I'm goin' in!! Seasoning an old cast iron pan.

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Oh Sweet Chef!!!! You are a gift! Thank you for this!

That makes tremendous sense (from tin, to acidity/toxicity and the quandary of re-plating versus buying new) and so I think for me, a new pan is best, although this will get used to hold make-up brushes or some "fun thing," versus food! Why not!

You are very helpful, and I appreciate you (and all others) taking time to chime in here.

This site is so wonderful, and while I've been lounging online and on here too much lately (as my schedule changes in the new year and so perhaps I am getting my "fix" in now), smiles, and while I've been "over sharing" in each thread, and with whatever blather my theme changes too - from food to mood to allergies even and/or you name it - at the end of the day, I am just so grateful for this place and it's people. (Hopefully those who get a zillion inbox alerts with all the zany comments from my threads don't get too nuts therefore or annoyed)!

The point being that I just learn a ton here, and the environment is such a welcoming and enjoyable one!

So that's my editorial sentiment for today!

Thanks again JJ, as I appreciate that information indeed!

Here's a wonderful wish for everyone to have a fabulous wrap up of 2013 and an amazing new year!!!!!!!

Cheers! - Leah
 
Update on the cast iron skillet. The finish did appear to be flaking off after a couple uses. I'd scrubbed with Kosher salt twice to loosen stuck food particles, then washed in hot water with a plastic scrub brush and/or scrubbie sponge. The kind with a yellow sponge on one side and a green Scotch Brite type pad on the other. Then I'd dry and put on the burner over high heat to completely dry and warm it up, followed by a swipe with oil. I noticed after the last use that after it dried and sat for a day, the seasoning was flaking off in several areas. It appeared to be just the last 2 or 3 coats, as there was still a good finish underneath. I've just washed and recoated it with flax oil and will try some bacon or something later to see what happens. I'm hoping that with repeated use the seasoning will build.

Not sure what I may have done wrong. Only idea is that the flax oil is described as "High Lignan", the meaning of which eludes me. One thing I did notice, however, was that on the 3rd or 4th coat, I tipped the bottle more than I had before and got a dark brown substance (as opposed to the clear amber colored oil) which I hadn't noticed before. This I assumed to be part of the oil which had separated and sunk to the bottom of the bottle, so on each subsequent coat I shook the bottle. Perhaps this is the "lignan" and is what is causing the failure to bond to the pan? I think next time I'll try filtered oil with no added lignan and that might yield a better result.
 
I've never put more than 3 coats on my CI. When I go to heat it, I run the oven at 450°. I usually wait until the next day to add the next coat. When I scrub I have a sponge with the blue scratchy pas side that I use if needed. Otherwise pretty much just hot water into the hot pan, quick wipe, then dry.
 
After reading the article by the woman who kinda brought flax oil seasoning to the masses, I think I may have just used too much oil. I think I'll just start again from scratch and be extra careful to remove ALL the excess oil. In her article she states you should wipe all the oil off so that the pan appears dry.
 
 
After reading the article by the woman who kinda brought flax oil seasoning to the masses, I think I may have just used too much oil. I think I'll just start again from scratch and be extra careful to remove ALL the excess oil. In her article she states you should wipe all the oil off so that the pan appears dry.
Yes I make sure that the oil is really "rubbed" in good and that there isn't any excess. I have a little 6" CI pan that I need to do. The little guys are great for making a couple eggs.
 
 
Hey MD

I just googled lignan.  The explanation they gave had so many BIG words in it that I still don't have the foggiest idea

Gary
HA!! I think I found the same explanation. Haven't tried to re-do the pan yet, just been re-coating it from time to time to build up the seasoning. It's working fine and is just about as non stick as Teflon[emoji]174[/emoji] so I'm not too worried about it. It's just not that pretty gloss black, though it is getting darker.
 
Time for the annual update. The skillet is a treasure. After the weird flaking episode, I reseasoned a few times, leading to a nice glossy coating but a few lumps here and there. It worked, but wasn't perfect. Then disaster struck. One evening my wife decided she wanted a cup of tea. So she filled the kettle, turned the knob to high and went back to her book while she awaited the whistle. About 15 minutes later I noticed a burning smell. I asked her if she was cooking something and she mentioned the kettle. I ran to the kitchen to find the cold kettle on the left front burner and the cast iron skillet glowing red on the left rear burner. We'd recently gotten a new stove, and out of habit she'd turned the knob that used to be where the left front burner control was. Only the knobs are reversed on the new one.
After it cooled down, and I cooled down, I assessed the damage. The seasoning was burned off of most of the bottom, leaving shiny iron. Worse yet, the formerly perfectly flat bottom was badly domed. After an appropriate mourning and pouting period, I had pretty much decided to chuck it. But I figured it was ruined anyway, so why not at least try one more time. I put it through the self clean cycle again, then used oven cleaner on the more stubborn parts of the seasoning. Then went through the flax seasoning process again. The finish came back and more importantly, the domed bottom almost went away. I guess it was the high heat in the self cleaning cycle, but what had been a pan that was warped to the point that it was unusable was now nearly flat. It's still slightly wobbly, but it works just fine.
The disaster actually ended up helping. The bumpy finish is gone, replaced by a glassy finish that keeps getting better and better. It laughs at fried eggs. Should anything stick, I just put it back on over medium heat and deglaze with water and a flat bottomed wooden spatula. Afterwards I'll wipe it out, wipe with whatever oil I have handy and put it back over medium heat til it starts to smoke. Let it cool off and it's done. Oh, and I don't leave it on the stove top anymore. As soon as it's cool it goes up on top of the tallest cabinet where only I will ever bother to get it down and use it.
 
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