Cast Iron Flavor Question

[jbaugher]

I am looking for some advice on what to do with a cast iron skillet that I have. I purchased that pan new about two years ago. I seasoned it 3 times, once with vegetable oil and twice with Crisco. I do a fair amount of cooking in it. Every time after use, I was it out with warm water (no soap) and then apply a light coating of oil. Well, for the past ten months, that light coat of oil has been olive oil. For the past month, anything cooked in the pan has had noticeable olive oil flavor. This past Saturday, every bite of eggs tasted like I was swallowing a spoonful of olive oil. I cannot cook any thing else in the pan. Should I use some oven cleaner and strip the seasoning from the pan? I read the other post and S.S. recommended using lard to season. How long does a "Lard Seasoning" last before it becomes rancid? I use the pan a couple times a week. Any suggestions on what type of oil I should coat it with after washing it?

[Mike]

After seasoning, I've never used anything else on my cast iron. Hot water when done cooking, that's it.

Mike

[Liv4Huntin']

If you find the taste coming from your pan objectionable, it may be that you want to take it right down and start over. You could wash it WELL with hot, soapy water (i.e. DAWN, that cuts grease). That will take all the existing oils off the pan. You would then rinse it VERY WELL, and heat it on the stove burner to open the pores of the metal and dry it -- WELL.

You would then (while it is still VERY WARM) apply a new coating of Crisco.... This is the recommendation of a 'mountain man' / blacksmith that regularly attends 'period' gatherings using/selling black iron. Sure, the 'old timers / real mountain men', WAY back when, used bear grease, pork fat, etc., but they'd use their pans REGULARLY,too... as in DAILY. Yes, the 'natural' greases will go rancid ... so will the oils, and they can get 'sticky', too. The natural greases can be used if the pans are kept cool in storage and are used frequently.

If your pan is well-seasoned now, the above could be all you'd need to do. If the pan is fairly new/not used much, you may have to go the route of 're-bakeing' to totally re-season (like in a 300 degree oven.) From the two-year notation in your post, it seems like this wouldn't be necessary.

After your 're-seasoning', when you would cook in it, clean it out with ONLY hot water (or boil water in it if the food is stuck on), then dry it, and lightly re-season it with Crisco again while it's still warm, after each use. If it has a lid, be sure and store it with the lid ajar..... not sealed up tight. And it helps to keep it 'fresh' by not putting it away to store until it's totally cool.

Hope this is helpful.
~ m ~

[jpollman]

I bought this pan about 7 or 8 years ago. I originally "baked it" with Crisco as per manufacturers directions. It worked pretty well from the start and it finally started to get a good season to it. Then a few years ago I'd used it and left it on the stove to cool and went out to do some yardwork. Normally, I just rinse it out and dry it with a paper towel and put it back in the cupboard.
I came back in a couple of hours later and the wife had scrubbed the heck out of it with soap and a scouring pad !!!:eek: :mad: :mad:
Oh well, time to start over. I rebaked it and told her NEVER TO TOUCH MY FRYING PAN AGAIN !!! :D She hasn't. I don't use it too often, but when I do NOTHING sticks to this thing. It is AWESOME.
This is what a WELL SEASONED cast iron skillet looks like :

http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/photopost/data/539/1200frypan.jpg

[Salmonsmoker]

Over the past 30 years, I have collected 23 Black Iron Cookware pieces. Seven of them get regular use. From that experience, here's what I have found.

Basically, Lard is the best flavored seasoning you can find for black iron. It also provides the best no-stick surface because when baked on, it forms a very hard surface that thickens with regular use. However, over time, it will get rancid if not used on a regular basis.

Crisco is also an excellent seasoning, has almost no inherent flavor, and it will not get rancid. However, over time, a Crisco seasoning can become tacky, thus loosing it's no-stick quality.

Vegetable oils (including Olive Oil) are easy to use but will quickly become tacky and loose the no-stick quality. Also, vegetable oils each impart their own different flavor.

If and/or when a piece of Black Iron gets a bad taste, it is time to scrub off the seasoning and start over. Also, there are many excellent pieces of Black Iron out there at garage sales (also a lot of cheep ones that aren't worth much) that will probably be in poor condition. Derust them, scrub them with steel wool, then wash with a good detergent, and cure them. They will provide excellent cooking.

