up first (at least for frying or where meat is in direct contact). Its a bit like using a steel (rather than non stick) frying pan. Lubrication is all.
I have restored pans from the 1800s and 1700s and all those years of use fill in all the little "pores" in the iron (rough structure) and the pan gets progressively more slippery. I certainly get better results with a much smoother pan.
It is a different cooking technique and needs a bit of practice - stick with it :)
Mine are silky smooth and stick far less than when rough. As huon says, you do need to cook with oil and to get the oil warmed up first (at least for frying or where meat is in direct contact). Its a bit like using a steel (rather than non stick) frying pan. Lubrication is all.
I have restored pans from the 1800s and 1700s and all those years of use fill in all the little "pores" in the iron (rough structure) and the pan gets progressively more slippery. I certainly get better results with a much smoother pan.
It is a different cooking technique and needs a bit of practice - stick with it :)
This topic always brings Hannibal Lecter to mind. He seemed to get it right when he said this:
Cast Iron Skillet - by Hannibal Lector
“Do you have a black iron skillet? You are a southern mountain girl, I can’t imagine you would not. Put it on the kitchen table. Turn on the overhead lights.
Look into the skillet, Clarice. Lean over it and look down. If this were your mother’s skillet, and it well may be, it would hold among its molecules the vibrations of all the conversations ever held in its presence. All the exchanges, the petty irritations, the deadly revelations, the flat announcements of disaster, the grunts and poetry of love.
Sit down at the table, Clarice. Look into the skillet. If it is well cured, it’s a black pool, isn’t it? It’s like looking down a well. Your detailed reflection is not at the bottom, but you loom there, don’t you? The light behind you, there you are in a blackface, with a corona like your hair on fire.
We are elaborations of carbon, Clarice. You and the skillet and Daddy dead in the ground, cold as the skillet. It’s all still there. Listen.”
— Hannibal Lector sends a letter to Clarice Starling in “Hannibal” by Thomas Harris
Oh, and BR has it nailed when he says cooking with cast iron needs practice. I think you need to learn your pot/pan and heat source far more than you would with modern equivalents. Once you do you'll probably never look back. Personally I loath non-stick and would far rather cook with cast iron for most things.
Cheers!
Huon
British Red
16-01-2012, 21:37
Indeed!
This 1700s piece still cooks well
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1275/1268693494_d90c681b0a.jpg
This old skillet has that lovely silky finish!
http://farm2.staticflickr.com/1233/1243400891_d06a335049_o.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/british_red/1243400891/)
Skillet 1 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/british_red/1243400891/) by British Red (http://www.flickr.com/people/british_red/), on Flickr
Red
They must be a pleasure to use. I love the shine on the skillet. That is exactly what Hannibal would have been talking about. Have you ever cooked liver in it?
:naughty:
Indeed!
This 1700s piece still cooks well
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1275/1268693494_d90c681b0a.jpg
This old skillet has that lovely silky finish!
http://farm2.staticflickr.com/1233/1243400891_d06a335049_o.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/british_red/1243400891/)
Skillet 1 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/british_red/1243400891/) by British Red (http://www.flickr.com/people/british_red/), on Flickr
Red
British Red
16-01-2012, 21:57
:)
With a glass of chianti....and some fava beans?? :D
Perfect!
I'll bring the wine.
:)
With a glass of chianti....and some fava beans?? :D
British Red
16-01-2012, 22:12
Ahhh now when I said you were invited "for dinner" :lmao:
Trust me, with the amount of Chianti I've consumed over the years you'd not want to go anywhere near my liver :)
Ahhh now when I said you were invited "for dinner" :lmao:
Trust me, with the amount of Chianti I've consumed over the years you'd not want to go anywhere near my liver :)
...just another form of "seasoning".......
...just another form of "seasoning".......
... but what was I eating when I consumed it?