Seasoning Cast Iron Cookware

[Dinny Bossa Nova]

I finally got a dutch oven. I didn't get the one I wanted, maybe next time.

Anywho, lard? Vegetable oil? Olive?

500 degrees for an hour?

Is re-seasoning the same process as new?

Dinny

[Fire Me Boy!]

Originally Posted by Dinny Blues

SPOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!

Dinny

I don't like the cut of your jib.

[penguinz]

Originally Posted by Fire Me Boy!

Sure you can. Find cast iron pans with a completely flat bottom. No rings or edges, flat. Be careful when you set it down and down move it around on the glass. It'll be fine.

I've been using cast iron on my ceramic cook top for 2 years and it looks just fine. You just have to be more careful that you would otherwise.

I am using it as an excuse to hopefully soon replace it with a gas stove and convection oven.

[Fire Me Boy!]

Originally Posted by penguinz

I am using it as an excuse to hopefully soon replace it with a gas stove and convection oven.

In that case:

Don't do it, dude. Cast iron will destroy that cooktop in 4 seconds flat.[/cast iron jedi]

[Dinny Bossa Nova]

Originally Posted by Fire Me Boy!

I don't like the cut of your jib.

You can't go around eating kittens. THAT'S JUST WRONG!!!!!!!

Dinny

[FAX]

Yeah ... we use vegetable oil on our cast iron, too. Never had a problem. Just rub it down with Crisco like a Bronco lineman, use a paper towel to wipe off all the excess, and store it. Easy as pie and seems to work.

Here's something, though. Every few years, the beautiful and witty Mrs. FAX's grandmother would build a giant bonfire behind her lake house. After the fire burned down, she would bury her cast iron stuff in the super-heated coals until the iron was red hot. Then she'd pull everything out and allow the pots and pans to slowly cool. Apparently, she thought this was good for her cookware. Unfortunately, she's gone ahead to the big skillet cook-off in the sky, so I can't ask her why she did this without performing a seance which would be super dangerous (not to mention, spooky) because you never know whether or not a demon will show up instead of your grandmother-in-law and, once those damned demons have a gateway into this realm, they can kill your pets, or slam doors, or whisper weird stuff in your ear at night or back up your toilet or really anything they want - depending, of course, on the type of demon you're talking about. Besides, now that the beautiful and witty Mrs. FAX's grandmother is in heaven I'd feel bad interrupting whatever fun, post-life activity she might be currently involved in with such a mundane question. Any ideas as to what the reasoning was behind this technique? Is it somehow beneficial to the cast iron? Does cast iron require super-heating on occasion? Was she just nuts?

FAX

[RJ]

Originally Posted by FAX

Yeah ... we use vegetable oil on our cast iron, too. Never had a problem. Just rub it down with Crisco like a Bronco lineman, use a paper towel to wipe off all the excess, and store it. Easy as pie and seems to work.

Here's something, though. Every few years, the beautiful and witty Mrs. FAX's grandmother would build a giant bonfire behind her lake house. After the fire burned down, she would bury her cast iron stuff in the super-heated coals until the iron was red hot. Then she'd pull everything out and allow the pots and pans to slowly cool. Apparently, she thought this was good for her cookware. Unfortunately, she's gone ahead to the big skillet cook-off in the sky, so I can't ask her why she did this without performing a seance which would be super dangerous (not to mention, spooky) because you never know whether or not a demon will show up instead of your grandmother-in-law and, once those damned demons have a gateway into this realm, they can kill your pets, or slam doors, or whisper weird stuff in your ear at night or back up your toilet or really anything they want - depending, of course, on the type of demon you're talking about. Besides, now that the beautiful and witty Mrs. FAX's grandmother is in heaven I'd feel bad interrupting whatever fun, post-life activity she might be currently involved in with such a mundane question. Any ideas as to what the reasoning was behind this technique? Is it somehow beneficial to the cast iron? Does cast iron require super-heating on occasion? Was she just nuts?

FAX

I think she was probably doing the equivalent of placing cast iron in a self cleaning oven before re-seasoning. She probably learned that back in a time before self cleaning ovens. I think they had to use Easy Off Oven Cleaner® in the pioneer days.

[morphius]

Is there really any substitute for antifreeze?

[Fire Me Boy!]

Originally Posted by morphius

Is there really any substitute for antifreeze?

Putting antifreeze in a cast iron pan and serving to "pests" will only heal them. Cast iron is better than Tim Tebow.