Cast-iron..Everything everything sticks

If your Lodge pan is made recently, it has an as-cast cooking surface. The old-time pans had a smoother surface, because the factory machined the rough iron before shipping it. This is expensive, and they stopped doing it. If you want to get back to that type of smooth surface, pull out your trusty angle grinder and attach a 180 grit flapwheel. Put on ear, eye, and hand protection and grind away at that inside until it is nearly polished. Then clean it (and yourself) well, and season the pan with the Crisco and grill method. When you are done you will have something that looks like the photo below, which is a pan from China that was rough as a cob inside before I performed the described ritual. Now it is pretty much non stick. A little oil and some salt under the eggs, and they slide right out.

When I get a new one, or after re-seasoning, I use it for bacon, sausage or corn bread.. After a few times, it starts to darken and become non-stick.

Zig wrote:
Hold off on the eggs for several more cooks... dont give up on it... :)

Cook bacon in it!
Forum's Ode to Bacon

Sometimes people that buy the pre seasoned Lodge Logic cast iron have trouble with sticking. Eggs are tough on a new skillet. Most of the time it is because of cooking at too high a temperature... Try bringing down the heat a little, be patient, dont move it around until its sits awhile... The more you use it and keep it scraped clean and oiled the better/slicker it will get... Hold off on the eggs for several more cooks... dont give up on it... :)

The thing to remember about oils is that seasoning is not much more then burnt oil, so those with a low smoke point make better seasoning oils to start.
I have never seen a need for special oil, but the application and heat are important for early seasoning. The cooking surface should be down and the oil as thin as possible.
I try to keep the cooking in a new piece to things that produce fat because some of it will stick and reinforce the seasoning.

eabc5454 wrote:

Little Kopit wrote:
People, use good natural oils to season your cast iron.

Olive oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil, walnut oil are so much better than artificial stuff. Yes, crisco and margarine are just as artifical as pam.

Natural oils make a better finish to your seasoning and don't stink up the house while the oven does it's thing.

:C

X2

Me too. Olive oil. The iron gets a smearing of it before it is put away. If I am using the iron for successive meals I may not even rinse if if it wipes clean. It is going to be too hot for anything nasty to survive before I start cooking...that's why we cook.

Johnworth914 wrote:
NO One washes my cast iron but me.

That's two of us.

I'm w/ you leo, no artificial******for me! I don't even like lard. I've had the best luck w/ bacon grease (all natural). No soap, might do a rinsedown but immediately back on the stove heat up and rub some bacon grease in and let cool naturally.

Eh, I'm working on eliminating as many chemicals, propellants, things I can't pronounce for health reasons and eating as naturally as possible. Pam was one of the first things off my list.
For a lighter coating, you can also put a healthy oil in a misto type spray atomizer.

Some people in the antique cast iron crowd swear by Pam for seasoning. I like it for the initial seasoning because it does build up quickly. Just have to use a very thin coat and wipe it ALL off.. and use several coats. When cooking, Pam causes buildup in spots where the food didn't touch, but I just swish the food around to make sure that all the oil is used. I use it when using my stovetop waffle iron.. Just have to make sure that the waffle mix gets in all the holes.