Also, in this thread, both jpollman and Liv4huntin' have provided some excellent ideas on curing.

Hope this helps.

[mathewq2]

jbaughter

if you havent got the olive oil taste out of it, go out and make a big fire and throw your cast iron skillet in untill it turns red and drag it out and let cool and reseason it.

the best thing i ever found to clean cast iron skillet is salt.
when you are done cooking with it. throw some salt in it and shrub it down that way.

that is the only way i wash my cast iron skillets

[jbaugher]

Thanks for the all the good info. I took the pan last night and scrubbed it out. I then reseasoned it with Crisco. I am planning on trying lard on the pan. I assume you would just coat the pan with Lard and bake it at 350deg. How do you know if a pan has gone rancid? If it is rancid, can I just scrub it out and reseason it? All of the pans that I have seasoned have been either vegetable oil or Crisco. Also, has any one ever used a gas grill to season a pan? I now have 6 pieces of "black iron" that needs to be seasoned and my wife hates how it smells in the house while I am seasoning. I have a total of 14 pieces of black iron and my collection seems to continue to grow. :D Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[Salmonsmoker]

jbaucher,

If a pan turns rancid, you will be able to smell it (a strong noxious odor that is not plesant) and taste it in the food that you cook.

I generally cure my cast iron in my charcoal smoker. A hundred years ago, they were often cured in a fireplace or over a campfire. It is easier to do (to get an even coat of cure) where you have more control over the heat. Certainly, a gas grill will do an excellent job.

I have found that curing a piece 2 or 3 times (letting it completely cool between cures) with thin coats of lard or crisco gives much better results than one heavier coat (it also takes longer to get the job done - a good project to work on while doing other yard work.)

[FishTales]

Use & Care of your Natural Finish Lodge Cast Iron Cookware
Your new cookware will last a lifetime with proper care and seasoning. Seasoning is the process of allowing oil to be absorbed into the iron, which creates a natural non-stick, rustproof finish. It is actually a very simple process. Here's how to do it:

1. Wash new cookware with hot, soapy water and a stiff brush.

2. Rinse and dry completely.

3. Apply a thin coat of melted vegetable shortening (i.e. Crisco) to the entire surface (including lid if applicable), both inside and out.

4. Line the lower oven rack with aluminum foil (To catch any drippings), and preheat oven to 350° F.

5. Place cookware upside down on the upper oven rack, and bake for one hour.

6. Turn oven off and let cookware cool before removing from oven.

7. Store in a cool, dry place. If you have a lid for your utensil, place a folded paper towel between the lid and the utensil to allow air to circulate.

8. NEVER wash in dishwasher.

9. If your utensil develops a metallic smell or taste or shows signs of rust, never fear. Wash with soap and hot water, scour off rust, and reseason.

After use: Clean using a stiff brush and hot water only (do not wash in dishwasher). Towel dry immediately and apply a light coating of vegetable oil to cookware while still warm.

[Keith Sage]

It seems the best cooks use cast iron. No doubt this is the most used tool in my pack. I always toss my yard sale iron pans in the fire pit befor I ever use them. Using lard is by far the best for curing iron pans. I have some irons that my grandparents brought here from Belgium. They are for making a cookie called a gulett, they look like a small waffel. My mom would cook them over a fire when we were camping in Canada some of the French Canadians new exactly what they were. They need to be welded
again, the iron was a poor quality and they are well over 150 years old.
Enjoy...

[pawclaws]

Wow!! Fishtale actually knows what he is talking about. The only thing I can add is that I prefer to use peanut oil because it stands up to greater heat. Vegetable oil will get sticky if it is not completely burned off which is what you need to do to accomplish a successful seasoning operation anyway. Do your seasoning in an interior oven where you can control the temperature. Using campfires, smokers, grills etc can result in a damaged pan. Drawing the temper or cracking the piece is not desirable. Lard will turn rancid and nasty in a short time if not completely burned off. If you develop an unpleasant taste, as the guy with the olive oil above, simply re-season. No need to scrub or scour, just stick it in the oven at temperature and repeat the seasoning process. What has happened is that the oil has been allowed to accumulate without bringing the piece to sufficient temperature to burn it off. :)

Phil Foreman
Member International Dutch Oven Society
Member, Wagner and Griswold Society
Founder, Ohio Camp Cooks